benchpressing questions...

[homestarmy]

Within the past couple weeks I have started lifting at my new job (loving the little gym setup they have). I have just been doing standard benchpresses, but other guys set the bench to where the part under the bar is inclined either down or up, and a guy said that it works different parts of the chest I believe...?

Well I tried it out and I really prefer doing it with the bench level. Is that bad? Am I going to end up uneven or something?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: homestarmy
Within the past couple weeks I have started lifting at my new job (loving the little gym setup they have). I have just been doing standard benchpresses, but other guys set the bench to where the part under the bar is inclined either down or up, and a guy said that it works different parts of the chest I believe...?

Well I tried it out and I really prefer doing it with the bench level. Is that bad? Am I going to end up uneven or something?

Inclined presses build the upper part of your chest and should be a part of your routine.

Declined, well, some people swear by them and others don't.

For your chest routine I would do flat and inclined AT LEAST.

If you want to see what each exercise does, and if it should be primary, or secondary, look here:

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

 

[cw42]

u should do a variety that will work diff parts of your muscles, meaning that guy is right that u should do incline in your workout as well.

 

[homestarmy]

Well maybe I'll try the incline, they weren't bad. I can't remember whether I tried them the other way or not... I'll give em a try monday though.

Man being able to lift on my breaks is great!

Oh yeah, repping about 100-120lbs haha! But I did do it a total of like 70 times the other day. I'm not looking to get a big chest, just to get 'cut' I think the word is. I just want to stay about the same size but be solid. Is lifting small amounts and more reps the right way to do that?

 

[Fritzo]

Flat presses like that won't work out all the muscles in the chest, but they'll work fine for increasing chest size. For nicely defined pecks you'll need to do a few different exersices.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: homestarmy
Well maybe I'll try the incline, they weren't bad. I can't remember whether I tried them the other way or not... I'll give em a try monday though.<BR><BR>Man being able to lift on my breaks is great!<BR><BR>Oh yeah, repping about 100-120lbs haha! But I did do it a total of like 70 times the other day. I'm not looking to get a big chest, just to get 'cut' I think the word is. I just want to stay about the same size but be solid. Is lifting small amounts and more reps the right way to do that?

Um, repping 70 times? Consecutively, or total including however many sets? Seriously, that's not good.

 

[suklee]

Originally posted by: Amused
<blockquote>quote:
<hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>homestarmy</b></i><BR>Within the past couple weeks I have started lifting at my new job (loving the little gym setup they have). I have just been doing standard benchpresses, but other guys set the bench to where the part under the bar is inclined either down or up, and a guy said that it works different parts of the chest I believe...?<BR><BR>Well I tried it out and I really prefer doing it with the bench level. Is that bad? Am I going to end up uneven or something?<hr></blockquote><BR><BR>Inclined presses build the upper part of your chest and should be a part of your routine.<BR><BR>Declined, well, some people swear by them and others don't.<BR><BR>For your chest routine I would do flat and inclined AT LEAST.<BR><BR>If you want to see what each exercise does, and if it should be primary, or secondary, look here:<BR><BR><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="</blockquote>
">[url]http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Dire...tory.html</a>[/q[/url]

Wow, that's a great link.. thanks :thumbsup:

 

[Shyatic]

My personal experience is this... I do alternating exercises for my chest. I'll do a flat chest press using dumbbells (I don't like barbells, I think it's like cheating hehe), then one week do incline chest presses, and the next week do declines. I keep rotating my exercises and thus far it seems to work well.

If you are looking to get 'cut up' you need to first, and foremost, eat right. You'll have layers of fat on top of your chest and stomach for as long as your eating habits aren't good. Additionally, you can't do 70 reps. That means you aren't doing enough weight and it's as good as doing *nothing*. For tone, you need about 15 reps to 20 reps. For size you can go much lower, maybe 4 to 10 reps. I am trying to do a bit of each, so I do the 12 rep/10 rep/8 rep/6 rep and then a superset for each muscle group, which has been working pretty well for me thus far.

So reach up on targetted exercises on EXRX.net (Great site!), and change your routine every 2 to 3 months so your muscles don't get used to the same thing. There are a variety of exercises you can do for each muscle group so make use of all of them.

