well **** me...i thought it was good form as long as i had complete control of the bar. i felt that it also hit my chest harder. got any advice on how to rehab it?
Hey. I've been there. Done that. Read this thread: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=99476 and specifically, read my post on that thread.
Buy weight gainer protein powder. Specifically Cyto Gainer. My younger bro. started 6 months ago at 130 and today is 150 lbs thanks to the Cyto Gainer.
Thanks! To the OP, Most of the chest burnout I've seen comes from lack of creativity in workouts. Using the same types of stimulus will eventually bore your body, you probably need to shake up your routine more than anything, whether that means going to a different gym with dif equipment or researching alternative ways to perform simple things like fly, press and pushup. And to macalu, its your rotator cuff. Plenty of exercises out there to strengthen it. Just google. Seek professional help if desired results aren't forth coming. (its trickier to do some intricate exercises safely and properly than one might think)
Whoa really?? I've always brought it down to my chest, and most people I see do the same. Even at the NFL combine, a rep only counts when it hits the chest right?
Try focusing on single joint excercises before doing your compound movements. Single joint moves will focus on the chest and limit recruitment of assisting muscles like your tri's & shoulders For me using cables flys (flat, standing, incline) seems to really get the chest burning then hit the chest with the heavy compound movements like db & bench presses. also check out this book.. Encyclopedia of Modern Body Building
Some people might just not have the equipment. What else is there to do without equipment, if not just push ups...? What if I don't have the equipment or want to do some quick anaerobic stuff in the office or at home without dumbbells?
I think that if you've been in the Hangout enough, you know the answer. Oh, I could afford the weights and equipment, but I just don't want to bring that stuff into my office, you know? Spoiler Hispanic. I.T. dude. Weakling. I weigh about a buck-o-five...
also try this when doing your bench presses. Yeah I know it's probably common knowledge but sometimes you forget or overlook the obvious. don't just press the weight straight up...press it up with a slight arc and squeeze HARD. I read that's why trainers recommend you jump on a chest press machine when first beginning bodybuilding...you learn the path the machine takes and then you just use that on the free weights. i'm sure there are better pics out there that show the arc path but you can tell there's a slight upward movement at the finish. good luck.
DonnyMost, thanks for your kind offer sir.. and Classic and xcharge, thank you for the great advice.. especially Classic man, that's one hell of a post and you put a lot of time into it! thanks man.. and macalu, thanks for the hijackin'... j/k one thing Classic said that confused the crap out of me is the Bench Press thing.. so you DON'T bring the bar down to touch your chest? I usually make fun of those people who just do what I call a "half-assed" bench press by not bringin it down all the way! I def get the shoulder awkwardness thing, but do you really not bring it down all the way? I mean, is it scientifically proven? and xcharged, your post seemed to be contradictory to Classic's .. the picture shows "touch bar to chest".. and one more thing, that same picture says don't arch your back, but according to this guy, you should arch it: <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hsr1-xcXFL8&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hsr1-xcXFL8&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> I found his stuff very useful, especially with the "engage the muscle" stuff.. but it somehow didn't help.. as a side note, I feel some soreness today after wakin up (chest workout was yeterday afternoon), but it's still not proportional to the amount of work I did..
I also was told early on not to bring the bar to the chest, but for a different reason. I used to bring the bar all the way down, but then this lifelong weightlifter told me that many people bounce it off their chest and this is a form of cheating your way through the exercise. Another weightlifting no-no is propping your feet up on the bench while doing a bench exercise.
as a side note, I feel some soreness today after wakin up (chest workout was yeterday afternoon), but it's still not proportional to the amount of work I did.. if you're in fairly good shape and regularly lift then your chest isn't really going to be super sore...unless of course you do a vastly different workout routine. Soreness doesn't necessarily mean you worked hard, it also means that you worked differently. long story short...sore doesnt necessarily relate to how well you worked out.
I squeeze my shoulderblase together on a flat bench and bring the weights to about and inch and a half above my chest. I also use a close grip making sure my pinky is on the bar marker. Using a wider grip forces shift emphasis to your shoulders. Gonna hit the chest in an hour after work.
As long as you isolate the chest muscle without straining other muscles (most notably the back), I don't see a problem here. Give me an example of what you are talking about, as a fellow gym rat.
I'm referring to someone doing the bench like this: The problem with this is that your body is off center and you can tip over easily. On the bodybuilding.com articles it says: "DO NOT place your feet up on the bench. You will lose stability and potential power by doing this." btw..where have you been swilkins? I hadn't seen you post in about a year since you started posting again last month. I thought you got on your motorcycle and rode off into the sunset.
