flat bench is the worst exercise ever created

Beelzebub

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for me anyway. another pec injury tonight. with my good pec. i don't understand it at all. there was no warning sign, not even a hint. i had been climbing by 10lbs each week using progressive overload. nothing crazy, was supposed to hit 355 x 10, and at the bottom of 8, i could feel something separate in my upper right pec. i had a good arch, feet tucked, elbows tucked, etc. so fucking frustrating. this is the 3rd goddamn time that flat bench has screwed me over. it's the only exercise i've ever been injured on. i'm done with it. ain't worth it anymore. if i compete, it'll have to be in deads or squats and that's it. i think some guys just aren't made for flat bench, and i am one of them.
 

CDONDICI

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Sorry to hear, that sucks, take a long, long time off to heal and work your way back up from the beggining.
 

BiggerNstronger

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Sorry to hear about the injury man, that sucks. Do you use a benchshirt when you compete? Maybe you could implement the shirt MORE into your workouts to alleviate some of the stress on your pecs...less raw/full range too, more boards? Good luck to you either way.
 
CROWLER

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VERY sorry to hear that Beelze.

That really sucks. Ice it, ibuprophine and elevation and hope for the best.

I read that just about all injuries occur at the bottom of the movement and inorder to prevent this you must come to a full stop at the bottom and actually avoid going to complete bottom in exercises such as flat bench, BB overhead press, BB curls etc.

Trying to gain info here for myself and others. When you were at the bottom did you pause breifly or basically just go down and up? I am not saying you bounced just wanting to see if what I read might be accurate.

Heal fast bro.


CROWLER
 
kwyckemynd00

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Damn beelze...that really sucks, man. Sorry to hear that... :(
 
Apowerz6

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I am sorry brotha, and keep it iced Keep your head up...
 
Beelzebub

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biggernstronger, i haven't even competed yet. i was working my way back up to 405 for 10 RAW, then was going to add the shirt. had injured my other pec doing that back in september. like i said, i don't see any reason to continue punishing myself like this for one movement. it's ridiculous.

crowler,
it's a small pause at the bottom for each rep, probably around a second or less. just enough to know i have control of the weight. bouncing ain't allowed in comp and i was getting used to the pause at the bottom. on this particular injury, i was about 1" from touching my chest on the downward motion. as soon as i felt it, i just let it plop on my chest and told the TP to grab it. it's no where near as bad as my last one, but enough is enough. doesn't make sense. it's not even a tie-in. it's in the upper middle section of my right pec.
 

Knowbull

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I agree, learned early on that it is one of the most injury causing exercises. Now I use it as a warm up, using very light lbs and absolutely no arching, Then incline DB press, heavy for reps, seems to do the trick.
 
Beelzebub

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heavy flat dumbs are fine (got 145's x 14 couple weeks ago), every other movement is fine. it's just that one movement, friggin flat bench.
 
lifted

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sorry to hear. I also hate flat BBB. It's my worse excercise bar none and I dread doing it each time. I just keep sucking it up and doing it though. Since I've sucked all my life doing flat BBB, I REALLY stink at doing incline BBB. I figured that I would just take the lesser of the two evils. Chest exercises are the hardest to switch up IMO after having done a certain exc. for so long. I always think that I won't get the same growth if I were to change to a different exc. As other's said, take the appropriatte time off and heal up, that's the least you can do. Good luck to ya...
 

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Sorry to hear about your injury Beelzebub! I only do flats as a power movement occasionally myself...it's easy to get an injury with flats. I've pressed 475 max 6x strict and 505 3x cheating last 2 reps! You didnt' mention this ..but do you tuck your chin into your chest while pressing your shoulders down? I literally dig mine into my chest and compress! The worst advice I got was to bench to my inner neck and super wide to hit more upper pec...go heavy on that and you will suffer shoulder and elbow injuries quickly. I seperated my shoulder military pressing 315 on the 12th rep..10 were strict ..and 12th was cheating..do we see a pattern here?? cheating=injury?...I almost busted my skull open dropping the bar on my head since my spot didn't catch the bar with no hint of my shoulder giving in so suddenly.

I hope you heal up well and wish you a speedy recovery!

"What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger!"
 
revodrew

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heavy flat dumbs are fine (got 145's x 14 couple weeks ago), every other movement is fine. it's just that one movement, friggin flat bench.

First off I want say that is very impresive to say the least. Next, I am sorry to read this as you know I follow alot of your post, and try to learn as much as possible I can from you. I was looking forward to seeing how you would progress. Sike, get well soon you bald jackass!!!
 

LCSULLA

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I'm sorry as well Beelz. But bench at the end of the road when it comes to working the chest.
 
natedogg

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Sike, get well soon you bald jackass!!!
Kickin a man while he's down. I love it!

