bench press

Ok, do you guys go slow or fast, all the way to your chest, or stop an inch or two above?

I did heavy flat barbell bench for the first time since I started cutting for my contest about 16 weeks ago, and was pretty happy with things. Especially since I did a 3-4 second eccentric, all the way to chest, and then 2+ second concentric portion.

One thing I've noticed in the past is that by stopping even an inch above my chest, I can lift an incredible amount more than if I go all the way down

BTW, I'm going to beat the hell out of the "trainer" at the gym next time he over-assists on my failure rep - either that, or I'm going to just keep going till he can't lift the weight, lol

Just wait till he gives you the fake "spot". That is where he appears to grab the bar but it remains stationary right in front of your face...............I find that I can flat bench more when I stop about 1-2 " short but less when I attempt the same thing on inclines.

always slow here....the women like it like that well some like it fast...change it up lol

slow....all the way down to the chest. all the bench press competitions i've been in require the bar to compress the chest a little.

slow negative to the chest, quick press up.

good deal... You guys do this even when you're pushing near your max, right?

Al, don't miss the latest issue of the MC eZine due out anyday now. I hear it has an excellant article on the art of bench pressing!

negatives are what make muscle grow most

Iam going with dumbells this go round my left shoulder is trashed
that way i can toss them aside if need be...

I've been using dumbbells, but my gym only has up to 100 lbs

i go down slow and the up depends on the weight if it is light go up slower than i can but when i go heavy i just push. never lock out at top that lets your chest rest.

I stop a few inches from my chest since when I go lower, it hurts my shoulder pretty badly.....

c'mon up to Virginny Al, we gots da 150's for you to throw around if you ain't askeered

I'd be happy with 120's, I think

i go slow up and down no matter the wieght

The eccentric portion of the lift is where you get your mass gains, as learner202 already mentioned. So you should always lower the bar in a controlled manner and stay super tight. Besides, staying as tight as you can will give you a bit of a rebound effect off your chest (even with a pause, if required).

You should always explode up on the concentric part because speed is very important in the power movements. If you can carry enough momentum off your chest, you'll blast right through your sticking point. This will help you push more weight which means you'll be getting bigger and stronger. <----That's key to making gains because of continual overload.

bigshug, keep your elbows tucked to your lats. That will greatly minimize any shoulder rotation during the lift.

It's not so much the shoulder rotation but the fact that I just can't get my arms back that far.....I can't even do back squats without my shoulder hurting afterwards just from the stress of being pulled back that far...............and no, I don't have shitty posture...lol

hmmm, it's really tough doing this over the 'net. It'd be so much easier in person. The way you describe your squats, it sounds to me like you're flaring out your elbows (making them parallel wiith the ground) instead of bringing them down (making them perpendicular to the ground).

That makes a huge difference. Squatting with an 8' bar helps too because you can get your grip really wide.

when my shoulder arthritis is bothering me, I have the same issues, bigshug... my competition prep was great for me, with 8+ weeks of higher reps and lighter weights, now I'm back going heavy and 6 reps or so, and still feeling good

There are a few critical things necessary to bench successfully..in that i mean put up good poundages and get great mass and strength gains while staying injury free. As someone who has benched over 600lbs without injury while roughly 270lbs...I learned much from 2 great benchers ...canadian champ al young who at 165lbs benched 420 lbs in comp and Janne Toivanen Finnish and world champ in 198 lb division who made me feel small and weak at 275lbs..believe me...the guy was doing stifflegged deads with 705..no belt, no wraps..off a 6 inch block! Anyway back to the critical things...
1. the whole body is used during benching..drive with the legs..use the lats near the bottom drive..accelerate with the chest and finish with delts and tris
2.Never bounce the bar off the chest..i have seen bad injuries from that
3. Keep a good arch in your back(reduces any chances of ant delt injuries) while keeping your butt on the bench, driving the bar up and back in an arc..
4. The forearms during the lift should be perpendicular to the floor..making the upward force vector perfectly straight...thus wasting no energy
5. keep feet flat on the floor..stabalizing the body..squeeze the bar in your hand and control the weight on the way down..exploding off your chest driving upwards in an arc to the finish
6. Use your mind to visualize the lift before actually completing it...where the mind goes the body will follow

I have to disagree with the notion that most mass is built with negatives or with the eccentric part of the lift. If that were true we would have many high level BB's with small muscles especially arms, and this is not the case. I would never recommend negatives as they can lead to devastating injuries as well as overtraining. Learning to bench correctly may take some time but it wil save you years of debilitating injuries.
Peace,
P