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Thread: Bench press - Do you do it?
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02-29-2012, 02:27 PM #31
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02-29-2012, 02:55 PM #32
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No no no haha they have spotters, it's just not always me! Yes, I ALWAYS induct my clients before writing a plan for them, but they don't always come into the gym at the same time I'm there. All of the other instructors are 10x more experienced than me, so I'm sure they did their best to make them feel as comfortable as they could :P.
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02-29-2012, 07:58 PM #33
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02-29-2012, 08:27 PM #34
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03-01-2012, 12:47 AM #35
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03-01-2012, 02:28 PM #36
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I used to hate benching, not because i didn't want to work my chest, but because i found it really difficult. Then i started dumbbell benching and found that i progressed better with this compared to the barbell and have loved it ever since. Long term goal would be to get the 25kg's up
I really suck at most other chest work i do though...particularly cable crossovers. Useless!Bulking Calories: 2700cals
Deadlift: 220lbs
Squat: 210lbs
Bench: 135lbs
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03-03-2012, 07:29 AM #37
I like the bench press, though I'm still just doing 50 lbs so far. It is a little intimidating for me, since I'm the only one there a lot of times-small gym, small town-so I'm taking my time and making sure I work in some other exercising that should help (pec/decs, triceps). I definitely agree with including some pics of strong, beautiful women doing the bench press. It helped me
"Do not give away to others what you have not first given away at home." unknown
"It's never too late to be who you might have been." George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans
Proud wife and mommy.
Every saint has a past.
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03-03-2012, 07:35 AM #38
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03-03-2012, 10:00 AM #39
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I think it would be a very rare occurence for a new female trainee to actually be able to lay down and bench anything that could be "dangerous" in terms of weight. Certainly they need to learn good form, but they also need to be taught how to bail on their lift if they can't get it up, versus always relying on a spotter. If you fail, allow the bar to rest on your chest and roll it down your body. Simple. It hurts a little bit more when you get up to the big girl plates, but its not dangerous.
"A champion is someone who gets up even when he can't" ---Jack Dempsey
I eat for living, not just lifting.
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03-03-2012, 10:14 AM #40
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03-03-2012, 11:39 AM #41
I didn't bench for years because it just wasn't appealing - figured I was getting all I needed from overhead presses and dips, which were for whatever reason, more appealing. Even from an aesthetics standpoint, just didn't see how it would do much for me. Even when I started getting into pl'ing, all the excitement was for squats and deads and bench was just like, lift just enough so it is not a total embarrassment, but definitely no A for effort. I love it now though.
Maybe some girls are a little intimidated by it, guys usually LOVE the bench press so maybe they are used to seeing guys load up the barbell with all their buddies jumping up and down and clapping and barking and stuff around them, while the woman is quietly trying to not crush herself with empty barbell. Bench is usually tough when women first start, I agree that showing them how to safely fail should help ease some of their discomfort with the move thoughCSCS
845@132 | Wilks 429.55
Meet lifts : Squat 275 | Bench 170 | Dead 400
Journal : http://tinyurl.com/80s-lifting-journal
mom to 3 boys / spend my life at grocery store crew
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03-03-2012, 12:58 PM #42
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03-03-2012, 02:14 PM #43
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That made me lol. And I'm sure that is exactly why some women don't like it. All the hootin an' hollern can get intimidating.
I got in trouble on the bench a couple of weeks ago. I just shouldn't have gone for that last rep. I didn't have a spooter and I was just about to tilt the bar and drop the weight off. One of the guys in the gym gabbed the bar me and helped me rack it. He must have saw it comming before I did! Anyway I was pretty by it but he just called me a crazy lady and told me to let him know next time I needed a spot! Some people are just so cool.You have to train your mind the same way you train your body. You must protect it against the negative and feed it with the positive. Be mindful of what you watch, what you read and who you allow to influence you. Learn to consider your thoughts emotions and actions. Trust your gut face your fears head on and never quit. AJ Roberts
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=143102443
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03-05-2012, 11:06 AM #44
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03-09-2012, 12:28 PM #45
I love doing bench presses. I'm not great at it, my max is about 95lbs for 6 reps, but the more I do it, the better I'll get. I've come to understand that shying away from the stuff I suck at is the wrong approach. I think many women are probably afraid of them because it's such a "guy" exercise and might be worried it'll make them bulk up or something. I've put an inch on my chest in the last month - for me, that's reason enough to keep at it right there.
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03-09-2012, 01:05 PM #46
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Hate BB benching...love DB. Incline BB is ok.
Hate BB because it just doesn't feel right/comfortable for me...and I got the fear thing from no spotter too. Every now and then I go back to it and continue to dislike it and drop it again. Plenty of other lifts to do for chest so I don't sweat it...Goal: Peace, love & happiness...and arms that go bump in the night.
