For me, it is continuous improvements in strength that make you grow.
First comes strength, then comes size. Every time.
You can utilize lighter weights and vary your rep tempo etc. At the end of the day my belief is:
If you took 2 identical twins, one using TUT and other techniques.
The other one using strength and increasing weight each cycle through each week, just a small amount of weight increased each week and use a dynamic rep scheme.
The one that added weight and increased strength will have better bone densities, better tendon strength, larger more dense muscles and when he gets an injury or takes a break for some reason. The second twin will retain more muscle mass, have better muscle memory and be able to get back in lifting shape a lot quicker.
In saying that, one does not need to use the bench press, as others have mentioned. Dumbells work very well, and I believe they may work better and help out the stabilizing muscles etc.
But using lighter weights and slowing the reps down will not be as effective as explosive positive and slow controlled negative with as much weight as you can handle and taxing the CNS central nervous system.
The CNS is the biggest limiting factor for growth. Not the only factor, but IMO the most influential.
Strengthen the CNS and become used to progressively adding more weight until you cannot add anymore which does happen of course.
Then change up your exercises and throw the ones you limited out on out the door for awhile.
Then over time continuously adding more weight, max out on your next new exercises.
Come back to the ones you threw out the door and every time you will surpass your old personal gains.
I think that is what people see more than anything.
The bench press has become stale and stagnated and growth slows or stops.
You put new exercises in and boom you are growing again.
If you bring bench press or the old exercise back again, you will also grow again if you are still getting stronger and able to add in a bit more weight or even one more rep.