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Realistically how important is flat benching.

FoxLift said:
Realistically how important is flat benching. If I was to do incline bench and chest dips and say close grip bench and flys? Trying to program my own PPL but might have to do like ppLppArms or something.
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Hypertrophy can be adequately accomplished using just bands. If it’s something you can’t do, the other exercises you mentioned would be perfectly acceptable. I’m recovering from shoulder surgery, so, omitting bench is on the table currently(I destroyed it benching, so, I’m just scared now).
 
Personally, I don't even do standard flat bench anymore.

Instead I do decline press (big fan of declines), spoto press, incline press, uneven pushups with a weighted vest, hex press, and flys. I would rather do dumbbell bench than barbell, just to work those stabilizer muscles more, but I don't do that either, my current program includes the lifts above and I am really enjoying them.

I'm not a powerlifter, so flat bench just isn't needed. Every once in a while I have my girl spot me so I can put on a high % of my presumed 1RM (I don't actually do 1RMs) and go AMRAP just to see where I am at strength-wise, but it's just for my knowledge. I've found the other exercises above to give me a better workout and have better results aesthetically than flat bench.
 
Doesn't matter much, I rarely do them, mostly inclines. Despite what ppl say, your chest doesn't grow bigger down low or up top unproportionate to it's predetermined genetic shape
 
I personally flat bench a lot because I'm a powerlifter. I have a couple bodybuilding friends that don't flat bench at all and their chest is completely proportionate to the rest of their physique. If you don't specifically have any goals on getting good at flat bench, I don't think it should really be "necessary". You can still hit your chest properly with other exercises, I just think bench is a good exercise for triceps, shoulders, and chest. Helping you do more in less time. Not that it's necessary though.
 
A lot of the current bodybuilders of today really don’t flat barbell bench at all. I have been seeing guys mostly doing incline and dumbells. One dude I have been following- Shawn Smith is doing a lot of smith machine work, he says simply that it is just safer. When I think about how many times I just had to go heavy on flat bench- that I am paying a heavy price now with my joints. In my younger days it was all about “ how much can you bench man?” Now I can give a shit, all about the pump and mind muscle connection. I can still hold my own in the gym but at age 50, I’m not going to risk injury to prove a point.
 
I stopped flat benching a few years ago after I tore my infraspinatus. After laying off and rehabbing for 6 months my shoulder hasn't given me much trouble.

I do incline BB on the smith machine occasionally and DB bench. The chest responds much better to lateral movements. Follow the fibers of the muscle. When I DB press I bring the DB's together at the top for instance forming an arc on my way up. Jeff from Athlean X goes over this quite a bit. Its made a big difference for me in growth.
 
I used to love flat bench. Back then I did not compete.

Since starting to compete recently, I do it without flat bench. I have not used a barbell on a bench, flat or incline, for years. I still did declines occasionally up until recently, but following a minor injury while in prep, I decided to no longer do barbell declines, either.

My chest development has not suffered at all.

DB press on a slight incline, pec dec, cables, and some dips are all I do now, and I am extra, extra careful and slow on the dips.
 
malfeasance said:
I used to love flat bench. Back then I did not compete.

Since starting to compete recently, I do it without flat bench. I have not used a barbell on a bench, flat or incline, for years. I still did declines occasionally up until recently, but following a minor injury while in prep, I decided to no longer do barbell declines, either.

My chest development has not suffered at all.

DB press on a slight incline, pec dec, cables, and some dips are all I do now, and I am extra, extra careful and slow on the dips.
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Have you tried doing chest dips where you lean forward a bit and keep your arms stiff? I learned this one from John Meadows. I like doing them at the end of my chest workouts.
 
I may be the outlier on this one, but as everyone mechanics are slightly different. I think it all comes down to personal growth. I "feel" my chest way more with flat bench then another chest barbell movement. I train powerlifting, so this may come down to my specificity and honing in on good technique. I've become efficient in the movement. Incline is also very important, but I dont get the mind muscle connection I do with flat. And I have a shoulder instability, that makes dumbell presses very very hard for me relatuveto my 1rm in bench. I need the barbell for stability. I wish I could dip as well
 
Sven_Northman said:
I stopped flat benching a few years ago after I tore my infraspinatus. After laying off and rehabbing for 6 months my shoulder hasn't given me much trouble.

I do incline BB on the smith machine occasionally and DB bench. The chest responds much better to lateral movements. Follow the fibers of the muscle. When I DB press I bring the DB's together at the top for instance forming an arc on my way up. Jeff from Athlean X goes over this quite a bit. Its made a big difference for me in growth.
Click to expand...
Did you have surgery?
 
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