 

[Cobalt]

The only way you should be worried about becoming "uneven" is if you bench only. You need to change it up and work your abs, legs, back, etc. Also google up Max-OT. It's a good routine that will help you make increases quite fast.

 

[edro]

Bench position (angle) is important for different chest areas... but an over-looked thing is Hand Position on the bar. The further out, the more it works your shoulders and chest, the closer together they are, the more it works your triceps.

Be sure to change it up, becuase keeping your hands in the same spot everytime will get your too specialized with one motion, which can lead to injury if you do happen to switch it up accidentally.

I do 6 sets (2 warmup) on flat bench, then 3 sets incline bench, then 3 sets decline bench. (I can usually do more weight on decline, because you tend to use your back)

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: homestarmy
Well maybe I'll try the incline, they weren't bad. I can't remember whether I tried them the other way or not... I'll give em a try monday though.<BR><BR>Man being able to lift on my breaks is great!<BR><BR>Oh yeah, repping about 100-120lbs haha! But I did do it a total of like 70 times the other day. I'm not looking to get a big chest, just to get 'cut' I think the word is. I just want to stay about the same size but be solid. Is lifting small amounts and more reps the right way to do that?

High reps don't make you "cut." "Cut" is simply a term for low body fat. All the lifting in the world and all the reps in the world will not reduce your body fat to the point that you are "cut."

Cut comes from diet and cardio. Muscle size comes from weight lifting.

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

you need to do all 3, incline, decline, and flat.

Pecks are big muscles, and just doing flat alone doesnt work all of it adequately. You'll end up with a better peck shape if u do em all anyway. So instead of doing just flat... do like 3 sets of flat, 2 of incline, and 1 or 2 of decline.

Be sure to switch it up, sometimes start with incline, maybe 2 3 sets of that, then 2 of flat, 2 of decline etc..

Bench position (angle) is important for different chest areas... but an over-looked thing is Hand Position on the bar. The further out, the more it works your shoulders and chest, the closer together they are, the more it works your triceps.

Dont use too close of a grip, because while it does increase triceps excercise it also increases the strain on your elbows. I ended up w/ a elbow injury last year from it, had to take a 2 month break.

Also, to keep your muscles from just getting in a routine, try doing Dumbells for chest, instead of the normal barbell bench press.

And as Cobalt said, check out MAX-OT its pretty good stuff. Well the workout info is, just ignore the supplement part, and use what u can find for a decent price. It was written by some body builder who owns a supplement company so theres quite a few pages on that.

 

[UNCjigga]

Hey man I just started working out too! Best thing to do is develop some sort of weekly routine. I read one of the dummies books and based my routine off that. Its not the greatest routine, but its adequate for beginners like me. You won't find me working my sternocleidomastoids directly, for example (those exercises look like they'd snap my neck!)

My routine:

Day - Routine - Time - Muscle Groups - Exercises

Monday - Upper Body Push - 1:10 - Chest and Triceps - Warmup run, Bench Press, Incline Chest Fly, Vertical Press, Dip, Triceps Pushdown, Triceps Kickback

Tuesday - Upper Body Pull - 1:00 - Back and Biceps Warmup run, Lat Pulldown, Dumbbell Pullover, One-arm Dumbbell Row, Concentration Curl, Preacher Curl

Wednesday - Lower Body &amp; Support - 1:20 - Shoulders, Abs, Lower Body - Warmup run, Shoulder Press, Back Delt Fly, Leg Press, Leg Extension, Leg Curl, Thigh Machine, Ab Crunches

Thursday - Cardio - 0:30 - Cardiovascular Run

Friday - Push + Shoulders - 1:30 - Chest, Triceps and Shoulders - Warmup run, Bench Press, Incline Chest Fly, Vertical Press, Dip, Shoulder Press, Back Delt Fly, Triceps Pushdown, Triceps Kickback

Saturday - Pull + Lower Body and Abs - 1:50 - Back, Biceps, Lower Body and Abs - Warmup run, Lat Pulldown, Dumbbell Pullover, One-arm Dumbbell Row, Concentration Curl, Preacher Curl, Leg Press, Leg Extension, Leg Curl, Thigh Machine, Ab Crunches

Sunday - Yoga and Stretching - 1:00 - Whole Body

 

[Shyatic]

Yoga and streching? WTFBBQ?

