Why I HATE Bench Pressing

[@mountain_toast]

As a poor college kid, I used only dumbells for chest flies that I'd do on my bedroom floor. In about a year and a half period I was shocked to find that with the one chest exercise, I had increased my bench press from 135lbs to 205lbs. Same 40lb dumbells the whole time too. Just increased the reps as I got stronger.

[@mdd1963]

Impressive! ( I did notice after doing a couple of pre-exhaust sets of flies that my reps in the flat bench were drastically reduced, so for sure there is some carryover, as you proved!

[@BaldOmniMan]

11:10 Been really liking ring work + weighted unweighted calisthenics for the upper body lately - I still bench, but it’s usually always with a cambered Swiss bar. I can’t move nearly as much weight on it vs a straight bar; but I’m seeing more hypertrophic results by training the way I am now. De-emphasizing straight bar work in favor of shit that just plain works better for me. Plus when you’re legit strong, you’re gonna move a lot of weight on anything you do. So it’s a win win

[@copeenthuisiast5453]

Chad

[@ce1474]

Same. I'd just add that I've never liked how straight bar bench presses felt on my shoulder. Even as a "calisthenics guy" - I do deadlifts, I do squats, but I decided long ago that I will not do bench press. I do narrow weighted push ups, and I'm seeing more consistent progress with that than any of my other lifts. More importantly, no injuries. Seems like I can hit those push ups as hard as I want and not suffer an injury.

[@magnus263]

100 lbs Weighted Ring push-up 3-5 x 10 is better than any bench Press for develop the chest

[@dadbod488]

As a 34 year old 195 pound(ish) recreational lifter, I really chased that 315# bench HARD. Got it a few months ago, and now I feel like I can relax, train bench less, and focus more on the other 2 of the big 3.

[@joecowan3719]

Good job, I am a few pounds away and 42 and the same bw. Sooooo, about that road to a 405 bench......nahhhh

[@TheJwalk1234]

Yeah after 315 flat, change goals to like 250 OHP or just enjoy rep work 8-12 for a while.

[@dadbod488]

@@joecowan3719 I gotta be honest with myself, that 405 isn't coming without some "chicken and broccoli" help, if you know what I mean haha. And I'm not ready for that yet lol And good luck to you! 💪🏻

[@dadbod488]

@@TheJwalk1234 on a really good perfect training day, I can muscle through a BW overhead press, so I am pretty happy with that. I would like to be able to rep it though, for sure 👍🏻

[@joshdawson5850]

You mean 5 of the Big 6… Don’t neglect the OHP, Chins and Rows as primary strength moves

[@freakied0550]

That introduction hits home. Very young, bought a bench and weights, benched 5 days a week going to failure by either max weight or max reps every day. Fun times.

[@bangscutter]

I miss that phase of my fitness journey, the newbie phase, where every week you hit new PRs and you get motivated that way. Now I'm at the intermediate stage, and it's really really hard to push through the plateau now. Enjoy your newbie phase while it lasts.

[@freakied0550]

@@bangscutter lol, I was speaking in past tense. Bromley knows I'm old, but I guess that doesn't come across in the general comment. I've benched 550lbs at this point, enjoy pushing through those plateuas, the PRs on the other side and small bouts of jumps in strength are that much sweeter.

[@Ferus11]

Back in September I switched bench day to upper back day with bench accessory. Never felt better.

[@jakk221]

How much you bench

[@Exodus26.13Pi]

I concur. Just one question... How much you bench?

[@max-tx8zb]

100

[@saltypatriot1768]

Only thing worse than Someone asking how much I bench.. Is some one who has their bench numbers ready

[@GuruLifts]

130kg

[@mrsourpickles405BP]

170 kg

[@heveyweightheveyweight5399]

​@@saltypatriot1768 or there cousins 😅

[@BluegillGreg]

I grew up when the OHP was the culturally relevant lift and we didn't know what a power rack was. I got a rack and a Swiss bar some years ago when I turned 60. What a long, strange trip it's been.

[@BigBADSTUFF69]

Swiss bar bench is where it's at, no more shoulder pain for me

[@importantstuff1130]

I think a strict press or semi strict press isnt that much worse as a general mass and upper-body strenght training exercise, except of course for the chest. As a pure test of strenght i would even rank it above, since the carryover to multiple pressing movements is generally better.

