Finally benched 300lbs!

[exlude]

Your pedantic argument reeks of a lack of understanding and experience. It's good that in your 5 years of lifting heavy you haven't had a shoulder injury, but squirming or favoring are not the only ways to aggravate the shoulder structure. Stopping before hitting the chest is very common and can help avoid hyperextension in a less flexible shoulder.

You're hung up on full range of motion, which is a good thing to tell starters so they don't cheat with half reps. But once you learn the limitations of your tendons, it's not going to hurt you to avoid injuring them. Cheating with half reps is obviously not what is going on here.

What about a guy with large pecs? Is he no longer getting full range of motion due to the fact his pecs get in the way? What about the guy with short arms? He only has to move the bar half the distance I do. I realize you're probably just trolling for the argument here, but this is actually a part of the forum that people learn from and you needn't pollute.

[jdgregory84]

If Tae Bo is your thing then by all means, knock yourself out. Please to not be mad that I called you out on this and start in on the complex of how much better you are than I. It's just a simple fact that your bench is far from "traditional." In order for it to be such you should first complete that rep from chest to lockout and then post up solid barg.

Dude. Sorry 4 reps and waiting 5 minutes between sets isn't my thing. I don't remember seeing your qualifications as to where you can say what is a full lift and what isn't. If the bar moves 24" vertically and doesn't hit one persons chest and only moves 22" and hits a chest due to various builds, who had a fuller range of motion? Who did the lift properly?

[SS Junk]

Stopping before hitting the chest is very common and can help avoid hyperextension in a less flexible shoulder.

If for medical purposes, then by all means it's understood. I saw nothing of the OP stating as such therefore my "pedantic" argument is that if he's going to brag about benching 300lbs he should be able to absolutely do a full ROM rep. You see, I lift at a fluffy fru fru and fruit drink "club" therefore I see this all the time. It's not just with bench. It's everything from shoulder press to curls. Everyone has a story. Other dirt bag gyms I've been a member of it's not common practice to count such a rep unless it's a full rep. If there are those who cannot bench heavy on a full rep then they have no business lifting that heavy until they can condition their structure to do so and should not brag about merely lifting the bar off the rack.

Dude. Sorry 4 reps and waiting 5 minutes between sets isn't my thing. I don't remember seeing your qualifications as to where you can say what is a full lift and what isn't. If the bar moves 24" vertically and doesn't hit one persons chest and only moves 22" and hits a chest due to various builds, who had a fuller range of motion? Who did the lift properly?

Dumb comparisons. If it's not your thing then you should stay away from "traditional" lifting before you hurt yourself.

[jdgregory84]

If for medical purposes, then by all means it's understood. I saw nothing of the OP stating as such therefore my "pedantic" argument is that if he's going to brag about benching 300lbs he should be able to absolutely do a full ROM rep. You see, I lift at a fluffy fru fru and fruit drink "club" therefore I see this all the time. It's not just with bench. It's everything from shoulder press to curls. Everyone has a story. Other dirt bag gyms I've been a member of it's not common practice to count such a rep unless it's a full rep. If there are those who cannot bench heavy on a full rep then they have no business lifting that heavy until they can condition their structure to do so and should not brag about merely lifting the bar off the rack.

Dumb comparisons. If it's not your thing then you should stay away from "traditional" lifting before you hurt yourself.

How exactly is that a dumb comparison?

[exlude]

If there are those who cannot bench heavy on a full rep then they have no business lifting that heavy until they can condition their structure to do so and should not brag about merely lifting the bar off the rack.

Alright, you don't think he should brag about it. Not really much of an argument either way there as it's your opinion.

BUT I absolute disagree with this part.

I can't deadlift 435, but I do it on rack pulls (not a full ROM) as part of my strength training. I do the same with rack bench presses, and I start significantly further than 1" away from my chest.

