Bench press thread redux

[superjohn]

We had a thread on here about bench pressing years ago. Anyone still getting after it?

My shoulders have bothered me to the point of not doing any benching for well over a year a while ago and for many years I only did reverse grip because it didn't hurt my shoulders at all, then was doing suicide grip which was originally pretty pain free but then made my shoulders scream. I went back to regular benching and after screwing around with what would cause the least amount of discomfort and what would be my strongest position I now bench regular grip completely pain free. It sounds ridiculous but it's exciting to me because I love lifting.

The biggest thing was in the hands, where I lined them up on the bar and more importantly where the bar sits in my hand along with my bar path. I also figured out any overhead shoulder pressing and benching too low where the bar made contact was wrecking my shoulders and made me weaker.

45 years old and won't do any max effort singles or doubles anymore but kind of want to see where I can take a max rep pr in the next few months now that I finally seemed to have figured out what works for me. Kind of insane I've been going to the gym for like 20 years and just now seem to have figured it out.

 

[Dibbie]

I’ll be 55 later this year and still question why I’m still lifting free weights. It’s golf season and I’m old, so I don’t push myself too hard. I’m usually strongest come February as I have nothing to do but lift. During summer, I don’t push too hard. Did 4 reps of 225 yesterday, will get to 6 or 7 in the winter. Far cry what I used to do, but still pretty fit for my age. I have super long arms (6’3”) so bench was never my strong suit.

As far as pain, I feel right shoulder pain doing incline, but nothing flat. One of the reasons why I don’t push it now, don’t want to blow a rotator cuff

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Wait! Will need to rethink the entire paradigm. You may want to use machines, alternating arms (so you can adjust weight amounts for each arm.)

 

[JMick]

I almost exclusively do incline dumbbells now. Once or twice a month I'll hit the barbell just to switch it up and my shoulder hurts every time.

 

[District-Husky]

I’m 56. Primarily run or cycle b/c I still have little kids and it’s hard to do cardio and strength each day b/c of time constraints. But - when I lift - I lift with dumbbells, use less weight, and do more reps. I think that helps reduce injuries.

 

[B1GEast]

If you're dealing with shoulder pain, use lighter weight, or find an exercise with a different range of motion or even better, use bands as resistance.

Be careful with pain, the last thing you want to do at your age is tear something.

If the pain gets worse see a doctor

 

[HooperScooper]

I’ll be 55 later this year and still question why I’m still lifting free weights. It’s golf season and I’m old, so I don’t push myself too hard. I’m usually strongest come February as I have nothing to do but lift. During summer, I don’t push too hard. Did 4 reps of 225 yesterday, will get to 6 or 7 in the winter. Far cry what I used to do, but still pretty fit for my age. I have super long arms (6’3”) so bench was never my strong suit.

I'm 60 and I also ask myself why I still work out with heavy weights. But I've been lifting since I was 18 so it's hard to stop. I had a herniated disk between C6 and C7 12 years ago that made my tricep and chest on the left side atrophy. Took me years to get those muscles to even 80% of the right side. My right arm is about 1" bigger than my left and doctors say those muscles on the left will never come back to being equal to the right. It's hard to bench now because of that so I use dumbbells most of the time but still like to bench once in a while to see where I am at.

I keep promising myself that at some point I'm going to do other exercises and not lift heavy weights. But I might be that 70 year old guy at the gym tossing weights around while the guys in their early 20s are looking at me like, "What is that old guy doing?" Because when I was in my early 20s that is what I was saying. Actually at 60 the kids are probably saying that about me now!

 

[Kenny11]

I love doing bench but now I mostly do dumbbells. Barbell bench is a bigger injury risk. My gym has digital clocks on the wall so I try to do sets for a minute or 70 seconds which is really hard.

Most I could ever really get on the flat bench was 225 for 6-7 reps without a spot…a long time ago

 

[superjohn]

I almost exclusively do incline dumbbells now. Once or twice a month I'll hit the barbell just to switch it up and my shoulder hurts every time.

We're all built differently. For me incline is a no go (it was a no go back when I was 25) same with shoulder pressing now but flat benching is totally comfortable now. Play around with it, for me tucking my elbows in and having a lower touch point was bad. My arms aren't totally flared but they're flared more than what's typically taught and I have a higher touch point than what seems to get taught.

Also the furthest I'll go out my pinkies are still just inside the rings. The bar sits on the heel of the outside of my hand with my two outside fingers and pinkies doing all the squeezing. Hand placement and where the bar sits is a total game changer for me in terms of zero pain and strength.

 

[JMick]

We're all built differently. For me incline is a no go (it was a no go back when I was 25) same with shoulder pressing now but flat benching is totally comfortable now. Play around with it, for me tucking my elbows in and having a lower touch point was bad. My arms aren't totally flared but they're flared more than what's typically taught and I have a higher touch point than what seems to get taught.

Also the furthest I'll go out my pinkies are still just inside the rings. The bar sits on the heel of the outside of my hand with my two outside fingers and pinkies doing all the squeezing. Hand placement and where the bar sits is a total game changer for me in terms of zero pain and strength.

My shoulder is just screwed up from multiple dislocations and a reconstruction. Dumbbells let me move out of the pain spots without having a solid bar holding me in place.

 

[JMick]

I love doing bench but now I mostly do dumbbells. Barbell bench is a bigger injury risk. My gym has digital clocks on the wall so I try to do sets for a minute or 70 seconds which is really hard.

Most I could ever really get on the flat bench was 225 for 6-7 reps without a spot…a long time ago

I wont do flat bench without a spotter. Just not worth it imo.

