Bench Press Hate Thread

Fuck the barbell bench press.
1) Touted as the "king of all chest exercises" - bullshit. You can't fully contract the pecs during a barbell bench press and the triceps and delts take most of the load
2. Fucks up your posture
3. Do a fuck ton of flys and some dips for a better chest over benching
4. Progression is slow as fuck, unlike squats and deads

>1) Touted as the "king of all chest exercises
no, it's not

>2. Fucks up your posture
it won't, unless it's all you do.

>3. Do a fuck ton of flys and some dips for a better chest over benching
true, but the bench trains a lot more muscle mass than just the "chest"

>4. Progression is slow as fuck, unlike squats and deads
true for every upper body exercise, but it's still way faster than the flys and dips you just suggested above.

so much wat in the OP

pretty sure you're doing it wrong faggot

There is literally nothing wrong with the bench press.

>1) Touted as the "king of all chest exercises"
No it's not

>2. Fucks up your posture
No

>3. Do a fuck ton of flys and some dips for a better chest over benching
Do all three

>4. Progression is slow as fuck, unlike squats and deads
How does this even matter?

You are just salty because you can barely get 2 pl8 for reps on the decline!

truth

should i just do dumbbell bench since i can only bench like 80 pounds BB? and do some other chest excersies untill i can bench 1 plate

>tfw weak manlet

>>Progression is slow as fuck, unlike squats and deads
>takes a long time to get good at something
>therefore I won't do it

Back to r/fitness with you

Pretty much OP. I just do incline dumbbell press, ohp, Arnold presses and machine presses. I never do any barbell benching as it's very irritating for my shoulder.

Just barbell bench. I started at 70lbs bar and now I do 285lbs for 5 reps.

>tfw strong manlet

Nah dude just keep doing regular bp. If you're not making gains eat WAY MORE bc you are literally at like the front end of beginner gains

I started with the bar 10 weeks ago and could barely finish (embarassing af), but I'm almost to lmao1pl8 now

keep doing it and make sure you get enough food/sleep

>and the triceps and delts take most of the load
Maybe you should do them correctly then.
Pinch those fucking shoulder blades back and actually use your chest.
Do the same thing for incline and watch the gains roll in.

if you don't feel your lats sore after doing heavy bench press, you are doing it wrong

If you're constantly sore after workouts, you're doing something wrong.
>Ask nearest gymrat for spot.
>Explain to him that I'm probably going to need help for my 3rd rep and to rack it afterwards. Just lift-off, finish of 3rd rep and re-rack.
>No prob.
>He keeps his hand on the barbell the entire time.
>Starts coaching my breathing. Nigger, I don't need to breathe for a triple - I don't smoke asbestos in between sets.
>Yells "YOU CAN DOOOO ITTTT!!!!" and "COME ON!!!!" for the rest of the time.
>Loose tension in lats.
>Pain in left lat all day afterwards.
At least the DYELS listen to your instructions when spotting.

>not having a gym buddy.

>weighted dips

Can be a bit rough on the shoulders, especially in the context of technical flaws or pre-existing shoulder injuries. I think dips are usually worse on both counts. Probably useful to figure out some kind of press that you can hit that kind of volume on, though. Floor press, 1- or 2-board, close-grips, reverse-grips, incline, swiss bar....

I mainly do calisthenics but its undeniable that bench is one of the funest and best chest exercises
>shoulders and triceps take most of the load
Fix your form. If done correctly the bench should mostly hit your chest.
>fucks up your posture
?
>do fuckton of flies
Have fun fucking your shoulders
>dips
Great exercise, almost as good as the bench press
>progression is slow as fuck
I got my bench from 185 to 225 with just bodyweight exercises. If you are regularly benching and still have slow progression you're doing something wrong.

Overhead press is superior in every way

Actually all I do is OHP along with face pulls, ab work and glute bridges as support for my OHP. Once you are OHPing your body weight there is no need to do anything else

You realize OHP has very little chest activation right? You might get some upper chest gains but your overall chest is gonna look like shit.

Never understood this.

What's wrong with weighted dips? Genuinely curious

>weighted tips

...

>wanting droopy poopy booby pecs

>played football in high school
>got 1rm on bench up to 275
>went to college, started drinking a lot, smoking a lot, etc.
>went back to gym for the first time in about 8 years yesterday (i'm 26 now)
>could barely do 1pl8 3x8

i fucking hate my life

>implying your pecks will look good just by OHP

Well someone sucks at bench.

>not making it

do you think dubya squatted at all or was he just a curl bro

spotted the dyel

> I'm bad at an exercise, is the answer to getting better to just not do that exercise anymore?

1. yes you can
2. no it doesnt
3. bull fucking shit
4. kys

>dumbbell master race

Yeah bench press isn't the best exercise for your chest. I hope more people know this.

I cant do bench press with my new power rack because no bench.

What should I sub it with for chest?

you should buy a bench

Just keep going; I could barely bench 60 lbs when I started and I'm at 2 plate now

You can do it, just focus on keeping good form

floor press and pray for not getting killed

BRAVO, OP, BRAVO!

You have successfully baited/triggered/trolled Veeky Forums by posting this thread.

Here are your (You)s, now kill yourself and be done with this shit.

It bothers my shoulders every now and again, even though my form isn't retarded

Slowly but surely my man.

