The Myth About Flat Bench is True

[ritch]

Smith Inclines
Dumbell Inclines
Flyes


Thank me later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

oh yeah, the "natural plane" of the smith is great for shoulders and avoiding injuries!

Uh, no... It's not.

[Fortress]

oh yeah, the "natural plane" of the smith is great for shoulders and avoiding injuries!

Uh, no... It's not.

Truth

The Smith machine has promoted more injury to weight trainers than pretty much any gym apparatus.

Every one who regularly uses the Smith for heavy squats, presses, etc. will eventually blow out something. Or tweak something real bad.

From Yates to Marcovici to this regular dude who used to lift where I did, the Smith is best used to develop injury potential.
 

[Raymondo]

I think it's bullshit

People get greedy, bench too much and too often. Muscles can adapt, but tendons need more time.

I think benching once or twice a week and using microplates for small, gradual gains is the best way to go about benching. Few things feel as good as benching weight which you couldn't in your previous session.

[Ursus]

Retract your shoulder blates when you bench.

Reduces stroke distance but increases ROM and pre stretches chest. Also protects shoulder.

[Dr Dutch]

Retract your shoulder blates when you bench.

I never could do this one, never knew how to do it. People really know what this means ?

[Parker]

oh yeah, the "natural plane" of the smith is great for shoulders and avoiding injuries!

Uh, no... It's not.

Then just do pushups then...when you get tired of that, do decline pushups...next thing you'll know, you'll be like
http://www.calisthenicskingz.net/main.htm

[Ursus]

It mean pull your traps back and lie on your traps.

Imagine someone poking you with a pencil/their finger in your upper mid back. You are trying to squeeze your blades back to touch the pencil/finger. Pulling your shoulders down to the bench. it reduces stroke distance by a noticeable amount.

You can see me adjust it and retracting shoulders at the start here.

[Dr Dutch]

What language is this ?   Scandinavian ?

[Ursus]

English.

Spoken in a Belfast accent.

I speak clearly though.

[Mawse]

Retract your shoulder blates when you bench.

Reduces stroke distance but increases ROM and pre stretches chest. Also protects shoulder.

This.

When I see the average gym rat benching I always want to rush over and do an intervention, but even if you do they'll do one set with improved form then go right back to benching like a retard.

[Hulkotron]

Is the myth about "The Hammer"'s mother true?

[wes]

oh yeah, the "natural plane" of the smith is great for shoulders and avoiding injuries!

This is the only exercise I use it for and it`s helped my upper pecs immensely.

I`m not talking about maxing out every week,I`m talking about bodybuilding.

[Hulkotron]

Wes knows a thing or two about upper pecs.

[Nomad]

I love doing incline bench. Flat bench is     but heavy incline, I'd be damned if I dont do some incline benching at least once a week.

[wes]

Wes knows a thing or two about upper pecs.

Actually,I know three things about upper pecs,but who`s counting? 

[Fortress]

I never could do this one, never knew how to do it. People really know what this means ?

What's difficult to understand?

And he's right. Pulling shoulders back and raising the chest puts the shoulders in a much safer position. Also, draw the elbows in rather than flared to the sides.

[Grape Ape]

What's difficult to understand?

And he's right. Pulling shoulders back and raising the chest puts the shoulders in a much safer position. Also, draw the elbows in rather than flared to the sides.

Correct.  Also squeezing the bar extra tight and trying to "bend" the bar on the decline will help do this for the shoulders as well.

[Fortress]

Correct.  Also squeezing the bar extra tight and trying to "bend" the bar on the decline will help do this for the shoulders as well.

More great advice.

[The Showstoppa]

Unseated my bicep tendon doing flat bench years ago.  I never flat bench anymore.

[Ursus]

When you struggle grip tighter. It works. Activates more triceps.

[mesmorph78]

When you struggle grip tighter. It works. Activates more triceps.

really ...?
never heard of this technique before...
then gain I use the suicide grip for all my barbell presses

[Ursus]

Suicide grip is advocated by many as you are pressing your wrist through the bar. Your wrists are not bent back etc so many feel stronger.

By applying the same technique (not bending wrist back) but with thumbs around the bar when you gruip tight you add pressure/adctivate some nerve in the muscly bit of the hand beneath your thumb which activates more triceps.

Or so I am led to believe.