Meanwhile I saw a dude repping 275 without a spot the other day and he was talking on the phone through his airpods while doing it. Some people are nuts. He wasn't struggling but it still didn't seem like the best idea. I was extremely impressed though lol

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I wanted to bench 315 in my 40s because I hadn’t done it since college. Got it, and I don’t think I’ve gotten under a bar since. Dumbells only and rarely flat. Strictly incline. On good days I’m tempted to see how high I can go - on most days it feels like someone’s holding a lighter to my left shoulder and I take it easy.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

I bought a set of dumbbells up to 80lbs, some bands, an ez bar with low weight plates and various weight medicine balls for my basement partly for me and party to show my pre-teen son the basics of lifting which we do a couple of times a week. Something that I wish someone had shown me earlier on in life.

 

[knicksin7]

Anyone try HGH or TRT with lifting? I'm in my 40s and am considering it. I also take of 5mg of creatine a day, but hate the water weight with it. I sometimes think I'm an idiot for doing 3-5x 90% 1RPM on deadlift, squat and bench, and weighted pullups, but I just love lifting.

 

[TheHorde]

I don’t one rep max anymore in my early 50s. It’s not worth the injury risk trying to be a hero. I prefer doing 6-10 rep sets with progressively higher weight topping out usually around 175-185 pounds.

 

[ColchVEGAS]

Since having shoulder surgery 6 years ago I do not attempt to bench nearly as much as I used to. I switched to using an earthquake bar with kettle bells and resistance bands when benching. Helps focus more or stabilizing muscles and requires much less weight to get a good workout. It was recommended to me during my PT from surgery.

 

[tennmike]

I'm 66 and still lift. I flat bench 225 for four reps, but tweaked my shoulder recently. Now, I can do incline bench on a smith machine without any discomfort so doing pause reps. Way harder than you would expect when you take out momentum. I can also do incline dumbbells. Getting old means that it takes forever to recover from minor injuries, but I have no intention of walking away.

 

[temery]

I can still bench press three times my birth weight.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

I can still bench press three times my birth weight.

12oz curls?

 

[Deepster]

I stopped with the heavy weights 3-4 years ago (I'm 57). I got a trainer and focused on core-based exercises. Dumbells, bands, bosu balls, kettlebells, etc. Every exercise has a core component attached to it. I feel years younger since....and my shoulders aren't screaming anymore.

 

[RJScootin]

Anyone try HGH or TRT with lifting? I'm in my 40s and am considering it. I also take of 5mg of creatine a day, but hate the water weight with it. I sometimes think I'm an idiot for doing 3-5x 90% 1RPM on deadlift, squat and bench, and weighted pullups, but I just love lifting.

I'm 44 and have been lifting most my life but really got serious the last 4 years, diet is biggest game changer. I eat 6 meals a day around 30G of protein a meal. For the last year I've been injecting TRT twice a week (300mg an injection). Now this has been an even bigger game changer. I'm 5'10 200lbs with a 6 pack. I'm not one to suggest someone to do it, really depends on what your going for. Let me know if you have any other questions.

on benching i don't touch a barbell, only dumbbells for me. I can angle my wrist to not impact my shoulders. I use 120lb dumbbells flat bench for 8-10 reps and incline 100lbs dumbbells for same rep count. I go three days on, Push, legs, pull - one day- off repeat.

 

[knicksin7]

I'm 44 and have been lifting most my life but really got serious the last 4 years, diet is biggest game changer. I eat 6 meals a day around 30G of protein a meal. For the last year I've been injecting TRT twice a week (300mg an injection). Now this has been an even bigger game changer. I'm 5'10 200lbs with a 6 pack. I'm not one to suggest someone to do it, really depends on what your going for. Let me know if you have any other questions.

on benching i don't touch a barbell, only dumbbells for me. I can angle my wrist to not impact my shoulders. I use 120lb dumbbells flat bench for 8-10 reps and incline 100lbs dumbbells for same rep count. I go three days on, Push, legs, pull - one day- off repeat.

Thanks - how does it feel - after taking it? do you feel like you have more energy and stamina? I really want to be a little more lean, and I don't really want to try GLP-1s?

 

[nomar]

I'm 60 and I also ask myself why I still work out with heavy weights. But I've been lifting since I was 18 so it's hard to stop. I had a herniated disk between C6 and C7 12 years ago that made my tricep and chest on the left side atrophy. Took me years to get those muscles to even 80% of the right side. My right arm is about 1" bigger than my left and doctors say those muscles on the left will never come back to being equal to the right. It's hard to bench now because of that so I use dumbbells most of the time but still like to bench once in a while to see where I am at.

I keep promising myself that at some point I'm going to do other exercises and not lift heavy weights. But I might be that 70 year old guy at the gym tossing weights around while the guys in their early 20s are looking at me like, "What is that old guy doing?" Because when I was in my early 20s that is what I was saying. Actually at 60 the kids are probably saying that about me now!

Maaaaan, I herniated by C6/7 twice, had some nerve damage, and my left tricep atrophied quite a bit. Still trying to work it back.

 

[RJScootin]

Thanks - how does it feel - after taking it? do you feel like you have more energy and stamina? I really want to be a little more lean, and I don't really want to try GLP-1s?

After a year of taking I feel as good as I can remember. I don't have any side effects. It does get old injecting yourself twice a week, I alternate from shoulder to back side. I added a pic so you can see results. This is with strict diet (weekends I'll drink and go off diet a little) and intense focused workouts.

 

[HooperScooper]

Maaaaan, I herniated by C6/7 twice, had some nerve damage, and my left tricep atrophied quite a bit. Still trying to work it back.

Good luck. My left tricep and pec still haven't come back to full and never will. It sucks. I still wonder if it didn't happen whether I would be as strong now at my age as I was in my 40s. My bench maxed out at 305 and I can't do anything near that today because my left pec and tricep is not as strong as the right.