BEETROOT

yeah but 3 months, no way you are adding that much muscle to go from 70 to 215. Not saying you are lying, just that you must have been selling yourself short at the beginning like fdl said.

215 is your max now I'm assuming, not reps?

FiftyFive

yes 215 is my max now, i probaly was selling myself short, but even my lifting partner is very impressed, he is a pretty experienced weight trainer and after working out with him for the first week or so he gave me an estimate of at least november to break 200, i was repping 185 a week or two ago, and he said next week he wants me to try 200 for one rep, did it without much strugle, then i went to 210, then 215, i got off the bench and was really excited, he was just like im impressed, trying to break 2 plates (225) before thanksgiving

yunginTL

nah im indian bitch...and i never worked out before haha

FiftyFive

fyi, india is in the continent of asia

yunginTL

i put other instead of asian...unless they have a south asian haha

Time For Sleeep

Watch your lifting.

There's a couple of indian dudes over here @ UCLA that you can tell have been lifting and working for awhile on their physiques.

You could tell they were really skinny before, but they look nasty as fuck. Imagine, skinny indian dude that has a humongous chest, shoulders, and biceps.

Skinny legs, skinny ass waist. So disproportionate.

Sarlacc

Flat bench - I maxed out at 225lbs for 3 reps once. Had a spotter watching the last 2.

Because of freelance I get in and out of the gym in periods of time...sucks...cause I'll have just worked my weight back up to a nice level...then I'll get a job and be out of the gym for a couple weeks, then I'm back to square one. I also dont lift with a spotter anymore, so I chill on the super heavy shit.

jayhawk815

I don't do straight bar very often, but my orm was 285.

I usually use dumbbells since I often lift by myself. My last set usually was 8 x 100 each dumbbell. That had been a goal of mine for a while. I actually just started back again after taking off a month. I had dropped off slightly but not too much. I've been lifting off and on since High School.

BEETROOT

^ if you are/were doing 8 x 100 dumbbells, I bet you could max more than 285.

03typeS6spd

unless he is really tall, or has long arms...

i am similar in that i can push 90-100 lb dumbbells for 6-8 reps

but i can barely do 285 for one rep on bar, shorter arms seem able to lift more on bar

Doc.Booty

My point was repping huge weight is useless if you aren't using proper form.

gavriil

As long as it's loose form.

gavriil

At 3 months weight lifting you are close to completely untrained. If there is a man out there that lifts 1.5 times their own mass with three months of weight lifting, then they are spiderman.

Were you lifting weight before and had a break?

gavriil

See these are the moves that will ensure slowed muscle growth.

Now why a smart guy like would go and abandon the barbell for cables and dumbells?

gavriil

I AM saying he is lying. No doubt about it. He either has weight lifting experience from before or he is lying.

gavriil

OK let's talk about this proper form principle here.

Let's talk bench pressing, flat with the barbell, all free weight of course, etc.

What is it that I CANNOT DO while lifting which would make you call it improper form ABreece?

fdl

i tend to agree. 215 is ALOT of weight for someone who's just started, esecially someone who started at 70 lbs. Maybe he has extremely good genes Or really short arms?

gavriil

Human genes wont do it in this case. Not even super short arms.

If he did not have weight lifting experience in the past, he did some type of sport that had him become very strong around the muscle group area engaged by bench pressing. And even then I doubt it, cos sports is a lot more about power than strength. No untrained man can lift 1.5 times their weight after three months of training (or even a lot longer than that), the same for 1 time their own mass. If you're Spiderman, then yes. BUt I doubt he is.

virtualbong

I see so many guys who basically throw out their backs trying to put up humongous weight. I am a firm believer of having proper form. To make sure that my lower back does NO work in my benching, I lift my legs up (like I was about to do an ab crunch). This stabilizes the lower back so that it forces you to use just your chest. It has worked wonders and I do all my flat bench workouts this way. I've seen other people starting to do this as well at my gym so I must be doing something right for others to join the band wagon

gavriil

There you go. I knew this form topic would lead to a long (civil) debate.

What you described right there virtualbong is improper form for bench pressing with the barbell on a flat bench. Your legs must absolutely be on the ground.

Here is the correct execution and form for benchpressing IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM OVERLOAD which with max intensity will lead to max. stimulation:

Source: http://www.ast-ss.com/

bkknight369

man, you guys are at it pretty early today

started at ~90 flat bench, now do 5 sets of 5 of 120-125lbs

virtualbong

Is there any reason why my form would be incorrect? That should be the real question. I don't see why my form would hurt in any way and I still think that it'll help people who abuse the "correct form" that you described above. Just my

And my form is only for people who have been lifting for awhile and have a good sense of balance. I believe that the way I do it will maximize more muscles other than just your chest since you're working on keeping balance at the same time. Again, do what you feel works best for you. I used to have that form and found that this way is much better for me.

Sarlacc

Not planting your feet kills your balance, stability, and will leave you fucked if you ever run into a tight spot.

Its like the people who bounce the bar off their chest to cheat....seeing that pisses me off to no extent....I always hope to hear a snap and scream when morons do this.

Reddly9007

Did chest yesterday:

Flat-
145 for 15
185 for 12
205 for 10
225 for 7
165 for a burn

and I don't even bother maxing anymore. I stopped really lifting heavy once I graduated college, although I maxed and 305 and never hit my 315 goal. Oh well!

