O/T: HEALTH [BENCH PRESS] Does this mess up your chest in the long run?

[JohnBuffet]

I didn't read everything, but as a non competitive bodybuilder myself, I will say I know 3 friends who tore their pecs from bench pressing. I actually ALMOST tore mine from it as well and I had to take off a few weeks from working out my chest.

I've heard coaches say that it isn't a matter of if you'll tear your pecs, its a matter of when.

I personally stick to dumbbell only. I don't do flat barbell press ever.

 

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[Roli]

I'm currently doing dumbell bench presses, pressing the same weight as my bodyweight.
All is good, until I came across this pic of Scott Steiner's chest last night:

Here's another pic:

There's this really gross and freaky abnormal gap between his pecs. I googled a bit, and many folks say it's due to tearing the pecs during bench press, and it won't heal.

Has anyone encounter anything like this before? Could benching heavy actually cause this kind of body deformity in the long run?
I'm worried I might end up like that.

Not just him, but some other folks like Kofi as well:

Markus Ruhl is another, but his was not as bad as the above 2 guys:

Seems like the weight of the bench press is pulling away the pec muscle from the sternum gradually (see how the pec muscles attached to the sternum):

Don't forget that a lot of these body builders are on human growth hormones mixed with steroids. A bench press (especially dumbbell) in the range of weight you will lift, is perfectly safe and fine as long as you follow the correct form and technique.

Check out AthleanX chest workouts on Youtube.

 

[Xeon]

Check out AthleanX chest workouts on Youtube.

I used to watch his videos, until it started to get longer and more technical, with him telling you all these stuff on anatomy and all the dry details etc. I lose all patience and felt extremely bored after the first 2 - 3 mins of him expounding technical and medical knowledge non-stop.

 

[Fox]

It has already been answered before in the thread but I would just add to be careful of who you are "modelling".

If you want to have a normal great body then follow athletes with the same physic/training style. If you aren't competing in shows and don't want to be taking "performance-enhancing drugs" then you can safely ignore the downsides of people who do.

Chest/incline chest is an excellent lift for a great body and strength. I have no ideas what these guys did to get that sort of issue but it wasn't normal chest presses.

Our chest, back, and legs are so large because these are the main movements we make as humans. So working chest is 100% safe and effective for getting in shape.

So unless you are training and taking tons of drugs like these people I wouldn't even consider it an issue.
I have never seen this issue on a normal athlete.

 

[James Klymus]

Look, you probably aren’t going to tear a pec, especially not as bad as these guys that you showed did.

These guys were on steroids, and their muscles grew faster than their connective tissue, so they snapped their shit.

Work on slowly and consistently progressing the amount of weight you do, and you’ll be fine. Don’t try to make big jumps in weight and ego lift.

With The dumbbell bench, you’re more likely to injure your shoulder from lowering the weight below the chest.

Personally, I would just stick to the barbell bench. You can still potentially tear a pec regardless, but I prefer the barbell bench because you can do more weight and get stronger.

 

[Tourmaline]

Interesting. I don't think it's much of an issue if you're not taking steroids/growth hormones.

My bigger concern is shoulder issues stemming from bench press...

 

[Ninjakid]

Literally every guy you showed is has used a ton of steroids, so not a great comparison.

On the other hand, here's Ronaldo who has never done steroids or any drugs in his life

Looks pretty good to me

 

[Tourmaline]

here's Ronaldo who has never done steroids or any drugs in his life

Nearly every serious athlete uses steroids. But not all steroid users seek to become mass monsters. You can literally train harder, longer, and more often with them help of steroids.

 

[Ninjakid]

Nearly every serious athlete uses steroids.

Do you have proof of this? I come from a family of professional athletes and none of them have use steroids.

 

[Tourmaline]

Do you have proof of this? I come from a family of professional athletes and none of them have use steroids.

Considering steroid usage is banned from professional sports, are you actually expecting hard evidence?

The Real Reason Why Steroids Are Banned From Sports | NattyOrNot.com

Again, You can literally train harder, longer, and more often with the help of steroids. Throw in the large budgets and monetary value of many professional athletes and teams, and they can quite readily afford doctors to make monitor and control various health side effects.

Take UFC: Steroids in UFC

"almost every MMA fighter is on steroids because the fact of the matter is, you can't compete at such a high level without them."

Wait wait wait, my favorite one though is that the IFBB bans steroid usage. LMAO.

https://www.ifbb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IFBB-General-Rules-2018.pdf

Page 39 and 40.

12. to oppose the use of banned substances and methods and to take reasonable measures to ensure that all athletes are competing drug-free.

Here's one of the 2019 winners

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOtbqlPRddA




Totally natty?

Here's an article about the NFL:

Players Say the NFL Has an HGH Problem, Even If Peyton Manning Isn't Part of It

No matter what you think about Peyton Manning —he used, he didn't use, you don't care either way—one thing is certain in the wake of Al Jazeera's bombshell allegations ...

bleacherreport.com

"Steroids aren't the problem. HGH is the big problem. For the past four or five years, the league has been almost overrun by HGH. ... The new testing procedures aren't catching anyone, because players know there is almost no way to get caught."

I can go on and on.

But in my view, there's nothing wrong with using steroids as a professional athlete. It's a choice, and it's wise to couple it with doctors to help the athlete stay healthy and safe.

 

[foodiepersecond]

I'm currently doing dumbell bench presses, pressing the same weight as my bodyweight.
All is good, until I came across this pic of Scott Steiner's chest last night:

Here's another pic:

I promise you, Scott Steiner's chest is the least of his problems

 

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[TommyG]

Honestly unless you're looking to max out constantly and bench 2x+ bodyweight shouldn't be an issue.

I took my bench from 165 to 315 over a couple of years without a single injury except for shoulders related to other lifts.

• Use good form
• controlled reps
• Use a training max and submaximal loads 70-90%
• only test true maxes a few times a year to measure progress
• Make sure you are balancing out pushing and pulling. Err on the side of more pulling
• Keep joints healthy with enough mobility work