# Is bench really needed?



## anabolik (Aug 19, 2010)

Just got done with another sh1tty chest workout. I can't seem to get the hang of benching and it's really starting to p1ss me off. I was actually weaker today on incline and only got 3 reps at 100kg 

I can't do flat bench due to lack of spotters. I tried benching on the smith and it doesn't feel right and hurts my shoulders. I keep swapping and changing my exercises in my routine and I think that's the reason I'm not progressing at all. Meanwhile my legs and back are getting stronger but my chest stays the same.

I'm on a 5x5 program right now and I was thinking about starting off with 5x5 military press on my chest and shoulders day instead of bench, then doing 2x10 dumbell bench and 2x10 dips (my routine consists of 1 exercise at 5x5 then 2 exercises at 2x10 3 days a week)

Would this affect my chest development by not prioritising it first in my workout?

I do tend to get a much better chest workout with dumbells anyway.

Please help as it's getting quite depressing being on cycle and not making any gains whatsoever in the chest department. I just need to pick my exercises and stick with them. I seem to be thinking about it constantly lol

Thanks.


----------



## Ts23 (Jan 14, 2011)

people still bench? i havnt flat bench for about 2 year.


----------



## danny1871436114701 (May 2, 2010)

Try Weight dips leaning slightly forward to hit chest mate,


----------



## Wardy211436114751 (Jan 24, 2011)

I'm not a user but if I were on a cycle and looking for muscle gains I would be more inclined to go heavy on DBs for sure. Doing 5x5 military before bench press is going to affect your lifts badly as theres alot of front delt in the bench press.


----------



## s&amp;ccoach (May 18, 2011)

The bench press is meant to be the bread and butter for chest workout and mass like squats are for legs.

However it's possible to develop your chest just as much without bench, you just need to play a round with which exercises suit your growth best.

Some bodybuilders have fav exercises and may not bench for injury reasons and they still definitely have a chest.

Shoulders and chest seems odd to train on same day, what's the rest of spilt like.

I do chest and tris day 1, back and bi's day 2 starting with larger muscle group first.


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

danny187 said:


> Try Weight dips leaning slightly forward to hit chest mate,


I find leaning forward hits tris more?


----------



## Uriel (Oct 14, 2008)

i bench and i'm ok at it but i'm open to offers on getting something better....my chest is lagging


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

s&ccoach said:


> The bench press is meant to be the bread and butter for chest workout and mass like squats are for legs.
> 
> However it's possible to develop your chest just as much without bench, you just need to play a round with which exercises suit your growth best.
> 
> ...


I'm raising an eyebrow reading this...it makes just as much sence to have shoulders on a chest day as it does triceps. A lot of people work all 3 on the same workout (push, pull, legs routine)


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

& I switched from BB bench to DB bench about 2 months ago, find it's much better for gains personally. Just feels right. I love chest & triceps day now


----------



## Franko1 (Nov 19, 2008)

I dont BB bench at all, only use dumbells. Get a much better workout with them.


----------



## anabolik (Aug 19, 2010)

My routine is chest/shoulders, back, legs.

I was going to put shoulders with legs but doing 2 5x5's in 1 workout plus the assistance exercises would take far too long which is why I decided to put it with chest.

I'd love to simply use dumbells on the 5x5 for my bech but I have trouble getting the dbs into position without dropping them like a spaz lol that's why I stick to 8-10 reps with them so it's easier to get them into position due to it being a lighter weight.

If only my gym had a power rack none of this would be an issue.

Would it really weaken me that badly by doing military press first? Most people do bench first on their push day and still get good delt development by doing shoulders 2nd so why wouldbn't it work the other way around?

My military press is lagging also which is partly the reason I'm thinking of moving it to the start of my workout.


----------



## anabolik (Aug 19, 2010)

Or maybe I could just do dumbell bench 2x10 first then do 5x5 military press and then dips 2x10. I already do this on leg day with leg extensions 2x10 before my 5x5 squats. I just don't like messing with the program too much as it's supposed to be concentrating on the 5x5 exercises.


----------



## s&amp;ccoach (May 18, 2011)

I find it's easier to go heavy on bench over dumbbells.

Can you not just ask someone to spot you on the bench, must be someone around.

If you really want to do shoulders on chest day, I'd do shoulders last as mentioned the front delts are worked a fair bit chest pressing, so doing military first you'd probably find either your bench or db press isn't as strong.

I'd personally do shoulders on leg day if your doing 5x5.


----------



## xpower (Jul 28, 2009)

Use dumbells instead.

I do decline bbell,flat dumbbell,incline fly


----------



## anabolik (Aug 19, 2010)

s&ccoach said:


> I find it's easier to go heavy on bench over dumbbells.
> 
> Can you not just ask someone to spot you on the bench, must be someone around.


I could but sometimes there's hardly anyone in the gym so I couldn't do it every week. Plus I'd feel a bit of a cvnt asking someone to spot me for 5 sets of bench lol


----------



## Smitch (Dec 29, 2008)

We've got a chest press machine in my local gym which i used for the first time yesterday as every other cvnt was using all the benches and that was really good, the movement was like using DB's and you could really squeeze the pecs at full stretch.

