I Benched 107.5 kg in Competition 3-16-08

[Vet]

Where exactly to put the cuff in relation to my elbow is something I've always struggled with.....  With my goofily short arms, I always have to have at least an inch and a half taken off the sleeves of my bench shirts and even then it sometimes doesn't feel "right". 


You sure you are going to work chest 3x per week until the contest?  Thats a bit much if you ask me and a recipe to get weaker, not stronger. 

[ripitupbaby]

Where exactly to put the cuff in relation to my elbow is something I've always struggled with.....  With my goofily short arms, I always have to have at least an inch and a half taken off the sleeves of my bench shirts and even then it sometimes doesn't feel "right". 

You sure you are going to work chest 3x per week until the contest?  Thats a bit much if you ask me and a recipe to get weaker, not stronger. 

Up until this last time, I have always had the cuff just barely over the elbow, enough to bend my arm and that's about it.  This time, it was up more, and DAMN it hurt alot.  My right hand also went numb.

The workouts I have laid out are pretty short workouts, one day is shirt work, one day is board press work, and one day is work on explosive lifts.  Not much else involved, no other tricep or shoulder work.  I'm hoping to combine a back or leg day with one of these workouts so that I am only training four days a week.

[trab]

THat heavy iron is hard on the CNS. esp the misses at 100%.
Watch the volume. I agree with Vet. It does more in a few reps than  hour long pumpy workouts will ever begin to.

Need chains and a 2nd shirt.

Chain is better feel than the sweetest Hammer machines. You can tailor the bulk of the chain to come on @ stick point suddenly, right when you have all your velocity up to max.
Teaches you to blow right thru it. There is no sticking point then.

[The Squadfather]

missing maxes creates a lot of psychological baggage along with the physical stress.

[Hedgehog]

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.

Very nice workout, hitting those doubles to 195, excellent work ethic.

Remember: Never pause when doing board work. Always just touch and go on the board. Just wanted to clarify this.

Regarding the shirt, and that it may hurt on the arms: It actually may hurt more if you pull it up too much, as the seam can press on a nerve.

Also, make sure that the seam is slightly twisted on to the "outer" side of your upper arm. It should run approx one inch outside the elbow line.

Once again, great job.

[Vet]

Very nice workout, hitting those doubles to 195, excellent work ethic.

Remember: Never pause when doing board work. Always just touch and go on the board. Just wanted to clarify this.

I think that depends on what you are trying to do with the boards.  If you follow the advice of some (I forget if it was Jim Wendler at Elitefts or Sebastian Burns of Metal Militia where I heard this), they say to let the board "sink" into your chest at the bottom before "throwing the bar up over your head", which amounts to pausing in reality as you let the bar sink.   Then others say touch and go with it while under control (again it was Jim or Sebastian, I can't remember which one).   I think the real key is to not "slam" the bar off the board and bounce it.   If you slam into the board, you can move more weight, but you run the risk of getting way out of your groove. 

Regarding the shirt, and that it may hurt on the arms: It actually may hurt more if you pull it up too much, as the seam can press on a nerve.

Also, make sure that the seam is slightly twisted on to the "outer" side of your upper arm. It should run approx one inch outside the elbow line.

Once again, great job.

Ulnar nerve paralysis (the nerve the shirt will put pressure on) sucks, especially when its self induced with a bench shirt.



Hedge, do you understand what the deal is with twisting the sleeves of the bench shirt to help with lockout?  Like I said in the earlier post, I've struggled with the correct position of the bench shirt on my short arms and have settled with the seam just on the outside of my triceps and the cuff just before the point of the elbow as the most "comfortable" position.   I've read online about references to Metal shirts having slightly longer sleeves to allow twisting to help with lockout, but I sure can't seem to get that effect with the shirt I'm using (its not a Metal shirt).  I'm wondering if I'm missing something with tweaking my shirt or what. 

[Hedgehog]

I think that depends on what you are trying to do with the boards.  If you follow the advice of some (I forget if it was Jim Wendler at Elitefts or Sebastian Burns of Metal Militia where I heard this), they say to let the board "sink" into your chest at the bottom before "throwing the bar up over your head", which amounts to pausing in reality as you let the bar sink.   Then others say touch and go with it while under control (again it was Jim or Sebastian, I can't remember which one).   I think the real key is to not "slam" the bar off the board and bounce it.   If you slam into the board, you can move more weight, but you run the risk of getting way out of your groove. 

Ulnar nerve paralysis (the nerve the shirt will put pressure on) sucks, especially when its self induced with a bench shirt.

My reason is, you don't pause there, you pause further down the ROM. And if you pause with a board, you will learn a flawed neural pattern.

Touch and go, because you want to keep the arch, avoiding, as you pointed out, the bar pushing down your arch.

JMO.

Hedge, do you understand what the deal is with twisting the sleeves of the bench shirt to help with lockout?  Like I said in the earlier post, I've struggled with the correct position of the bench shirt on my short arms and have settled with the seam just on the outside of my triceps and the cuff just before the point of the elbow as the most "comfortable" position.   I've read online about references to Metal shirts having slightly longer sleeves to allow twisting to help with lockout, but I sure can't seem to get that effect with the shirt I'm using (its not a Metal shirt).  I'm wondering if I'm missing something with tweaking my shirt or what. 

