Awww! We were updating our logs at the same time. I'm missing training with you.
Awww! We were updating our logs at the same time. I'm missing training with you.
5/21
Bench: 280x5x3
RPE of maybe 7 on these. Quite happy with how much bench strength I retained after a 6month layoff. AC joint feels wonderful, but levators, scalenes, lats, & pec minor are all achy...good achy, but they're definitely compensating for something.
Lotsa chins.
Minimalist bro workout complete. Intensity press, deads tomorrow. More bench friday.
EDIT: note to self on the pattern of soreness. I think I might actually have the opposite imbalance of most strength brahs: strong traps & SA, & weak lats, pec minor, levators & scalenes. This is what months of heavy pressing and no bench yields. I'll take this imbalance.
Last edited by John Hanley; 05-22-2014 at 01:46 PM.
Seems like the press keeps the bench up pretty well... Does it work the other way around though (mostly no, right?)
Yes, press should transfer to bench with intermediates and below. Bench grip width plays a big part in determining how much press transfers to bench (narrow grip = more xfer).
I bench with my middle finger on the bench-ring (so pretty wide) & I'm surprised the press has transferred this well for me.
Bench won't do all that much to drive up press.
So, I was talking about you to Dave (the guy who organizes Highland Games) He's looking for guys who want to throw to train with. I know it's not the same but I think you should really consider it. You should talk with him.
Not above intermediate? Dan Green has said he uses presses as assistance for bench, and like you said, he also uses bench width for his press so it will help more.
Actually, it seems their aren't a lot of elite powerlifters emphasizing press for bench assistance even like Green. Why is this?
I will. I need meathead training partners.
Generally, the stronger & more elite the athlete, the more specific the exercises must be to transfer to the competitive movements. If Dan Green only pressed, his bench would nosedive. If you only pressed, your bench would probably increase. I'm somewhere between you and Dan.
Obviously specificity is needed, but isn't the press a potentially effective assistance to bench at all levels?
Actually I suppose I shouldn't think about this or ask you since neither of us are 500+ bench pressers like Dan Green et al. ...is there anyone even around that on these forums??
Yes.
Dude, there are less than 150 people in the entire country who bench 500+ raw in competition conditions. All weight classes. Not sure any of those 150 are on these forums, but there are some spectacular benches on this site.
Also, practical experience is hugely beneficial when it comes to exercise selection for athletes...but reading also helps. If you want to nerd out, read Zatsiorsky's Science & Practice of Strength Training for a primer on transfer, then check out Bondarchuk's "Transfer of Training..."