[@Holdfast-]

Bench press is one of those things you can hit hard and often until you actually start pushing some decent weights. After that it becomes a balancing act of pushing progress without accumulating too much fatigue over time, at least that's been my experience. I do think it's one of the best ways to load triceps and improve overall pressing power.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

Yeah

[@PinataOblongata]

If you're a competitive masters lifter (me) it's always that balancing act with all three lifts. They are still going up though, if slowly, so I guess that's something.

[@Holdfast-]

@@PinataOblongata Yeah I bet, but some part of me kind of enjoys it as well. Makes it more than just picking heavy stuff up and instead adds a mental side to it in order to keep making progress.

[@DANA-lx8cv]

Like everything in the strength world, it depends on your goals. I have never lifted with the goal of a functional transfer to anything in particular, so I bench simply because I like it. If I could bench 7 days a week, I probably would! I seem to make the most progress in my numbers doing it once a week (heavy with good form and never any bouncing), with floor press thrown in on shoulder day mid week.

[@snakeriverscotto]

I’ve been really enjoying pause rep benching; I created a simple progression program and created a traps and chest day. Having a good time not whaling on my chest like the old days

[@BrandonSimmons-do6jq]

I love to bench, but I'm 52 and have a nagging shoulder pinch. I still do it, try to resolve it with hanging, but really love to bench

[@gregorybuttari8651]

I Bench because I like too ,so I learned other variations. Dumbbell floor press, Dufflo Press and the Chambered Bar(foot ball bar) .. Jest to make things more interesting.. wouldn't want to get Bored and it helps a lot with my over all enjoyment of the gym.

[@yukkuri_lifter]

Variations like dead presses, floor presses, and presses against bands makes benching fun to do.

[@thebarbelllifestyle1478]

Overhead press is way more fun anyway.

[@rileyrfitzpatrick]

I treat OHP and push press as my primary pressing exercises with benching as an accessory

[@jeffbunnell9961]

I loved bench, nothing like pressing some heavy weight off your chest. Unfortunately some injuries have caught up so I've been Larson pressing and a variety of dumbbell presses don't seem to piss off where it hurts, perhaps because the load is restricted a bit. My goals now are simply having a good-looking chest and growing it, not necessarily caring about numbers as much, but still training in relevant rep ranges.

[@josephparkes6412]

Will Ratelle has a good (short) video explaining why he prefers bench to OHP for athletes

[@areyoutheregoditsmedave]

i stopped benching awhile ago and exclusively use dumbbells and plate loaded machines. my size and strength and stability improved drastically and quickly. i love benching because its fun to see how much you can bench, but as a training tool its really not that effective-at least for me. i have giraffe arms.

[@Veg-Power]

I have long arms, too and I progress twice as fast with dumbbells and machines but the progression just does not transfer to my bench strength lol. weighted push ups do improve to my bench though but I don't like doing them as well bc of the damn RoM with having long arms.

[@rzadigi]

Another pair of giraffe arms here. I used to feel pain benching so now I tend to do floor presses and db presses along with rotator cuff exercises. When doing db presses what do you find is the best technique for your hand and elbow positions?

[@paoloh885]

I love bench pressing because I like the movement, and because it's by far my best lift. When starting out I benched more than my squat, and one year later my squat is still only slightly ahead of my bench press. Once I hit my goal with the bench press I will probably focus more on OHP because that movement is infinitely more functional than the bench press. But I won't stop benching because it's just too fun.

[@bangscutter]

I'm with you on this one. I don't like bench pressing. But I still do it as part of my routine because it's "expected" and like you mentioned, a cultural thing for strength benchmarking. As far as pressing workouts go, I enjoy the standing overhead press over the bench press.

[@stingrae789]

I'm only just past beginner but I just don't enjoy it enough or have the form to correctly feel it in my chest. So I've switched to doing dumbbell bench and even shoulder press for now and rather focus on Pendlay Row strength, at least until I can actually do chin ups for reps again. Maybe the issue is that we don't train weaknesses and instead push on something like bench because it's supposed to have a high benefit. I mean for me I have some existing wrist issues which have gotten better through lifting but I still need to do work there. I definitely need to do more hammer curls because my arms are just weak in general. But I also found out I have some core weakness I need to address too by doing some suitcase carries with a dumbbell. I still want to improve overall strength but if I don't address the weakest links I'm going to be asking for trouble.

[@danielmaxwell7827]

Also had shoulder problem with bench, as a strongman i like it as a good tricep builder, that's it

[@Whurlin]

Love bench. It's the one power lift I can go ape shit crazy with volume and still recover. My body loves bench and I love it.

