[quote]tanimal wrote:
I did read the entire post and I’m sorry but most of her comments lost all validity when she claimed that “biceps” and pecs are not the only muscles used during the bench press…
[/quote]
Jesus Christ. I was sarcastically commenting on the original article (did you even read it?) where they stated that Ground-based training immediately puts an end to a host of outdated stationary-machine and free-weight lifts, including the bench press, military press…
They went on to say that The five basic movements to develop in any exercise session are limited to different forms of stepping, pushing, pulling, squatting, and rotating. There’s no need to do one exercise for your biceps, another for your shoulders, and another for your chest.
In my experience, the bench press is a pushing movement. Yet it is obsolete because you are off your feet and not “thinking creatively?” I was simply trying to say that the bench press is not obsolete nor is it an isolation movement. In fact, if done in a powerlifting style, the bench press will involve the pecs, delts, lats, rhomboids, triceps, abs, spinal erectors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and yes… even your biceps.
I’m not thinking of the skinny guy in biking shorts who bench presses with his feet up on the bench so as to avoid injuring his back. I’m thinking of someone benching upwards of 500lbs with an insane arch and mind-blowing tightness. Ask that guy what muscles he uses and he’ll be the last to say “pecs and triceps, that’s it.”
I simply don’t agree with the original article that states that There’s no need to do one exercise for your biceps, another for your shoulders, and another for your chest… Instead of targeting the upper back and then the lower back, simply pull (in the form of pull-ups or incline pull-ups) and bridge (holding your torso stiff to build strength in your back). For the lower body, lunge, step-down, and squat drills are all it takes, and body weight alone is usually more than enough load.
Again, if the trainee is looking for a lean, athletic, moderately muscular build, a program like this is probably ideal.
However, if that trainee is looking for the body of a goddess and a 400lb+ squat, this training is not ideal. I did not agree with the fact that they presented this method of training as the answer to all training needs. As I stated above, different training for different results. While I can’t argue that this type of training will build endurance and explosive power, “lunges and squat drills with bodyweight alone” is simply not enough to build a muscular lower body. Ask any body builder, figure competitor, or powerlifter and I guarantee you that you will find out that they actually use (gasp!) weights for their lower body training.