Incline Bench Press

soseg

soseg

Member
Hey guys

I go gym alone and theres not really anyone for me to ask to spot or i just cant be bothered asking the few lost looking randoms to spot me, so to solve this safety matter i do my incline benching on a smith machine, (also do my squats on it), just wondering if ide get the same results on it as i would doing it without the support of the smith machine? like the fact its keeping the weight stable for me etc? same applies to squatting, is it minor differences or should i really really consider doing it without the smith machine?

also, i only started my first incline bench press workout today i didnt feel anything, maybe i will in the morning, but same usually applied to me with flat benching, cause i used to bench press a lot when i was like 15/16 and i built up my chest but my arms / triceps are small n weak as piss and my arms shake and give out and cant push the weight, and i havent felt my chest get worked out in yonks, im wondering, should i continue benching (incline atm) with regular arm grip and just let my arms get used to it with time, do it closer so my arms get more of the workout for now, or go wide grip to build my upper chest?

after my chest workout i go on to do triceps anyway so i dont think the close grip would be helpful, so hopefully that can get my triceps stronger with time

on my other 2 days i do shoulders/legs and then back/biceps etc

thanks guys any feedback is appreciated
 
First, it is better to use free-weights than any type of machine. Using the rest-pause principle is a great way to increase overload in the muscle to stimulate growth. Second, if your triceps are lagging, it is probably because they are being overworked. Triceps are heavily involved in chest exercises so direct training the next day is almost like working them two days in a row. Finally, switching between barbell and dumbbell is a great way to learn the mind-muscle connection so you can learn to feel the contraction and get better results.
 
nah i workout my triceps on the same day just after my chest

what i do is the smith machine incline bench
then dumb bell incline bench
then just some flyes

then i go on to do 3 tricep exercises, wrist exercise if i have time

whats this rest pause principal ur talking about?
 
soseg said:
nah i workout my triceps on the same day just after my chest

what i do is the smith machine incline bench
then dumb bell incline bench
then just some flyes

then i go on to do 3 tricep exercises, wrist exercise if i have time

whats this rest pause principal ur talking about?
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Basically, do your set of say 6 reps, then you rack the weight for ~15 seconds and then do 2-3 more reps. Don't do it every set, but it is a great way to increase the overload.
 
ahk makes sense, i tend to do 3 sets of 6reps, which set it would come in most handy? the last one? what if i just kinda do a basic triangle type of workout, ie i lower the weight slightly and just keep going, try n take off the disks as quick as i can to minimise rest time, then keep going, etc
 
Honestly, the smith machine isn't going to give you near as much of an overall workout as free-weights. You're pushing 3-4 muscles as opposed to ~10-15 with freeweights versus the smith.

When you have to balance the weight, you're activating a whole lot more muscle fiber. If you want SHEAR mass in a few muscles I suppose a smith will get you there, but you'll be lagging on the actual strength to balance that mass. When you go back to a real bench/incline you'll be lagging.

My opinion is that if you can't handle the weight free-weights but you can do it on the bench, you're likely cheating anyways. Granted you can almost ALWAYS throw up more weight on a bench than free weights, but doing it with dumbells always gives you more true 'strength'.

Would you rather 'look' strong? Or actually 'be' strong?

Just my 2 cents and a bucket of barley.
 
You'll see jacked guys using only machines, but they're on a gram/week of test year-round. Don't let them be an influence. Lift freeweight under loads you can control.
 
yeah but its only for squatting and incline benching cause i dont really have anyone to spot me, i could do it freeweight but i would have to lift like a rep or two lower to not risk being not able to push it up again
 
soseg said:
yeah but its only for squatting and incline benching cause i dont really have anyone to spot me, i could do it freeweight but i would have to lift like a rep or two lower to not risk being not able to push it up again
Click to expand...

That's what the catch bars on the squat rack are for...
 
cant say im familiar with them ide have to take a look, unless u got a pic or something of an example so i know what to look for?
 
soseg said:
cant say im familiar with them ide have to take a look, unless u got a pic or something of an example so i know what to look for?
Click to expand...

When you're standing in the big box frame, typically there's a set of big beefy bars that slide in and out of the two box pillars on either side of the rack. You can adjust their heat so when and if you do lose the weight and can't get up you can set the weight on the catch bars.

If you don't have a big box, some are just open and the 'catches' are fixed and covered in rubber. I assume you're doing squats with an olympic bar right? If so the gym SHOULD have a squat rack somewhere that's properly equipped.
 
SatireWolf said:
When you have to balance the weight, you're activating a whole lot more muscle fiber. If you want SHEAR mass in a few muscles I suppose a smith will get you there, but you'll be lagging on the actual strength to balance that mass. When you go back to a real bench/incline you'll be lagging.

My opinion is that if you can't handle the weight free-weights but you can do it on the bench, you're likely cheating anyways. Granted you can almost ALWAYS throw up more weight on a bench than free weights, but doing it with dumbells always gives you more true 'strength'.
Click to expand...

With the incline benching, im a tad worried ill drop it if theres no1 to spot me, im thinking, my first 2 or maybe i can even do 3 sets on the free weight inline, just not push myself to the danger zone where i might not be able to lift it, then go quickly on the smith machine and push out till i cant go anymore ? that should be effective aswell shouldnt it?
 
soseg said:
With the incline benching, im a tad worried ill drop it if theres no1 to spot me, im thinking, my first 2 or maybe i can even do 3 sets on the free weight inline, just not push myself to the danger zone where i might not be able to lift it, then go quickly on the smith machine and push out till i cant go anymore ? that should be effective aswell shouldnt it?
Click to expand...

Perhaps, but you could just do incline dumbell presses which you don't necessarily need a spot for.

Dumb bell presses always give you more overall strength because you truely have to balance the weight. If all you're concerned about is the weight and the number of rep's, stick to the smith machine. But in the overall scheme of things, form, focus, and balance are more important. The smith will give you 'big' muscles, but it won't give you a balance. You'll have a few big muscles, and all your ancillary balance muscles will still be puny.

So the total 'useable' strength in the real world will be less than what you build using dumbells.
 
soseg said:
yeah but its only for squatting and incline benching cause i dont really have anyone to spot me, i could do it freeweight but i would have to lift like a rep or two lower to not risk being not able to push it up again
Click to expand...

Therein lies one of the advantages... the imminent fear of death. So lift a few less reps. It's all relative; the rep-advantage on a controlled-motion machine won't compensate for the range-of-motion/stabilizers used when lifting free weights.

I do run a few machines on occasion, but find the linear-motion of the Smith comparatively worthless. The only chest machines I find of use is the Hammer iso-wide and the fly.

I gave-up on flat bench long ago in favor of heavy incline dumbs and the iso-wide.
 
why not use the straight bar until almost failure then rack it and grab the dumbells to get a few more reps without the fear of getting stuck. No spot required this way
 
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