Question:
No lift offs!
It seems that whenever you ask for a spot doing bench presses, the person wants to grab the bar and lift it off the rack for you. Personally I don't want that done, the times it has been done for me, it screws up my timing and kills the entire lift. I like to do the entire lift myself. Seems at my gym, this is uncommon, am I alone on this one??
most people here that train for meets like having a lift off because you're gonna have on in a meet.
There is nothing wrong with doing it without one though, and I personally think you should be used to both, in case you have to train by yourself and don't have the luxury of a good lift off.
I usually dont use a spotter until I work up to 500 and over. At that point, I like to use a hand off. Just like in a meet.
You have to communicate with the person doing the liftoff, like tell them, give me a 1,2,3 count. On 2 I'm going to start pushing, on 3 you lift off for me.
It gets hard getting a heavy bar off the uprights, especially on some gym benches that have low liftoffs and your hands are back real far, so you are not in a good leverage position to get the bar up.
The problem with doing your own lift-off in most cases is that you have to press the bar out of the j-hooks, bringing your scapulae forward.
I love getting a lift-off...the thing I hate is when some dumb ass has his hands on the bar the whole way down and then thinks he has to help you up on EVERY REP! I only bench with my brother now.
I love getting a lift-off...the thing I hate is when some dumb ass has his hands on the bar the whole way down and then thinks he has to help you up on EVERY REP! I only bench with my brother now. Same with me, my brother and a guy I work out with sometimes are the ONLY people that I can lift with. I tried getting a lift off from this kid a few weeks ago when my bro couldn't go, and as soon as he lifted it off, he just let go, I almost dropped the whole thing on my chest. My bro lifts it out to me until I'm in perfect position to start the eccentric. I can't take a lift off from anyone else anymore.
If i'm at the gym and someone wants a spot though, I always ask them beforehand if they would like a liftoff or not.
The problem with doing your own lift-off in most cases is that you have to press the bar out of the j-hooks, bringing your scapulae forward. Yep, that's my main problem. It's hard for me to get tight again unless someone lifts off for me.
I am the opposite way round to most of you guys; when I get a liftoff I always lift less weight or do less reps than if I unrack it myself. I seem to stay a lot tighter when I unrack it myself.
If I ever do another meet I will have to work with spotters a bit to get it right before the meet, but otherwise I will continue unracking it myself.
If you have bad shoulders, a lift off also helps. That can be a bad angle, especially if the bench has really deep hooks.
I get a lift off on everything 275 and up.
It strikes me as weird that some people seem to consider unracking it yourself as part of the actual lift. I've sure never thought of it that way.
It strikes me as weird that some people seem to consider unracking it yourself as part of the actual lift. I hope nobody ever tells that person about the monolift.
I use a lift off on everything 225lb and over, two reasons..first if you are training with proper form then i like to get set and not have to lose my position on the bench taking the weight out...second is saving your delts...taking heavy weight out yourself will kill them...one of the main reason benchers get shoulder problem.
If you have bad shoulders, a lift off also helps. That can be a bad angle, especially if the bench has really deep hooks. YUP, last time I unracked a set it was fairly light like 210lbs but killed my RC.....from now I on I just IMPOSE on people...and always offer spots whenever I can so I feel like at least im even on the gym karma.
I just give em some quick instructions
"uhmm, let me tell u what I want you to do. I dont want you to lift it ALL off...just put some good pressure on it but let me feel most of it. Stay with me until it is out over my chest and then let it go slowly...dont "dump it" on me all at once"
if u give em some italian hand demonstrations they usually get what u mean.
but yeah, I totally agree...when they power jerk it off the rack and then dump it on you, it ruins the lift. you get all set up and tight and dude almost pulls u off the bench, lol.
With guys who know what their doing I might say "nice low hand off, right?" Thats just a reminder that I have short arms and we dont have to lift the thing a foot up off the rack
Everytime someone gives you a crappy lift off, redirect them here:
some history for u guys...sort of foreshadowed todays "assisted/unnassisted" lift wars
back to the 1950's
back when benches first came out...they were just benches...no uprights, lol. So guys would deadlift it up off the floor, sit back and bring the bar up themselves. they get it on their lap then "bridge it up".
Then of course they got stronger and guys figured out that it would be easier to get 2 guys to lift up up for you and just hand it to you after you layed back on the bench.
Well, of course that right there started the wars. The guys who lifted it up themselves accused the others of cheating. They called that "assisted" lifting, lol.
this is a Doug Hepburn vid of that transition period. They had uprights here (end of vid) but it wasnt the olympic style yet. They were still getting the assistants to hand it off http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/e_m...er.asp?vclip=6
60s in moscow, uprights but still using spotters http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/e_m...r.asp?vclip=36
It seems that whenever you ask for a spot doing bench presses, the person wants to grab the bar and lift it off the rack for you. Personally I don't want that done, the times it has been done for me, it screws up my timing and kills the entire lift. I like to do the entire lift myself. Seems at my gym, this is uncommon, am I alone on this one??
