[quote]knobby22 wrote:
Whoa, nice!
How many years do you have under you belt training?[/quote]
A good 15+ on bench. I got to 410 by 21 at the same bodyweight above, but I wrecked my shoulders to hell benching like an idiot and not taking back work seriously. I’m 29 now and have only started progressing again in the last three years. I try and give back to the younger guys in the game…shoulder issues are no bueno.
Awesome lift HT! I tried to ask this in your thread on BSL forum but it seems to have vanished. Anyway, how has your bench training changed through the years?
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
[quote]knobby22 wrote:
Whoa, nice!
How many years do you have under you belt training?[/quote]
A good 15+ on bench. I got to 410 by 21 at the same bodyweight above, but I wrecked my shoulders to hell benching like an idiot and not taking back work seriously. I’m 29 now and have only started progressing again in the last three years. I try and give back to the younger guys in the game…shoulder issues are no bueno.[/quote]
Outstanding.
I don’t know how many years I have in me. Even though I’m a novice and currently chasing very modest 400/300/500 numbers, I’m 46 (clocking 195). 9 months in it’s a bit of a race against time cause eventually I might break a hip. 
But age aside, I think it’s great that some folks can go 10+ years in this sport, and by your experience, still be healthy and strong. Fantastic. Great to hear. Gives me hope I can continue to get stronger for some time.
[quote]The-German wrote:
Awesome lift HT! I tried to ask this in your thread on BSL forum but it seems to have vanished. Anyway, how has your bench training changed through the years? [/quote]
Yea, don’t know what the issue is considering it was relevant to both forums but they deleted the one over there.
Anything specific you’re looking for?
Generically, I got into the 400s with basic linear progression. During that time I did a pretty standard bro split, trained my triceps a lot, and did a lot of heavy shoulder pressing. That left me with bad shoulders and unable to make any more progress. I made the best progress then when I was benching with chest and narrow gripping with arm work, so 2x a week. I was benching 300 or so in high school at 165 with 3x weekly, actually.
Since I’ve gotten healthy again, the same sort of pattern has gotten my bench moving. 2-3x weekly frequency in different rep ranges with different grips. The difference now is that I train back a whole lot more, and I’ve increased my volume. When I stall out, I’ll increase volume again. But I’ll always believe that benching helps the bench more than any assistance. On that note, I do very little assistance.
fuck I quit…
seriously though, an extremely impressive bench.
Question…After a neck injury about a year and a half ago I finally got back to a 315 bench (elbows wrapped) I figure unwrapped im at about 305. Its actually been quite a long road as benching 135 was a struggle when I first injured myself. my bench is finally going up evenly, but what I am getting now is bicep / elbow pain when I touch my chest, its a sharp pain that causes me to lose strength and tightness. its happening in the same arm that was affected by my neck injury. My question is have you ever had that sort of pain (elbow/bicep/distal tendon area) if so what did you do. If not what do you think I could do to avoid it (besides the obvious), before the injury I hit a 365 bench TnG
Thanks in advance.
'Mirin
And this is a perfect example of how much a role the lats can play in the bench press. From your set-up and unracking, to the press itself.
Can’t really tell, but do you arch your back much? Seems like only a slight arch, but hard to tell due to the angle and because you’re a big guy.
@knobby-I wish more people would think about longevity when they take up this sport. Then you wouldn’t see high schoolers running smolov and intermediate lifters on 2g of gear. Stick with it, man. Slow and steady is the best way to make this a lifestyle and not just something you do for a few years before it beats you down.
@matty-does it bother you on narrow grip bench? I had something similar except more in my brachialis area, and it really bugged me when I would do heavy narrow grip stuff. I laid off narrow gripping for about 6 weeks and did some rolling of area with PVC, ART, etc. it’s completely gone at the moment.
really impressive
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
@knobby-I wish more people would think about longevity when they take up this sport. Then you wouldn’t see high schoolers running smolov and intermediate lifters on 2g of gear. Stick with it, man. Slow and steady is the best way to make this a lifestyle and not just something you do for a few years before it beats you down.
@matty-does it bother you on narrow grip bench? I had something similar except more in my brachialis area, and it really bugged me when I would do heavy narrow grip stuff. I laid off narrow gripping for about 6 weeks and did some rolling of area with PVC, ART, etc. it’s completely gone at the moment.[/quote]
Thanks for the reply. Most of my benching is narrow-ish (pinkies on rings) because of past shoulder pain. I have been contemplating going wider as my shoulders have been very healthy for years now. Perhaps Ill slide them out to my pointers on rings.
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
@knobby-I wish more people would think about longevity when they take up this sport. Then you wouldn’t see high schoolers running smolov and intermediate lifters on 2g of gear. Stick with it, man. Slow and steady is the best way to make this a lifestyle and not just something you do for a few years before it beats you down.
[/quote]
I guess when you hit my advanced age you see things differently and think long term. Ha! While today I’m a bit impatient about ‘big gainz’ like an exuberant 18 year old and I want to qualify for Worlds, and while I’d love to compete and do so for the next 15 years, in the end powerflifting is about improving my overall quality of life. It’s my way of fighting aging and finding a way of being strong as I move into early retirement hopefully in 10 years. The powerlifting approach as opposed to general weight training or bodybuilding gives meaning to all that gym time b/c one has clear standards against which to measure oneself, whether you compete or not.
Apologies for the thread highjack.
[quote]Sutebun wrote:
'Mirin
And this is a perfect example of how much a role the lats can play in the bench press. From your set-up and unracking, to the press itself.
Can’t really tell, but do you arch your back much? Seems like only a slight arch, but hard to tell due to the angle and because you’re a big guy.[/quote]
I watched it again paying particular attention to the lats, and it’s an interesting point. I’m not huge on focusing on the lats for benching, but they have their place. They’ve definitely helped me keep a healthier shoulder.
I use very little arch. Just what I can work into once I’m already lying on the bench.