flat benches

[JustWannaBeHuge]

just started really working out hard again about 2 and a half months ago. I had to drop flat barbell benches altogether and now just stick with declines as my right shoulder was giving me ALOT of problems and alot of pain.

Now the question is for the guys that have given up flat barbell presses.

what about DB presses? do you just use those for declines/inclines as well? or do you not have any problems with DBs for flats?

JW

 

[maxsupplements]

i quit also

i dont do flat bench for the same reason. seems to mess with my right rotor cuff. i do db's and i change the hold of the grips a little. instead of holding the db's straight i kind of cock them to the side as if you were using a ez bar, but without the bar and with db's. seems like my rotor cuff can handle that fine. i use only bar on decline. dbs on incline and db's on flat. its the only thing i can do to avoid further injury

 

[jawbreakerkid]

I cannot under any conditions do flat barbell, but I have no problem with db, flat or otherwise. Also, try using the smith machine, I do smith incline and it seems to take some stress off the shoulders.

 

[weight77]

My friend is the same way, wont flat bench but feels he can dumbell bench all day long. Benching is benching, with the exception being wrist rotation and placement. But even that will only make your wrists more comfortable not your shoulders. My theory is this. People feel that when the flat bench they must use a weight that will impress the other members of the gym. Why, because we all know when someone is benching people alwasy mamage to catch a quick glance of the amount of weight. Now on dumbells nobody cares. So most people are comfortable picking up the old 60-80 pounders and start dumbell benching. Well that only equates to 120-160lbs. I am willing to bet the people who say they can't flat bench would be able to flat bench 185-205lbs with out pain. It all has to do with the amount of weight you use not the movement.

 

[Got Juice]

i think that dumbells are actually a little different than flat barbell bench. yes you are doing the same movement, but your body has the ability to make a slight adjustment when you are using the dumbells vs. barbell. this slight movement could be enough to relieve pain that you have from doing flat bench with a barbell.

i notice if i do say 125lb incline db's or whatever, or 250 on incline bb, i notice less pain in my shoulders from the dumbells. maybe its just me but this is my experience.


Todd

 

[weight77]

You are probably right.

 

[jawbreakerkid]

I agree with got juice. With a fixed bar, you have no room for adjustment, your body has a natural path it wants to take while pressing, but a straight bar restricts that path and forces it into a new path. Last time I tried to flat bench, warming up with 225 hurt like a bitch, but then I did flat db's with 150's and no pain whatsoever. Your right weight, if I did 185, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt...but it also would do nothing for me. When pressing 365 for reps is your norm, going down to 185 is pointless for tissue recruitment. I have had shoulder injuries in the past where any pressing movement was not going to fly. But as I was progressing, db's were much easier to manage than barbell. Finally, when I was fully healed I started to do incline smith. Eventually I went back to flat barbell and my shoulders started to hurt again. Now I stay away from those benches...just say no!

 

[rAJJIN]

well

I love the flat bench. Never had any problems with it myself.
A lot of my partners wont get near it though, theyd rather
hit the dumbells or Hammer strength machines.

 

[LATS]

flat bench with a bar is completely different than with dumbells... when using db you bring the arms down in line with the wrists.. it is the natural way of doing things.. all the force generated goes straight up the elbow directly to the wrist.. less stress on the shoulder biomechanically.. "free-er" range of motion is much better for the shoulder also.. with the bar, most of us will have a tendency to place out hands sligtly wider than shoulder width.. this places much more stress on the shoulder capsule.. guys who bench with a closer grip very rarely have the rotator problems than guys who use a wider grip.. any bar work is going to place more stress than with dumbells.. that being said, the best way to dumbell bench is with the hands in a a-frame at the top of the movement.. just slightly..keep them that way throughout the movement and you will notice a great deal less stress on the capsule.. remember that the way the hands are is going to place the stress on the joint.. even people that have aweful pain in the joint can bench on the hammer machines if they have a palms facing grip.. some of the hammers do.. one other thing.. if you do flys, you will notice that if you keep your hands facing the feet when performing them(like many do because they have a tendency to feel it better in the pec) you will feel more stress in the shoulder joint..now tip the hands so that they form a A at the top of the movement and keep them that way throughout the movement, you will notice much less stress..
that being said.. most do not bench correctly.. why do we as bodybuilders tear pecs and professional powerlifters do not?? you can say the bench shirts ect but, that is not the case.. when a person benches coreectly the bar will hit the nipple line or even below to the sternum.. the hands should be shoulder width or even if you prefer qa wider grip as some powerlifters do, they tuck their elbows in at the bottom of the movement.. flairing the elbows out to try and "isolate" the pecs is asking for considerable joint strain and a torn pec eventually.. it is l;ike doing a fly with a shit load of weight.. something is going to give...eventually..