I haven't done barbell bench in over a year (at least). My shoulders have thanked me for it. Do they have DB bench competitions? :blink: :D

Now go get a straw and suck it up you big baby!
 
Beelzebub

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pardon me for not being the in the mood for jokes at the moment.

sirius, no, i keep my head on the bench at all times as some federations don't allow your head to leave the bench. didn't want to develop a bad habit of doing that.

lcsulla, are you saying flat bench is the last exercise you would pick for working the chest? if so, i agree, but unfortunately, APF (along with the rest) don't see it that way.
 
Beowulf

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Damn Beelz, that sucks. I spent 6 months training for my last marathon only to get injured in my final long run. I still competed, but finished almost 20min behind where all my training suggested I would be. :frustrate: So I can definitely empathize with your frustration right now. The anguish of hitting a wall like that is devastating.

I have never benched anything close to what you do, but every time my poundages started increasing, my shoulder would start getting messed up. I haven't flat benched in about 8 months, and my shoulders feel the best they ever have since I started lifting. I was about to give it another whirl. I think you might have just stopped me from doing so.

Hang in there, bro!
 

Sirius

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pardon me for not being the in the mood for jokes at the moment.

sirius, no, i keep my head on the bench at all times as some federations don't allow your head to leave the bench. didn't want to develop a bad habit of doing that.

lcsulla, are you saying flat bench is the last exercise you would pick for working the chest? if so, i agree, but unfortunately, APF (along with the rest) don't see it that way.
beelzebub, didn't know about that regulation. When I say tuck chin in..it's almost like a turtle crunching the head into the shell..you barely lift your head at all..but that way you compress and compact and put more emphasis on pecs vs. the shoulders and tris..etc. I'm sure you know what I mean but you avoid it as you said so you don't get disqualified at the events.
 
Beelzebub

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i don't think it's a regulation at the major ones like APF and USAPF, but the smaller organizations like AAU are nazis about it. anyhoo, yeah, i understand what you're saying, just not sure how that would effect my bench numbers. looks like i need to place less emphasis on my chest being that it's the only part getting injured. basically, i have a problem and don't know how to fix it. so the next logical step for me is to avoid it all together.

beo, yes, avoid flat bench. there's much better exercises out there for pec development. unless you're competiting in PL'ing, it's just not worth it. nothing more than an ego check.
 
natedogg

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So does this mark the end of flat bench for you or are you willing to risk further damage in the future? How bad of an injury do you think it is? BTW, I'm sorry, can a brother have a hug?
 
revodrew

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I totally misunderstood what I just read. Really tired. Sorry about mix up.
 
revodrew

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When I got certified, the trainer said that I should be using wide grip and only going to elbows flat with floor with a one second pause the help from getting shoulder pain. It has worked so far. For some strange reason wide grip chins hurt really fing bad. Any clues on that?


Edit: Just bustin some chops. Sorry about bad timing.
 
Beelzebub

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there's plenty of great builders for chest out there. incline bar, incline dumb (various angles), flat dumb, preexhaust with pec deck or cable crossovers, etc. flat obviously ain't for me so i'm through kidding myself on the matter. my other chest exercises are equally as strong so i'm not worried about it, just frustrated.
 
natedogg

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there's plenty of great builders for chest out there. incline bar, incline dumb (various angles), flat dumb, preexhaust with pec deck or cable crossovers, etc. flat obviously ain't for me so i'm through kidding myself on the matter. my other chest exercises are equally as strong so i'm not worried about it, just frustrated.
You're fine. There are certain exercises I'd like to do, but don't because I, a) feel uncomfortable doing them or, b) they're too high risk and not worth injuring myself over.

Drew, where does it hurt when you do wide chins?
 
Beelzebub

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You're fine. There are certain exercises I'd like to do, but don't because I, a) feel uncomfortable doing them or, b) they're too high risk and not worth injuring myself over.

Drew, where does it hurt when you do wide chins?
i hear ya brutha. just took me a while to realize B.
 

glenihan

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man i'm so sorry to hear that this happened .. again

hopefully you'll have a really speedy recovery .. good lucky buddy
 

LCSULLA

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lcsulla, are you saying flat bench is the last exercise you would pick for working the chest? if so, i agree, but unfortunately, APF (along with the rest) don't see it that way.
Thats what I thought. Again sorry about the injury.
 

propho

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damn hope my fellow vcu'er has a quick recovery..
 

kelsey

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I am of the opinion that when benching Especially(and doing as much weight as you are doing) you should use protective equipment.
Injuries will give you the time and incentive to research methods to prevent this thing from happening agin,


guys in my gym will work up to 400 for a triple (no more)
and then throw on a shirt , and then proceed to do MUCH MORE.
if you want to start PL'ng (FOR REAL) then who cares what you can do raw

i am not sure exactly why you bench that freaking heavy raw,
maybe for yourself??? I mean i can understand

sorry it happened bro, use lots of horse linement.

