Benching- why do i suck??

[lilmikey]

Right in the middle? Usually, people get stuck right off the chest, which indicates a lack of leg drive and/or lat strength, or during the lockout, which obviously conveys that the triceps are not strong enough.

I don't know much about the middle of the lift, except that you should be accelerating through it. I have heard that the shoulders are recruited to the greatest extent during the middle of the lift, but I can't remember where i read that; somebody correct me if I'm wrong. If you aren't doing much shoulder work, though, you might want to begin including it during some day on your split. I do it during ME squat day. Plate raises, military presses, seated cleans, etc are all good. I would think that the seated clean movement would also strengthen the rotator cuff.

But like I said, you should be accelerating through the middle of the lift. So, perhaps your lats are too weak to develop adequate force required to accelerate the bar. Or, if you bench raw, your pectoral muscles could be lacking in strength; I believe that they are recruited to an extent while benching raw. Then again, it could be both of these, or, it could be something else entirely.

I hope this helps Deceiver.

 

[ZZuluZ]

If you are regressing have you thought of the possibility that maybe you were overtraining? When I had a brief stint with WestSide a few months ago my DL and SQ went up great and my Bench Just plummetted.

Make sure not go to failure on the assistance exercises.

Seems like you're doing everything right. Maybe you're just doing too much.

IIRC= If I recall correctly.

GL man,

-Zulu

 

[Arioch]

Do you have long arms, short torso, medium to long legs? If this is you, you have a deadlifter's build, like me. The opposite is possessed by better benchers like PLJay and Bmonster.

How old are you again?

 

[Deciever]

lilmikey- Your right, shoulders are recruited in the middle of the bench. It was briefly discussed in Ariochs article. After reading that, i've started doing consistant shoulder work. I THINK my bar speed is good, at least up to maybe 75% of my max, then it begins to slow.

Zulu- Never really thought i may be overtraining, because i havent been feeling any of the symptoms in it. Its weird, i can set PRs on my bench variations (reverse band press), but not my actual bench press.

Arioch- I have slightly long arms i guess, and i do have a short torso and and medium to long legs, so i guess i dont have a deadlifters build. Im 14 goin in 15 in a bit less than a month

 

[p03t1c]

this is actually where i fail in the bench. it's not at chest level or near the top. it's right in the middle. i do have weak shoulders. i cannot military press to save my life. i've been doing the bradford presses and continuing to work on speed and lat strength. perhaps this will cure the problem.

 

[Arioch]

Arioch- I have slightly long arms i guess, and i do have a short torso and and medium to long legs, so i guess i dont have a deadlifters build

Um, this is pretty much what I wrote for a deadlifter's build. While not everyone has my freakish arm length, if your arms are longer than average, it will hurt your bench.

Im 14 goin in 15 in a bit less than a month

It is rather common for kids your age (I do not mean than disrespectfully, but my son is four years older than you) to plateau for no apparent reason. On the good side, this is generally followed by a growth spurt of some sort, and your lifts go up so fast during this time period that older people often chase you with sticks.

 

[Deciever]

i've been hoping for a growth spurt for the past 2 years lol.. still hasnt realy come to me. I've only grown steadily over time, no sudden jumps in height.

Arioch, how big of a roll do you think the shoulders play in the mid part of the bench press?? Cause i know i am weak in the shoulders, for military press i'd be lucky if i got 6 reps at 115

 

[Arioch]

Quite a bit.

For a change, you can work the press (standing military) for a maximal effort exercise. This pretty much hits the entire shoulder, as the upper back is used to stabilze the bar. If you cannot clean the bar, just walk out of the squat rack with it in the finished position of the clean.

After a max effort single, do a set of six.

Another good shoulder exercise is the snatch grip press behind the neck. Works the entire shoulder again, as well as stretching the muscular of the chest.

The shoulders are the second most important muscle in the kinematic chain of the bench.

 

[Deciever]

Arioch- recently i just changed gyms, and the people im training with and having me do seated military's. I use the same grip width i use on my bench (pinky to the power rings), and if i go anywider, it just doesnt feel right. Could be a lack of flexibility or something, but it just doesnt feel right.



So maybe the shoulders are the key to weak bench. I guess when i can press 1 plate on the seated military press, it means my shoulders arent lacking as much.

 

[lilmikey]

arioch - you think that military presses are the best movement to develop the part of the shoulder that is most incorporated into the bench press? you know your shit and was wondering which part of the shoulder is used most. I think it is front deltoid; that would make most sense. but can you clarify which it is and tell which exercises can help to develop that the most? thanks