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5 weeks until the bench meet

  • Thread starter Thread starter revexrevex
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revexrevex

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I am going to do meet Parabellum posted. Basically I have 5 weeks to get ready. I already added speed bench once a week, and planning to start low on my bench press and work it twice every 8 days and peak at the meet. What do you guys think, or can there be a better way. I cannot do Westside training at the moment simply because I do not have boards, bands and chains.. and the only thing I have in my desposal are the rack lockouts. I cannot even do floorpresses because my gym fuckin sucks. So any ideas?
 
i'm no expert but...

where are you weak on the bench?

if its a raw meet i would hammer my triceps but also do some good bottom work...like illegal wide presses
 
What weight are you coming in at? If my bicep tendon heals I'm competing at that meet.

If I heal up and your in my weight class I must dominate you, if not I'll be there to help you and lend moral support, lift-offs etc.

Just kidding about the dominating part, I'll be more than happy to help.

PARAB,

I'm having a hard time getting in touch with the people despite the scanned copy with contact numbers you posted. I want to know what can I bring and what not to bring ?

Can I use my Inzer wrist wraps ?
Can I wear my lucky hat while lifting?
Can I use a belt (not that I intend to)?
Can I wear elbow wraps (thats a biggy for my bicep tendon injury)?

I need these questions answered and I cannot touch base with anyone over there.
 
i'd do a basic periodization workout to 'peak' for the meet. i'd do speed bench once a week also until then

rows, rack lockouts, tricep work, shoulder presses then you got it covered

good luck
 
IBench900 said:
I'm having a hard time getting in touch with the people despite the scanned copy with contact numbers you posted. I want to know what can I bring and what not to bring ?

Can I use my Inzer wrist wraps ?
Can I wear my lucky hat while lifting?
Can I use a belt (not that I intend to)?
Can I wear elbow wraps (thats a biggy for my bicep tendon injury)?

I need these questions answered and I cannot touch base with anyone over there.

They are horrible with returning calls.

At the last Y contest they had a set of rules but they did not enforce them entirely.

No feet movement, bar can not come down once it started its accent, belt ok, and they allowed the use of an elbow support for a guy even though it was against the rules.

They allowed someone to bounce the weight up and he got 2nd place.

Each place is different so who knows.
I call Jim and see if he can tell me the rules. He calls back. ( 4 days later but he calls back)
 
If you are serious about the meet, this should take precedence in your training. ask yourself, will this help my bench? with that said, i recommend benching twice a week until one week before the meet. of your 2 day bench split, day one work up to a heavy triple on your competition bench. pay strict attention to form as you only have 4 weeks of actual training to get there and you aware your setup needs lots of help. once you find your max triple try and get a couple extra sets in with the same weight. this day you can also do some tricep work of your choice
on your second bench day work up to a heavy triple on close bench. next do your rack lockouts and do at least a few sets of heavy triples.
i say drop the speed bench, i really believe your form, meaning you revex, will suffer by doing it. next you need to do a day of shoulders, and another for rows, shrugs, pullups, etc. after that you can do whatever you want. i would recommend taking a day off before your bench days to get the full benefit of a days rest before going all out. i know you do events on sunday so i would recommend doing your first bench day on tuesday and your second on saturday.

the week before the meet you should just rest so you really only maybe 8 times to bench before the meet. make the most of them
 
ibench900 lol bring it

devastation I'll tape it on tuesday, that sounds like an awesome plan, I am using your setup advice, it is very painful but I feel al ot more stable. So first workout will be tomorrow and I will post vids here.

Rojas yap
 
How much does IBench900 really bench?
 
Devastation ok here is the plan. On Sunday I am able to do some board presses because t3c has boards at his gym. So this is the plan of all days that relate to benchpress training.

Tuesday:
Heavy 3 x 3 on flat bench
3 x 5 Rack Lockouts
3 x 15 Pullups or Rows
3 x 20 Shrugs

Friday:
Heavy Incline or Heavy Shoulders, 5 x 3

Sunday:
2 Board Press to a max Single

Also I will attempt somewhere close to 300 in the 198 lb class, I know its not much but have to start somewhere right? A kid who is coming with me will attempt 365 in the 176 lb class, so that's enough motivation to train. It may look like high volume but I just broken up 2nd bench day into 2 days. So any mistakes?
 