We're all gonna make it

Make sure your form is correct

My bench and ohp stayed laughably low until i corrected my form

It's a meme, they're very good

Maybe you just don't know how to fucking bench

My chest sucks ass.

My bench stalled again. Before I couldn't push past 150. Now I can't go past 160.

What do I do? Lower weight and do more reps? Dips? Flys? DB bench?

I figured. Couple of my buddies who are super Veeky Forums do them all the time.

If I can only bench with a reverse grip due to a shoulder injury, and can't seem to do it comfortably due to some issue with form that's going over my head, should I just do dips and hand release pushups? I like THE PRESS more anyway.
How would I work them into a GSLP program?

I find that cable flies will really hit my chest hard if dips/bench are hurting me.

I've literally been at 185 for 5 reps for years

>tfw lanklet

Do all of the other exercises you mentioned and deload. Pause when the bar gets to your chest and hold for 3 seconds... then drive up from a full stop and complete the rep.

Feel the bern faggot.

Pause reps my man. Pause. Fucking. Reps. Just start doing sets of pause reps with lighter full speed sets at the beginning or end so you stay used to how you want it to feel. I'd say use about 60-70% of your 1rm and try to do 3 pause reps for every 1 full speed that day

Bench press is my worst excercise.
I cant even bench 10kg on both sides stably for 15reps/3sets.
I fucking hate the form, how no matter how much I bend back I cant seem to form a stable arch with my hips and shoulder.
I guess I improved from3 months ago from 20kg empty bar, but it seems to stagnate a lot.

Is this because Im new, or just painfully weak?
Feels bad, man

It's because your pitifully weak AND new.

Unless you're a 12 year old girl, starting with an empty bar is shameless.
How could you allow yourself to become so weak?

damn you are weak as fuck

there is likely no recovery now as your body has matured into an atrophied state. it will be nearly impossible for you to build size. i recommend getting on some test

post pics of your pathetic body, I need a good laugh

>Michelle Obongo dumbell presses more than me
Just end my life senpai

Michelle Obama is a man, don't feel so bad senpai

I'm literally 5'6 130 lbs and I did 3x10 with 30 kg on my first day at the gym, what the fuck is wrong with you?

YOU JUST KNOW

Okay this is not true lol

I started benching the bar too bro. Six feet tall. Don't expect to make progress like fat people which is what SS and other progressive barbell programs expect you to be. The gains will come but you have to be eating and gyming.

Fuck me, I guess it really was that bad.
I cant really blame it on the cutting either
I guessI just have to keep working on it, until my chest rips apart or something.

But one more thing,while my bench press is shit, K could always incline press with somewhat good form with 20 kg on each side.
I mean, i know its still infantile weight but should it differ by that much?

>I started out normal weight and
He's underweight bro
actually, not the skelly meme

I did start off 5'8, 76kg mildly obese.
3 months later, I am currently 66kg while cutting withmainly bananas, sweet potatoes, and boiled eggs.
I guess Ill just keep working on it, lad.
Lets see if I can get shawn lee before I die.

No it shouldn't differ that much. Learn correct form, you're obviously doing something wrong. Maybe switch grip width?

POST PIC

Im guessing its my back.
My upper back wont fucking leave the rack, no matter how far i bend back. Flanking for 3min while someone constanly tries to push me out of the way is easier than bench form.

Fok u too m8

I figured you were like 100lbs but you're just fat

how much do you weigh?

how can you not bench your body weight?

He was just being a bro.
Im glad you didnt get quads cuz u a bitch.

It's your fucking tehnique.
Your upper back isn't supposed to leave the bench. Don't just imitate what you see other people with other proportions do - find what's comfortable and stable so you can focus on pushing. Tucking your shoulder blades in is important, tight lats is important, how much you arch or even if you do it at all isn't for a beginner.

this is the body of the 21st century

atrophied
fat
pale
hairless
high estrogen

vomit

Lmao Im dead
Top kek

>having your hand on the bar the whole time
>coaching breathing for a triple
>having spent more than a month at the gym
But I guess it's the effort that counts in this cancerous generation.

>do bench
>tits aburning
>progression is slow unlike and exercise where you lift half as much
well no shit, it's called relativity, you should google it
>omg curls are shit and the progression is slow compared to squats and deads
I WANT to think that this is a bait, but...

damn bro, stop drinking the tap water, there's estrogen in that shit

Same user, i started nearly 3 months ago and couldn't even do a 15kg bar. After daily practice I'm able to do 37kg. It's not very much but I don't have much testosterone but I refuse to give up.

Bench is my favorite lift.

Had the same issue. My last max in high school was 270. Stopped lifting cause I was in boot camp for two months. The good thing though is since your muscles are use to that kind of weight before it won't take long to progress. Took me two months to get back

After fixing my Bench Form it quickly became my best lift. The last time I was actively lifting I managed to go from barely being able to 3x3 135lb to knocking at 3x5 @ 225lb in two months. At that time I think weighed around 160lbs.

You shouldn't pause on your chest, pause an inch above it

There is no bad exercise, just bad execution.

Read on the subject of bench press form by people who actually studied kinesiology as opposed to big dudes who just happen to have strong pecs/tris/shoulders.

Three very common mistakes include :
1. Not retracting your scapulas to the point of pain
2. Not positioning your shoulders tight on the bench
3. Elbows are too high, you need to put them at least 5-10cm below the shoulders when looking from top.