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Vulgar_Display_Of_Power
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COuld you go over some of what you guys are doing in the bench as we discussed last nite?
Thanks man
Thanks man
AnimalMass-
- Thread starter Vulgar_Display_Of_Power
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AnimalMass1
New member
Here's the thing with the enigma that is double denim bench shirts.
I will say, first, that I have NEVER used a poly. I broke my bench shirt cherry with a inzer single radical cut, and have since moved to an inzer double and a karen's double.
After 2 years of benching in these shirts, I finally feel like I am beginning to grasp how to get the most out of your shirt. However, I still have alot to learn. I get over 100lbs out of my shirt from my raw max, but I'd like to get 200lbs.
I joke with DG21 alot in that my goal in powerlifting is to be crushed by 315 raw, but be able to bench 700 in a shirt. LOL
OK, on to business...
The first thing we learned about the DD, is that no one wears them tight enough. You think it's tight enough? It isn't. Talk to Jim Parrish (who has some wakcy training ideas, but his shirt and squat suit work is unparalleled) and he'll tell you that when they get a new shirt in, they have the lifter try it on, and anywhere it isn't absolutely super tight, they take it apart and make it tighter in that area. - The arms, chest plate, pits, etc. - everyting should be super tight.
When I set up for the bench with my shirt on, I have to walk my hands out to competition width, because I am getting quite a bit of tightness even at the top.
Second thing, no one wears their shirt low enough. You know how we all have double denims? Well, you see that band at the top of the shirt? That's like 4-6 ply denim. Use it to your advantage.
The shirt should be completely off your shoulders. Your nipples should be just about to pop out of the top of the shirt. That's low, and that's making the band work for you.
Now, when you wear a shirt this low, it's gonna change the groove some, where you bring the bar really low on the stomach, but then you have ot press it back towards your head some to stay balanced and hit the strength curve. (Pressing in a straight line is awesome, but it just can't be done when you are taking the bar that low.) However, I still don't advocate pushing the bar up over your face. The bar will travel from just below the bottom of the sternum, and as you push it up, it will end up over the mid-chest somewhere.
OK, Third...
Shirt work. We have experimented alot, and what seems to work best for us three-lift competitors is to get in shirt work on ME day every other week. We hit regular Westside one week with boards and whatnot, and then the following week we will do shirt work for our ME exercise. Sometimes we won't work up to a 1rm, sometimes it will be a 3rm or maybe even a 5rm, but we will get alot of reps in that day in our shirts.
Nothing with teach you how to use a shirt like putting the shirt on and moving wieght in it.
Now, what I have found has been the hardest thing about the shirtwork, is getting the weight to touch while staying tight and in the groove. (If you can do that, pushing it back up is the easy part.)
When you wear your shirt tight and really low (as explained earlier), the bar tends to feel great at the top. You need to stay tight (especially in the lats), and start bringing the bar down where it is the tightest/hardest (not where it's easy to get it down). This is still pretty easy until you get about 3 inches from your chest. At that point the bar will start fighting pretty hard to fall on your stomach, or come back and land on your face.
This is the moment of truth...
At that point you have to realize that you are stronger than the shirt. Stay unbelievable tight and keep that bar in the groove where the shirt is at it's tightest. Begin to pull the bar toward your belly the last couple inches, and bring that belly up a tad to meet the bar.
Then drive with every ounce of strength in your body. That bar will shoot off your chest like nothing you've ever seen. Push hard and stay controlled. Don't quit pushing with all yur might until your elbows lock (I have this problem sometimes, in that the bar flies off my chest so fast, i forget to keep pushing as it slows down.)
That's how you work in a shirt.
Now, another thing we have found is that it can really be beneficial to just practice getting weight down in the shirt. Have your workout partner hand off and you concentrate on only taking the weight down where it needs to be - stay tight, etc.
Once you touch, or the weight won't move any further, have your spotter take the weight.
That's about it. One of the best shirt days we ever had here, was when I threw on the shirt (at 240lbs) that my brother used at 181, and 198. DG21 (at 300 lbs) threw on my shirt that I used at 242.
AnimalMass
I will say, first, that I have NEVER used a poly. I broke my bench shirt cherry with a inzer single radical cut, and have since moved to an inzer double and a karen's double.
After 2 years of benching in these shirts, I finally feel like I am beginning to grasp how to get the most out of your shirt. However, I still have alot to learn. I get over 100lbs out of my shirt from my raw max, but I'd like to get 200lbs.
I joke with DG21 alot in that my goal in powerlifting is to be crushed by 315 raw, but be able to bench 700 in a shirt. LOL
OK, on to business...
The first thing we learned about the DD, is that no one wears them tight enough. You think it's tight enough? It isn't. Talk to Jim Parrish (who has some wakcy training ideas, but his shirt and squat suit work is unparalleled) and he'll tell you that when they get a new shirt in, they have the lifter try it on, and anywhere it isn't absolutely super tight, they take it apart and make it tighter in that area. - The arms, chest plate, pits, etc. - everyting should be super tight.