[@geneharrogate6911]

Switched to close grip floor and bench specifically because it's more applicable to positions you find your arms in during BJJ. As a 'pro', my shoulders are the better for it.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

You should try close grip bench for the ROM

[@jerseyjim9092]

Recently, while benching, I sustained a high grade near full thickness tear of the supraspinatus. Pretty bummed out over the the prospect of needing surgery and both the short and long term implications as far my future upper body strength training goes. I have a consult with the ortho next week. Im hoping i won't need surgery but I also fear thats going to mean heavy benching and OHP are going to be ruled out. Injuries suck.

[@qdogbenson3112]

This is interesting. I love the bench and it is the one lift i hit most times i go to the gym. I always feel better afterwards. Great stress relief. I am only recreational lifter and do what i feel like at 52yo. I try to end bench with 12 reps of 235 and then 10 of 255 and then move on to various machines.

[@zyncarla]

It’s like the only thing I really enjoy lol everything is mostly because it’s a need to do lol pain free after 20 years finally hit a 455 Bench after many years. I’m 37 6’3 275lbs and currently cutting to 250. I get an occasional shoulder twing but that comes with the territory lol. At 6’3 I have a 6’7 wingspan so I’ve always benches semi narrow pinky on the rings so my triceps are my main presser not my shoulders. With that said while on this cut for health I’ve been doing a lot more running and boxing. I moved to one day of benching one day of overhead press. Chasing that 365+ ohp while on a cut is going to be rough

[@AverageJoe2308]

If my gym had heavier dumbells, I wouldnt really Barbell bench press much and would opt for the dumbell press instead. For me though, the overhead (military) press is the squat of the upper body and is a better overall test of upper body strength and functionality.

[@JoseVasquez-mg3dq]

I’d say the weighted dip is the best overall test of upper body strength

[@AverageJoe2308]

@@JoseVasquez-mg3dq Thats a good shout too!

[@joshdawson5850]

@@JoseVasquez-mg3dq I think Strict Rows or Weighted Chins are too… Of all the upper body lifts, Bench is the worst

[@jakk221]

Chins bro get that shit out of here, bench is the mother of all upper body lifts

[@JoseVasquez-mg3dq]

@@joshdawson5850 chins are trash

[@yoeyyoey8937]

I think the overload aspect is significant and training at different grips is key. Close grip bench trains the chest more than you think, you get more ROM and a squeeze at the top.

[@Veg-Power]

I always get that by having long arms + I can't use a wide grip (my pinkies sit just beside the ring markings) since my shoulder cuffs can't handle a wide grip even with way lower weights.

[@bobmcbobberson5426]

The problem with bench press is 100% the hand position. What other movement allows full expression of upper body pushing strength? OHP uses less than half the musculature of a bench press. The best exercises to test and develop maximal strength are free weight movements. How to incorporate the full pressing musculature of the upper body while working only against gravity? We have to be horizontal. Since barbels are the ubiquitous equipment, we have to press with internal rotation and we mess up our shoulders. If every gym had a bar with adjustable handles and a camber it would be ideal.

[@runeandersen7022]

Been a fan for years.I like that you make vids on a regular basis.Keep it up and merry christmas from Norway.

[@dicklickerson8334]

Usually people who don't like bench aren't good at bench

[@radalexander7160]

Agree with all of these. Funny enough I've done programs benching 3x/week for months at a time and never had shoulder or joint issues...maybe a bit of elbow tendonitis but it didn't affect me at all. And this is coming from someone who has both torn his rotator cuff and broken his same arm. But I can squat once with light weight and my knees turn to dust. Ironically enough I hate bench also and love squats. Sigh

[@yoeyyoey8937]

What happened to your squat?

[@radalexander7160]

@yoey yoey Nothing in particular it's just that I've had chronic knee tendinopathy for a while so it's difficult to push my squat compared to my other lifts. It's lagging behind a lot

[@ShortSideSniper17]

@@radalexander7160check out knees over toes guy. In the middle of doing his training because several injuries/playing hockey have made it impossible to squat when at one point I did every day. My knees have been feeling better and so has my hip mobility. Still not squatting yet though

[@bestwesterner]

Thanks Brom

[@Shvabicu]

I have never had any issues from flat barbell benching, but then again my barbell row is my strongest lift and I'm extremely strong at face pulls. If your upper back is overdeveloped like mine, then you probably won't have trouble benching.

[@a_fuckin_spacemarine7514]

I limit by chest training to twice per week, and only do benchpress and some type of fly. My shoulders don't hurt and I've added 35lbs to my max.

