• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Half bench

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
No what im saying is the bar should be OVER your chest, but arms should not go below right angles; so the bar doesn't touch your chest.
 
Originally posted by: deamer44
No what im saying is the bar should be OVER your chest, but arms should not go below right angles; so the bar doesn't touch your chest.

Where did you get this tidbit? That's absurd. You SHOULD be touching your chest with the bar. You need to exercise your muscles/joints in their full ROM. Also, the press well benefit from a rebound out of the bottom of the press just like squat will benefit from the rebound at the bottom of the squat. It seems that you're implying that bringing the bar to your chest will stress your joints too much? No, that's just not true. NOT utilizing full ROM often puts quite a bit more stress on a joint than does using full ROM. Look at your knees and the squat. Doing half squats and stopping above parallel is much worse on your knees than going below parallel and engaging your adductors/gluts/hammies.

I'd really like to know who instructed you in the proper half benching form?
 
apologies then, but most of the websites i have looked at have told me not too allow it to touch my chest, as it removes the tension on your chest. I must be completely wrong about the shoulders and right angles, sorry.
 
Originally posted by: deamer44
apologies then, but most of the websites i have looked at have told me not too allow it to touch my chest, as it removes the tension on your chest. I must be completely wrong about the shoulders and right angles, sorry.

It's not your fault if you were misinformed. There are A LOT of websites and videos on YouTube which display lifting techniques that are flat out wrong and dangerous. You just need to be sure you're looking for the proper sources.
 
Originally posted by: deamer44
it was off bodybuilders.com 😛, isnt that a reliable source?

Link to the post / article / whatever?

edit: You clearly do not want the bar to rest on your chest, so, barring that, I have no idea how touching the bar to your chest removes tension at any point during the lift.
 
Originally posted by: deamer44
it was off bodybuilders.com 😛, isnt that a reliable source?

Well, I did a few quick article searches and they all showed the bar touching the chest. However, if this is their idea of proper squat technique then the site isn't worth .. squat.
 
Originally posted by: deamer44
it was off bodybuilders.com 😛, isnt that a reliable source?

Among the thousands of articles on that site, there are admittedly a few good ones. However, I would not consider it a reliable source for the most part.

T-Nation is similar as well. Some articles are really great articles. Others make me wonder what the fuck they were smoking.
 
Originally posted by: TheVrolok
Originally posted by: deamer44
apologies then, but most of the websites i have looked at have told me not too allow it to touch my chest, as it removes the tension on your chest. I must be completely wrong about the shoulders and right angles, sorry.

It's not your fault if you were misinformed. There are A LOT of websites and videos on YouTube which display lifting techniques that are flat out wrong and dangerous. You just need to be sure you're looking for the proper sources.

Well, I disagree with the "don't touch your chest" thing, but he was interpreting the sentence much more strongly than it should be. The idea is that by touching the bar to your chest when benching (or your chest to the ground when doing push-ups) you're taking a rest. That's what the article of dreamer44's source is afraid of. There's a huge difference between right angles and just above touching, which I think he recognizes now.
 
Originally posted by: BeauJangles
Originally posted by: SearchMaster
Originally posted by: BeauJangles
Bad Bench - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...Ig2s8k&feature=related
Awful, AWFUL deadlifts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...2Un_8I&feature=related

Hilarious Kid - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...RTpMN8&feature=related ... I actually feel bad for him.

No joke, my 5 year old can bench 75 pounds. I don't let my kids lift weights often, and for him to do that I have to stabilize the bar (but not help lift), but he's incredibly strong for his age. I'm not about to let him try but I'm quite sure he could deadlift 100.

Hey, I have no problem with letting your kid lift a bit. I thought the video was horrible because he became such spectacle and acted like he was some big tough guy. I'm not blaming the kid, I think it's terrible parenting.

