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  • DB Bench critique please

    Discussion in 'Training' started by jailynn24hb, Mar 24, 2012.

    1. jailynn24hb

      jailynn24hb Well-Known Member

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      I wasn't sure what angle was good, but most of it was from behind and a couple reps were from the side.

      one of these has to work
      [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zovU8...ature=youtu.be[/youtube ]
      [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zovU8...ature=youtu.be[ /youtube ]
      [youtube]watch?v=zovU8QWZbKs&feature=youtu.be[ /youtube ]
      [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zovU8...ature=youtu.be[/youtube ]
      [youtube ]zovU8QWZbKs&context=C4acde3cADvjVQa1PpcFNsQv8_bvKj TLgXYnaX9JJcySbcz3u_Vd0=[ /youtube ]
       
    2. Raleoxilevz

      Raleoxilevz Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      I like to bring them down slightly wider (typically try and hit that 90degree)

      also... breathe! You could just be a shy breather which is hard to tell from the video, but it looks like you had those lips sealed for a while

      The press looks good to me! +nice weight
       
    3. casse

      casse Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      Thanks. I don't know why, but on this exercise I tend to make weird faces. I always try to breathe at the top or when pushing the weight up. I can't remember if I did that on this vid, but I was doing weird stuff with my lips and eyes. I tried going wider before, but it always hurts my biceps.

      I forgot to add, I do not feel my chest at all on most chest exercises. No burn, only the stretch at the bottom of the movement. The only exercises where I've ever felt a burn in my chest is on the decline hammer strength and pec dec. I'm not sure if this is due to form. I think it might be that my triceps are a lot stronger relative to my chest.
       
    4. Korporalegq

      Korporalegq Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      I was going to say exactly the opposite and say tuck your elbows more. When I flare my elbows like that with dumbbell bench, I feel it more in my shoulders than my chest.

      I think barbell is different in this regard because your shoulders don't have to stabilize the weight separately.

      In any case, it would certainly be safer for your RCs.

      Other than that, it looked pretty solid.

      Edit to add that I just read your reply about not feeling it in the chest. Have you ever tried tucking your elbows?

      After watching the vid again, I have a suggestion. Don't lockout the weights, hold them just shy of lockout for a couple of seconds and really focus on contracting your pecs.
       
    5. jailynn24hb

      jailynn24hb Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      What does tucking your elbows mean? I see the term used a lot but I never understood how to do it. I switched from barbell to dumbbells after I hit a plateau.
       
    6. vijugati8g

      vijugati8g Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      It means you rotate your elbows in toward your body.

      If using barbell, it results from having a narrower grip (not so narrow to be "narrow grip".

      Establishing a mind-muscle connection is everything. I practice tucking elbows and do dumbbell and I can feel it in my pecs throughout the entire movement.

      I'm really glad I switched to dumbbell.
       
    7. remstation

      remstation Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      agreed as well with not locking at the top. At a certain point in the press the stress shifts primarily to the triceps. keeping that constant tension on the chest might help achieve that burn you're looking for. As long as the depth is there

      tucking elbows will put more emphasis on tri's than chest.
      think; any tricep movement ever.
       
    8. suighja

      suighja Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      I'm trying to visualize how to do this with a dumbbell, but it seems the only way I can not flare my elbow is if I switch the position of my forearm. My elbow doesn't flare with barbell bench. I always try the mind-muscle connection thing, but haven't had any luck with it.

      Wait, I thought you were supposed to lock out on bench presses? Hmmm, I have been experiencing some pain or extreme sourness above my elbow lately, but it never occurs when lifting.
       
    9. jailynn24hb

      jailynn24hb Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      It depends on your goal. To get the most out of the compound exercise, lock out (or get mighty close to*) and get the full contraction of the tricep. However since you indicated that your chest does not tend to get fatigued it may be in your best interest to keep the focus on the chest rather than the arms.

      Your call!

      *at a certain point when increasing weight you wont want to "lock" the arm because of the stress it will put directly on the elbow joint
       
    10. Capone

      Capone Well-Known Member

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      DB Bench critique please

      Great stuff. I like going below parallel with dumbbells. It looks like your grip my be leaving your hands a little flat with the ground. I think this is called a false grip?
      Tucking your elbows just means lower your arms more inline with your body. Dave Tate has vids around the internet showing people how to do Bench Press the way he teaches people. He teaches people to keep their forearms orthogonal to the floor to maximize arm strength during the exercise. Granted, he is teaching Barbells, but in order to keep your forearms straight with barbells, you lower your arms inline to the chest, while the bar travels to the lower part of your chest. In doing this, it also puts arms in a better position to be pulled together by the pectorals.

      With dumbbells, it's not really that significant to keep your forearms straight up and down, but letting the dumbbells travel more to the bottom of the chest, allows for more chest contraction. This notion would definitely help with all the other exercises you were talking about where you don't feel your chest working.
       
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