Yoga = streching.

 

[Gurck]

For now flat should be fine. As Amused mentioned, declines are optional, but inclines are good to do as well However, I don't think they're of utmost importance for someone just starting out. You can add them at some point to mix up your routine, which you'll need to do regardless if you stick with it, as your muscles will get used to a workout after ~two months and they'll stop responding to the same old stuff by. For the lower pecs, dips weighted if necessary are great. As an added bonus nothing compares to them for triceps work. They're a great move, one that works a large group of muscles, much like the bench press and squat.

 

[Balt]

Originally posted by: Scribe
My personal experience is this... I do alternating exercises for my chest. I'll do a flat chest press using dumbbells (I don't like barbells, I think it's like cheating hehe)

There is certainly nothing wrong with using dumbbells for your presses (especially if you don't have a spot), but I would throw in some pressing movements using a barbell as well. The problem with using dumbbells exclusively is that it requires much more use of your stabilizer (arm, shoulder) muscles. By using a barbell you can really concentrate your pressing on the pecs to a greater degree.

For now flat should be fine. As Amused mentioned, declines are optional, but inclines are good to do as well However, I don't think they're of utmost importance for someone just starting out.

I'd advise against considering inclines optional. You should start out with a good and balanced routine. For the first several weeks you're going to see good "newbie gains", and you want those gains to hit everything. Otherwise you are going to find yourself always playing catch-up with the unexerted muscles in the future. Dips are a great exercise though, as Gurck stated.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: Scribe
Yoga and streching? WTFBBQ?

Yoga = streching.

Have you ever done yoga? Apparently not.

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
<blockquote>quote:
<hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>homestarmy</b></i>
Well maybe I'll try the incline, they weren't bad. I can't remember whether I tried them the other way or not... I'll give em a try monday though.<BR><BR>Man being able to lift on my breaks is great!<BR><BR>Oh yeah, repping about 100-120lbs haha! But I did do it a total of like 70 times the other day. I'm not looking to get a big chest, just to get 'cut' I think the word is. I just want to stay about the same size but be solid. Is lifting small amounts and more reps the right way to do that?<hr></blockquote>

Um, repping 70 times? Consecutively, or total including however many sets? Seriously, that's not good.

No, in sets of 10. I did a little before starting work, and some on each break and lunch. 2-3 sets of 10 each time. That's fine, right?

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: TipsyMcStagger

Also, to keep your muscles from just getting in a routine, try doing Dumbells for chest, instead of the normal barbell bench press.

Well I also lay back on the bench and use the small weights (those are dumbells, right?), as in putting them out to my side and lifting up into the air in a semi-circular motion if you know what I mean. I would do that more, but the problem is that with those they only have 15lb weights unfortunately...

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Balt


I'd advise against considering inclines optional. You should start out with a good and balanced routine. For the first several weeks you're going to see good "newbie gains", and you want those gains to hit everything. Otherwise you are going to find yourself always playing catch-up with the unexerted muscles in the future. Dips <b>are</b> a great exercise though, as Gurck stated.

Not only that, but building muscles unevenly can lead to some very painfull and nagging injuries. Muscular imbalance puts a terrible strain on the undeveloped muscles and leads to strains, pulls and tears.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: homestarmy
<blockquote>quote:
<hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>TipsyMcStagger</b></i>

Also, to keep your muscles from just getting in a routine, try doing Dumbells for chest, instead of the normal barbell bench press.
<hr></blockquote>

Well I also lay back on the bench and use the small weights (those are dumbells, right?), as in putting them out to my side and lifting up into the air in a semi-circular motion if you know what I mean. I would do that more, but the problem is that with those they only have 15lb weights unfortunately...

Those are "flies" and are really a secondary exercise. One that you shouldn't be focusing on if you're just starting out.

Stick with basic, compound movements. Go heavy and do each set to failure. Work out each muscle group only 1 time a week and do no more than three sets per exercise. As you progress and learn to give maximum intensity to each set, you can cut that back to two heavy sets per exercise. (A light, high rep warmup set should be done first for each exercise to warm up the muscles)

With building muscle, more is NOT better. It is at best a waste of energy, and at worst, a way to overtrain and invite burnout or injury.