[@KingDoug]

I do a 3-day full body split, and each day starts off with a big compound lift. Previously, it was deadlift, squat and bench, but I recently changed it to deadlift, squat and OHP, with bench relegated to about 3rd or 4th on my squat day. Now I'm wondering if I should just remove it completely and perhaps replace it with dumbbell bench or floor press or something. Hmmmm.

[@keropnw3425]

Seated overhead press or incline bench are both better overloading movements for the overhead press

[@lionheart93]

i lovE dumbell benching. better stretch and more stretch. tFalt bench is all about technique which I would like to work on even tho i dislike benching

[@karaaslan7402]

I hate it too, I use Dips to increase my Bench because since I have a long torso, my arch lowers my ROM a lot and the momentum I get from my Torso and legs do not allow my Chest to have a good stimulus. Pause Bench is more like a test of strength for me, if I had used mainly Bench for muscle and strength development, I don't think I could do 2x BW touch and go Bench today

[@Jdl223]

Try working on stability sounds like your moving around alot, legs and torso shouldn't move during a bench press

[@SK_1337]

what was censored on top left corner of the video?? I'm so curious

[@jdiritto701]

Don't neglect the value of small incline bench transfer for offensive line and shot put throwers in addition to the upper body progressive overload aspects mentioned for others.

[@brianpropst4342]

Bench has made my chest really good size and strong. Helps with my over head press. Then dips, triceps very strong. I get it isn’t much use for athletes. Hurt both shoulders but recovered still going. For upper body Ill day bench is king and over head press second!

[@Chaosdude341]

Yes but how much do you one arm bosu ball press sir

[@vrod1136]

How do these big benchers keep their shoulders healthy? Soon as I get in the high 2's my shoulders begin to fail me. I'm now 56 and my bench has dropped a 100+ lbs. My shoulders always prevented me from reaching my goal.

[@heveyweightheveyweight5399]

The bench defintley helped in football on the line , but its not the all be all but had its place . In jujitsu an grapple it helped as well as well as a strong set of shoulders .

[@rickysilver1479]

I think benching hurts pec's and shoulders because the 'safe' grip width for training is much more narrow than what's intuitive. When I first learned, I put my ring finger on the barbell ring (seems logical). Thanks to the 5/3/1 book I learned to bring my grip in, and my shoulders have been A-OK since. Also, do your back work!!!

[@MrSpicabooo]

I dont bench simply cause i dont like it and the racks are always taken anyway, rather just do ohp or floor press in the squat rack after my squats or oly lifts.

[@RenatIlyasov]

Weighted dips and OHP could safely replace the bench especially for a strong man.

[@noosphericaltarzan]

Lately, I just do presses, jerks, and dips. Bench press would not increase how much I can clean and jerk at this point.

[@senaares6107]

Nice vid. The bp is considered the best gauge for upper body strength. I find dips great mass builders but find the bp more applicable to life. I love the OHP but cant properly to it as I lack shoulder ROM.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

How is bench more applicable to life ? And can you do chin ups? Wym you lack ROM?

[@robmarsh918]

@@yoeyyoey8937Yeah, the whole “applicable to life” perspective is a pretty strange take in general when it comes to weight training. Like, yes, a deadlift and RDL teaches you to properly pick things up off the ground. But no one is picking up 315 lbs of groceries off the ground then putting it back down for no reason LOL. Same with bench - if anything push ups are more “applicable to life” bc it teaches you to get up off the ground or something. What scenario in life are you going to be laying down and pushing something off of you like that? Certain movement patterns are important for real world movement and mobility, like basic squats. But you reach a certain point in your level of lifting when that stops being the case and now you are just lifting for superior strength and power. And that’s fine. But just say that LOL

[@yoeyyoey8937]

@@robmarsh918 well I mean there’s carry over from the increased force production but I’m curious what their reasoning is for perspective

[@robmarsh918]

@@yoeyyoey8937 Agreed, but thats a benefit from strength training as a whole. Claiming a specific exercise, however, has direct carry over just doesn’t work.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

@@robmarsh918 yeah and bench is part of that. I would say bench is useful for increasing strength in any activity that’s uses shoulders, triceps or especially chest. Like Bromley said, this would transfer to doing certain strongman pinches and holds

[@adrianobernardiprado5033]

My bench is my worse pressing movement. My incline press and strict overhead press are really nice but i am not built for horizontal pressing 😬

[@thomashugus5686]

