whats the deal with the ppl that dont use full rom on the bench?

[sean4104]

i have seen a lot of ppl lately that dont go all the way to their chest while benching. what the hell is the thinking behind that.

on a similar note, while watching pumping iron, i noticed that while during incline BB press, ferrigno did not extend his arms fully, but rather stopped like 6 inches short.

id rather get feedback from ppl that can bench over 315.

there, i edited it, no narcissicm intended.

[murdock_]

u must be the coolest person on this forum.

[Ceolin]

i have seen a lot of idiots lately that dont go all the way to their chest while benching. what the hell is the thinking behind that.

on a similar note, while watching pumping iron, i noticed that while during incline BB press, ferrigno did not extend his arms fully, but rather stopped like 6 inches short.

id rather get feedback from ppl that can bench over 275, like myself.

Well, I don't bench over 275, (yet :-) but I can say that by not lowering the bar all the way they are utilizing more of their triceps during the lift and not stressing the pectoral as much. Likewise, Lou was isolating his pecs and removing his tris and front delts from the lift. That's fine, but the truth is that even when you are using full ROM (just short of lockout, and to the chest) you still hit the pecs and imo get fuller development from that particular lift.

[micky c]

keeps the tension on the muslces

[sean4104]

for the flat bench, someone just told me that it uses the chest more, not the tris.

micky, 'keeps the tension on the msucles?'...as opposed to what?

[micky c]

when u lock your arms out it takes the strain off the muscle, whereas if u went 80%of the way up it will still be in tension so u will be workin the muscle all the time rather than restin at the top

[runningback666]

i over qualify the "275 mark" and what everybody else is saying is true its all about constent tension, there alot of smart people on the forums, you dont have to be strong to be smart, 70% dont even train for a high bench press, they train for muscle mass, so it would be a dumb thing to do to restrict people who bench under 275, becuase there prolly bigger than you.

[Ceolin]

i over qualify the "275 mark" and what everybody else is saying is true its all about constent tension, there alot of smart people on the forums, you dont have to be strong to be smart, 70% dont even train for a high bench press, they train for muscle mass, so it would be a dumb thing to do to restrict people who bench under 275, becuase there prolly bigger than you.

Word

[Skwidward]

how could anyone who only benches a wimpy 250 know anything about benching

[Serynu]

Just recently I've started to do Partial Range Of Motion on a lot of my exercises. For the Flat bench I use dumbbells and I stop about 3 inches before lockout. I've notice a BIG difference the only down side is less weight used for the ego.

[Dominik]

i have seen a lot of ppl lately that dont go all the way to their chest while benching. what the hell is the thinking behind that.

on a similar note, while watching pumping iron, i noticed that while during incline BB press, ferrigno did not extend his arms fully, but rather stopped like 6 inches short.

id rather get feedback from ppl that can bench over 275, like myself.

Firstly, the >275 comment wasn't necessary. If you want people to help you, don't end every post with stuff like that.

Ferrigno is a tall guy, 6'5" I believe, so the bar obviously has to travel further than a guy benching with short arms. He most likely wanted to maintain the tension on his chest and triceps, concentrate his energy on the easiest part of the motion, and I'd say he also did it to make the reps shorter and faster to pump out more. The latter part of the ROM is a "sticking point" hence powerlifters using assistance exercises for bench like rack lockouts.

[Armitron]

i can bench 130
yay!
im gonna go kill myself now

[Dante_T]

i have seen a lot of ppl lately that dont go all the way to their chest while benching. what the hell is the thinking behind that.

on a similar note, while watching pumping iron, i noticed that while during incline BB press, ferrigno did not extend his arms fully, but rather stopped like 6 inches short.

id rather get feedback from ppl that can bench over 275, like myself.

why would you care so much about what other people are doing?? sounds like you have more than enough issues of your own to deal with..

[momotheglutton]

Not too hard to figure out why this sort of thing could be useful. Why do you think powerlifters do board presses, pin presses, floor presses, etc.? It is sometimes useful to target a specific part of the lift that you may be weak at.

[DecemberDays86]

for the flat bench, someone just told me that it uses the chest more, not the tris.

micky, 'keeps the tension on the msucles?'...as opposed to what?

as opposed to locking out where almost all of the weight is transferred to your bones instead of relying on your muscles to keep the weight up (hence less tension on the muscles being worked).

[A & B]

I like the >275 comment.

I'm sure if you benched >315 that would have been your acceptable level for comment. Or if you benched over 365 that would have been, or if you benched over 405 then you would only appreciate advice from others who benched over 405.

Sounds like you love yourself.