[SS Junk]

It's not worth explaining other than it being ridiculous to use a set distance for different body types. If you are going to brag then you should use a "traditional" ROM regardless if the distance traveled is more than someone else.
Basically you've contradicted yourself anyway. You say one inch is "non-existent" but then say you are worried about injury.

[jdgregory84]

Alright, you don't think he should brag about it. Not really much of an argument either way there as it's your opinion.

BUT I absolute disagree with this part.

I can't deadlift 435, but I do it on rack pulls (not a full ROM) as part of my strength training. I do the same with rack bench presses, and I start significantly further than 1" away from my chest.

I can only deadlift 405 to full lockout but I'm sure I'm doing something wrong there too to a guy that probably sticks 600lbs on a leg press and thinks he's a hoss.

[whitetrash]

I can only deadlift 405 to full lockout but I'm sure I'm doing something wrong there too to a guy that probably sticks 600lbs on a leg press and thinks he's a hoss.

i can help but laugh a little at the huge guys in the gym struggling to leg press 4-500

[pr1042]

if you have shoulder issues, flat BB bench is probably not the best exercise to be doing

i would agree with Ronnie Coleman aka SS Junk that not touching your chest doesn't really count, same as a squat that is not parallel or a deadlift that is not fully locked out. However, that's me coming from powerlifting

in the end, who cares? hooray 300

[SS Junk]

ronnie coleman aka ss junk that not touching your chest doesn't really count...

Yep!
light weight, baby!
Wooooooooooooooooooooo!

[matts5.0]

I love a set of deep squats.. and I can touch my chest with out really feeling it in my shoulders if I really arch my back and do more of a power lifting looking press. I'm not worried about impressing anyone with my form. I have been lifting for a several years pretty hard(up untill a year ago) and I'm pretty strong. So whatevs.. its all good, as long as you are seeing progress, and enjoying lifting!

[SS Junk]

I can only deadlift 405 to full lockout but I'm sure I'm doing something wrong there too to a guy that probably sticks 600lbs on a leg press and thinks he's a hoss.

Are you whining? I mean it's weird that I've seen you go into other threads and shit them up for your amusement, yet when that is done in your thread you have to resort to this? It's real simple. If you can't lift the weight with a legitimate rep with whatever excuse you want to use then you should not do that exercise. The same goes if you want to dismiss it because of the way your body is. Life isn't fair. Either do lighter weight or just stay away from it altogether and find an alternate way to exercise that muscle group.

[jdgregory84]

Are you whining? I mean it's weird that I've seen you go into other threads and shit them up for your amusement, yet when that is done in your thread you have to resort to this? It's real simple. If you can't lift the weight with a legitimate rep with whatever excuse you want to use then you should not do that exercise. The same goes if you want to dismiss it because of the way your body is. Life isn't fair. Either do lighter weight or just stay away from it altogether and find an alternate way to exercise that muscle group.

I'm still wondering why my "dumb comparison" is dumb. Your idea of a legitimate rep is just that. Yours. At my height and build I move the weight a lot more than the majority of people out there. How is that any less legitimate than a fat guy moving the bar half the distance?

[SS Junk]

It's not just my idea. I just find it fascinating the excuses people will come up with. Yes yes you are a unique snowflake that no one understands except during certain exercises when you are looking for a cop out for doing the actual weight. Then you are built just like a fat guy and there's no way your muscle structure could compensate for such motion. LOL... I get it. You should probably stay away from dips, dumbell presses of any sort motion that uses your chest, shoulders and tris. God forbid you go too deep! So, can you do a pushup or would that cause undue stress?

[ThreeFingerPete]

I'm still wondering why my "dumb comparison" is dumb. Your idea of a legitimate rep is just that. Yours. At my height and build I move the weight a lot more than the majority of people out there. How is that any less legitimate than a fat guy moving the bar half the distance?

Wait, do long armed people get to cut curls short, or tall people get to squat shallower because they moved the weight a comparable distance? I must have missed that part. Let me go re-watch the olympics.