I have the exact guy you should talk to BEEZ.....
stand by for pm.
 

meowmeow

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Well then Beelzebub I guess its time to focus on speeding up your recovery. You might consider taking large doses of Cissus to aid the healing process. Hope you heal quick.
 

Zero Tolerance

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Sorry to hear about the injury.. That's the worst.. And you didn't even have any warning.. Very scary.. Heal-up quickly...
 
bioman

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I totally hate the flat bench as well. Never have liked it, never have made it a core excercise because it just tweaks my already tweaked shoulder...and it scares me with no spotter.

After you drop 235 on your chest once, you kinda get gunshy.lol
 
bpmartyr

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Good luck on the recovery Beelz. My prayers are with ya bro.
 

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I'm really sorry to hear this happened to you. I hope you recover as quickly as possible

I don't know if this would help you or not since your a PLer, but I was reading something where Jay Cutler said he won't let the bar come closer than 2" from his chest because any lower and that's where most injuries occur.

-Chris
 
revodrew

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You're fine. There are certain exercises I'd like to do, but don't because I, a) feel uncomfortable doing them or, b) they're too high risk and not worth injuring myself over.

Drew, where does it hurt when you do wide chins?
It seems to be right inbetween the medial and rear delt. It is ok for a set or two then it goes into **** you mods and I am pretty much done after that. That is just with bodyweight, no belt on either. I used to do enormous amounts of chins. I love them, it just hurts to much now.
 
jminis

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Sorry to hear the bad news Beelz. Bench Press is where most injuries occur in the gym. Usually tears happen when the muscle is coming from a stretch position (like when someone goes beyond a 90 degree angle with their elbow) Whenever a muscle is in a stretched position it's in it's weakest state, hence the injuries.


If it makes you feel better I don't bother with bench anyomore either. It puts way too much pressure on my shoulder and personally dumbells are better for you anyways. I also really love the horizontal Hammer Strenth Chest press. It puts your hands in more a natural position and it's also iso- lateral for equal stress on both pecs.
 
MaDmaN

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Beez that does suck big time and for some reason it always seems to happen when your feeling real good and strong.Luckily I never tore a pec but my front delts feels like someone took a sludgehammer to them..I like flat bench too when im trying to increase over all stregnth but they just hurt too much..Hope you recover soon..
 

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Pec tears suck, i tore both of mine with submaximal weight on the bench. I think that you should have no problem benching again, if you give up on the idea of high rep, full range raw work. A lot of benchers will agree that the raw strength doesnt carry over to the shirt too well cause of groove differences etc. Anyhow when you get better, do your raw work off boards for less reps and wear a DD shirt and work in it every other week and only do full range benches in the shirt. I have felt no strain on my pecs with the low groove of the DD shirt. Anyhow you can bench in due time just train smart and recover.
 
Sunder

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Damn that sucks - I hope you heal up fast.

I hope you're mentally tougher than me, because I think I'd be psyched out on any heavy flat benches if I was injured by them 3 times.

I'm still psyched out about doing abs and heavy deadlifts after my hernia surgery. Any little twinge and I stop. LoL. But I also cry watching girlie movies, so don't worry about it.

Good luck!
 

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Beelz,

Along with everyone else, I offer my condolences. But I don't think you should give up benching just yet, because I think you have a lot of potential as a PLer. I know at this stage of the game while you're injured it's tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel, however, with your lifts, it's still there. If anything I think you can learn from this and come back stronger. First, I don't think I would ever bench that heavy (355) for 10 reps. That time under tension for the muscle and tendons is brutal and you really don't need it since you're training for a 1 RM. Second, depending on your relative tricep strength, you may actually want to consider bringing your grip in a little bit in case your pecs are genetically predisposed to tearing. The tris can be an extremely powerful force on the bench and even more important than your pec strength. Third, the lower part of the bench is brutal on the shoulders, and while that currently doesn't sound like a problem spot for you, I think you should incorporate some pre-hab RC and scapular exercises into your routine to prevent future injury. Moreover, these make you a lot stronger at the bottom of your lift.

Regardless of what you choose to do, I wish you the best in recovery.
 
exnihilo

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I knew I stopped by this site for some reason... most of the guys I work out with don't do raw lifts with more than 355, for 4-5, and thats as high as they go (even with a 640lb bench). My suggestion to you would be to stop doing such damned heavy raw lifts, cram your ass into a fairly snug fury or f6 if your elbows are properly tucked, a karen's xtreme if you wanna get freaky, or a ragex if your form is weaksauce, and work up with that. You could even get a slightly looser "training" shirt, that will lighten the load at the bottom a good amount, prevent you from injuring yourself, and also help teach you proper form.