I’m 72 and still love to bench

[@MCFCTheMadHatter]

I’m a huge fan of benching. Been doing it for north of 20yrs. Only problem I have is because my arms are so long I’ve been flaring my arms out so the bar falls inline with my mid-chest (approx around nipple area and I stop the bar about “2 above chest so I don’t use my body to stop momentum; similar to Spoto press). Problem there is as I go heavier, I run the risk of tearing my pec. So I’ve just recently hit 405 but I’m also laying flat on my back with no arch and knees are at a 90-degree angle (no power-lift form of feet under and arched back). And so I’ve been trying to correct this but I’m so doing, I have much less leverage (that’s how it feels) my tendons above the elbow flare up and bc I’m not used to it, I can’t do as much weight. Did 225 for sets of 25 and had to stop bc of the awkward feeling and tendon flare up. Any thoughts would be welcomed. Ps. Changing form bc I want to maximize my bench and with flaring out of elbows it increases risk of tear as I go higher with bench so thought it would be wise in work on form to maximize my strength with it. Very frustrating

[@yoeyyoey8937]

I think you should try either using a block to cut the ROM, or to just go all the way down to your chest. The danger of tearing a pec is present when you are trying to stop the bar at an arbitrary point without any support, because if you are getting close to your progression limit, all it takes is for you to accidentally go down another 1/8th of an inch to turn what could have been a grinder rep, into a pec tear.

[@JK-pp2xl]

I like it because its one of my best lifts, but the pain it causes my shoulders is making me reconsider at this point in my life.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

Do you OHP or do face pulls or some other shoulder stuff?

[@SteezySteez2011]

I always strain my pec on bench. I HATE it lol, but it feels so good hitting heavy weight. Just sucks to work around.

[@rox8679]

8:53 LMFAO "Its possible you can track that back to improper benching technique... whatever that means"

[@martin1234512345]

I love bench pressing. It's the only movement I can do everyday and not worry about any sort of pain. Just have the body type for it. Fat lol.

[@jakk221]

Everyday??

[@ElijahG98]

To me the cultural significance is the most important. Just wanting a big bench and getting that, is satisfying. Along with its a good muscle builder for home gyms (safe with power rack, don't need dedicated machines).

[@dessertstorm7476]

you've had labrum tears (plural)? How did you get over this? once its torn its torn, right?

[@dessertstorm7476]

@@jims4877 I'm the same, overhead is fine, the closer I get to flat the more I notice it, and decline or dips just hurts. I actually enjoyed benching before though, it was one of my favourite lifts and I was decent at it. I don't think I'll bother with an MRI since I am positive for SLAP tear test, and from what I've read surgery has a pretty low success rate in terms of making a full recovery I'll just do the rehab stuff I see online and avoid anything painful.

[@Ericboy114558]

I just fkn love benching, that's enough reason for me :D But I do try and keep the injury risk as low as i can.

[@hong-enlin4651]

There are thousands of videos and articles about the shoulder pain. I had to have shoulder surgery for laberum tear and they found I have a super inflamed long head bicep instead and stitched me back up. I switched to reverse grip bench press now, the shoulders and elbows are tucked in naturally even if I don't pay attention and that helped. I also do 20 mins upper body stretches for the shoulders and that helped another 50%, I would have saved my shoulders if I had learned that when I started weight training.

[@loosecannon6142]

Damn, interesting. My long head bicep/shoulder tendon has been hurting a lot. What was the cause of it?

[@hong-enlin4651]

@@loosecannon6142 A few suspected reasons, 1. I am a computer desk guy with my shoulders and arms forwarded slumped all the time 2. lack of room under the acromion and the good old humerus impingement rubbing and crushing whatever is under it, rotators cuffs, long heads you name it if I do overhead press or bench press. I stretch 20 mins now, hands over head against the wall pressing the arm backwards, front of my shoulders (put my self in a position looking like i am doing a dip) grab the handles on the cable flys and stretch that pec+bicep, I do this for 3 mins per position at least, I did it for 3 months until I felt an improvement mind you. I gave up many times before it worked.

[@hong-enlin4651]

@@loosecannon6142 they didn't find any tear in my labrum and they found my bicep is completely red(relative to the white/pink of a normal person)

[@loosecannon6142]

@@hong-enlin4651 Wow! Very interesting stuff, that is probably what i have. My bicep has been been weak when doing pullups, and i also have shoulder pain very close to it. Thank you!

