The Benchpress
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Brakdov - nothing wrong with 45 minutes as many believe thats an ideal window for getting in, firing up the testosterone, and getting out again before you overtrain. This indicates you should concentrate on "real world" weights, i.e. those that use the same muscles you need for normal activity. They should all be free weights and are:<br />
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Bench press - great for chest size, upper torso and arm strength, and putting resistance on your rib cage which is also good.<br />
Dead lifts - lower back strength cannot be over-emphasised because you rely on it for just about everything you do - walking, running, lifting (including shagging <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />). Core strength is the key word<br />
Squats - the ultimate total leg exercise of course, and again good for core strength<br />
Shoulder press - on an unsupported bench i.e. sitting up on a flat surface and doing it. Don't go too hard on the weight, but tense up your core and you're exercising more than just your arms and shoulders.<br />
Chinups/pullups - to consider yourself truly fit (and I don't :shifty:) you need to be able to do a few of these. Lifting your own body weight is somethign often overlooked by people going to the gym just to build up their muscles. Do one or the other on a given day - the alternation keeps you fresh.<br />
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Let's look at it logically - what is the point to doing bicep curls when you pretty much never lift anything just using your biceps? :nta<br />
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As for bench press itself - aim for 110% of body weight as your first goal in a set of 3, then work it up to 5-8 rep sets. It depends what you're really after - I usually build over a couple of sets and then do what I call a suicide set <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' /> My bench press at one point was:<br />
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Warmup set - 50kg of about 6 reps just to make sure I'm not carrying any niggles or twinges<br />
Load up the next weights and straight into it.<br />
First set - 80kg x 8-10 reps.<br />
60 second break<br />
Second set - 100kg of 5-8 reps<br />
60 second break<br />
Suicide set - 120kg for as many reps as I could - minimum 3 most times<br />
Take a 90 second break on the bench breathing deeply, and then start unloading the weights for the next person to come along.<br />
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I repeat this sort of pattern with all my exercises where possible (i.e. at the moment I'm too fucking fat to lift this much <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />) but it gives good results in the short term. Then every now and then I just do a night of circuit i.e. throw in a couple of extra exercises but only a warmup set and single set of 10 each. Gotta keep the muscles guessing. -
At 100kgs bodyweight (before I smashed my wrist) I could bench 150kgs for 3 reps, deep squat 170 for three and deadlift 210. Not bad for a broken arse with two torn cruciates. Now my wrist and neck are stuffed (I can only use dumbells for upper body) I am content to push out sets at 10 reps at my bodyweight for DB Bench and BB squat. If getting big and strong is your goal, 5 x5 is the key. I would use Bench, Squat, Deadlift, SMP, Weighted Chins, Cleans and BB Curls. First two sets are warm ups, then lift your 5RM for the next three sets. Three mins rest between sets. On Monday I would do Squat, Bench and Chins. Wednesday SMP, BB Curls and 3 x 10 Calf Raises. Friday: Cleans, Close Grip Bench and Deadlifst. Cardio and core on the other days. Eat heaps of protein.Â
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[quote name='phoenetia']<br />
Im currently doing 70kgs 8-10 reps dropping by 5 kgs for 3 sets<br />
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At the moment i am using a gym bench press and a smith machine if i am on my own or doing incliine.<br />
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I am struggling to compute what i am lifting because i am unsure of the weight of the bar.<br />
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Is a regular proper gym barbell 10kgs? 12.5kgs or 20kgs. When i was growing up if we used a gym barbell they were generally 20kgs. Home benches usually had a 10kgs or 7.5kgs. -
[quote name='Hooroo']<br />
Regular ones are 20 kgs<br />
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Cheers Big fella.<br />
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I am pushing pussy weights at the moment, especially compared to Red Beards stats! awesome lifting. Best ever is 100kgs for two reps when i was 83kgs.<br />
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At the moment i am nudging 90kgs and pushing around the same, by the time the season starts proper i hope to be pushing the 100kg barrier.<br />
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The exercise i used to find most effective was the cable cross overs, which my present gym does not have. <br />
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Does anyone else suffer from "Bench Press greed". I make a gain one week and instead of consolidating that weight by upping the reps on it, i get greedy and want a similar gain within a week or so, generally leading to an early failure and knackering the muscle after a low amount of reps. Crap lifting. -
When to move up a weight?<br />