When I set up for the bench with my shirt on, I have to walk my hands out to competition width, because I am getting quite a bit of tightness even at the top.
Second thing, no one wears their shirt low enough. You know how we all have double denims? Well, you see that band at the top of the shirt? That's like 4-6 ply denim. Use it to your advantage.
The shirt should be completely off your shoulders. Your nipples should be just about to pop out of the top of the shirt. That's low, and that's making the band work for you.
Now, when you wear a shirt this low, it's gonna change the groove some, where you bring the bar really low on the stomach, but then you have ot press it back towards your head some to stay balanced and hit the strength curve. (Pressing in a straight line is awesome, but it just can't be done when you are taking the bar that low.) However, I still don't advocate pushing the bar up over your face. The bar will travel from just below the bottom of the sternum, and as you push it up, it will end up over the mid-chest somewhere.
OK, Third...
Shirt work. We have experimented alot, and what seems to work best for us three-lift competitors is to get in shirt work on ME day every other week. We hit regular Westside one week with boards and whatnot, and then the following week we will do shirt work for our ME exercise. Sometimes we won't work up to a 1rm, sometimes it will be a 3rm or maybe even a 5rm, but we will get alot of reps in that day in our shirts.
Nothing with teach you how to use a shirt like putting the shirt on and moving wieght in it.
Now, what I have found has been the hardest thing about the shirtwork, is getting the weight to touch while staying tight and in the groove. (If you can do that, pushing it back up is the easy part.)
When you wear your shirt tight and really low (as explained earlier), the bar tends to feel great at the top. You need to stay tight (especially in the lats), and start bringing the bar down where it is the tightest/hardest (not where it's easy to get it down). This is still pretty easy until you get about 3 inches from your chest. At that point the bar will start fighting pretty hard to fall on your stomach, or come back and land on your face.
This is the moment of truth...
At that point you have to realize that you are stronger than the shirt. Stay unbelievable tight and keep that bar in the groove where the shirt is at it's tightest. Begin to pull the bar toward your belly the last couple inches, and bring that belly up a tad to meet the bar.
Then drive with every ounce of strength in your body. That bar will shoot off your chest like nothing you've ever seen. Push hard and stay controlled. Don't quit pushing with all yur might until your elbows lock (I have this problem sometimes, in that the bar flies off my chest so fast, i forget to keep pushing as it slows down.)
That's how you work in a shirt.
Now, another thing we have found is that it can really be beneficial to just practice getting weight down in the shirt. Have your workout partner hand off and you concentrate on only taking the weight down where it needs to be - stay tight, etc.
Once you touch, or the weight won't move any further, have your spotter take the weight.
That's about it. One of the best shirt days we ever had here, was when I threw on the shirt (at 240lbs) that my brother used at 181, and 198. DG21 (at 300 lbs) threw on my shirt that I used at 242.
AnimalMass
AnimalMass1
New member
Liftbig said:
Coming from you that means alot bro. Thanks!
AnimalMass
AnimalMass1
New member
Also, just wanted to give a shout out to my little bro who hit a clean 425 today. (That's a 30lb jump since last week when he hit 400 for the first time.)
He's finally learning his shirt.
BTW, I had 455 today, and threw it hard and fast up under the j-hooks - so I didn't count it. But the strength is def. there. - So lookout Hannibal! July 5, bench America, you're going down!
That is, as long as I don't lose too much strength from the malaria or parasites I'll be catching while in Nicaragua for the next three weeks.
AnimalMass
He's finally learning his shirt.
BTW, I had 455 today, and threw it hard and fast up under the j-hooks - so I didn't count it. But the strength is def. there. - So lookout Hannibal! July 5, bench America, you're going down!
That is, as long as I don't lose too much strength from the malaria or parasites I'll be catching while in Nicaragua for the next three weeks.
AnimalMass
Vulgar_Display_Of_Power
New member
Animal-
Just a couple of random Q's...
Do you still try and keep your elbows tucked as with westside style benching. Do you use an extreme arch. What grip do you use?
Just a couple of random Q's...
Do you still try and keep your elbows tucked as with westside style benching. Do you use an extreme arch. What grip do you use?
AnimalMass1
New member
Definately keep my elbows tucked - those triceps are the storng muscles.
Competition width (although I've been goning a bit narrower lately because of shin splits in my forearms)
And I will start arching - I don't now because I'm the least flexible person ever - but my brother and dave have switched to arching.
AnimalMass
Competition width (although I've been goning a bit narrower lately because of shin splits in my forearms)
And I will start arching - I don't now because I'm the least flexible person ever - but my brother and dave have switched to arching.
AnimalMass
Parabellum
New member
Nice post.
What's competition width in inches?
What's competition width in inches?
AnimalMass1
New member
Parabellum said:
LOL - no clue. My index fingers are n the rings. (That's as wide as you can legally go.)
AnimalMass
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