[@muamerblazevic]

The pecs are an easiest muscle to train without overuse injury. If you bench one day next day you can do a dumbell press then again next week bench next day of the week dips or push ups. If I had to advise someone who just wants to maintain the pecs I'd tell them either to do it once a week and the other day or two to do dips push ups or dips or to remove the barbell bench press completely and just use dumbells dips and push ups. There's also pec dec flys and machines. Really there are many ways to mix it up and never feel like your workouts are stale or fear you'll get hurt. Also different angles. It's so versatile that it's insane.

[@KenanTurkiye]

Watching this vid I just realized I don't dislike any of the exercises I do, but I do dislike having to setup any and every exercise I do. :)

[@robmarsh918]

Deadlifts are the worse in that situation. Even with a loading Jack, it’s still more work LOL

[@KenanTurkiye]

@@robmarsh918 truth

[@espendahl9719]

I also dont like the bench that much because of inflamations and other recovery issues.I switched it out with incline bench and weighted dips and its feels better and no recovery issues.Also have been mixing in some ring dips and ring push ups and they are awesome.😎😎💪💪

[@yoeyyoey8937]

Nice

[@jamesgrant]

I hate bench but it was part of my sport. If I were a strongman athlete I probably wouldn’t do it. I hit bench once a week now and am pretty happy. Love to see Heavy Metal in the background.

[@user-pm9mx6bh5e]

Totally agree. My right shoulder started having SERIOUS pain issues after I hit 315lbs. My workaround that has me pain free for the past year and a half is significantly narrowing my grip. This ofc lowered my strength quite a bit, to the point that after 1.5 years I hit 315lbs again just now.... But, I am 100% pain free. Hope this helps someone.

[@kevinfair4169]

I hate bench too but still do it. Rather do weighted dips

[@gmoeteeman7660]

Every reason you give for hating it applies to deadlifts for me. Love benching

[@brianpropst4342]

Bench often and heavy! If it doesn’t hurt!

[@xboxfan0101010]

You in SA?

[@farhanhussain_]

It was interesting for me to see this content comming from a professional powerlifting guy. Very valid points, no doubt, and should be an eye opener for many of us. Bench press was a supporting exercise since the earlier times and physical culture eras until the sport of powerlifting came into existence officially. Even today, no strength sport other than PL features it as main event or lift. Strongman, weightlifting, StrengthLifting, even CrossFit. No benching. These sports emphasize various types of OHP that is a true test of upper body strength, and build more transferable strength for real life and sports. Bench press was a poor choice by powerlifting, and Bill Starr has thoroughly written about it on various forums that there was no other option because they couldn't use OHP variations as C&P was recently dropped from weightlifting. But PL and weightlifting should have continued with OHP by using stricter rules instead of dropping it altogether.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

Everyone likes bench thank goodness PL has it. The arguments for OHO are solid but I think it’s too much of an athletic move for some people’s taste and also you can’t move as much weight

[@farhanhussain_]

@@yoeyyoey8937 yes, probably the only problem with OHP is that it doesn't allow as much weight if a decision decent firm is used and also progresses much slower. Bench has an edge on this point. Those who lift world record weights on OHP use a very tweaked technique most of the time and it becomes more f an standing incline bench.

[@ProphetFear]

Shoutouts to guillotine presses - nothing like picking any miniscule weight you please, getting into your hypnotic tempo, and banging up some pectoral fibers. Most people would change their tune on the whole _oh bench doesn't work my chest_ if they lifted in the positions that make them actually look and feel weak and stopped listening to Scott Herman and Omar Isuf tutorials on _the right way to do a bench press!_

[@SirEpsilonn]

My shoulders don't get bothered by benching but my damn wrists though man .. I warm them up properly keep them neutral and wear wrist wraps and they still feel like shit every time im benching

[@GuyverZ]

"Bench isn't functional" "Getting my bench up helped my front carry" ...bruh

[@Spades340]

I also didn’t get that quote about bench not being “functional”.

[@Islandstrength1955]

The bench press isn't functional. This is a favorite line on the web. Next a demonstration of how a horizontal push is irrevalent in sports. What is functional is pec strength, anterior delt strength, triceps strength. Then you hear the alternative movements are better. So 20 million garage gyms centered around a power-rack suddenly need pec decks, hammer strength machines etc. And DB Flyes aren't in the same universe as a bench press. My point is this: the barbell bench is a great movement. Effective and scalable with minimal risks. Benching isn't done in a vacuum. A program normally includes other movements, OHP, rows, rear delts. Just to mention upper body programming basics. Love your content Bromley, and I love to bench press.

