I Benched 107.5 kg in Competition 3-16-08

[The Squadfather]

Some things are getting better.   
I also widened my grip on the close grips last night to shoulder width.  I was going a little narrow before which was screwing me up. 

that always helps, the important thing is to remember to keep those elbows in close and pointed down towards the feet.

[thewickedtruth]

So I'm missing out doing partials with the pins and the board simulating my body supporting the weight sounds like good people.  Is it pointless to put the board on myself after i'm setup to bench and bench off it since I don't work out with anyone?

[Hedgehog]

So I'm missing out doing partials with the pins and the board simulating my body supporting the weight sounds like good people.  Is it pointless to put the board on myself after i'm setup to bench and bench off it since I don't work out with anyone?

Tie the board to your chest, preferably with a stretchy kind of rope, steal one of those rubber bands they use in aerobic classes and shit

You feel me?

[trab]

So I'm missing out doing partials with the pins and the board simulating my body supporting the weight sounds like good people.  Is it pointless to put the board on myself after i'm setup to bench and bench off it since I don't work out with anyone?

I cut and screw'd together a 3 & 4 board with the bottom board a little longer.
I can set it on my chest myself with the bottom long one touching my chin; Arch & set up, and slightly push it forward about 4" by raising my head up and pushing it with my chin. ( I raise my head when I lower the bar anyway, so I need exactly that much room).

My boards are a little wider also. I cut them from 2x12" pine plank.
I got no problem with them staying put. Ive thought of velcro on the bottom, but it's unnecessary for me.
SOme guys also stick them under a large sweatshirt, or use a light band to keep them down.

If your training alone, make sure you dont clamp the Bar ends. THen you can pour  the plates off one end  if stuck at the chest.
Home Bench training alone is dangerous if stuck. Just quickly dump them off one side, the other side will take care of itself real fast after that...    Keep the area under/near each bar end clear in case of that little event.
It makes some noise too, 

[Vet]

Unless you have anything relevant to add, which seems unlikely, kindly fcuk off.

Don't be a fcuking asshole.

I agree with Hedge 100% on this one.  Its peckerheads posting shit like that that ruin good threads on this board.  What do you get from it?  Seriously.  It immature as hell and should be posted in other parts of the board, not here.  The fact that the mods have left it up makes things even worse.  It just encourages this bullshit. 

[ripitupbaby]

I don't think that the mods on this board are online all that much. 
This IS a great thread, at least from my perspective, despite the furry muslebear ass pic...tons of good info in here, I've learned alot.   

[Stubborn]

SOme guys also stick them under a large sweatshirt, or use a light band to keep them down.

I cant even get into a Large sweatshirt much less shove 4 planks of wood in it too!

[Vet]

Tie the board to your chest, preferably with a stretchy kind of rope, steal one of those rubber bands they use in aerobic classes and shit

You feel me?

These are what I use.  They are soft enough that you don't feel them under your shoulders and they are dirt cheap. 

Just slide the hooks to your side where they won't get in the way. 

[ripitupbaby]

These are what I use.  They are soft enough that you don't feel them under your shoulders and they are dirt cheap. 

Just slide the hooks to your side where they won't get in the way. 

That's what we use to tie down our drag bike.   

[trab]

I cant even get into a Large sweatshirt much less shove 4 planks of wood in it too!

Do you board press? If your that wide - They should not fall off! 

Cut some out of 12" wide pine. The skinny 8" wide is not as stable.

Just Zap them together with a screw gun. (Ridgid Tools guns kick butt  )
You can add like 1/2 a board with some 1" pine plank.
Try adding a 1 1/2Board  & 2  1/2board to your collection. You'll like them.

[freespirit]

sure u did u little musclebear

Why do you have pics of 'musclebears' on your hard-drive, sevastase? Is there something you desperately want to share with the rest of us?

[Stubborn]

Do you board press? If your that wide - They should not fall off! 

Cut some out of 12" wide pine. The skinny 8" wide is not as stable.

Just Zap them together with a screw gun. (Ridgid Tools guns kick butt  )
You can add like 1/2 a board with some 1" pine plank.
Try adding a 1 1/2Board  & 2  1/2board to your collection. You'll like them.

I've got the Rigid set as a matter of fact! But Im just messin around, I dont even bench unless its CG or JM presses.

