Dumbbell/Barbell presses

oddjob62 said:
Agreed... if you want to get very good at the barbell bench press, then you must do the barbell bench press.... otherwise it's not necessary.
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You could say that about absolutely any exercise, be it squats, deads, BOR's etc. For me, benchpress is very necessary for continuous growth.

To say that all bodybuilders should drop benching is a very bold statement, i cannot agree with it :)
 
Chong Warrior said:
Unless training for pure strength and competeing in powerlifting were bench pressing is required, you can drop barbell bench press. DB press and dips will provide you with all the tools you need to build a good chest without all the issues of barbell benching.

I haven't done BB Bench Press for over a year now and doubt I'll ever do it again, really don't see the point tbh?
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how much are you pushing then, just using DB?
 
hittman said:
how much are you pushing then, just using DB?
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Well I only ever do Incline DB Press, I just use Weighted Wide-grip dips and Gironda Dips for my lower chest work.

Incline DB's I've repped the 60's a few times and that's including setting up myself as I train alone... no-one else is daft enough to train with me :D
 
A word of warning though with DB's, though it may appear safer which some one has already stated it isnt. A problem you can get with them and ive seen a lot of people doing this, is just dropping the weights off to ya sides with arms kinda of going behind you. I believe doing this means its possible to tear a pec?

I prefer db's anyway, I get a much better stretch in my chest and it just feels right to me. The BP just feels awkred to me and doesnt seem to have the same effect.
 
Its important to remember that when DB benching you do not come into the middle at lock-out (lets ignore that you're not supposed to lock out anyway) lots of people i train with including the odd PT will bring the DB's central over their chest so that they touch. This is fine if you want a close grip type press but to get the effect of a full wide grip barbell press you need to form almost a 'Y' shape at lockout. But once you are more experienced You will know when to do which type.

Makanouchi: Your BB problem sounds a lot like mine. I feel incredibly weak in the standard bench, i know somethings wrong because i can rep 50kg DB's but i cant (STILL) press 100kg, which is pretty limp for someone my size, going by my DB bench i should be repping 110 or so. Something in my shoulders just wont let me push 100 :(
 
I think Bench Press is more about technque than raw strength? At least more so than DB Press anyway.

One of the reasons I started to shy away from bench press was because to progress further I needed to change to a more powerlifting style. Which of course moves away from bodybuilding, as the whole setup is totally different. Once you start ego lifting and chasing big numbers you need to start bringing your lats into the lift more, arching your back, using leg drive, etc.

To keep all the stress on the pecs and still lift big, it starts to destroy my shoulders using a barbell unless I use a powerlifting style. No such problems with DB's (or dips) as my shoulders can track in their natural plane of movement and I can keep all the stress on the pecs... the muscle I'm trying to hit when doing this exercise.

I still do barbell bench but only with a close-grip (shoulder width) to hammer my triceps.... now there's a good exercise :)
 
Mr.Stu said:
Some people lift the 40s comfortably! Alas, not myself ;)
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My original statement was in response to msm722 suggesting he couldn't move from BB to DB because they weren't heavy enough. You suggest 'regular' gyms often stop at 40. This isn't a problem. I know what people can lift but I'm intruiged as to what facilities the poster has access to.
 
38kg DB are the max at my gym. I usually bench press between 130-140kg. 38s are very comfortable, even 50s when I tried them.
 
msm722 said:
38kg DB are the max at my gym. I usually bench press between 130-140kg. 38s are very comfortable, even 50s when I tried them.
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If 50's are comfortable then all due respect to you. 50Kg dumbells are heavy when pressing and if you can manage more then awesome. It's not about lifting the sheer weight, it's about supporting the weight, something that is far easier to achieve with a bar which is why many people lift far more weight this way.

If this is a recent pic of you then I'm considerably bigger than you are and I can only just manage to complete 2*50Kg DB's (5*5) and it certainly isn't comfortable. :)
 
msm722 said:
Being bigger doesn't mean anything.
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You must be one of those genetic weirdo's then. :)

I'm surprised you're only lifting 130/140 if you can comfortably push 50Kg DB's though. There's, in most cases, a huge discrepency between BB and DB when lifting sheer weight, as there is between BB and say a Smith.
 
Only lifting 130/140 lol... that's a lot for me. It's taken hard work to get there. Considering I only weigh 12.2st.

The last time I pushed 50kg db was years ago when I was at uni. Back then I was only benching 90-100kg. I think for me, I find db easier and less restrictive.
 
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