[$AJ]

i think people are spending too kmuch time thinking about this - very simply, for most people (igorning stuff like rack lockouts, to keep tension on the muscle, etc.. etc..) the most basic answer is because it lets them use more weight, and 99% of traines are only concerned about weight, not ROM or TUT or anything of that nature.

kinda like squatting - why do most people only go 1/4 of the way down - not to maximize stress or work a weak point, but very simply ebcause they suck ass and think weight > * , when it isn't.

I like the >275 comment.

I'm sure if you benched >315 that would have been your acceptable level for comment. Or if you benched over 365 that would have been, or if you benched over 405 then you would only appreciate advice from others who benched over 405.

Sounds like you love yourself.

haha

[tiny.t]

i over qualify the "275 mark" and what everybody else is saying is true its all about constent tension, there alot of smart people on the forums, you dont have to be strong to be smart, 70% dont even train for a high bench press, they train for muscle mass, so it would be a dumb thing to do to restrict people who bench under 275, becuase there prolly bigger than you.

So true,your bench kicks mine,but my chest kicks yoursHow big you are or what you bench mean fnck all as Running back says.People do it to stress different areas more,it doesnt remove areas from the lift completely,but lessens their strain.Such as lower portion for more chest,upper for tri/delt etc.
P.s.-Running back!Wow, 340lbs at 16 is insane,congrats on that kidda.

[sean4104]

the reason i put that comment in there is because i wanted people that have obviously been involved with lifting for a while. no offense, but i didnt want ppl who are benching 150 to try to answer my question...it would be illogical.

thanks for the heads that gave straight answers, esp. aj.

275, as many said, isnt something to consider yourself hot soup over. but in the past i have asked questions such as this, and got poor answers from ppl that really have not been involved in bodybuilding that long.

[tylerblue]

i have seen a lot of ppl lately that dont go all the way to their chest while benching. what the hell is the thinking behind that.

I feel the need to defend myself, as I am one who does not go all the way down. I was instructed by an orthopedic surgeon, with my current shoulder situation, to never go all the way down touching my chest during bench press. When one does this, it puts your shoulders in a position that exposes them to injury. That is "what the hell" the thinking is behind it...heh

[Dominik]

the reason i put that comment in there is because i wanted people that have obviously been involved with lifting for a while. no offense, but i didnt want ppl who are benching 150 to try to answer my question...it would be illogical.

thanks for the heads that gave straight answers, esp. aj.

275, as many said, isnt something to consider yourself hot soup over. but in the past i have asked questions such as this, and got poor answers from ppl that really have not been involved in bodybuilding that long.

Maybe you could have phrased it better then. "I'd especially like to hear from guys who have been training for a few years." That sounds better than >275.

Try to see it from a different perspective. You might have some great advice to share, but if a guy says "only guys who can bench >350lbs thanks" well, it's a slap in the face for you. There are some guys at my gym in excellent shape and they're working with less weight than I am. Why would I disregard their advice based on that fact? Anyway, I can see you meant no offense.

[Drew1200]

99% of traines are only concerned about weight, not ROM or TUT or anything of that nature.

Exactly. I've been working out around 2-3 pm lately and usually the only people in there are the high schoolers, doing 1-3 reps max on any set, and not letting the bar get within 3" of their chest. it sucks when I go in to do my chest workout cuz they do chest every time theyre there, and between 3 of them they take up the flat bench for about 2 hours. I also have a hard time keeping a straight face and staying focused when 16yr olds are screaming 'DO IT!!!' in eachothers faces and benching a grand total of 155lbs.

Moral of the story: YMCA's suck as a gym if youre serious about weightlifting. glad my membership is up in a couple weeks.

[ironman1964bc]

Everyone should do some partial benches once in a while. It builds tendon strength and gets you used to handling heavier weight. As long as your not entering a powerlifting meet, who gives a rats ass whether you come all the way down to your chest or not.

If you are tall and lanky, you should NEVER touch the bar to your chest on benches. It causes such a leverage disadvantage that all that's going to happen is your shoulders are going to fall off. Just go down low enough so that your elbows are parallel to your shoulders, any lower than that and your strength will go down fast.

Watch any world class bencher. Their chests are so big and their arms are so short that they don't have to move the bar that far so why should a 6ft 5in guy with monkey arms be expected to bring the bar down to his chest. Geez, his damn elbows would hit the floor first.

If you are on the skinny side, you must do partials to get strong despite what all the PT's say. They may say you are cheating because of the shortened ROM but don't forget, you are still moving the bar just as far as the big chested guys. It doesn't make sense to move it twice as far.

