After training my shoulders(my weaklink) for a while I have been progressing on my bench press and now I notice that when I fail at my last rep I get about 3.5-4 inches off my chest before I can’t press any more, before I couldn’t even move the weight off my chest at all. So now I am using 2-board press to work this weak point now.
I am just wondering if I am on the right track with training this weaklink by hearing you’re guys opinions on this. I do a two rep max for 2-board press(I pause if any care to know) and I usually try for a third rep which I will also usually fail but on this third rep I am not able to move the bar off the boards so does this mean I am on the right track and I should continue to train my weaklink with 2-board press.
I just feel that if I do 1-board and I am still able move the bar a couple inches off the board I am not training my weaklink the most beneficial and productive way possible.
-Charming
try foam presses, Get two of the lil tampon things guys wrap around the bar usually when they do squats, and do the same as a 2board press (hit ur upper abs and pause for a moment then explode it up)
Foam presses taught me to use a lot more leg drive and they dont hurt my bad shoulder.
Only diff is I wouldn’t go for the 3rd rep, stick to 1 or 2. But I guess that depends on your training age and your goals, ad nausem. So just ask yourself WHY you’re doing a 3rm. If your lifting for strength, 3 is good, but 2 is better, 1 is best. (I personally like 2 cause it keeps me ‘honest’).
If I need to hypertrophy those muscle groups that I’m using specifically in the 2board press, after my ME work i either choose something that would accomplish that goal (dumbbell presses) or just strip off some weight and do foam presses 3 sets of 10-15 reps. I’m pretty neurally efficient with my bench… so not any one area takes over where it shouldn’t
…if you do have that problem then you might need to go about it another way and just choose the appropriate supplemental exercise AND hit whats lagging in an extra workout. So if you’re not activating your triceps enough, sometime during the day (preferably after a meal imo), attach a band to something stable and do some tricep pressdowns piston style 4 sets of 25, 30seconds rest.
I’d do it every day you can w/o being sore (which if you have a decent work capacity would be 4-5days/week).
After a couple weeks your triceps will be bigger (hah) and it’ll change your bench form a little bit (takes some getting used to) but you’ll be using your triceps more.
Ok all of this was more than you asked for but hope I helped some, just my opinion on things. quick synopsis:
If I were failing 3-4 inces off my chest I would focus on speed and pause benches. If you are only making it 3-4 inches up you are not producing enough force off your chest.
I started having a similar sticking point after getting stuck on my chest for a while (fixed w/ RE DB press + illegal wides), and have been using 2-3wks of 2 boards followed cycles of chains to good effect. The chains help me with exploding through the sticking point, while the 2 boards just seem to allow increased load, upping limit strength.
id be using 1-board as well definantly becasue i feel that if i use a board an inch below my sticking point i can generate speed to go thru it. im not saying dont do 2-boards… do both.
so id be saying either work up to a heavy 3’s on a 1 board then go into the 2 board after ass heavy assistance. for a few weeks. then concentrate on 2-boards with pause press as heavy assiatnce. floor presses would be good variety on delaoad weeks.
also do speed benching once a week… potentially off of a 2-board.
[quote]apwsearch wrote:
I would focus on making everything stronger so I failed 3-4 inches off my chest with more weight.[/quote]
Good post.
Everyone is throwing out suggestions of magical board combinations to try, but the reality is the bottom portion of the bench is the toughest part for an un-equipped lifter.
[quote]bad_mo_fo wrote:
If I were failing 3-4 inces off my chest I would focus on speed and pause benches. If you are only making it 3-4 inches up you are not producing enough force off your chest.[/quote]
I agree here as well and are you making it 3-4 inches off a pause?? or is it really the strethc reflex allowing you to make it off the chest?? Try to pause the same load and see what happens.
But in general sure its a good idea to use 2 board work but dont ignore the bottom end
I agree here as well and are you making it 3-4 inches off a pause?? or is it really the strethc reflex allowing you to make it off the chest?? Try to pause the same load and see what happens.
Phill
[/quote]
GREAT point Phill. That actually helps me out as wells. I’d never thought of the possibility that the SSC is giving me most of the push. I just figured it was my lats. So, yeah, take his advice.
[quote]vandalay15 wrote:
apwsearch wrote:
I would focus on making everything stronger so I failed 3-4 inches off my chest with more weight.
Good post.
Everyone is throwing out suggestions of magical board combinations to try, but the reality is the bottom portion of the bench is the toughest part for an un-equipped lifter.
Well just to answer some of your guys feed back I do make sure I work the bottom end either by doing a 3rm with regular bench or doing a 3rm with incline, I have noticed that incline gives me a good carry over by the way it puts more stress on my shoulders and it being a change of pace. Basically this is my plan work 2-board press for two more weeks, check on how well it has done on carry over, then do incline or dumbbell bench press, or if its not that great of a carry over then I will will be doing direct shoulder training and focus on heavy chain speed training.
I think your problem is still off the chest, but you very well may have a weakness at the 2-board level as well, but from my experience, lack of speed off the chest will cause that sticking point.
Dominator has hit the nail on the head. Speed gets you up the first half and strength the 2nd half. Obviously, thats an over simplification but the point should be well taken. Speed work will give you the force velocity to get the bar to the point where the strength of your triceps et al can finish her off.
Even as a shirted bench where you might think the shirt gives you those first couple inches speed work is arguably even more important.