Tips for improving bench press

[Ktulu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh3t6T-nqP0

This video helped me out a lot.

 

[state 08]

I don't have a spotter either, and this is my method of improving my bench:

I do 5 sets of 5. In the begining of the summer, I plateaued at 160. What I did was, I bumped it to 170 regardless and would try have 4 out of 5 of my sets be at 170. Once I hit 4 set with 170, I bumped bumped it to another 5 pounds.

So, on my first day of trying it, I could only do two sets of 170, so it looked like this: (170, 170, 165, 160, 155) --- After my last set that I could do at max weight, I would lower the weight 5 pounds for each set after that.

It seemed to have worked out relatively well. Right now, I'm at 180. So today, my sets were (180, 180, 180, 175, 170)

I also started doing Overhead press like many ppl have mentioned, and that seemed to have helped accelerate my gains quicker!

g'luck.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed
What kind of improvements can one expect just relying on nervous system development? Any links to workout programs or just general info that might help make better use of existing muscle mass?

It seems that there are certain body weight multipliers that are about the boundaries of certain lifts. For example, ~4 times bodyweight is the max people of any weight class can get for deadlift. You can get obscene numbers solely by neurological adaption. Yes, mass makes it so you can push the limits further, but it also makes you less limber - a balance that must be maintained for other sports and activities.

 

[Insomniator]

ugh my knees reallly crack when doing full squats. Who would I go to to get it checked out? Doctor or chiro?

The way that guy benches is weird, I did it today and its hard to arch my back like that but it did feel stronger than the normal noob way of doing it.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Insomniator
ugh my knees reallly crack when doing full squats. Who would I go to to get it checked out? Doctor or chiro?

The way that guy benches is weird, I did it today and its hard to arch my back like that but it did feel stronger than the normal noob way of doing it.

Does it hurt? If it doesn't hurt, it's not a problem. Some people have joints that just crack a lot. Some people (like me) have tendons that run over grooves that makes a noise. It's not a big deal. If it does hurt, go to the doctor. The chiropractor (especially alternative methods chiro's) have no place touching your knees.

 

[katank]

Originally posted by: Insomniator
The way that guy benches is weird, I did it today and its hard to arch my back like that but it did feel stronger than the normal noob way of doing it.

What David Tate advocates is definitely the powerlifter way of benching. There's no argument that this will boost your numbers quite a bit.

However, I'm frankly not convinced that it's the best for general strength development. You may be better served with a less extreme arch that keeps your butt on the bench. Frankly, Mark Rippetoe's style of benching has more appeal to me. Tate's approach when taken to its limit will essentially become an inverted dip using weights rather than body with limited ROM (to abdomen).

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: katank

Originally posted by: Insomniator
The way that guy benches is weird, I did it today and its hard to arch my back like that but it did feel stronger than the normal noob way of doing it.

What David Tate advocates is definitely the powerlifter way of benching. There's no argument that this will boost your numbers quite a bit.

However, I'm frankly not convinced that it's the best for general strength development. You may be better served with a less extreme arch that keeps your butt on the bench. Frankly, Mark Rippetoe's style of benching has more appeal to me. Tate's approach when taken to its limit will essentially become an inverted dip using weights rather than body with limited ROM (to abdomen).

Tate never advocates any portion of the body coming up. I agree that Rippetoe's is more logical in functionality and real life, but Tate's method is great for putting up big numbers. If you do it right, it's safe as well. If the butt came up though, it wouldn't be safe at all. Perhaps that's the way you have tried to keep your upper back tight by putting more weight on it, but that's not what he suggests.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: katank

Originally posted by: Insomniator
The way that guy benches is weird, I did it today and its hard to arch my back like that but it did feel stronger than the normal noob way of doing it.

What David Tate advocates is definitely the powerlifter way of benching. There's no argument that this will boost your numbers quite a bit.

However, I'm frankly not convinced that it's the best for general strength development. You may be better served with a less extreme arch that keeps your butt on the bench. Frankly, Mark Rippetoe's style of benching has more appeal to me. Tate's approach when taken to its limit will essentially become an inverted dip using weights rather than body with limited ROM (to abdomen).

Tate never advocates any portion of the body coming up. I agree that Rippetoe's is more logical in functionality and real life, but Tate's method is great for putting up big numbers. If you do it right, it's safe as well. If the butt came up though, it wouldn't be safe at all. Perhaps that's the way you have tried to keep your upper back tight by putting more weight on it, but that's not what he suggests.

I don't think he advocates lifting the butt up, but since he teaches powerlifters, the approach that typically allows the most weight to be lifted is using an extremely wide grip, an enormous back arch, and lower the bar to the stomach rather than the chest. Yes, this does allow for a bigger bench press - to a large extent because all of these techniques reduce the ROM - but moving more weight doesn't necessarily make you stronger. If you're training for a powerlifting competition, then yes, by all means do what Tate says. If you're trying to build functional strength or training for appearance, than a more moderate bench form is more appropriate.

 

[katank]

Now that I went back and looked at Tate's video again, indeed the butt's firmly on the bench. Nevertheless, you can see lots of space between body and bench with his method. Also, the work yourself down the bench to obtain that arch and reduced ROM makes it less functional. The point is that his claims of being able to put 50lbs on your bench quickly is not actually as much of a strength increase as it might seem at face value.

 

[amicold]

http://humanmachine.wordpress....e-groove-for-strength/

Grease the groove is good stuff, I used it to do short, heavy/intense full body routine six days a week this past winter and added weight in all my lifts. Considering I've been lifting for three years I'd say it's pretty solid. Perhaps just a tad unorthodox.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: katank
Now that I went back and looked at Tate's video again, indeed the butt's firmly on the bench. Nevertheless, you can see lots of space between body and bench with his method. Also, the work yourself down the bench to obtain that arch and reduced ROM makes it less functional. The point is that his claims of being able to put 50lbs on your bench quickly is not actually as much of a strength increase as it might seem at face value.

Right, but some people are just looking for that 50 pounds for competition. I understand what you're saying though. It's not the most functional of methods, but it is a technique that will let you put some nice weights up in competition.

 

[Insomniator]

He was talking about 50 pounds on squats, not bench...

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Insomniator
He was talking about 50 pounds on squats, not bench...

Where on earth does he talk about squats in his bench video? I don't remember that at all.

 

[Insomniator]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Insomniator
He was talking about 50 pounds on squats, not bench...

Where on earth does he talk about squats in his bench video? I don't remember that at all.

He says that lifters come in and add 50 pounds to their squat in a weekend by adjusting their technique, not bench. "How long does it take to add 50 pounds to your squat..."