Yeah, Dad is going to raise a real winner with that lame macho crap, why is the kid walking around with his arms out like that as if he was wearing a bench shirt, when he is deadlifting? Come on dad, teach respect, hard work and dignity, of course getting pumped up is good but that is just lame especially since I'm sure most kids that size could DL their bodyweight after learning the lift.

Re: benching, it's been covered, but the idea is to "touch your shirt" not rest/bounce the bar, you will maintain tension this way, not cheat the ROM and not cheat via bounce.

 
Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Originally posted by: presidentender
Hey, look at this....

Uh, that sounds like a back injury just waiting to happen to be perfectly honest. He suggests a weight 100 pounds greater than your 1RM? And 20-25 reps? This sounds like decimation of the body.

I read that article and two things struck me. I'm confused as to what the hell he's talking about. He recommends, "start squatting from a pin about four inches below the lockout." -- so that means you take the bar, get under it, lift it and lower it back down four inches for 25 reps?

I don't know too much about this sort of weight training, but it strikes me that you're right to say you put enormous strain on your body and every article he cites is at least 20 years old. I'd like to see something more recent discussing this same issue.
 
Originally posted by: BeauJangles
Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Originally posted by: presidentender
Hey, look at this....

Uh, that sounds like a back injury just waiting to happen to be perfectly honest. He suggests a weight 100 pounds greater than your 1RM? And 20-25 reps? This sounds like decimation of the body.

I read that article and two things struck me. I'm confused as to what the hell he's talking about. He recommends, "start squatting from a pin about four inches below the lockout." -- so that means you take the bar, get under it, lift it and lower it back down four inches for 25 reps?

I don't know too much about this sort of weight training, but it strikes me that you're right to say you put enormous strain on your body and every article he cites is at least 20 years old. I'd like to see something more recent discussing this same issue.

Apparently people are still doing it: link. Not a scientific study by any means, but the author reports anecdotal success.
 
Originally posted by: presidentender
Originally posted by: BeauJangles
Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Originally posted by: presidentender
Hey, look at this....

Uh, that sounds like a back injury just waiting to happen to be perfectly honest. He suggests a weight 100 pounds greater than your 1RM? And 20-25 reps? This sounds like decimation of the body.

I read that article and two things struck me. I'm confused as to what the hell he's talking about. He recommends, "start squatting from a pin about four inches below the lockout." -- so that means you take the bar, get under it, lift it and lower it back down four inches for 25 reps?

I don't know too much about this sort of weight training, but it strikes me that you're right to say you put enormous strain on your body and every article he cites is at least 20 years old. I'd like to see something more recent discussing this same issue.

Apparently people are still doing it: link. Not a scientific study by any means, but the author reports anecdotal success.

I don't really care about anecdotal success. That's putting 100 pounds over what your body can take in a full range of motion. Sure, limit that range of motion and up the weight a little bit. However, 100 pound over 1RM for 20-25 reps sounds like a spinal injury waiting to happen. Physiologically, if your body can't handle it in multiple planes and ranges of motion, you shouldn't put it on top of you. Seriously, I doubt any fully trained doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor, etc would suggest anything like this. I would anticipate that it would encourage disc slippage, crushed vertebra, and many more injuries. I don't necessarily think it will happen instantly, but I do think it will have severe repercussions in the future.
 
I've never tried the partial ROM overloading stuff myself, but I think it is a legit technique for advanced lifters. There are also walk-outs (load +100lbs on bar and walk it out of the pins, hold it, then re-rack it) for squats. Again, this is advanced stuff, no reason for a novice like myself to consider it right now.

The T-Nation article has a lot of good points as well regarding deadlifts like glute activation, dominant/tight hip flexors etc. The PMT technique Waterbury is talking about is 110% of 1RM for partial ROM as well, not 100 lbs over.

I think if people are smart about this techniques (e.g. don't just throw +100lbs on and see what happens) they could be effective. For novices, use linear progression instead.
 
Back
Top