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revexrevex said:
Devastation ok here is the plan. On Sunday I am able to do some board presses because t3c has boards at his gym. So this is the plan of all days that relate to benchpress training.

Tuesday:
Heavy 3 x 3 on flat bench
3 x 5 Rack Lockouts
3 x 15 Pullups or Rows
3 x 20 Shrugs

Friday:
Heavy Incline or Heavy Shoulders, 5 x 3

Sunday:
2 Board Press to a max Single


there is a couple of things that won't work. doing low boards on sunday and then attempting regular bench on tuesday will kill anything you can put up. do tuesday's workout on sunday then, switch rack lockouts to your other workout, which you should change to thursday to get at least 2 full days of rest between your bench workouts
 
Bro its absolutely impossible for me to do a full bench workout on Sunday because I will be owned by events later on. I can of course workout Tuesday/Friday but I won't have benefits of the boards. NOt sure at what to do
 
it's what ever is most important to you right now. if bench is important make it so. if events are, keep doing them and make bench second. you will not bench as much as you can at the meet however. i can't tell you what to do
 
revexrevex said:
Bro its absolutely impossible for me to do a full bench workout on Sunday because I will be owned by events later on. I can of course workout Tuesday/Friday but I won't have benefits of the boards. NOt sure at what to do

Can you set the safety bars huigher to simulate board presses. This is how peeps used to do it. before boards came along.
 
Hey Rever,

I don't bench that much and I certainly don't want anyone to think I'm talking cheese, just jazzing you guys up, don;t want to set myself up for a bomb out. I'd rather lose to someone on this board and help them win and form a bond with some elite peeps than sit in the back and root against you guys. I'm going for fun, like Parab said its a good beginner meet and I'm a beginner.

To be honest I'm at around 225 right now, my goal would be to come in at 210 - 220 and leave with a 385 bench, win or lose, its my first comp, I'll be nervous etc.

Just want to get a quick comp under my belt and go there to bench for myself, trophy or not, I just want to hit my goal and move from there.

To be honest I would rather be beaten by someone on this board who is mad cool than some YMCA local geek who bounced a friggin bar off his chest.

MIKE
 
IBench900 said:
I certainly don't want anyone to think I'm talking cheese, just jazzing you guys up, don;t want to set myself up for a bomb out. I'd rather lose to someone on this board and help them win and form a bond with some elite peeps than sit in the back and root against you guys. I'm going for fun, like Parab said its a good beginner meet and I'm a beginner.

You are cool bro- nothing wrong with a little competition- I was just wondering what you put up cause of the name, that is all....
 
THNX Becoming,

The name is just my tribute to Scot Mendelson.

Consider it an "oxymoron" for lack of a better term,

you know like thunderous silence ....... I Bench 900
 
Ibench prepare to be crushed. It'll be coool, lots of people are coming out for this, should be fun!
 
Hey Para I think I may have found a way to do floor presses and board presses, going to go to a different gym. Thank you everyone for their input. And Ibench I am glad that I am dieting down to 198, I wont be in your class, muwhaha
 
Never-the-less, I'm available for handoffs , chalk, wraps etc.

And oh yeah, shouting curses in your ear and motivational smacks in the back are available as well.....you have carte blanche.


Mike
 
Tuesday - October 21 - Day 1

First heavy bench workout in 1.5 months since I injured shoulder. I felt fucking weak, probably still not recovered from Sunday session. Shoulder didn't bother me though. Hope to get back where I was before. Devastation, I think I did the setup pretty good according to your instructions, the only thing that sucked was I couldn't keep elbows in on wider grip benches.

