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2005/04/07, 10:09 PM
Ok, so I'm at the gym, and benching with what I know isn't perfect, but is still pretty damn good powerlifting bench form. I have my back arched and am driving with my heels, when some guy in a oversized muscle shirt over his gut comes to me in between sets and tells me that I should lift with my feel on the bench to take my legs out of the lift, to isolate my chest. Now I may be wrong here, but I always thought that to get stronger you used COMPOUND lifts, not isolation lifts. Why would I want to isolate my chest? He tells me it will make me stronger. Now I get that that is the purpose of a floor press, but that is a lift that is cycled in once a month at most. I later see the guy on the bench with his feet up struggling to keep 155 under control. Now maybe he knows better, but I'm putting up 220 with my current form, and I weigh prob half what he does. Am I wrong to disregard this guys advice and throw it in the trash, or should I listen and learn. And if im wrong, someone please correct me.
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2005/04/07, 10:10 PM
oh, almost forgot, I later here from one of the lifeguards, that he is one of the regulars and a very well respected gym goer at this gym. that is why i hate private gyms. Give me the dark reality that is my basement anyday.
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2005/04/07, 10:10 PM
Message deleted by moderator due to unsuitable content for this board.
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2005/04/07, 10:11 PM
sorry bout the double post, didnt mean to click twice
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2005/04/07, 10:39 PM
Feet off the floor is a body building myth and just plain dumb.
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I am that
which must be feared, worshipped and adored. The world is mine
now and forever.No one holds command over me. No man. No god. I am ANIMAL! and that is enough.
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2005/04/08, 04:31 AM
that's one of the dumbest things ever...i hate people who do that....when one does compound lifts...purpose is not to 'strengthen core' per se....those are some of the secondary effects....you need as much stability as possible....I feel like smacking everyone who does that...drives me nuts....it's just one of those fad training methods that arise occassionally...where people are now obsessed with core training....also you're a powerlifter not a bodybuilder...so the form is different also...point of bench is to get stronger not to train chest.....
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2005/04/08, 07:52 AM
Well it is not totaly wrong in a sense. The sense that he is truly isolating his chest with it. Most people consider arching your back bad form. They know nothing of powerlifting. There for in order to prevent themselves from arching they lift their feet up. I saw a guy doing that with DB the other night at the Y. I have to say that whoever teaches these people at the Y should be thrown in jail, but I digress. I would not use it as it unbalances you while doing the lift. That is all.
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Less Talk, More Chalk!
7707mutt@freetrainers.com
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2005/04/08, 08:01 AM
Its also better to isolate your legs in squats and take out your arms... hell for the sake of it take your chest and back out too..
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2005/04/08, 06:09 PM
in powerlifting also some of the power in bench is directly recruited from legs......
my porblems is that people think it's their place to give people suggestions when they don't bother to ask why someone does what he does.....
Mutt I understand what you're saying...but imo it's so dangerous....this is a compound exercise and should be done with as much stability as possible...and from observation those people use lighter weights to accomodate this form and it's probably less effective for training their chest...
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2005/04/08, 11:50 PM
I was told if you couldn't put your feet flat on the floor to put them on the bench to keep you back from arching but best to find a lower one - most are made for the avg guy not us shorter girls
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Reddy
All people smile in the same language
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2005/04/09, 01:10 AM
Yes, you do want your feet flat on the floor, but not to keep you back from arching. For our purposes, it is important to arch the back to maintain good form.
Judging by the responses in this thread, I hate to say it, but I dont think that the guy that told you that should be a trainer.
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The best feeling in the world is the feeling you get after a tough set of squats after you step back from the power rack and throw up all over the floor.
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2005/04/09, 05:46 AM
many 'trainers' don't know much about lifting....people tend to give a lot of weight to peoples opinions if they 'look' like they know what they are saying or if they are older and 'seem wiser'....but that's nonsense ...I can spot these type of people pretty fast...
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2005/04/09, 05:57 PM
If some one comes up with advice.......I mearly explain....my reasoning. One guy told me I needed to drag my shins when I dl.....to keep the weight in closer.....so my back isn't in it as much. I just noded and said, I don't like to drag my shins, that thats just the way I deadlift. He was like " oh ok"
I can understand, why somone would, say somthing to you.....its hard to tell, weither if somone is using "powerlifting style" or just straining too much or just plain ego.
Thats one of the main reasons why I never say anything.....i dont'know their workouts , I have asked kids like 12 and 13 what was it they were trying to do, and help them out.....but as for the 15+ Lil advil won't hurt them.
next time just explain yourself, that your not looking for "isolation" that you are training for strength and power. Most of the time, if you come off knowlegable abotu your stuff.....they won't bother you no more.
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" The only true eye, is your minds eye"- plato
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2005/04/28, 08:04 PM
I would not recommend lifting your feet off of the floor. You should arch your back too much because once you get above 250lbs you can damage your lower back (if any of you have lower back problems you know that they never go away). I do agree however that isolating your chest is stupid and if you lift your legs in the air that's a great way to tear an abdomin. What I recommend for bench, is just to "slightly" arch your back and "slightly use your legs. Don't use your legs so much that your butt comes off the bench, that's when those lower back injuries come in. But I agree with the majority, keep your feet on the ground.
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2005/04/28, 09:49 PM
Why not above 250? you don't think Gene Raychlek(he recently did 1005) can't do easy 500 with his legs in the air?
In powerlifting the bigger the arch....the smaller the distance for bar to travel....so the bigger the better.....
The legs provide a lot of stability and power.....As long as butt and shoulders stay driven into the bench....it's good...
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2005/04/28, 11:32 PM
when we say arch the back, we mean arch the back, not arch the hips like you may see at a gym. the butt is supposed to remain in contact with the bench....
As for Gene Raychlek's lift, thats a totally nother debate.
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The best feeling in the world is the feeling you get after a tough set of squats after you step back from the power rack and throw up all over the floor.
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2005/04/29, 02:43 AM
I generally laugh at people who lift their legs in the air or do some weird crap...'to focus on their core'.....which is about the single most dumb thing I see people do....on big compound lifts the point is to have as much stability as possible...if they need to train core...then they could do exercises that ar emuch more effective and less dangerous for that...if someone wants to specifically train their chest then there are also mroe effective exercises out there....
I brought up Gene just in general to make a generic point about the random 250 lb suggested by erebus....just like a while ago some skinny guy told me not to go beyond 50s...or I might strain my chest on flyes...
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2005/04/29, 08:16 PM
I think bigandrew hit the nail on the head. Likely the person offering the "advise" didn't realize that you were training for power. There are definitely a lot of technique differences that come into play when you switch from resistance training to power lifting and a lot of people don't really get that. They misinterpret the whole thing.
All the best to ya wrestler125!!
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2005/04/30, 05:42 PM
The point of this thread wasnt to discuss bench form, but mostly just to rant about all the things I see wrong in the gym by "experts". Read the sick of your gym series on elitefts.com and youll understand better. Anyone else have any stories to share.
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The best feeling in the world is the feeling you get after a tough set of squats after you step back from the power rack and throw up all over the floor.
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