When I was benching I sometimes used a foam roller pad as a board. I think once you've sunk the bar into it it comes to about 3". Being as I was always working out at 24hr at the time I didnt have much choice.

[freespirit]

yes. I am gay.

Fixed it for you, and there's nothing wrong with being gay, even in Romania.

Stop messing this thread btw.

[ripitupbaby]

I did my third shirt workout on Friday, and I will admit that the shirt is stretching.  It's hard to believe lol, but this MAY work in a couple of months if I keep working on it.
After a warmup and getting the shirt on, here's what i did:

-225 for 2 reps with the 4 board
-225 for 2 reps with the 3 board
-225 for 1 rep with the 2 board, and it DID touch
-225 with no board, I did NOT get it to touch
Then, I decided what the hell, I will just try the heavier weight and see how it feels. 
So we put 275 on....
I did 275 for 2 reps with the 4 board with a heavy spot
Then I tried 275 for one more rep, and it wasn't happening. 

I definitely had a spot on all of the sets, but my spotters both seem to think that 225 will be a foregone conclusion once I get the shirt to work properly.  The good news is that I actually got the shirt to touch on a 2 board, so it is getting better.  And it didn't leave nearly as many bruises and broken blood vessels on me this time. 

I'm all over the place with the bar, I can't do it by myself yet, but it's coming along.  The form is REALLY tough when all you are focusing on is how much the shirt hurts. 

[Stubborn]

Yeah I had a feeling you would destroy 225 soon enough!


Good stuff, keep it up!

[Luv2Hurt]

Ripper thats awesome!  Im thinking if the shirt is too tight get the next size?  That way you can concentrate on the weight more, but I dont know a lot about it.  I would say the new goal for this event in the shirt is 285 lbs 

[ripitupbaby]

Ripper thats awesome!  Im thinking if the shirt is too tight get the next size?  That way you can concentrate on the weight more, but I dont know a lot about it.  I would say the new goal for this event in the shirt is 285 lbs 

Well, I have been contemplating that.  I'm kinda making some progress breaking this shirt in, and I think the issue is just that it's an advanced-level shirt, and I am a beginning-level shirt lifter.  I'm somewhere around 12 weeks out from the meet...and I'm kinda at the point where I need to just power through with this shirt and hope that it works out, rather than try to break in two shirts. 

Similar to my BB contest prep, I have kind of decided to listen to one person's advice re. the shirt and how to break it in.  And he seems to think that this shirt will ultimately be perfect for me, so I'm gonna go with it.   
I was very pleased with how much it has stretched in just three workouts.  It has a long way to go, but I should be able to get it working properly in a few more workouts.

[Luv2Hurt]

Well, I have been contemplating that.  I'm kinda making some progress breaking this shirt in, and I think the issue is just that it's an advanced-level shirt, and I am a beginning-level shirt lifter.  I'm somewhere around 12 weeks out from the meet...and I'm kinda at the point where I need to just power through with this shirt and hope that it works out, rather than try to break in two shirts. 

Similar to my BB contest prep, I have kind of decided to listen to one person's advice re. the shirt and how to break it in.  And he seems to think that this shirt will ultimately be perfect for me, so I'm gonna go with it.   
I was very pleased with how much it has stretched in just three workouts.  It has a long way to go, but I should be able to get it working properly in a few more workouts.

That sounds like a good plan, Im sure it will all work out very well for you.

[Overload]

I did my third shirt workout on Friday, and I will admit that the shirt is stretching.  It's hard to believe lol, but this MAY work in a couple of months if I keep working on it.
After a warmup and getting the shirt on, here's what i did:

-225 for 2 reps with the 4 board
-225 for 2 reps with the 3 board
-225 for 1 rep with the 2 board, and it DID touch
-225 with no board, I did NOT get it to touch
Then, I decided what the hell, I will just try the heavier weight and see how it feels. 
So we put 275 on....
I did 275 for 2 reps with the 4 board with a heavy spot
Then I tried 275 for one more rep, and it wasn't happening. 

I definitely had a spot on all of the sets, but my spotters both seem to think that 225 will be a foregone conclusion once I get the shirt to work properly.  The good news is that I actually got the shirt to touch on a 2 board, so it is getting better.  And it didn't leave nearly as many bruises and broken blood vessels on me this time. 