Incline- (I tend to stick to dumbells now)
65 for 10
75 for 8
80 for 8

gavriil

I thought all your questions would be answered by the quote I pasted above. In any case here is what I have to add about the above:

Your form is incorrect because it does not ascertain overload. When you have to "fight balance" your muscles cannot overload. Maybe we need to discuss the meaning of overload for us to get in the same page. Maybe that's what's missing here. No time right now cos I got a chest day at the gym next (I will also be on vacation for the next two weeks so dont take it as I am not replying back)

Remember this. Whenever your form does not permit overload then it's too strict or wrong. But again, what you're doing will not HURT you in the absolute meaning of the term. It's just not envoking maximum stimulation which will lead to max muscle growth at a given time. Your muscles will still grow with what you're doing. But they wont as fast as if you followed the above form. Strength will also suffer.

You wrote:

Exactly the opposite happens. When you have to deal with balance, you isolate a given muscle group and you do NOT permit other (synergist) muslces to play their role and hence help you lift more weight which will lead to max overload.

See it another way:

Look at our bodies and how they are built and how they move. We are not made out of 90 degree turns and straight lines. The body is made to move in very complicated fluid motions that engage a very large number of muscles. Robots move in strict form due to their simplicity of design. That makes the need for what I call LOOSE form of paramount importance. You need to follow your bodies natural design of motion when lifting and not fight that (natural design of motion).

fdl

Gavril, i hear what you are saying. But by that logic would it not mean that the smith machine would be better to "overload" on your bench press? i.e. you would not need to worry about balance at all.

Reddly9007

so your saying with bad form, you can't overload your muscles?

Nicky Pass

When I was heavier (225lbs.) I benched 335lbs. for a 1 rep max.
Now I weigh 175lbs. I did 295 lbs. for a 1 rep max this last Monday...and it was hard!!!
I go for reps...
Flat Bench = 135lbs. warm-up, 185lbs. 12-15 reps, 225lbs. for 10 reps, 275lbs. for 4-6 reps.
Incline = 135lbs warm up, 185lbs. 12-15 reps, 205lbs. 10 reps, 225lbs. 8-10 reps, 275lbs. for what ever I can get out, usually 2 to 3 reps!

fdl

virtualbong

That's an interesting point as well.

Gavril, you obviously have decent knowledge on this subject, so I'm not going to agree or disagree because I'm not an expert on this subject. I just have found that this type of balanced workout has produced the body that I would like to have. I guess its because I don't want to have huge man boobs and I'm just looking to have a toned figure. Either way, if people are really concerned about form and stuff, just consult a professional.

Doc.Booty

If you're targeting JUST the chest and some tris, yes. However one of the great benefits of the bench press (and all compound exercises) is that it hits a large variety of muscles.

If you can't balance the weight you're benching, drop the weight down until those stabilizer muscles strengthen up.

nokio

mine went up about 75 in 40 days so maybe the math works out

oneilc

My current max is 285.

I usually do
135 x 10
225 x 8
245 x 6
265 x 4
275 x 2
and if I'm feeling good 285 x 1

My end goal is 315 for at least 3

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

Maybe I am picturing the wrong person...but, thought you were mcuh bigger than these weights would indicate. Not that weight is important. Form>weight. It is all about how you look IMO.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

I did 315 once in January. I thought i was going to pop something.
My routine is this
I start with incline dumbells
55 lbs x 10
70 lbs x 10
85 lbs x 10
90 lbs x 10
100lbs dumbells x 3-10 depending on energy/ motivation. That is hard.
Sometimes i feel like I could do more but that is the heaviest dumbells they have. Sometimes I feel like I can't even do the 85's.
I do flat bench next
185 x 10
225 x 5-10 (usually dying by now..some days are better though!)
245 x 3-5
then i am done. And by done I mean my arms, chest all feel like jelly. I am careful because I dont wanna hurt anything. Sometimes I do a lot less or just stop if i feel uncomfortable. I am wierd like that.
Oh, also like to do a 4th set at 135 till exhuastion at the end.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

i wanna do sets with 315 one day!!

Acuraluvr

iTrader: (2)

i only do lik 60 BTW if i do more, ill stunt my growth

gavriil

Absolutely not.

First, the Smith machine is an isolation machine. Isolation and overload are not friends. In many ways they are opposites.

Second, please do not derive from what I said above that balance is not something one should worry about. If balance is in one's way to achieve maximum overload, then it's hurting your potential. But balance is always in the equation because it's natural for free weight exercises to be balance-dependent. Balance can you your friend, or your foe. It depends how you use it. If you reach max overload, then balance is good because it works the synergist muscles. If you cant reach max OL because of balance then it's hurting you.

gavriil

I am saying with strict form you cant reach max. overload.

Bad form is defined by me as form that would hurt you (injure you) OR form that does not let you reach max. overload and/or intensity. For example, ROM. I see many people bench press and the bar goes 50% down. That's bad form because full ROM is of paramount importance when the goal is the fastest way to develop muscle.

gavriil

There is no such thing as toning It's on the sticky notes ABREECE has put together and discussed so many times.

Muscles either grow or not and you either lose fat or gain fat. Everything else is a combination of the above.

I guarantee you that with zero additional training, you will be able to lift 5 pounds more if you just followed the form and execution I pasted previously on the bench press. IT might feel weired but if you can keep bias off your head and give it 100% you will lift more weight. Do two warm up sets of 45-50% your overload (12 reps each) and two acclimation sets, one 70% (6 reps) and one 80% (1 rep) your overload and then go for it with 5 or 10 more pounds the way I pasted it there. You WILL lift more weight with that one try. Try it.