are close grip bench presses overrated?

[pumpster]

when i switched over to oly, i feared my arms would shrink to nothingness but it did not happen

You're mistaking one cause for another. It's not hard to maintain development with any kind of lifing, which is not the same as growing more effectively with those exercises. Oliva was an Olympic lifter who clearly grew even more after switching to BB training. Mariusz Pudzianowski is another example, he's got great development that is not accident-he includes heavy biceps curls and extensions for that, he's not doing them for nothing just as none of the top BBs with great arms stick to just indirect compounds.

[MisterMagoo]

so true, i do olympic lifting three times a week, the fourth time is a "regular" workout when i do some chest, some back, and once in a while throw in 2-3 sets for biceps and triceps.  when i switched over to oly, i feared my arms would shrink to nothingness but it did not happen, now i chuckle at the guys who do 12-16 sets for biceps/triceps and still cannot break 16" and cannot believe i wasted my time as well on all the arms exercises bullshit.

exactly. you'd be amazed at how much size you can keep or even make ignoring "conventional wisdom" and just lifting heavy. my "shoulder work" is pretty minimal these days aside from doing lots of pressing and heavy back works and frankly they look better than ever. a buddy of mine said if you're doing heavy shoulder presses and rows, there's not a need for a lot else.

ignore pumpster by the way. he's a keyboard warrior. he'll tell you about how he won bodybuilding competitions and powerlifting meets, but dodges and melts down whenever you challenge him to prove it.

[The Apprentice]

You're mistaking one cause for another. It's not hard to maintain development with any kind of lifing, which is not the same as growing more effectively with those exercises.

you may be right here, but you are also comparing me and MisterMagoo to juiced up bodybuilders/strongmen who may grow no matter what they do or don't do

[MisterMagoo]

you may be right here, but you are also comparing me and MisterMagoo to juiced up bodybuilders/strongmen who may grow no matter what they do or don't do

also worth pointing out.

people want to attribute "genetics" to the fact that ronnie trains heavy or jay trains light but both of them are gigantic, but let's not kid ourselves. they're on so much gear and other shit that it's more important THAT they train than HOW they train. remember that mariusz also failed a WSM drug test.

[_bruce_]

Shame on you Magoo - lifting heavy ass weight and still not as big aas Ronnie 

[Royalty]

also worth pointing out.

people want to attribute "genetics" to the fact that ronnie trains heavy or jay trains light but both of them are gigantic, but let's not kid ourselves. they're on so much gear and other shit that it's more important THAT they train than HOW they train. remember that mariusz also failed a WSM drug test.

for the record...on Jay's: New, Improved, and Beyond DVD (2003), Jay does incline presses with 405, bent barbell rows with 405, and hacks with 8 plates on each side.

On his "One Step Closer" DVD (2005), He does Free weight T-Bar Rows with 9 plates, Deadlifts with 495 (3 weeks out), and standing Military Presses with 245 (2 weeks out from the Olympia).

On his latest DVD, he does flat dumbell bench presses with 170lbs for 13 reps.


So I know what you are saying, because nobody trains heavy like Ronnie. But Jay does doesnt train light by any means.

[MartyMcFly]

close grip bench presses are BEYOND a staple. thats is all.

[Samhain]

Close grip bench is the meat of my tricep routine. Everything else is just side dishes.

[Thor38]

It depends on the individual in my own honest strong opinion.

Personally,they hurt my wrists so i stray away from them.

Not to mention,Not all that swell on my elbows either.

I get a very intense pump from Tricep Pressdowns so i'm not really missing anything "Tricep PumpWise".

[kimo]

did  arnold ever did close grip bench press . not sure . nor oliva . slight decline close grip are better in my opinion

[pumpster]

you may be right here, but you are also comparing me and MisterMagoo to juiced up bodybuilders/strongmen who may grow no matter what they do or don't do

Most who attribute all the developmental differences to juicing really don't know, have no compelling basis of comparison for the assumptions. It's largely speculation, largely carried out by non-juicers who let's face it must be depressed to see huge disparities in development between themselves and others. Magoo's a good example, doesn't have a great physique then resorts to the "all drugs" crap as the excuse. Textbook

IMO the fundamentals of training do not change due to drugs, not at all. To make the jump in assumptions that all the fundamentals of training go out the window with/without drugs is silly. The idea that Coleman, Schwarzenegger or anyone else saw great development just looking at weights is farcical. In truth, they still develop for the same reasons anyone else does, but the development is accelerated and more pronounced, just as one would see in any number of fields with people who are more gifted.

Also, no one wants to admit that they may not really be training hard, or smart. Not everyone is equal, in terms of the determination to train really hard for years, or to train wisely. By training wisely I mean trying and then finding the most effective exercises. Close grips for example, do very little for some and lots for others. I find them useless.

ignore pumpster by the way. he's a keyboard warrior. he'll tell you about how he won bodybuilding competitions and powerlifting meets, but dodges and melts down whenever you challenge him to prove it.

Not a question of if but rather how far i'm now lodged in his lol the personal trolling from this angry dweeb is predictable but the funniest thing about this clown is that his pics don't prove that he knows much at all yet he's constantly talking out his ass. He's really convinced himself that he's wise well beyond his actual knowledge, that i'm sure of. I see nothing in his pics or his comments to suggest any depth of knowledge or any degree of hard work in the workouts-not an impressive physique.