 

[homestarmy]

Originally posted by: Gurck
For now flat should be fine. As Amused mentioned, declines are optional, but inclines are good to do as well However, I don't think they're of utmost importance for someone just starting out. You can add them at some point to mix up your routine, which you'll need to do regardless if you stick with it, as your muscles will get used to a workout after ~two months and they'll stop responding to the same old stuff by. For the lower pecs, dips weighted if necessary are great. As an added bonus nothing compares to them for triceps work. They're a great move, one that works a large group of muscles, much like the bench press and squat.

Idea, bing bing! I'm still working at my old sucky job on the weekends, and the desks are in a formation that I can do dips, so I think I will at least on the weekends get some of those in when I get the chance.

Also, how about how often I am doing this? Don't many people say that you should only do lifting like every other day to give muscles a chance to heal and all? When I first started my muscles were sore, but as of now, they're maybe a little tight and that's it.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: Amused
<blockquote>quote:
<hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>homestarmy</b></i>
Well maybe I'll try the incline, they weren't bad. I can't remember whether I tried them the other way or not... I'll give em a try monday though.<BR><BR>Man being able to lift on my breaks is great!<BR><BR>Oh yeah, repping about 100-120lbs haha! But I did do it a total of like 70 times the other day. I'm not looking to get a big chest, just to get 'cut' I think the word is. I just want to stay about the same size but be solid. Is lifting small amounts and more reps the right way to do that?<hr></blockquote>

High reps don't make you "cut." "Cut" is simply a term for low body fat. All the lifting in the world and all the reps in the world will not reduce your body fat to the point that you are "cut."

Cut comes from diet and cardio. Muscle size comes from weight lifting.

Poor Amused... I feel like you have to dispel this myth in almost every workout thread 😛

I wanted to ask you, though, which exercises are best for each muscle group, at least for a newbie. Checking out a lot of fitness sites reveals MANY different exercises for each group, making it kind of difficult to determine which are best for beginners and which are for more experienced lifters.

 

[Gurck]

Best are compound movements. Bench presses, rows, dips, and squats pretty much work everything. Other exercises are to target specific muscles or specific small muscle groups, or to supplement the big compound movements. While Amused is dead-on about doing it to exhaustion to see real results, do be careful, especially when benching. Not long ago a 17 y/o kid died when benching alone; he asphyxiated when he couldn't get the bar off his neck. Only 135 pounds too 🙁 If you have a like-minded friend it's 10x better, you provide safety &amp; motivation for each other.

Oops, he was 20, sorry no link (this from here)

By GORDY HOLT
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

BELLEVUE -- The death Sunday of a 20-year-old weightlifter who had been working out alone with free weights at the home of a friend brought a warning yesterday from a local fitness-equipment dealer.

Never work out alone with free weights unless you have the proper safety equipment. There should always be another person, a spotter, in the room to help if you get into trouble.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office said Kevin M. Moore suffocated to death when he couldn't lift a 135-pound barbell off his neck.

"People often come in and tell me they don't lift that much weight, so they don't need safety equipment," said Tom Woodman, manager of The Fitness Shop in Bellevue.

"But even if it's just 10 pounds and it's more than you can lift at the end of a set of repetitions, you're in trouble."

Free weights are the least complicated weight-training devices but can be deadly. Modern weight machines use 5- to 10-pound iron plates stacked one on top of another and threaded onto vertical pipes. The user pulls on a cable to lift the stack. If he lets go, the weights slide safely down out of harm's way.

"There is equipment available now that can make free weights just as safe as a weight machine if used correctly," Woodman said.

Woodman described a "cage" comprising four vertical standards, two on either side of the weightlifter's bench. Each pair is equipped with a horizontal bar that can be adjusted to a point just above bench/neck height.

"If, worst case, you happen to go just a little bit too hard, find yourself in trouble and can't put that bar back up on its stand, you can let it sit on the two (safety) bars," he said.

 

[SludgeFactory]

How many days a week are you doing this and what exercises are you doing each day?

About the 70 reps, instead of doing that many reps of an exercise in a day, cut it down and find another exercise to include. It sounds like you're benching a few sets, then going back later in the day and benching a few more sets. You can just as easily do a totally different exercise with some of that time.