Spotter helps you progression, but a gym with a rack can be a good replacement. Lets you max out and fail if needed. Try negative bench reps with 20-25lbs over your max. Lower the weight as slow as possible to the safety bars. If you can throw in pauses even better.

IMO I prefer to do these in the smith machine 1 armed. So you can just push the weight back up with 2 arms at the bottom of the set rather than having to get up and dead lift it.

Brain dont feel bad. I just got back from the gym, I only benched 155 for 12, I will be going up next week though, the shoulder is feeling better and better. Also dont feel bad about the deads. I threw them into the end of the workout today for kicks, I did 185 for 4 before I stopped on only the 2nd set. I felt like I was gonna burst a hammy. Maybe I should have come back in slower since I havent done deads since high school. Lol.

Its funny doing all these press exercises with mostly under 135lbs on the bar and all the shrimpy hard gainer kids staring at me while they're incline pressing 245 and I'm bigger than them. I have to try not to lol. Fuck my shoulder.

Relevant.

Because they can't get their squat work in because bros are always using the squat racks for curls and bench work?

lol aint that always the excuse? Usually for overweight people. "Ehh sorry guyzzz i cant workout because theres too many people at the gym so i'll stay home and watch tv instead."

Shit I do that

Excuse? This is why I wake up at 4:30am every morning and go to the gym. So I don't have to deal with "bros" that circle jerk around every useful machine and pretend to be big, and the guys who somehow figure out the wrong way to use every useful machine.

The gym is utterly useless 90% of the time it's open. Gym etiquette is quite clear regarding utilization of squat racks. Now if it's not busy, and there are plenty open, it doesn't really matter.

I go to the gym at 5:45pm.. during rush hour.. most busiest hours and i have no problems getting my very very long workout done in an hour and a half. Grow a thicker skin, talk to people, ask them how many sets they have, ask to jump in and do your sets. Little communication goes a long way.

I won't assume things about you, but there is absolutely no way to get a good workout in during the busiest hours unless your gym is in some sort of secret location where busy means 3-4 people in the gym at the same time as you, or your workout consists of 1 exercise on 1 machine for 1.5 hours. .

And trust me, I've seen that workout. I see the guy that literally just sits at the bench and does bench press for an entire hour. Or holds the squat rack hostage while he does 87 different workouts that aren't meant for the squat rack.

I'm not angry about it, they paid money to be there just like me. Which is why I go early to avoid it. I go to the gym for one thing, to work out. It isn't a social event, and it shouldn't be. I expect to be left alone while I throw around heavy shit.

Well my average set is 275 of 8 on bench, 20-25 pullups per set, i dont do heavy squats any more however i do do sets of 15-20 as a warm up with a plate and a half per side. curl about 125 for sets of 8 without swinging. What else.. I hope that gives you an idea of "me".

Thats what I do. Just imagine if its a girl using the machine and, gasp, you have to talk to a girl to find how many more sets she has. I mean talking to another human being is one thing, but having to talk to a girl, its just impossible. :giggle:

So i recently started going to another gym closer to my job. Anyways theres this chick. Looks like she used to be a body builder now in her late 50s... I just started working out with my buddy so hes new to the gym. Made me laugh when she went to use the machine after him and ended up putting on plates vs what he had on there. The look on his face was priceless.

There's a lady at my gym that looks like Giada; short arms and all.

Not sure if that's supposed to impress me. numbers on the internet mean nothing. The fact that you listed them tells me enough.

The Smith Machine or any other machine that simulates the bench is another way to do negatives one-armed as mentioned. Just understand that the Smith Machine is typically counter balanced so that the bar weighs 20lbs (i.e. Compensate).

but will she cook for you

i dunno, i could ask.

That and it's also stabilized, reducing the use of neutralizer and stabilizer muscles.

As for straight up using a squat rack in order to have the safeties, there is no way to do that and still get full range of motion unless you happen to be at the perfect height.

Since we are talking about "growing some thick skin and talking to people at the gym", just ask for a spotter and use a real bench. Luckily I have friends that go to the gym the same time I do, and just call them over quick when I need a spot for something. But most places the staff can and will spot you so you don't annoy people by asking them to put their junk in your face while you struggle.

The same handful of guys are always at the gym when I go, and I've asked and been asked to spot every now and again, so that's always nice.