Westside style using Lockouts?????

[flex-mb]

I am in a similar situation as Cubanito17 - strong triceps, 'comparatively' weak bench.

I had a distal clavicle excision (the underside at the end of my clavicle was removed, similar to an acromioplasty. I pitched for several years and that probably helped develop the bone spur so the doctor says). They opened up my front delt 3.5 in" and performed 'full on' surgery! I had the surgery 8 months ago and my bench has never recovered (used to be 315 lbs.). I can now bench, w/strict form 240 X 8 at 167lbs. That is the same reps I did pre-surgery, but with 10 lbs less. I cannot even bench 280lbs anymore (275 lbs. max)! The pain in my right shoulder is incredible. It also feels as if it is going to fully dislocate.

On the other hand my triceps are very, very strong. After doing four to five sets of chest, I can do 9 - 10 dips on the parallel bars w/a 110 lb dumbbell hanging from the chain belt. I go waaay deep (my shoulder I believe is holding me back from doing a 120 - 125lb dumbbell because it is very shaky). I can also do the seated french press very well. I sit reverse on the preacher curl bench and my spotter hands me a preacher curl bar laoded with 120 lbs total. I then lower 120 lbs down behind my neck and then press it up overhead using only my tris (no shoulder rotation at all).

If you look at it, I can dip 270 lbs for 10 reps, but can barely bench it for a single. I wonder if I need to see another Orthopedist or see a 'real' trainer? I am at a loss as to how to get my bench back to my pre-shoulder surgery 315 lbs. My upper back is also very strong; it is as strong comparatively as my triceps. I think I am slowly resigning myself that my bench will never be the same again. Maybe I am further damaging the AC joint too. Maybe I just anatomically have bad shoulder joints. Who knows?

Any suggestions?

 

[Cubanito17]

That's cool everyone makes mistakes.
Flex if I get any suggestions thrown my way besides the one's on my other posts then I'll help ya out until then I'm stuck with relatively strong tri's just no back side to back it up.

 

[brianmincher]

Hey there Flex,

I have a suggestion for you. Get a good tight bench shirt. I have a pretty screwed up shoulder too, a combination of playing outfield, and some accumulated martial arts injuries. My raw bench sucks because my shoulder won't hold up, but by benching with a shirt when I go heavy, and by keeping my elbows tucked into my lats, I have managed to put up some decent numbers even with the bum wing.

Note, however, my shoulder injury was/is not as severe as yours, but a change in form and the addition of a shirt could make a world of difference, it has for me.

Good luck,

B

 

[Cubanito17]

I wish in my HS meets I'd be able to use a shirt it seems like my tri's are strong enough to handle ALOT more weight than I'm putting up right now.

 

[Cubanito17]

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME. Ok guys today I did lockouts for my ME movement and I couldn't lockout 235 from 4 inches that is pathetic b/c 5 weeks ago my max bench was 245. My tris are suppose to be strong enough to bench mid 400's right well what can I do to bring up my lockouts, like what tri movement as an extra workout b/c I will be doing it 2 weeks on 2 weeks off to bring up my straight lockout.

By the way I'm maxing out again Feb 8th so wish me luck in the 300's.

 

[The mann]

if you are talking 3 inches of your chest that's your shoulders....pushing from a dead stop from only 3 inches off yor chest will involve your shoulders first.....

 

[Cubanito17]

I'm talking pushing 4 inches off of dead like the weight is racked and i'm pushing it up for a lockout....

 

[Screwball]

Lockouts

When you perform lockouts the goal is to work the last 6" or so of the press. Lockouts involve a little shoulders(front delt) and the triceps. I think 5"-7" (dependant on bench stroke length) is the most you should shoot for if you want to isolate the triceps. If you started the lockouts 4" off your chest then you were still involving a little upper back/lats and quite a bit of your chest and shoulders. YOU NEED TO DETERMINE WHAT YOUR WEAKNESSES ARE AND TRAIN THEM. From the descriptions in previous posts your triceps are not your weakness. WORK YOUR WEAKNESSES.

It's great to be positive about training and pushing your PR's up but your expectations also need to be realistic. I'm not saying you can't take your bench max from 245lbs. to over 300 lbs. in 6-8 weeks but I think a more realistic goal would be a 10 lb.-25 lb. gain. THIS WOULD BE A TREMENDOUS GAIN FOR ANYONE IN A 6-8 WEEK PERIOD. Gaining strength takes intelligent, consistant, patient training. Until you take an honest look at yourself and where your strengths and weaknesses fall; you will never maximize your training results. I don't mean to be negative. I just wanted to offer some constructive criticism. Good luck on Feb. 8th and if you do hit 300+ lbs. no one will be cheering louder than me. I want you to be the best that you can be.

-Screwball

 

[Cubanito17]

Hey thanx alot man I love how people on this board are so helpful especially to me that I'm only 17, but the difference is that I'm actually serious about all of this and am trying to get a head start.

So do any of you think I should do on SP days my dynamic bench then work my tri's last and do shoulders/lats/delts/tris in that order and on ME day do my ME movement maybe even make a shoulder ME movement like a military press for my ME movement that week or 2 weeks and then go lats/delts/tri's again. And for leg days after legs jump on back for movement that is in the same distance as my bench????????

 

[brianmincher]

Cubanito,

You have me confused. You and I are both using the same dumbells for elbows out tricep extensions, but you are locking out over 300 lbs less than I am. I don't know what to tell you brother, but something is not adding up.

How much are you able to do for bar movements? For example, how much on close grip bench, JM Press, skull/chin crushers, 5 board press, that sort of thing?

One thing about the lockouts, that I noticed was that I could not do very much with them when I first started using them, but I quickly got to where I could lock out some pretty good numbers. Just keep banging away at it, 2 or 3 weeks at a time, and throw in some heavy olympic bar tricep movements and you will have that 300 before you know it. But I agree with Screwball, think about realistic gains. A 55 lb gain would be a heck of a gain for a year. If you gain 10 lbs on your bench in 6 weeks, I would consider that a success. That would be like a 90 lbs increase in a year if you could gain 10 lbs every 6 weeks. Now how would you like to be Cubanito18 with a mid-300's bench, and then Cubanito19 with a mid 400's bench. Get what I am saying?

If it makes you feel any better, I am 27 years old, and I can bench more than twice what I did 10 years ago. Be patient and work smart, not just hard.

Good Luck,

B