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Woudl like to hear people's opinions on this. When do you generally up the weight on teh bench. I have mentioned before that i get becnh press greed and try and make gains in weight pushed too often. I have addressed this by staying on my max weight now until i can successfully complete 8 bench presses with it. I will this evening move up a weight, probably by 2.5kgs on each end. <br />
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How do you guys manage the change up? do you go by 2.5kgs or by bigger/smaller increments? -
Go up in weights when you feel totally in control of the current weight at ah high reps.<br />
And yeah many years ago I was around 115% on the bench but never been that great on it, preferred incline dumb bells as you can concentrate on balancing arm and shoulder strength.<br />
Have just started bench press again and once I feel comfortable with muscle stability will alternate bench press with dumb bell incline and incline chest press and chest dips (with weights).<br />
Someone suggested shoulder press, be careful with that, as a lot of people have crap technique and overload, causing serious problems down the track.<br />
Wide shoulder chin ups are good stuff.<br />
Has anyone tried pyramid strength training? I vaguely recall it working for me but that could be memory playing up.<br />
Fuller I think Olympic bars are 20Kg but many softie gyms (ie where they clean up the sweat on at least a weekly basis) have 17.5 or even less bars so it pays to ask. -
[quote name='BrainDeadJnr']<br />
Go up in weights when you feel totally in control of the current weight at ah high reps.<br />
And yeah many years ago I was around 115% on the bench but never been that great on it, preferred incline dumb bells as you can concentrate on balancing arm and shoulder strength.<br />
Have just started bench press again and once I feel comfortable with muscle stability will alternate bench press with dumb bell incline and incline chest press and chest dips (with weights).<br />
Someone suggested shoulder press, be careful with that, as a lot of people have crap technique and overload, causing serious problems down the track.<br />
Wide shoulder chin ups are good stuff.<br />
Has anyone tried pyramid strength training? I vaguely recall it working for me but that could be memory playing up.<br />
Fuller I think Olympic bars are 20Kg but many softie gyms (ie where they clean up the sweat on at least a weekly basis) have 17.5 or even less bars so it pays to ask.<br />
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That has been my policy on this last weight. I have been cracking at for three weeks now and am up to an 8 rep completion for one set. I think i can push oput 5kg more on it and will have a go tonight.<br />
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Chest sessions so far have been:<br />
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4 sets of bench press<br />
4 sets of incline press on a smith machine<br />
3 sets of dumbell press<br />
3 sets of dips<br />
3 sets on a chest machine where you sit almost upright and push out<br />
3 sets of pec dec<br />
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Might start to include decline bench press and drop the pec dec.. -
yes, pec dec for poofs <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' /><br />
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decline press rocks - such a limited range of movement, you can press some pretty good weights. Used to always do decline late in the chest workout, and could still press good weight! -
[quote name='Bones']<br />
what is pec dec?<br />
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Sitting upright, hooking arms behind two pads then bringing those two arms/pads together.<br />
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[url="http://www.dynabody.com/eqnew/pecdec.htm"]http://www.dynabody.com/eqnew/pecdec.htm[/url] -
Yeah. Enjoy watching chicks do that one <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
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[quote name='NTA']<br />
Yeah. Enjoy watching chicks do that one <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' /><br />
[/quote]<br />
what about the leg version of the pec dec, a female friend calls it the "birthing machine".. -
[quote name='BrainDeadJnr']<br />
[quote name='NTA']<br />
Yeah. Enjoy watching chicks do that one <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' /><br />
[/quote]<br />
what about the leg version of the pec dec, a female friend calls it the "birthing machine"..<br />
[/quote]<br />
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Excellent if they are fit - horrendous if they are fat mingers. -
I did 6 reps at 100kg yesterday. First time I have been able to do more than a couple in months! Didn't row hard out previous to it though, just a 5k stint. <br />
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Going to get into a few more weights now, love lifting.<br />
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First time I have ever lifted 100kg and have it be above my BWÂ <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' /> -
[quote name='Red Beard']<br />
First ever attempt on BB Bench Press tonight since surgery on my wrist in 2004. [b]Managed to knock one easy rep out at 120kgs[/b]. Wrist seems to have knitted back together nicely. Will incorperate the bench back into my weights sessions now. <br />
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Bastard.