 

[Trulyhuge]

I get a good delt workout w/ barbell flat bench more than anything. I prefer db's and Hammer equipment.

TH

 

[rAJJIN]

yep

I can agree with that Kinda..
Flat bench BB is deffinatley not just for chest, although
90% of us do it on chest day.
It deffinatley hits my lats, triceps and well pretty much
the entire upper body comes into play a bit.

 

[stomper1]

trulyhuge,

I hear ya bro, if I flat bench I really feel it in my delts(and I am keeping then down and back to).....I really like incline barbell though

 

[Silencer]

I cannot to flat bench at all (135 even hurts), but I work 225 on incline for regular sets without problems. Though I also stop about 1.5" from my chest - if I go all the way down on the incline, I get the same feeling of stress on my shoulders as with flat bench. Do you guys with shoulder problems touch the chest on inclines?

 

[LATS]

TOUCHING THE CHEST IS WHAT GETS MANY OF THESE GUYS INTO SHOULDER PROBLEMS.. go to your chin.. usually three to four inches above the chest is enough..

 

[bigbadasian]

Reply

|--[\\\]>-------- I dont do any flat anymore. On chest day, i do majority of my chest workout with flies, s'times 3 exercises, but at least 2, and then 1 pressing movement, usually s'thing incline, smith, barbell, or machine (hammer) all my thickness training will come from heavy flies

 

[bigwil]

just started really working out hard again about 2 and a half months ago. I had to drop flat barbell benches altogether and now just stick with declines as my right shoulder was giving me ALOT of problems and alot of pain.

Now the question is for the guys that have given up flat barbell presses.

what about DB presses? do you just use those for declines/inclines as well? or do you not have any problems with DBs for flats?

JW

Years ago I had separated the bone on the top of my shoulder so I couldn't do flat barbell bench. I started doing DBs for the flat bench and it seemed to work great. I would definately try the DBs for flat and incline.

 

[bigheinz]

It is a waste of time bro.
Train with machines like hammer incline, decline, wide hammer, or incline and decline smith machine....go for the real weight in the machines, it is safe and you will grow quickly

 

[Paul Bunyan]

Like LATS said, you run into problems benching with your elbows out. It causes excess shoulder rotation. That's why dumbells cause less pain. You automatically tuck your elbows.

PB

 

[xcelbeyond]

Like LATS said, you run into problems benching with your elbows out. It causes excess shoulder rotation. That's why dumbells cause less pain. You automatically tuck your elbows.

Great minds think alike - I was thinking the EXACT same thing!

Most people worry about improving the amount of weight used rather than technique. Flat bench is one of the BASIC compound movements - you know - Squat, Deadlift and Bench!?!?

Sure you can use a machine for legs and still do OK but how often have you heard there's no replacement to a free-weight squat?!?

I became a student of bench technique - since I nearly tore off an infraspanatus doing flat bench. I sought out a powerlifter who held state bench press records in no less than 3 weight classes, was over 40 years old, and owned a couple of gyms. He has you come low on your chest but KEEP ELBOWS IN - squeeze your lats as you lower the weight and use them with your triceps to assist the lift.

He actually discourages his powerlifters from using HEAVY dumbbells for presses. He has seen more injuries over the years in and out of his gyms from heavy dumbbell use. He said that you're in too awkward of of a position using dumbbells and things happen too quickly (to where spotter cannot save you) when things go wrong.

xcel

 

[rAJJIN]

"
Most people worry about improving the amount of weight used rather than technique. Flat bench is one of the BASIC compound movements - you know - Squat, Deadlift and Bench!?!?"


My thoughts as well.
Im realy surprised to see how many guys arent using
the flat bench barbells. I would have guessed 80% or more did.
looks to be the other way around.