[Wrao]

I have started lifting again, with the intent on maximizing what I can do with just free weights, mainly because I can't really afford the gym at the moment, and I'm not going all out with this lifting anyway, just trying to regain some of the physique I lost in the last few months. So, I have most areas covered with just my dumbbells and my body, but I am having difficulties figuring out the best way to work my chest without a bench press.

I don't have room for a bench press and I also don't really have the money for one. So I'm looking at other options. I have a piano bench in my room, and while it is a fairly big piano bench, it's definitely not long enough. However, I think I could make some use of it still, but I don't really know what is required of a bench.

My guess is that I want to the bench to support my whole body so that, while lifting my chest does the work, but a more specific layout of what is required would enable me to assess whether or not I can actually create a workable bench press with what I have(the piano bench, a chair, some blocks, a computer tower...etc. various things that might provide enough surface for my whole body) While I may be able to create a working bench, it might not be worth it in the end, but I would still like to see what I can't do with this, so any input would be appreciated. (I'm looking at you murbot)

Would I be better off just getting a bench? or looking for other effective means to work my chest(pushups being the only other I can think of)

[Moogs]

Is the bench long enough to support you from your bum to your noggin? You could just pull your knees up and rest your heals on the edge of the bench while you do free presses with the dumbells.

Still I doubt a simple padded bench would cost as much as a gym membership. Might make sense to just buy one.

[Wrao]

Right well, the other part of why I'm asking is because I was curious as to what, if any, are the requirements to a bench for bench pressing

The thing is, I can have it go from my bum to my noggin if I have a small gap around where my shoulders are. So my ass is on the edge of the bench, my lower back and mid back is on the rest of the bench, then the top of the upper back is in air, and my head is sitting on a chair that is flush with the bench. So there is a small... like 5 inch gap, and I wonder if that will matter all that much.

[Moogs]

ehhh... that sounds not quite right.

I am not expert by any means but you want everything from the back of your head to your bumm completely supported by one surface, including your shoulder-blades (iow too narrow a bench isn't good either). You don't want gaps.

Gaps r bayad, hmmmkuy? :smokey:

[Wrao]

Naturally, that's what I assumed, but I wanted some clarification on the matter

[murbot]

How heavy are your dumbbells? Seems to me that a bench like that wouldn't really be solid enough to support you, unless you're only moving a smallish amount of weight... in which case you could just build a chest workout around bodyweight exercises, ie - various types pushups, dips, etc.

[murbot]

Instead of trying to figure out how to use a piano bench to support a chest workout, I'd try to find a good place to do dips and pullups. If you can find somewhere with solid bars around shoulder width or slightly wider, you can get a good chest workout if you lean yourself forward during the movement.

Hell, you can give yourself a great workout with dips, pushups, pullups, and chins. Then use your dumbbells for your shoulders, and for weight to do squats, lunges, and for calf raises on a stair.

(you won't have to touch your arms after the dips and pullups)

If you need a little pullup inspiration:

Pullups: A Matter of Function

I'll take a grip like a vice and a barndoor back over big pecs any day.

[Wrao]

Thanks for the input murb

[The Return of the 'nut]

benchpress is useless anyway. just a bragging right thing.

just keep to the free weights. can have the same or better effect.

[murbot]

Speaking of barndoor backs... in comes the rower.

Hey 'nut, I'm curious, how many chins and pullups can you do?

I always get 'em mixed up too, I think pullups are palms facing you and chins are palms out (pronated). Do I have that right?

[Wrao]

It's interesting hearing some of the opinions on bench press. Because it is one workout I've barely done, and I've always felt kinda like I was missing out on something, everyone always talks about it and such, I've always been personally more interested in functional training.

Over the summer I was doing handstand pushups, I would like to be able to do that again. My mom has a total gym, which I've found can be quite great for doing elevated pushups(or presses or whatever they're called)

And yea, Free weights really are all you need, well, for the most part. It's amazing how much you can do with a pair of weights and your body, I mean, it makes sense of course, but yea, good stuff.

On a related note, an old music teacher of mine, I don't know how many he could do total, but I once saw him bust out 30 pullups 'just for fun' he looked completely unfazed by it too.

[Gargoyle]

put the bench, computer tower & anything else you can find on your back and then do press-ups!!!

[BuonRotto]

Try dips, butterflies and pushups where your hands are close together instead of wide to work your chest. Be sure to balance your chest by doing pull-ups or chin-ups (murbot has the distinction) for your biceps and back, sit-ups (not crunches, just go more slowly and don't arch your back) and leg lifts for your abs and lower back, squats and lunges for your legs. Those exercises basically cover your whole body. It's really important to build up your back which, along with legs, men usually neglect.

(Women usually neglect their backs too, except for this nubile she-ra I saw last weekend... but I digress.)