I’ve just started the 9 week westside program outlined in the eight keys, and I was wondering what I could substitute for the board presses? Would floor presses be a good substitute, or something else?
uh, do board presses. they arent expensive to make.
“you can do it when you B and Q it!”
Take thy arse to BQ and get boards of correct thickness (2inch?) and glue them together using wood glue, use nails if neccesary (if you use long ones you can impale it on your chest so you don’t need a mate to hold the boards!!!)
i just got a 2x6 at home depot this week…cost me 4.95
You can use text books if you like… put them under your shirt… if anyone questions your for you could say that it was “by the textbook” or “textbook perfect”
Could also do a carpet press…
But to save the hassle of sweating all over your textbooks or trying to find carpet offcuts I would get the boards!
Looks like I’ve been told…
Thanks guys
But what if you train solo? I always do my benches in a rack but this is pretty rendundant when board pressing.
you go over to elite fittness website and see how jackass has thm attached to him!
nah kidding, the easy way is to wrap a mini band around you and then put the boards under so the band holds them in place.
I’m not as familliar with the benefits of board pressing and the difference between that and benching from pins in the power rack.
Seems to me, if you don’t have the proper equipment for the board press, it can be done in a power rack instead.
My understanding of the board press was to overload the end range of motion in the bench press, assuming you needed extra work there.
Can’t this be achieved in a power rack?
i copy and pasted this from earlier when i awnswerd this question…
I dont think those pin presses would be a good thing and wouldnt be the same as board presses, if you have not got the boards this week i would do floor press and go to the board presses in week 4,
% off board presses this totaly individual I can there is no set % i have a 430-445 bench or so in a double denim bench shirt and bench press 355 for 3 reps raw yet i can only do 405 for 2 reps off 2 boards while wearing a loose poly shirt, and my best off 3 board is 415 or so with a loose poly, but i can do 425x5 off 5 boards so this are all diffirent but in my opinion the board press is by far the #1 bench builder…
They are just 2 completly diffirent exerscices and as a beginer i can see how you think they would act as the same but they dont, board presses are much much easier on the elbows, joints, ect. in my opinion 3 weeks of rack work like that your are asking for some very very sore joints, every guy in my training group can only do rack work about once a month because it beats the shit out of you, I dont know why but board presses are much easier on the body and the carry over to the bench is much much better, louie says that rack work is a good strength indicator but has very very little carryover, i have found this to be very very true, we have a teenager in are group who benches about 445 or so in a denim but can do pin lock outs with almost 600 pounds yet can only do about 430 or so off 5 boards, so if was you i would do floor presses in the first phase until you can get boards,
Creed i train solo with boards. I put the boards under my shirt, they stay there… normal shirts work fine i wouldnt wear a really really really loose shirt though…
that is for 1 2 and 3 board presses…
havent done 4,5 or 6 board presses yet… ill try them undermyshirt… dont know how it will work though…
When exams are over ill muck around with it… if this is still floating around i will post the method that works best for me
I don’t think i made myself clear!
When i board press i tuck them into my shorts. This can be difficult with 4 boards!
What i was alluding too was how do you safely perform board presses with your max? I hardly ever fail these days as i have a pretty good feel for my limits.
But better safe than sorry as they say so i always put safety pins in just below level of the boards. That way i can ditch the barbell off to the side onto one of the pins and try and extricate my sorry self.
for 3 board press i use 6 x 2 tucked under my shirt
for 5 board presses, i use the 3 boards under my shirt, and 2 2x4 resting on top of those boards on the outside of my shirt. by using narrower boards for the top the stay were they are meant to a little better, as they can slip around a little but it will take a lot to make them fall.
hope i explained it ok
So for board presses, each board is supposed to be a 2x6?