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    Default Improve Chest Development with Bands

    1. Use Accommodating Resistance: The resistance curve of the bench press makes it hardest at the bottom and easiest at the top. Your ability to produce force is opposite to this. You're weakest at the bottom and strongest at the top. As a result, the bench press doesn't cause high levels of tension in the pecs across the entire range of motion. This limits its effectiveness as a chest builder. Mechanical tension is a key element of hypertrophy. Exercises which fully challenge a muscle across their entire contractile range are more efficient muscle builders. Using accommodating resistance (bands or chains) can address this issue and help to match up the exercise's resistance profile with your strength profile.
    -
    2. Squeeze Your Hands Towards Each Other at the Top: The very top of the lift presents an opportunity for your chest to become relatively unloaded and take a brief "rest." As you finish the lift and your arm is fully extended, the joints of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder are stacked on top of each other. Because of this, little tension is going through the chest as you lockout. By using the coaching cue of "squeezing" your hands towards each other you can help to create tension through the chest. While your hands don't actually move across the bar, the intention of squeezing inwards creates friction. Friction is the force that opposes sliding motion. In this case, it creates a new line of force acting on the muscle and helps to create a sustained challenge throughout the entire range of the lift. With the combo of accommodating resistance and squeezing your hands towards each other near lockout, you fight gravity hard throughout the whole lift, and when you become mechanically advantaged you use friction to keep tension where you want it. This creates high levels of mechanical tension across the entire range. More tension over a longer ROM equals more muscle.
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    I don't even do regular bench anymore. I either use the machines that have the motion of squeezing, or I do dumbbells and turn my hands in and finish like a fly at the top. I will occasionally put bands on the handles if I use the machines, to get that extra resistance on top.
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    I find that where the bar is in my palms makes a huge difference in how the bench feels. I also find that a close grip is too close and a traditional legal wide grip to be too wide.
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    I stick with machines and haven't touched a straight bar in years. Ripped my shoulders up years ago. Just not worth it.
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    The bench has went from my best lift to my most abysmal. I am not super in to working out upper body as a whole as it seems to make me feel like poop. Lower body, even if I hammer it out, always makes me feel like a million bucks. I almost feel guilty working my upper body lol.
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    I too perform almost all bench press w dumbells, straight bar pressing makes my delts hurt big time plus pinched nerves has all but made my left tricep disappear resulting in an embarrasing low bench, but I can still hump those heavy dumbells pretty good

    At 58 I can tell you to age but dont get old!!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dean Destructo View Post
    The bench has went from my best lift to my most abysmal. I am not super in to working out upper body as a whole as it seems to make me feel like poop. Lower body, even if I hammer it out, always makes me feel like a million bucks. I almost feel guilty working my upper body lol.
    there nothing quite like the feeling of a crippling leg workout where you walk funny for at least 2 days
     

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Survivor View Post
    there nothing quite like the feeling of a crippling leg workout where you walk funny for at least 2 days
    Hell I don't have to work out to walk funny. I may age, but I refuse to grow up.
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