I only did that along with cable flys, pec dec (which i'd never used before either!) and about 60 press ups and my chest is aching today.

Normally i'll do Inlcine bench, decline bench, cable flyes and push ups and have nowhere near the same doms the next day so i'm gonna switch it up more often from now on.


----------



## shinobi_85 (Feb 20, 2011)

i dont think flat bb bp provides any extra benefit over f db bp, maybe more weight and stress on ur delts, lol. i do do it occasionally, but not for much weight after all the horror stories i hear, and also because its harder for me to focus on the pecs with large weight on this movements as opposed to dbs.

for the person who said leaning foward is hitting there tri, maybe ur not going down far enough and gettin a stretch on ur pec.


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

You train the two biggest muscle groups on the same day? Think you need to look over your routine mate!

If it's working, fair play carry on though.

edit: to OP


----------



## anabolik (Aug 19, 2010)

IrishRaver said:


> You train the two biggest muscle groups on the same day? Think you need to look over your routine mate!
> 
> If it's working, fair play carry on though.
> 
> edit: to OP


Chest and shoulders are not the biggest muscle groups? lol

I have seperate days for legs and back if that's what you meant.


----------



## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

IrishRaver said:


> You train the two biggest muscle groups on the same day? Think you need to look over your routine mate!
> 
> If it's working, fair play carry on though.
> 
> edit: to OP


There are lots of different routines that work. Personally I don't understand why people use one day to train lower body and then 4 days to train there upper body.

On the bench press I will spend a couple of months doing barbell press and a couple of months doing dumbbell press and don't think in terms of strength gains there is much difference between the two. When I swap between them it doesn't take me long to get back to my original weights. I don't see one as being better than the other I just swap between them for a bit of variety but if you wanted to just use dumbbells I don't see a problem.


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

anabolik said:


> Chest and shoulders are not the biggest muscle groups? lol
> 
> I have seperate days for legs and back if that's what you meant.


Oh.. must have read that wrong. Or got you confuzzled with another member


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

monkeybiker said:


> There are lots of different routines that work. Personally I don't understand why people use one day to train lower body and then 4 days to train there upper body.
> 
> On the bench press I will spend a couple of months doing barbell press and a couple of months doing dumbbell press and don't think in terms of strength gains there is much difference between the two. When I swap between them it doesn't take me long to get back to my original weights. I don't see one as being better than the other I just swap between them for a bit of variety but if you wanted to just use dumbbells I don't see a problem.


Little bit off track there eh bud? Lol.

It makes sense to keep the two biggest muscle groups as far apart in terms of training days mate, that's just it logically. Of course bodybuilding is individual specific, but this rule would cover for 99% of us.


----------



## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

IrishRaver said:


> Little bit off track there eh bud? Lol.
> 
> It makes sense to keep the two biggest muscle groups as far apart in terms of training days mate, that's just it logically. Of course bodybuilding is individual specific, but this rule would cover for 99% of us.


How did I go off track?


----------



## DeanoXman (Dec 4, 2009)

Decline barbell on Smiths for me hits the groove, followed by flat dumbell presses, followed by either incline flyes or wide grip Smith inclines :thumb:


----------



## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

monkeybiker said:


> How did I go off track?


Im sorry I hadn't realised the second paragraph of your post is relevant to the OP.


----------



## invisiblekid (Jun 18, 2006)

IrishRaver said:


> Little bit off track there eh bud? Lol.
> 
> It makes sense to keep the two biggest muscle groups as far apart in terms of training days mate, that's just it logically. Of course bodybuilding is individual specific, but this rule would cover for 99% of us.


Arguably chest and back are the biggest with the exception of quads, but I do know people that believe in antagonistic training whereby you'd do a set of flat bench, then say a bent over row. Actually, one of the bigger guys who trains at my gym, a polish guy, uses this with awesome success.


----------



## Joe1961 (Jul 20, 2010)

anabolik said:


> I could but sometimes there's hardly anyone in the gym so I couldn't do it every week. Plus I'd feel a bit of a cvnt asking someone to spot me for 5 sets of bench lol


Start your routine on the bench press and ask the owner of the gym to spot you mate, or just ask anyone, most people will oblige, you dont have to ask them to spot you for 5 sets, Do 2 warm up sets with weights you can manage on your own and 1 working set for now, just go for a couple of reps at your max weight and build the reps up from there, when your repping more at top weight just add more weight and start at low reps again.

Ask your spotter to help you force a few out, but you control the negatives, be paitent and see how you progress.

Move your shoulder routine to a couple of days after you do chest. Keep it siimple and progress in your time mate but you should get stronger and your chest will develop by sticking at it.

Joe


----------



## Malibu (May 13, 2010)

Dorian Yates himself, hardly ever didnt flat bench, only incline and decline, i do the same and add some cable crossovers and my chest are seen some nice gains


----------



## snorkles (May 10, 2011)

s&ccoach said:


> The bench press is meant to be the bread and butter for chest workout and mass like squats are for legs.


Well said.


----------

