Bench Press

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*template
Has anyone decided to just do touch and go instead of comp bench while running the BBM templates? I’m considering it. I don’t compete and probably will not anytime soon. should I just start doing touch and go instead?

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That decision is entirely up to you. The whole point of practicing the pause is because the pause is involved in the “test”, i.e. the meet. If you have no test involving the pause, there’s no need to practice the pause, or even barbell bench press for that matter.

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that’s a bit extreme wouldn’t you say? I have my reasons as to why I train. no need to devolve it into it being pointless because I choose not to compete.

I’m just curious if I would benefit more from the pause than say touch and go. if its just a matter of practice for a competition I don’t see why I would necessarily not be able to supplement the movement with touch and go instead.

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I never said your training needed to be pointless. To the contrary, the “point” of your training (your “reasons”) should dictate how you train. In other words, what are your goals? If it’s not to compete in a barbell sport, or compete in anything at all, then your arsenal is endless in terms of exercise selection and there is nothing at all about barbells that make them universally preferable irrespective of individual preference. If you enjoy barbells then train with barbells. But choosing to not train with barbells is ok and doesn’t mean that your training has devolved in any sense or that its now pointless. I hope I’m being clear.

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Hi, As has been said, you can do whatever you want and I don’t think your training will be significantly negatively impacted.

Personally though, i think of all the bench variations (touch & go, comp, spoto, incline, etc) as distinct and valuable. I really like the comp bench because it forces me to slow down, concentrate on form, and eliminates any rebound/bounce. For these reasons, I think comp bench is harder than touch & go, so I keep it in my programs.

btw, i like your profile image. I got kicked out of a molly hatchet concert in '88 or '89 for being too rowdy.