i understand reverse bands, i understand boards. i don't get doing both at the same time.
although i do believe that 95% of the time reverse bands are used it's ego. you can get the same top/bottom ROM weight differential using normal bands, but people want it to look like it's 545 on the barbell or whatever.
LOL@ the ego.....I'm starting to feel like a pseudodork defending BPGorilla's videos because they are such a trip, but I think it needs to be said...... I think you are right ego is a factor, but for some individuals, but reverse band presses definately have their place.
I have had quite a bit of luck with one of my training partners and my wife while using reverse bands. In the partners case, he had had a shoulder injury and literally was afraid of the weight. The bands helped him get over that and to a degree rehab the shoulder. I've used them myself when my shoulders were bothering me and I've used them with a shirt when I was trying to push the weight up fast so I could condition my wrists and elbows or when my biceps were bothering me and touching weight was painful.
in my wifes case, she had problems with getting the weight out of line towards the bottom of the chest and dumping it towards her head or abdomen (this was RAW) and she was fighting and fighting with her bench shirt (and me) just to move weight. The bands helped her keep things tight because she could control the "lighter" weight as the bands held part of it at the bottom, but then still work her lockout really well with them, which helped condition her triceps, elbows and wrists. She overcame the drifting problems using reverse band presses.
As far as the bands and board goes.... Again, I can see it if you are trying to pretrain for board presses in a shirt or if you are trying to work a specific sticking point (like you get out of align right off the board or something).