We have the shirts for a reason home slice :D
 
BigVrunga

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for me anyway. another pec injury tonight. with my good pec. i don't understand it at all. there was no warning sign, not even a hint. i had been climbing by 10lbs each week using progressive overload. nothing crazy, was supposed to hit 355 x 10, and at the bottom of 8, i could feel something separate in my upper right pec. i had a good arch, feet tucked, elbows tucked, etc. so fucking frustrating. this is the 3rd goddamn time that flat bench has screwed me over. it's the only exercise i've ever been injured on. i'm done with it. ain't worth it anymore. if i compete, it'll have to be in deads or squats and that's it. i think some guys just aren't made for flat bench, and i am one of them.
Ah Beelze, that sucks bro. Ice that baby down and get better soon:)

Bv
 
Beelzebub

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I knew I stopped by this site for some reason... most of the guys I work out with don't do raw lifts with more than 355, for 4-5, and thats as high as they go (even with a 640lb bench). My suggestion to you would be to stop doing such damned heavy raw lifts, cram your ass into a fairly snug fury or f6 if your elbows are properly tucked, a karen's xtreme if you wanna get freaky, or a ragex if your form is weaksauce, and work up with that. You could even get a slightly looser "training" shirt, that will lighten the load at the bottom a good amount, prevent you from injuring yourself, and also help teach you proper form.

We have the shirts for a reason home slice :D
there's the man i was hoping would say something. :)
ok, first off, it's been 24 hours and there's no bruising so it must be just a pull....again. so, nothing too serious but just another notch on the 'oh ****' belt. as a few of you have suggested and with good reason, i will immediately stop going heavier than 315 raw on flat. ex, i have a double rage-x 52 ready to roll but i was just waiting to hit 405 raw for a few before throwing it on. apparently, that was stupid and i'm taking your advice to heart. i had a bencher examine my form and he said it's golden. i must say that i've got that arch and elbows in down to a science, lol. damn near turn it into a decline :D i'm thinking that double rage-x ain't the best shirt for me right now so i'm gonna hold on to it for later and maybe get a single ply something for the time being until i get used to it and more comfortable with bigger numbers, maybe just a single ply rage (no x). although, i've heard good things about fury and F6 also. which do you recommend for arched benchers (single ply)?
 
Beelzebub

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well heres his thread,
he is a member of W-side and a while back he tore his pec.
you can read his recovery and rehab.
http://www.midwestbarbell.com/totalelite/index.php?showtopic=1244

or just email (off his site)or call louie simmons (614) 801-2060 ask him anything. I have a few different times,
VERY willing to answer any questions or give advice, nice guy
thanks for that kelsey. lol, i can't imagine calling louie up. "yo, it's beez, wtf is up with my bench?"
 
Beelzebub

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thanks all for the comments and support, means a lot. although i'm pissed, i already know i'll be back on flat again. when it comes right down to it, i'll never be satisifed unless i'm lifting heavy weight, on any lift. like a moth to a flame, i must return to flat bench :)
 
Beowulf

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thanks all for the comments and support, means a lot. although i'm pissed, i already know i'll be back on flat again. when it comes right down to it, i'll never be satisifed unless i'm lifting heavy weight, on any lift. like a moth to a flame, i must return to flat bench :)
Yeah, that 145x14 on DB's is pretty ridiculous. I will never outgrow dumbells; but you already have. Unless you just focus on "pump" training :D

I'm guessing you'll have to get back on the bar. Unless you can track down a gym with some 200+lb. dumbells.
 
Beelzebub

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lol, funny you mention that. talked to the gym owner into getting 155's, 175's, and 205's, should be arriving in 2 weeks. :D and because a lot of **** talk goes on in the boards, i've got a vid of the 145's on MMI. beez don't lie :)
 

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lol, funny you mention that. talked to the gym owner into getting 155's, 175's, and 205's, should be arriving in 2 weeks. :D and because a lot of **** talk goes on in the boards, i've got a vid of the 145's on MMI. beez don't lie :)
Must be nice. Some of the members at my gym went as far as sending a petition around to get bigger DBs and the owner didn't buy any.
 
Beelzebub

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the owner is a former PL'er (bench only) so he sympathizes. it's not a commercialized gym by any means, i imagine those would be much worse to convince or persuade. it helps having a national competitive bb'er there too, who the gym sponsors. he's talking about getting a monolift in the near future :D
 

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