Flat Bench
135 x 5
155 x 3
185 x 3 - first time ever I did this kind of setup, my ass didnt lift once from bench.... finally!
225 x 3
245 x 2 - Wide Grip
245 x 2 - Closer Grip
245 x 2 - Back to Wide
250 x 1 - Missed second

Decline Bench
205 x 3
225 x 3
245 x 3
275 x I was dead by this point

Pullups: 2 x 15 with BW
Shrugs: 225 x 3 sets x 15 reps with thick bar
One arm french extensions: Upto 40 x 5 each hand
Two 25 lb plate holds by smooth side: 5 seconds right hand, 0 seconds left hand lol
 
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i can't see any vids. you will not be able to have good form when you do wide grips. you should only go as far out, index finger on ring when you bench. forget about wide grip for now and practice your form. keep doing decline bench on this day, otherwise looks good
 
Devastation try again, I accidentally mistyped the address

I really appreciate it bro. The videos are really small. Less than 300k
 
i didnt watch all the vids but your form on 225 looks alright. bring the bar lower on your stomach, half way from bottom of chest to your belly button, and keep trying to tuck your elbows more. decent arch
 
Ok bro thanks a lot for your help. On Friday I am thinking 3 board presses + Floor presses. Thanks a lot bro again
 
Para, yea I am looking forward to it! Probably in the next couple of weeks.

Ibench im trying to get down to 198... muwhahaa cant catch me
 
Hey bor- nice work- I bet you will be sore tomorrow since you have not done heavy bench in a while.... on the positive side, I bet you will make some big leaps coming up soon too!
 
I'll be there. I'm training for it but I do have a shoulder problem. I haven't tried anything heavy in some time, so I don't know if I can compete.

This is basically a "touch and go" meet then?

I'm curious about the weight classes you guys are competing in. I'd rather not compete against any of you because I can easily go either way - 225 or up.

I will need a lift off from one of you peeps.
 
The gym owner won't allow me. I have to go to another gym, pay $10 for one time visit. Fuckin sucks, but its worth it
 
2 things:

#1 I stepped on the scale last night and I was 237 all of a sudden, damn me to hell for having a Puerto Rican wife who swears rice and beans are good for breakfast as well, I've popped on 10 pounds in 2 weeks, my training has been going really well, very grueling and my body is just constantly beggin me for food. If I go in as super heavy I'm a dead man int he water because I'd be on the low end, must get back down to 220 and retain my strength. Abort mission on all my trash talk, just want to lift for fun and make some friends.

#2 Rev listen very clearly, Home Depot a 2 x 4 is 2 bucks and they will cut it in pieces for you for free. You do not need a partner to hold the boards, I use a mini band or knee wraps, use anything even a friggin ace bandage. I take my boards with me when I go and when I leave, the gym owner wont even see them, judging by your videos the power rack your in looks like its in the back or a confined area.

My gym doesnt allow chalk, but you bet your ass when I leave at night the floor looks like the roof caved in, he has seen me use chalk and he always says shit, I just ignore him.

Sneak the boards in and use them, these f*cking gym owners crack me up.

Rev, Parab, genarr, one of you sons of b*tches please build a basement gym so we can all get together and train.

Kind of funny considering if we are all in traveling distance from Queens YMCA we should all meet up sometime, somewhere at one of our gyms and have a maniac training session....Just food for thought.

Mike
 
IBench900 said:
2 things:

Abort mission on all my trash talk, just want to lift for fun and make some friends.


Oh so this is the deal now huh. Changed your tune huh. LOL I just started a new job and thinking of buying a power rack, olympic platform, bench and 600 lbs of weights and stick it into my backyard. If I do go through with that, any of you guys can definetely come and train. Im also thinking of using my chemistry book for board presses, that mother fucker is so thick and I hate it with passion
 
revexrevex said:


Oh so this is the deal now huh. Changed your tune huh. LOL I just started a new job and thinking of buying a power rack, olympic platform, bench and 600 lbs of weights and stick it into my backyard. If I do go through with that, any of you guys can definetely come and train. Im also thinking of using my chemistry book for board presses, that mother fucker is so thick and I hate it with passion

Dude- you best not get a platform before I get one! And won't it snow out there?

Good idea with the chemistry book- why put a hurting on some harmless little boards?
 