I'm all over the place with the bar, I can't do it by myself yet, but it's coming along.  The form is REALLY tough when all you are focusing on is how much the shirt hurts. 

Awesome! if you touched a 2 board you are right where you need to be.

Focus on 225 and 245, try to do some doubles with no spot, don't let the spotter touch the bar at all after lift off, you need to get the groove down with the lighter weights. if your spotters help you guide the bar it actually makes the lift alot easier, try to only use your spotters for lift off and if you lose control.

once you can do triples off the 2 board with 225, bump it up to 245, and so on. Don't stack too much weight on there until you have perfect form. take your time.

Good luck.

[ripitupbaby]

Awesome! if you touched a 2 board you are right where you need to be.

Focus on 225 and 245, try to do some doubles with no spot, don't let the spotter touch the bar at all after lift off, you need to get the groove down with the lighter weights. if your spotters help you guide the bar it actually makes the lift alot easier, try to only use your spotters for lift off and if you lose control.

once you can do triples off the 2 board with 225, bump it up to 245, and so on. Don't stack too much weight on there until you have perfect form. take your time.

Good luck.

Thanks!  I am gonna give it another go this weekend.  I can tell that it'll take me a little while to get comfortable with the shirt and actually think about the lift and the form more than the discomfort.  But I am pretty pleased with the progress I have made in three shirt workouts. 
Thinking back, the first workout was hilarious, I was pretty much convinced there was no chance of getting it to work after that. 

[Overload]

Thanks!  I am gonna give it another go this weekend.  I can tell that it'll take me a little while to get comfortable with the shirt and actually think about the lift and the form more than the discomfort.  But I am pretty pleased with the progress I have made in three shirt workouts. 
Thinking back, the first workout was hilarious, I was pretty much convinced there was no chance of getting it to work after that. 

You should be pleased, you are doing great. Give yourself some time and the discomfort isn't much, you just get used to it.

Good luck.

[SL-Dubbs]

I don't think that the mods on this board are online all that much. 
This IS a great thread, at least from my perspective, despite the furry muslebear ass pic...tons of good info in here, I've learned alot.   

I received quite a few reports about this kid. So, ill be on a often to keep the threads cleaned up

[ripitupbaby]

I received quite a few reports about this kid. So, ill be on a often to keep the threads cleaned up

LOL thanks!   

[ripitupbaby]

Last night was workout #2, board presses and close grips.  I did legs Monday night for the first time in a while, and I am totally crippled...my legs and lower back were extremely sore last night, which did not make the chest workout go any easier.
I also trained alone, so I had to recruit spotters.

Board Presses - I used the 2-board and stuffed it under my shirt.   
175 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5...last set was a struggle, I had a light spot on the last couple reps.

Close Grips - These feel really weird after doing board presses b/c the range of motion is so different, and my triceps were already tired. It felt like I was kinda all over the place with the bar on the second and third sets.   
135 x 5
140 x 5
140 x 5
I got them all by myself, but I wasn't confident in my spotter, and the last two sets really bothered my right shoulder.  So I quit while I was ahead and did three sets x 6 of heavy tricep rope pulldowns.

[ripitupbaby]

Tough shirt workout on Saturday. 
My husband was sick, so I had a different spotter, who pretty much just let me do all of the pressing by myself and only jumped in if I was falling apart.  This was good and bad, I guess.  It made for a tough workout with the shirt, as I am just not used to it yet.

210 x 1 with the 3-board to get the shirt to settle in
210 x 2 with the 2-board...he let me go by myself...the first rep was super sloppy, the second rep was a total mess.  So we decided to drop the weight so that I could get used to pressing it with the shirt and no spot.
195 x 2
195 x 2
195 x 2
195 x 2
The sets of 195 got better as I went along...the last set was nice and strong, and pretty clean.
Final set I tried 245 with the 4 board for 1 rep and did not get it at all.

I wasn't quite as excited about the shirt after this workout, as I didn't feel that it went so well.  We put the sleeves on a little higher this time than before...the cuff was like more than an inch above my elbow, and it hurt A LOT.  The shirt bit into the backs of my arms and all around my arm pits really bad, and left big, lumpy bruises all under my arms and on the backside of my triceps.   
The good news is that the crinkle across the chest is going away.

Anyway, I am switching things up starting this week and going chest work three times a week until the meet.  I'll continue to work with the shirt at least once a week.