[@Fox_Hollow]

I see you lift your head when the bar comes down, why so? I always thought it was dangerous

[@kobemop]

Bench press significantly loads the chest, shoulders, and triceps. It almost trains the same musculature as the OHP provided you're doing OHP alongside. The bench press was also important in increasing my OHP.

[@myhandlehasbeenmishandled]

Snap City, USA

[@sonicwave32]

I do feel that the bench has a significantly oversized reputation even compared to the other big lifts. I guess it can allow for significantly more weight to be used than other upper body lifts, but I tend to question the idea of "weight = overload = progress", especially if you're cutting ROM and using assistance like leg drive and bouncing. I don't see why a version of the same movement pattern that's "less optimized for the highest weights" can't be just as effective. I also do think it's generally more technical and phone to chronic injury than other upper body lifts, in part due to the movement alone (your shoulder blades pinned against the bench) and not just because of the high weights. There are also other lifts like weighted push-ups, dips or even dumbbells and incline variations that can be great options for pressing, but are vastly overlooked and relegated to assistance work in the face of the flat bench. They could be less convenient to set up, though that might no longer be the case if gyms devoted as much equipment to it as to the bench.

[@powerhouse8310]

I hate and love bench. I tore my chest over a year ago but I don't care lol. I won't stop until I far surpass where I was at before the injury. I know it's stupid but whatever.

[@espenstoro]

My worst lift, and I hate it. Can't blame it on extremely long arms either, so that's embarrassing. Overhead and incline ftw.

[@stevebracken225]

Incline bench only

[@chrisjones9132]

I will say that part of this is entirely wrong. I’m extraordinarily good at pushing myself past my limits. When I got into lifting, no training or anything, I leg pressed so hard that I killed probably about 15% of my leg muscles. It took me like a month to recover enough to come back. And that was my first time in the gym.

[@jimmykruzer]

I have to respectfully disagree, at least when it comes to some people's builds. I've found no better tricep and shoulder developer than the bench press and directly see correlation when it comes to boxing in terms of power output, regardless of how little the bench press functionally mimics a punch. I don't see what could be more useful than for your upper body strength than the #1 overload exercise on your shoulders and triceps (and chest I guess)

[@03blaird]

The thing is most of the power in a good boxing punch is a combo of technique, speed and power. The raw strength will help until you go up against a guy with similar strength but much better technique.

[@jimmykruzer]

@@03blaird yes and the bench is going to give you that explosiveness aka speed and power. Not saying you don't need technique tho

[@magnus263]

For boxing i gotta say Push press and Weighted push-up is king

[@andreasessa1168]

I would remind we are not all the same. For some people bench press is a very natural movement, so they can hit hard with a lot of weight and no issues at all. For theese people the bench press is a great excercise, and there is no reason to not include it in a training program togheter with others effective pecs exercises. For others the bench press is a nightmare, very hard movement, no benefits in strenght/muscle growth, joints pain etc...If not competing in powerlifting for theese people it is better to avoid it since there are a lot of excersices better suited for them. Me personally i'm in the middle: if i increase the frequency and try to wide my grip i start getting joints pain, but if i keep the frequency low (once per week) and not train it to failure or with bad technique i get good results (not exceptional tough). I get much better results from heavy dips and dumbbell press in different angles.

[@farstrider79]

I use my lack of a bench for my lack of bench pressing.

[@craigslistreply6544]

cause I also hate bench pressing, I usually just hit a heavy single, double, or 2x2 and/or 1 backoff AMRAP for a PR. Then do a lot of DB benching and dips, which I enjoy more. Life is too short to bench 4-5x a week lmfao

[@lastsonofkrypton3918]

I'll be 50 in a few weeks. I figure I have a durable structure as I do no stretching or warmups, just start with a plate on the Big 3 and work up in half plate increments. Except OHP, for that I start with the bar and move up in increments of plate size to be on the safe side. Have zero joint or tendon pain or aches anywhere. I still dislike benching though. * laughs in poverty bench *

[@aaronbarlow4376]

I've found that benching is the King of building mass in the pecs. Pecs are the easiest muscle to build anyway (biceps are hardest) but benching and incline bench press is all you need to build chest.

[@nickoldschoolrules52]

I stopped benching fairly early. My best bench was close to 120kg starting from the chest on pins drug free. Nothing great but OK considering it became an after thought. I've mostly used overhead pressing, single arm done standing like the old time strongmen. What are your thoughts on plate loaded machine dips?