IBench900 said:
2 things:

#1 I stepped on the scale last night and I was 237 all of a sudden, damn me to hell for having a Puerto Rican wife who swears rice and beans are good for breakfast as well, I've popped on 10 pounds in 2 weeks, my training has been going really well, very grueling and my body is just constantly beggin me for food. If I go in as super heavy I'm a dead man int he water because I'd be on the low end, must get back down to 220 and retain my strength. Abort mission on all my trash talk, just want to lift for fun and make some friends.

#2 Rev listen very clearly, Home Depot a 2 x 4 is 2 bucks and they will cut it in pieces for you for free. You do not need a partner to hold the boards, I use a mini band or knee wraps, use anything even a friggin ace bandage. I take my boards with me when I go and when I leave, the gym owner wont even see them, judging by your videos the power rack your in looks like its in the back or a confined area.

My gym doesnt allow chalk, but you bet your ass when I leave at night the floor looks like the roof caved in, he has seen me use chalk and he always says shit, I just ignore him.

Sneak the boards in and use them, these f*cking gym owners crack me up.

Rev, Parab, genarr, one of you sons of b*tches please build a basement gym so we can all get together and train.

Kind of funny considering if we are all in traveling distance from Queens YMCA we should all meet up sometime, somewhere at one of our gyms and have a maniac training session....Just food for thought.

Mike
Funny thing about local meets. It all depends on who shows up. I broke my ass making 198 a few years back and didn't even place. A trio of monster lifters showed up for that class. If I'd been in the next higher weight class I would have took second.
For something like this don't stress about your weight, I only posted about it because I'd prefer not to compete against members of the board.
Maybe this way Elite can sweep the event - LOL.
 
sk* said:
Hope i'll see you there genarr.

Rev, you know i'll be there. :)

-sk
I'll be there, competing or not. Depends on my left shoulder. I'll know in a couple of weeks if I can make a decent showing.

I took the entire summer off and started training again just after Labor day. I wish I knew about this sooner so I'd be prepared for sure. But right now I'm totally focused on my bench, hopefully it won't let me down.
 
I'm not going to bust my butt to make weight, I mean its only a friggin Y meet, not like its the Arnold Classic.....

Just don't want to wind up in the lower end of the big boy class, either way, I'm looking to have fun and set a personal PR, especially since I've been gearing my lifting towards the use of a shirt, so a raw bench comp would be nostalgic.

If (or when) I get 405 and up to drop raw then I'll probably stay at this weight maybe even stuff myself.

Either way I'd like to see our Elite crew dominate the meet, especially considering 410 and up IS A LOCK for Parab.
 
Ok I made some boards, the thickness is 4", I think thats between 2 and 3 boards? Ill get some more boards later and make it thicker but for today this will do
 
Friday - October 24

4 inches Board press
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 3
255 x 2
265 x 1 <-- WTF my board press is lower than my regular benchpress, I was fucking pissed
225 x 6

Rack Lockouts - about 10" of motion
225 x 3
245 x 3
255 x 3 (Best was 295 x 2)
225 x 6

Dumbell Shoulders with Palms facing each other: 2 x 12
Dumbell Bench with Palms with Palms in: 2 x 12
Supported Rows: 2 x 10
Pushdowns: 2 x 20

I cant believe that shoulder fucked me up so much. I thought I would be stronger on boards, but maybe its just below my sticking point and that's why I didnt do better, still this fucking sucks. I was also so tired, I am not use to this volume, been doing 1 working set for bench for like 8 months. Hope my endurance will go up.
 
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You could have probably hit your old bench PR on boards if you skipped the 255 x 2, but you know what this means ... just hammer away your triceps man, you have the same problem as myself.

Also, you seem to be shaking a bit on the bench, and on the third rep of the 245 your feet moved completely. I am not the best bench expert but that's the thing that came to mind first ...