“It's never been true, not anywhere at any time, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale" G. Roth
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03-09-2012, 01:20 PM #47
Maybe introduce them to it with a training barbell such as a 5kg (12lb) BB that you can put plates on. Slightly shorter as well so easier to get the form right without worry about it a)being 45lbs and b)being a bit harder to balance if you're weaker in the chest/arms. That or infused ones as someone else said. Or DB bench.
I love BB benching at the moment - also love DB. Think I get more out of DB benching weight wise, my BB is a bit behind but still enjoy BB as I might give competing ago in the near future and need to get my BB bench up there.
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03-14-2012, 01:07 PM #48
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03-15-2012, 03:36 PM #49
Lol @ "roll of shame" above...it's so true.
I bench, but it's one of my weakest lifts so I haven't gotten to love it yet. Maybe when I can graduate to the big-girl plates I will
I think another poster mentioned it, but first time benching a bb, it feels way more awkward than a pair of dumbbells. If a female client feels uncomfortable with the bar, try starting her off with those. There's also the benefit of them being lighter so they can build up the strength if need be.
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03-17-2012, 06:35 AM #50
I actually like benching. It all started with my hubby telling me I should just stick to the hammer strength machine since benching was too hard. That pissed me off and I set out to prove him wrong. I'm now at 40kg and my goal is to do a few reps at 100. Don't know if it's a pipe dream, but we'll see!
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03-17-2012, 08:20 AM #51
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Yes, I bench. It's one of my favourite exercises and the most comfortable I think!! Train on 50kg, but if I don't have a spotter I won't go above 45kg.
As someone else said, maybe they associate it with all the guys who love bench, load up the bar and have people scream and shout at them while they do it! I think if it wasn't for the fact that my bf was always the one spotting me until recently I might've felt the same way.
I also do DB flyes, and sometimes pec deck.
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03-18-2012, 09:07 AM #52
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03-21-2012, 07:43 PM #53
I HATED benching at first. I thought I'd lose what little boobage I had (popular misconception among the ladies), it was hard given that I couldn't even do a proper pushup, and I looked stupid struggling to bench a 15lb bar while men around me were benching my weight! But I got started with the dumbbell incline, and as I got stronger, I'm more comfortable with it now.
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03-25-2012, 06:16 PM #54
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Many of these women may not like the bench press for a number of reasons. First of all chest may be one of their weaker points. Looking at my own training or my clients', the body parts they like to train the least is usually the ones they need to train the most. Although the reason they may feel uncomfortable doing a bench press is the fact that they may not have a spotter, so you may want to start them on a machine bench press or smith machine and then work them up to the bench press.
Another reason women may not like the bench press is because they think they will start to develop a masculine looking chest which is not the case. Men build muscle differently due to the fact they have a lot more testosterone. Breasts are also mostly made up of body fat, so as you get leaner and loose weight you will go down in breast size as well. Doing a bench press won't change that. You can explain to them as well why chest exercises are needed. Balance is required in any training regime. Both push and pull exercises are needed. Hope this helps, happy training!Danielle MacPherson
Nutrabolics Sponsored Figure Competitor
www.nutrabolics.com
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03-25-2012, 07:39 PM #55
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03-27-2012, 02:49 PM #56
I personally love the bench press. It's one of my favorites, but I was uncomfortable with it at first. When I started training less than a year ago I was weak, and it was embarrassing. I couldn't even bench the bar, and would get a 35lb barbell. Depending on the number of reps, I can now do 70-80lbs.
If it wasn't for an encouraging boyfriend, I would have left it out as well. However, I'm glad I didn't. I never really worked my pecs prior, so there is plenty more room to grow.
I also do incline dumbbell bench presses and pec flys. Chest/Bis is my favorite workout night.
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03-28-2012, 05:37 PM #57
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It's been a while since I last posted. Thank you for all of the advice given to me. Since my last post on here, I've kept all of my female clients that do flat bench on flat bench. However, before, I would do 4 sets. Now, I do 2 sets of flat barbell bench, and then 2 sets of incline dumbbell bench. It seems to have worked, and I've noticed some good strength improvements. They also feel ok with what I've done, which is the most important thing. I don't give them an easy ride though; the last set of incline is a drop set because I want all of my serious clients to come close to failiure. I don't believe there is any point in going to the gym if you don't push your boundaries.
It's very interesting to see that most women really aren't massive fans of the bench press. Personally, I think more women should train their larger muscle groups because that's where most of the "tone" is visible. A lot of women wrongly think that "toning" means doing light weight and using machines that are advertised in the catalogues. When really "toning" is just another way of saying build muscle/lost fat. You'll only get a toned bikini body by putting on a decent amount of muscle and losing fat. And there is no better way of bulding muscle than training those huge muscle groups.
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03-28-2012, 07:04 PM #58
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03-28-2012, 07:45 PM #59
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03-31-2012, 06:24 PM #60
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