ME Bench Without a Spot

I lift in a commercial gym, so finding someone to spot me in a full arched position without untucking my shoulders or throwing the bar too far out is rare.

I’ve decided that I need to find a way around this problem. Explaining what liftoff forward not up means while they’re wearing earphones mouthing some gay song and muttering the occasional “yeah, sure, uh-huh” is not working.

This is my plan:
1)Do ME bench in a position where I can comfortably liftoff myself(no arch, shoulders out).
2)Add Heavy(100% of flat bench) decline bench as assistance exercise to work in extra recruitment above 90%.
3)use full arch when doing speed(DE) bench work to practice form.

If anyone has any experience with similar circumstances and/or suggestions, they would be much appreciated.

You could bench in a rack… just set the pins to chest depth while laying on the bench.

You can get yourself a set of chains and bring them with you, then do chain suspended bench out of the power rack.

[quote]conorh wrote:
You can get yourself a set of chains and bring them with you, then do chain suspended bench out of the power rack.[/quote]

Wow, I feel stupid for not thinking of this myself. Ironically, I have chains for speed work on bench and didn’t even consider using them this way.

How would you set the chains up? Would I need to buy any specific chain sets or can I just loop the chain end to end with a carbiner?

[quote]pabeda wrote:
conorh wrote:
You can get yourself a set of chains and bring them with you, then do chain suspended bench out of the power rack.

Wow, I feel stupid for not thinking of this myself. Ironically, I have chains for speed work on bench and didn’t even consider using them this way.

How would you set the chains up? Would I need to buy any specific chain sets or can I just loop the chain end to end with a carbiner?[/quote]

Yeah, you can set the pins up high and then just loop the chains with the caribiner and set the bar through them. There’s no wrong way as long as it works.

I feel benching out of chains is easier on the shoulders and elbows then pin presses because it gives you more wiggle room in the bottom.

[quote]conorh wrote:
pabeda wrote:
conorh wrote:
You can get yourself a set of chains and bring them with you, then do chain suspended bench out of the power rack.

Wow, I feel stupid for not thinking of this myself. Ironically, I have chains for speed work on bench and didn’t even consider using them this way.

How would you set the chains up? Would I need to buy any specific chain sets or can I just loop the chain end to end with a carbiner?

Yeah, you can set the pins up high and then just loop the chains with the caribiner and set the bar through them. There’s no wrong way as long as it works.

I feel benching out of chains is easier on the shoulders and elbows then pin presses because it gives you more wiggle room in the bottom.[/quote]

That should work out well. Thanks for the help.

bench without pins. this way you can slide the weights off by turning bar left and right.

I find a rack to be useful when benching alone. It depends on the rack of course, but I can adjust mine so that the pins are just above my chest and I can slide from under it if necessary. And when I arch, the bar will still only touch my chest and not the pins.

  • POC

I bench in the rack as well and workout alone alot of the time. I set the jhooks up so I can lift off myself while using an arch(this is very easy if the holes are one inch apart)

Then I just set the support bars at a level where they are under my chest enough in the arched position that the bar never touches them but if I fail I can just slid the bar towards my head and the pins will catch it.

Something else I would recommend is to do most of your lifts at the 90 percent level but up the volume for me anywhere from 3-7 for 90% lifts seems to work good.

When you do feel like going for a record and need to get a spot just tell the commercial guym dude to stand behind you and don’t touch the bar unless it is stuck on your chest or you will beat his ass.