-sk
 
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that is weird to have a lower board press, but it is ore than likley your sticking poin/weakness.
time to hammer it
 
Yea bro, either its because I wasnt use to this exercise or its right at my sticking point and I do not have the momentum to blast through it. HOw was the workout overall though?
 
i wouldnt of went for 2 at 255 , kept it a single.

try a little less range of motion on the rack lockout 8" or less, and pile on the weight

might want to up the lat work, but i understand volume takes a while to add.
are you benching raw ?? good idea to add the dumbell presses. if you are

i personally dont go to failure, until my last set.
 
Ok bro I'll go for singles next time. It is much easier to maintain setup. Also will do some heavy bentover rows and pullups probably tomorrow, and yap its raw
 
rjl296 said:
that is weird to have a lower board press, but it is ore than likley your sticking poin/weakness.
time to hammer it

I had the same problem. My form was off and my grip was too narrow.

Move the bar right under the uprights, how you had it set up for boards and that should give you 3" - 6".
 
Hit those triceps brolio. I would cut the ROM down on those lockouts and go for lots of heavy singles. Triceps can take a hell of a lot more abuse than you might think.

Poor rev had to sneak his little board in. You look guilty when you take it out of your shirt. :)
 
I think your main problem is your just not used to board pressing. ONce youbecome accustomed to it you'll up in weigth much more, work it religiously for 2 to 3 more weeks I bet you see a peak in performance, good lifting though.

Also, many may disagree here, but I would NOT go single crazy, stay with doubles, like I said I expect everyone to disagree, but for me I do not go single crazy.

Mike
 
IBench900 said:
I think your main problem is your just not used to board pressing. ONce youbecome accustomed to it you'll up in weigth much more, work it religiously for 2 to 3 more weeks I bet you see a peak in performance, good lifting though.

Also, many may disagree here, but I would NOT go single crazy, stay with doubles, like I said I expect everyone to disagree, but for me I do not go single crazy.

Mike

Revex- nice work bro... I would agree with 9hondo... You are not used to working that range of motion, also, you have no momentum going into the upper portion of the lift... it is much harder, but I also think you will see bigtime progress after just a few weeks... be patient with it, but also be sure to push yourself...

I also would go doubles or triples for at least the next two weeks, and not so much singles the reason being BECAUSE you are still far out from your max (being that you have not trained this for awhile)... I think you will pick up a lot of pounds over the next couple weeks....

Also, it will not hurt for you to get more practice on your form, etc, and max singles not help in this regard...

PS- Don't ever go into a life of crime... you look suspicous as hell looking around after taking the boards out...
 
The reason I said he should do heavy singles on lockouts was because the last time he was doing 3-6 reps at the end of his workout with weights that he could do a full bench with. I was thinking singles on rack lockouts with weights closer to his regular bench max might get his triceps used to locking out that weight. I don't see the benefit of doing lockouts with 245-255 when his max is 275. Just wanted to explain my reasoning.

You guys are better benchers than I am, so if I'm off base here let me know. :)
 
Not off base at all.

My opinion is such that with boards and lockouts, they most def should be above your max, even if its 5 pounds, but its going to take him time to get there especially if he's PAUSING on the boards.

Bottom line, once you are getting weight above your max on boards, and lockouts then let the singles fly.

Lastly, Rev, you did a good job smuggling the boards in your gym, I have some packages of coke I need brought over from Costa Rica and you look like you've got the skillz for that job.

Mike

(For all Federal Agents on this board...I was just kidding)
 
Mike_Rojas said:
I was thinking singles on rack lockouts with weights closer to his regular bench max might get his triceps used to locking out that weight. I don't see the benefit of doing lockouts with 245-255 when his max is 275.

Totally with 9 hondo again... I don't think you are wrong, I just thing doing doubles and triples for a couple weeks will help him get to where he needs to be faster... maybe switch out to singles in a few weeks...
 
sk* said:
You could have probably hit your old bench PR on boards if you skipped the 255 x 2, but you know what this means ... just hammer away your triceps man, you have the same problem as myself.

Also, you seem to be shaking a bit on the bench, and on the third rep of the 245 your feet moved completely. I am not the best bench expert but that's the thing that came to mind first ...

-sk
I noticed the leg shaking also. You need to get that under control. With practice it will stop, but be aware it's wasted effort.
 