[@TheJwalk1234]

I hate bench as very long wingspan but still wanna get to 365-385 before I call it at 30 ( 2 years ) from now

[@sukhmandhatt8291]

Any tips for fellow long armed benchers? 6’0 with a 6’6 wingspan, having trouble getting past the 225 mark.

[@mossoconnor4417]

@@sukhmandhatt8291 eat. And eat and eat. Gain 20kg and see what happens. Also don’t stress about high frequency, keep it to once every 5 days or a heavy day and a light day per week, and work your 10’’s. I got great progress from 275-315 by just working my 10’s. My bench was really slow to move from 225-275, and I think it’s because I focused on heavier lifting too much and refused to just bodybuild.

[@sukhmandhatt8291]

@@mossoconnor4417 yeah so far I’ve only maintained at around 210lbs, I’m cutting down to a lean bw right now (190lbs) and then will slowly bulk 20-30lbs over 2 years. My other lifts have been very good but benching has been a big disappointment, I can squat 405lbs for reference. Sometimes I just wanna quit and become an ohp specialist😂

[@mossoconnor4417]

@@sukhmandhatt8291 Just be patient and focus on slow progression. With consistency it will add up. That said, if you gain 40lbs you will probably add a fair bit

[@sukhmandhatt8291]

@@mossoconnor4417 yeah I’ve come to accept the fact that I can’t really progress my bench much unless I get bigger. Only reason I don’t bulk now is cus I’ll end up being like 240lbs, I’m really active love playing basketball which is why I can’t really be that heavy. Also not really the best thing for your health being that overweight. I have a friend who in one year bulked from 165lbs to 220lbs, he doesn’t even know how to workout properly and he hit a 315lb bench in his first year of training. I’ve seen firsthand what gaining bodyweight can do for your pressing.

[@lewisstrongofficial]

So maybe I’m missing something here. I’m by no means an expert or anything like that, and I sincerely hope this doesn’t seem like I’m hating on you or anything. You’re a very intelligent person and give out good content and info. But one of your main arguments was that the bench press isn’t functional and has no carryover to functional movements. I can kinda see that being true, as I’m someone who has increased his bench by nearly 200 lbs since I first began lifting but can’t do things like throw a baseball super far or push smaller vehicles out of a hole (car or lawn mower getting stuck on a surface that dips down almost like a ditch or something idk). However, towards the end of the video you claimed it assisted you in strongman. You said you had trouble basically carrying or holding something that required your chest to be squeezing together. I don’t know much about strongman but I guess something like that could be a bear hug walk or something where the arms are out in front of you and you’re actively squeezing in order to securely hold whatever it is that you’re moving. You claimed overhead press alone didn’t really help with these things which is understandable. Please correct me if I’m wrong because I really don’t know much about it, but isn’t the point of strongman that you’re being functional (and obviously strong)? If building a big bench got you stronger pecs which helped with some of those lifts, wouldn’t that make it functional? Or is it just something that MAY have carryover TO a functional lift as opposed to the movement itself being functional? Thanks for your time and for your content!

[@stoempert]

Hmm, not sure about the messaging behind this video. A lot of the same points could be made in regards to deadlift and squat. Imo there are no inherently safe or unsafe movements when it comes to staple gym exercises. Why single out bench? Trap bar deadlift anyone?

[@AlexanderBromley]

Where did I imply bench is inherently unsafe? Tolerance to movements is individual. I singled out bench because benching makes my shoulders feel like shit and there are others who can relate.

[@stoempert]

@@AlexanderBromley Kinda got that "if you are the rare breed that can bench 10 years without issues" vibe. But fair enough, i guess i read something between the lines that might not be there.

[@Fogyt121]

I love the bench press, because I suck at it

[@magnus263]

I don't like bench Press too, i prefer much more overhead Press + ring push-up

[@depthklocke9009]

why not just use an axle

[@Ultradude604]

Not "Functional"? I'm not so sure about that. In one of those standing toe to toe and face to face confrontation, when a man shoves another and he flies 20 feet back, that's certainly bench press strength. And in football, the wide receiver or the running back may not need to push anyone. But the linemen's bench press strength would help, along with their posterior chain strength of course.

[@Ultradude604]

@Tankmaster 160 To get good at wrestling, boxing, jujitsu. It's a skill thing. The strength and muscles becomes a factor when the skill difference of two opponents are close to even. So how to beat your brother, go to a brazilian jujitsu school and learn. Come wrestle him 3 weeks later, you'd kick his butt.