[Crazee_786]

Everyone should do some partial benches once in a while. It builds tendon strength and gets you used to handling heavier weight. As long as your not entering a powerlifting meet, who gives a rats ass whether you come all the way down to your chest or not.

If you are tall and lanky, you should NEVER touch the bar to your chest on benches. It causes such a leverage disadvantage that all that's going to happen is your shoulders are going to fall off. Just go down low enough so that your elbows are parallel to your shoulders, any lower than that and your strength will go down fast.

Watch any world class bencher. Their chests are so big and their arms are so short that they don't have to move the bar that far so why should a 6ft 5in guy with monkey arms be expected to bring the bar down to his chest. Geez, his damn elbows would hit the floor first.

If you are on the skinny side, you must do partials to get strong despite what all the PT's say. They may say you are cheating because of the shortened ROM but don't forget, you are still moving the bar just as far as the big chested guys. It doesn't make sense to move it twice as far.

you're logic is not reality. yes they maybe moving the bar the same distance as the shorter big chested dudes, but its all in RELATION with your SPECIFIC body. i have sold out your arguemnt in two simple sentences (though you do bring up some good points).

[DiamondDelts]

i have seen a lot of ppl lately that dont go all the way to their chest while benching. what the hell is the thinking behind that.

on a similar note, while watching pumping iron, i noticed that while during incline BB press, ferrigno did not extend his arms fully, but rather stopped like 6 inches short.

id rather get feedback from ppl that can bench over 315.

there, i edited it, no narcissicm intended.

That last comment killed the whole question. Take this b.s. to the teen forum where it will be fully appreciated.

[ouchies]

you're logic is not reality. yes they maybe moving the bar the same distance as the shorter big chested dudes, but its all in RELATION with your SPECIFIC body. i have sold out your arguemnt in two simple sentences (though you do bring up some good points).

In physics, work is defined as a force acting upon an object to cause a displacement. There are three key words in this definition - force, displacement, and cause. In order for a force to qualify as having done work on an object, there must be a displacement and the force must cause the displacement. There are several good examples of work which can be observed in everyday life - a horse pulling a plow through the fields, a father pushing a grocery cart down the aisle of a grocery store, a freshman lifting a backpack full of books upon her shoulder, a weightlifter lifting a barbell above her head, an Olympian launching the shot-put, etc. In each case described here there is a force exerted upon an object to cause that object to be displaced.

if two lifters are moving the SAME amount of weight the exact SAME distance then that means that they performed the SAME amount of work. it doesnt matter if your comparing Shaq and a midget...

[Crazee_786]

if two lifters are moving the SAME amount of weight the exact SAME distance then that means that they performed the SAME amount of work. it doesnt matter if your comparing Shaq and a midget...

i like your point. however, sit back as i sell your arguement at the market for 2 cents in one sentence:

they maybe performing the same amount of work, but its the effect of that work on the muscle fibres involved. in effect, the lanky dude must do more work to hit the same fibres in a small dude. damn that was 2 sentences but hey what the hell, i'll raise the price to 3 cents.

[ouchies]

i like your point. however, sit back as i sell your arguement at the market for 2 cents in one sentence:

they maybe performing the same amount of work, but its the effect of that work on the muscle fibres involved. in effect, the lanky dude must do more work to hit the same fibres in a small dude. damn that was 2 sentences but hey what the hell, i'll raise the price to 3 cents.

i'll admit that my knowledge in physics is fairly limited =P. so you'll hav to give a more detailed explaination.

the way im seeing it is the only way the lanky dude can increase the stimulation of the muscle fibers is by moving the weight a greater distance, increasing the weight, or moving the weight faster. now if a short dude matches the tall dude in the distance the weight is moved, the amount of weight moved, and the velocity of the weight they should stimulate the same muscle fibers with the same magnitude.

[jah191]

Anyone else care to sound off on this. I have some shoulder issues that are genetic. I have also heard that putting your elbows below the plane of the bench takes the stress off of muscles and onto the weaker connective tissues in the shoulder.

I feel the need to defend myself, as I am one who does not go all the way down. I was instructed by an orthopedic surgeon, with my current shoulder situation, to never go all the way down touching my chest during bench press. When one does this, it puts your shoulders in a position that exposes them to injury. That is "what the hell" the thinking is behind it...heh

[A & B]

All your physics and equations for 'work' is what led to the idiotic power factor training crap. Where people use a ROM of like 2 inches but with rediculous weight, and accomplish nothing but injuries, I've seen people do this.

This isn't physics, we're talking about recruiting muscle fibres in a target muscle group. Not who's doing more 'work' by definition.