Wow I didn't expect this. I really appreciate everyone who put their opinion in. Rojas I respect your opinion enormously, your bench keeps going up, I must learn as much from you as possible.

Can you guys explain to me this lockout idea? If I can lockout 335 lbs, but my bench is only 275.... then obviously that is not my weak point. So why should I make my strong point... even stronger? Will that overload the triceps and make them stronger.. or I don't seem to grasp the idea. It is like saying do quarter squats with 600 lbs even though your full squat max is only 400. How will that help the increase of a full bench?
 
rjl296 said:
get mind/body used to heavy weights

as far as the mental aspect-
if you have never picked up your new max before attempting it-say 300, it will seem heavy as hell.... if you have done lockouts or other partial work at 330-350, it will not seem like that much...
 
Tuesday - October 8

I had a total of 4 hours of sleep last two days, because of work,... but went to gym anyways... even 135 was shaking so I did

bench: 225 x 3 reps x 5 sets
close grip shoulders: 3 x 5
Pulldowns: 250 x 10 reps x 3 sets
Shrugs and some poewr cleans

Sleep really fucks u up
 
Lockouts were one of the best assistance movements I've ever added to my bench workout. In addition to what was already posted I'll add I believe it helps in muscle recruitment. In simple terms it helps your brain learn what muscles it needs to use to move very heavy weight.
You'll also soon learn that anything you can get past your sticking point you will finish. Not only will lockouts help you with this physically; mentally you'll believe. Which counts for a whole lot more then most people think.
 
Becoming said:


as far as the mental aspect-
if you have never picked up your new max before attempting it-say 300, it will seem heavy as hell.... if you have done lockouts or other partial work at 330-350, it will not seem like that much...

I've never considered that. When I max out on bench it always feels amazingly heavy. Not surprisingly, its also the most weight I ever hold in my hands, because I've never spent too much time doing lockouts.

This is a great thread. I'm disappointed I only popped into the PL forum and discovered it now.
 
Zander1983 said:
I've never considered that. When I max out on bench it always feels amazingly heavy. Not surprisingly, its also the most weight I ever hold in my hands, because I've never spent too much time doing lockouts.

static holds do wonders when done weeks leading up to a meet. load the bar up to 120% of your max and simply hold it at arms lengths for a 10 count and rack. Maybe 2 sets at the end of your bench workout. Training weights sure dont "feel" heavy after doing this with progressively heavier poundages

my last meet I did a 385 and had worked up to 455 in the statics, didnt feel like shit when I took it out of the racks

352230.56683.jpg
 
Saturday - November 08 - Bench Workout
http://bebinary.com/alex/november8/...eclinebench.wmv

Decline Bench
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 2
275 x 2
285 x 1!!!
295 x 1!!!

Rack Lockouts - from sticking point
225 x 10
275 x 3
305 x 1!!!
225 x 10

Supported Tbar Rows: 135 x 2 sets x 10
Hammer Curls: 50's x 2 sets x 10
Shrugs: 100's x 2 sets x 20 reps
FacePulls SUpersetted with Reverse PecDeck: 2 x 10
Standing Shoulder Presses: 55's x 2 sets x 10
 
Tuesday- November 11

2 Board Press - going with singles because it is almost meet time

135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
245 x 1
265 x 1
285 x 1
305 x miss
305 x 1!!!
225 x 14 - i went crazy

3 inch lockouts
135 x ..
225 x ...
275 x 3
315 x 3
335 x 3
365 x 1
385 x 1 - damn

Close Grip Military Presses - 135 x 3 sets x 5 - paused at clavicle for 3 seconds and exploded up
Tricep Extensions - 3 x 20

One more workout to go
 
I left a note to my boss, for the 22nd, that I can't work. I'm definetely coming to cheer you guys on. :)

-sk
 
I don't do anymore powerlifting(right now at least) because I'm doing upcoming BB shows; but when I did do a bench comp. my trainer had me doing weighted dips(heavy). But you stand on a platform so that you are only going down to right above parallel. It's more of a heavy lockout movement and really increases your strength.
 
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