Cambered bar benches - anyone doing them?

[RMBros]

Just wondering if it's worth pushing my gym to get a cambered bar for benching.

I'm weak off the chest and working on it, but I could always use more tools. (God that sounds gay!)

[powerliftmike]

Cambered bars are awesome. Unfortunately I dont have them at any of my gyms. They are good for training the bench, but also really good for squatting, since it reduces shoulder pressure.

[Doc.Sust]

i never go to much from them except shoulder probelms but i wa going way to heavy, i think they can be beneficial especially with speed work, problem is i didn't buy one for my gym, i am stil leary if they are worth the extra money

[power65]

I think they work well until they start tearing apart your rotator cuff. I use to bench w/ one of the bars years ago and I really think it helped lead to my shoulder problems. My gym had one until I talked the manager into getting rid of the thing. I don't think they are worth the risk. You never know if you're going to have problems w/ your shoulders from using one until it is too late. I don't think it's worth the risk.

[RMBros]

I think they work well until they start tearing apart your rotator cuff. I use to bench w/ one of the bars years ago and I really think it helped lead to my shoulder problems. My gym had one until I talked the manager into getting rid of the thing. I don't think they are worth the risk. You never know if you're going to have problems w/ your shoulders from using one until it is too late. I don't think it's worth the risk.

What do you think tears the cuff, just the increased ROM or is the motion different enough that it focuses on a different part of the shoulder?

[Velkar182]

Camber bars are great but not to be done with out an assistance exercise. If you put a cable at about elbow height and take a single handle, stand with your shoulder toward the machine and you can work the rotator cuff. Be sure to work each arm inward and outward. This is one of my secrets to the bench. This exercise, in my opinion is important to developing incredible stablization of heavy weights on the bench, even if you don't use the cambered bar.
Aside from th cambered bar, what you can do is lots of pause reps. On lock out days, I like to open with 4 sets of 3 reps of pause bench presses. Be sure to pause so that the weight is virtually sitting comfortibly on you chest and stabalized by your arms. Strict control is an absolute! Give it a try. My little bro was stuck at a 135 bench at 180 and he could lock out 245. A couple months later and he is doing something like 205.

[powerliftmike]

Like I said they are better for squats, since they reduce shoulder stress then; while with benches they increase shoulder stress. If you wear a bench shirt, you dont need to work on the bottom of the lift much anyway, so it aint worth the money.

[power65]

RMBros,
To answer your question about the statement I made. (This is only my opinion) I think that benching w/ this type of bar does damage to the shoulder because of the ROM and yes the shoulder is put in a different position. At the point where your hands go below your chest due to the shape of the bar, yes your shoulder rotate forward and there is a lot of stress placed on them to the the bar out of the bottom position. I may just have "Glass Shoulders", but I know 100% that it is benching w/ this bar that has given me all of the shoulder problems that I have today.

[Doc.Sust]

i ove when i hear about the westside guy doing cmabered bar bench with board presses. i would imagine that th baords would prettymuch make it a regular press, so i could never understand the point of this exercise. louie doesn't always make alot of sense

[power65]

In my opinion the westside guys ver rarely make much sense. I'm not a big Westside guy. Everytime I've ever attempted their training it has always messed my progress up. I've bought their books, tapes, etc. Never had any luck with their stuff....I've always lost strength going "Westside". O'well. Just not for me I guess. But yhea, why use a cambered bar if you're going to add boards. Might as well do pause presses off the chest.

[RMBros]

RMBros,
To answer your question about the statement I made. (This is only my opinion) I think that benching w/ this type of bar does damage to the shoulder because of the ROM and yes the shoulder is put in a different position. At the point where your hands go below your chest due to the shape of the bar, yes your shoulder rotate forward and there is a lot of stress placed on them to the the bar out of the bottom position. I may just have "Glass Shoulders", but I know 100% that it is benching w/ this bar that has given me all of the shoulder problems that I have today.

Mine are pretty glassy too, I wasn't challenging your opinion, just interested in your thoughts.

Actually sounds like a good thing for me to stay away from.

Thanks!

[Doc.Sust]

In my opinion the westside guys ver rarely make much sense. I'm not a big Westside guy. Everytime I've ever attempted their training it has always messed my progress up. I've bought their books, tapes, etc. Never had any luck with their stuff....I've always lost strength going "Westside". O'well. Just not for me I guess. But yhea, why use a cambered bar if you're going to add boards. Might as well do pause presses off the chest.

west side never worked for me, it did help my shirted press, but as far as training raw it sucks, and it stinks forlegs,my deadlift droped 75lbs!!!! they have some ok ideas and alot of other bad ideas, i talked with mike wolfe one of westsides new guys he took his friend rawdog to the gym and the guys press numbers droped like a brick, he said westside does not work for everyone, isnt that the truth!!!

[Velkar182]

I know what you guys say is true about Westside and that it doesn't work for everyone, but it is so scientific and I have had maddenning gains their system. I just can't imagine it not working for everyone, but I know nothing does.