Answer:
most people here that train for meets like having a lift off because you're gonna have on in a meet.
There is nothing wrong with doing it without one though, and I personally think you should be used to both, in case you have to train by yourself and don't have the luxury of a good lift off.
Answer:
I usually dont use a spotter until I work up to 500 and over. At that point, I like to use a hand off. Just like in a meet.
Answer:
You have to communicate with the person doing the liftoff, like tell them, give me a 1,2,3 count. On 2 I'm going to start pushing, on 3 you lift off for me.
It gets hard getting a heavy bar off the uprights, especially on some gym benches that have low liftoffs and your hands are back real far, so you are not in a good leverage position to get the bar up.
Answer:
The problem with doing your own lift-off in most cases is that you have to press the bar out of the j-hooks, bringing your scapulae forward.
Answer:
I love getting a lift-off...the thing I hate is when some dumb ass has his hands on the bar the whole way down and then thinks he has to help you up on EVERY REP! I only bench with my brother now.
Answer:
I love getting a lift-off...the thing I hate is when some dumb ass has his hands on the bar the whole way down and then thinks he has to help you up on EVERY REP! I only bench with my brother now. Same with me, my brother and a guy I work out with sometimes are the ONLY people that I can lift with. I tried getting a lift off from this kid a few weeks ago when my bro couldn't go, and as soon as he lifted it off, he just let go, I almost dropped the whole thing on my chest. My bro lifts it out to me until I'm in perfect position to start the eccentric. I can't take a lift off from anyone else anymore.
If i'm at the gym and someone wants a spot though, I always ask them beforehand if they would like a liftoff or not.
Answer:
The problem with doing your own lift-off in most cases is that you have to press the bar out of the j-hooks, bringing your scapulae forward. Yep, that's my main problem. It's hard for me to get tight again unless someone lifts off for me.
Answer:
I am the opposite way round to most of you guys; when I get a liftoff I always lift less weight or do less reps than if I unrack it myself. I seem to stay a lot tighter when I unrack it myself.
If I ever do another meet I will have to work with spotters a bit to get it right before the meet, but otherwise I will continue unracking it myself.
Answer:
If you have bad shoulders, a lift off also helps. That can be a bad angle, especially if the bench has really deep hooks.
Answer:
I get a lift off on everything 275 and up.
Answer:
It strikes me as weird that some people seem to consider unracking it yourself as part of the actual lift. I've sure never thought of it that way.
Answer:
It strikes me as weird that some people seem to consider unracking it yourself as part of the actual lift. I hope nobody ever tells that person about the monolift.
Answer:
I use a lift off on everything 225lb and over, two reasons..first if you are training with proper form then i like to get set and not have to lose my position on the bench taking the weight out...second is saving your delts...taking heavy weight out yourself will kill them...one of the main reason benchers get shoulder problem.
Answer:
If you have bad shoulders, a lift off also helps. That can be a bad angle, especially if the bench has really deep hooks. YUP, last time I unracked a set it was fairly light like 210lbs but killed my RC.....from now I on I just IMPOSE on people...and always offer spots whenever I can so I feel like at least im even on the gym karma.
Answer:
I just give em some quick instructions
"uhmm, let me tell u what I want you to do. I dont want you to lift it ALL off...just put some good pressure on it but let me feel most of it. Stay with me until it is out over my chest and then let it go slowly...dont "dump it" on me all at once"
if u give em some italian hand demonstrations they usually get what u mean.
but yeah, I totally agree...when they power jerk it off the rack and then dump it on you, it ruins the lift. you get all set up and tight and dude almost pulls u off the bench, lol.
With guys who know what their doing I might say "nice low hand off, right?" Thats just a reminder that I have short arms and we dont have to lift the thing a foot up off the rack
Answer:
Everytime someone gives you a crappy lift off, redirect them here:
Answer:
some history for u guys...sort of foreshadowed todays "assisted/unnassisted" lift wars
back to the 1950's
back when benches first came out...they were just benches...no uprights, lol. So guys would deadlift it up off the floor, sit back and bring the bar up themselves. they get it on their lap then "bridge it up".
Then of course they got stronger and guys figured out that it would be easier to get 2 guys to lift up up for you and just hand it to you after you layed back on the bench.
Well, of course that right there started the wars. The guys who lifted it up themselves accused the others of cheating. They called that "assisted" lifting, lol.
this is a Doug Hepburn vid of that transition period. They had uprights here (end of vid) but it wasnt the olympic style yet. They were still getting the assistants to hand it off http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/e_m...er.asp?vclip=6
60s in moscow, uprights but still using spotters http://www.chidlovski.net/liftup/e_m...r.asp?vclip=36