i kicked butt today!

[G.R.H.]

guys, i broke a plateau today..(or, at least what i think is one for myself.) i benched a 45 lb plate on each side, a 25lb plate on each side, and 3 5lb plates on each side. my stupid question is this...with the safety bar that rides up and down, how much weight did i actually bench? a guy at the gym told me with no weight on the bar, the bar is roughly about 40lbs. i know for a fact i definitely can't flat bench this much weight unless i am doing it with the bar that rides up and down. but,  a dude who was bigger than me did ask me how much juice am i on! he said i was a stronger m'er f'er for my size and age. cool!   

[chaos]

 

How old are you and what are your height/weight?

If the bar is counterbalanced, meaning it has cables attached as it ride up/down then it weighs even less. The weight you actually benched was the weight on the bar, why do you bench on the smith machine anyway?

[chaos]

 

How old are you and what are your height/weight?

If the bar is counterbalanced, meaning it has cables attached as it ride up/down then it weighs even less. The weight you actually benched was the weight on the bar, why do you bench on the smith machine anyway?

[tonymctones]

guys, i broke a plateau today..(or, at least what i think is one for myself.) i benched a 45 lb plate on each side, a 25lb plate on each side, and 3 5lb plates on each side. my stupid question is this...with the safety bar that rides up and down, how much weight did i actually bench? a guy at the gym told me with no weight on the bar, the bar is roughly about 40lbs. i know for a fact i definitely can't flat bench this much weight unless i am doing it with the bar that rides up and down. but,  a dude who was bigger than me did ask me how much juice am i on! he said i was a stronger m'er f'er for my size and age. cool!   

LOL this has got to be a joke...

if not then stop benching on the smith and get on a regular free weight bench and stop worrying about weight for a while...heavy is heavy man doesnt matter if its 5 or 500lbs...

[G.R.H.]

no dudes, i am not joking. i am 42 years old, 5'6, and 180lbs. toy, thanks for the encouragement, but in all seriousness, i see lots of guys benching and using the smith machine. i see them more using it for sqats, but guys at the gym use it for benching too.  i just was wondering how much i actually benched. (that's all.) i'm not really worried about it. i just know that i feel more comfortable benching this way then flat benching without a machine.  i know...so i'm a f'ing wuss, but is that reason to bash me?! 

[chaos]

no dudes, i am not joking. i am 42 years old, 5'6, and 180lbs. toy, thanks for the encouragement, but in all seriousness, i see lots of guys benching and using the smith machine. i see them more using it for sqats, but guys at the gym use it for benching too.  i just was wondering how much i actually benched. (that's all.) i'm not really worried about it. i just know that i feel more comfortable benching this way then flat benching without a machine.  i know...so i'm a f'ing wuss, but is that reason to bash me?! 

The weight on the bar is how much you benched, do the math and add it up.....around 170 lbs.

Don't do what everyone else is doing, use a free bar and lighten the weight until you get used to it.

[tonymctones]

no dudes, i am not joking. i am 42 years old, 5'6, and 180lbs. toy, thanks for the encouragement, but in all seriousness, i see lots of guys benching and using the smith machine. i see them more using it for sqats, but guys at the gym use it for benching too.  i just was wondering how much i actually benched. (that's all.) i'm not really worried about it. i just know that i feel more comfortable benching this way then flat benching without a machine.  i know...so i'm a f'ing wuss, but is that reason to bash me?! 

LOL not meaning to bash you bro its just youve been around for a little while and know how getbig is and this seemed like a gimmick trolling for attention....

In all seriousness I attribute some of my shoulder problems to heavy benching on a smith. It doesnt let your arms move in a natural motion and imho puts your shoulders under more stress especially if it is one that is strictly up and down with no angle...I could be wrong and biased but when I first started having shoulder problems I was benching on a smith.

I would say youre lifting about what chaos said the bar if counter weighted is probably less than 15lbs but its still not an accurate representation of what your bench is b/c its on a smith and you dont have to worry about stabilizing the weight like with free weights...

[jpm101]

 I guess by now G.R.H. understands that he is using a Smith Machine. Which does not allow a natural "S" curve (as T-tones suggest), which can include most other exercise preformed on it. Major reason quite a few injuries happen with the shoulder and other body joints, tendons, ligaments. Those safety stops on the machine are not all that dependable as most people think.

 Putting the exact same weight on a Smith (bar, etr weight included) and a Olympic bar you will find quite a difference. A Olympic bar feels alive, rather than the set in place Smith. Smiths do serve a purpose, but might be better avoided when using heavier or near max weight. More designed for light to moderate BB'ing, which can be a good thing. If your using 200 benching on the Smith and try using 200 on a regular bar you may be inviting serious problems. Though some guy's do short range (2" to 4") partials on the Smith. Good Luck.