I am hoping you got a Titan, because those I know where the seam runs.

If so, then the further towards the outer side of the arm you keep the seam, the more you will get from it, the shirt will be "more extreme" that way.

If you need to get the bar down more easily, keep the seam slightly on the inside, this is if you got an F6.

Of course, if you got a Katana, the seam is all different. But use the same technique - more lbs, seam on the outer side. -easier to get down, seam more towards the inner side.

[trab]

Simmons speaks of a reflex reaction from pause on boards, or box if Im not missunderstanding him.

Try a pause and heave. YOu'll like it.

Touch and goes too. Mix it up.

[Vet]

My reason is, you don't pause there, you pause further down the ROM. And if you pause with a board, you will learn a flawed neural pattern.

Touch and go, because you want to keep the arch, avoiding, as you pointed out, the bar pushing down your arch.

JMO.

I am hoping you got a Titan, because those I know where the seam runs.

If so, then the further towards the outer side of the arm you keep the seam, the more you will get from it, the shirt will be "more extreme" that way.

If you need to get the bar down more easily, keep the seam slightly on the inside, this is if you got an F6.

Of course, if you got a Katana, the seam is all different. But use the same technique - more lbs, seam on the outer side. -easier to get down, seam more towards the inner side.

Unfortunately, I'm trying to learn a Rage X single plye now---its a new shirt that I think I'll get alot out of if I can figure it out.  This one is modified somewhat, but isn't that extreme.   That might be also why I'm having a hard time understanding/getting the "twisting" concept to work. 

[Vet]

Simmons speaks of a reflex reaction from pause on boards, or box if Im not missunderstanding him.

Try a pause and heave. YOu'll like it.

Touch and goes too. Mix it up.

The pause Louie refers to is for box squatting, so you break up the concentric/eccentric portions of the lift.    Its different with a bench press because you want to stay as tight as possible in your arch.  You need to practice pausing so you don't get redlighted for a "touch and go", but at the same time, as Hedge pointed out you dont' want to break up your form. 

It took me a while to learn to let the bar "sink" without loosing my arch.   To me, leg tightness plays a big role 


and again, the most important thing is to not bounce the bar off the boards. 

[Hedgehog]

Unfortunately, I'm trying to learn a Rage X single plye now---its a new shirt that I think I'll get alot out of if I can figure it out.  This one is modified somewhat, but isn't that extreme.   That might be also why I'm having a hard time understanding/getting the "twisting" concept to work. 

We have a few guys in Rage X actually, around 198-220 lbs, and they're getting pretty good results from that shirt.

Not too familiar with how the seam runs, but one thing that I've noticed is the high collar, if you won't have a problem with that, the Rage X could probably be really good shirt.

One thing I've noticed when pulling Rage X's, is that it's even more important, it's almost vital, than with the F6 to get the shirt pulled down hard in the sides, also make sure there's no gap between the armpit and the sleeve (pull the sleeves up the shoulders from behind).

Good luck with the shirt, and let us know how you get on with it. BTW, Metal is out with a new line in both shirt and squat and deadlift suits.

The squat suit is supposedly pretty good (I'll stick with my Centurion Super NXG+ though).

[Vet]

We have a few guys in Rage X actually, around 198-220 lbs, and they're getting pretty good results from that shirt.

Not too familiar with how the seam runs, but one thing that I've noticed is the high collar, if you won't have a problem with that, the Rage X could probably be really good shirt.

One thing I've noticed when pulling Rage X's, is that it's even more important, it's almost vital, than with the F6 to get the shirt pulled down hard in the sides, also make sure there's no gap between the armpit and the sleeve (pull the sleeves up the shoulders from behind).

Good luck with the shirt, and let us know how you get on with it. BTW, Metal is out with a new line in both shirt and squat and deadlift suits.

The squat suit is supposedly pretty good (I'll stick with my Centurion Super NXG+ though).

Yeah, the neck problems I've had with a straight Rage X.  If its not set just right, it'll practically choke you.  I had the neck in this one dropped (I'm a natural low chest/belly bencher) and its a completely open back so its easier to get into--as a matter of fact its the easiest to get into poly shirt I've ever used.  I'm just trying to pick apart little nuances to get the most out of the shirt. 

[ripitupbaby]

Very nice workout, hitting those doubles to 195, excellent work ethic.

Remember: Never pause when doing board work. Always just touch and go on the board. Just wanted to clarify this.

Regarding the shirt, and that it may hurt on the arms: It actually may hurt more if you pull it up too much, as the seam can press on a nerve.

Also, make sure that the seam is slightly twisted on to the "outer" side of your upper arm. It should run approx one inch outside the elbow line.

Once again, great job.

I think the seam must have been pressing on a nerve because my right arm hurt all the way down to my fingers for the rest of the night.  I kept telling my husband that it felt like I pinched a nerve.   

[ripitupbaby]

Board Presses Last Night with the 2-Board

7 sets 180 pounds x 2

That was it.  I trained alone and had to get a random spotter at the gym, and the sets were actually harder than I expected them to be.  The first couple of sets were a struggle because the spotter wasn't giving me a good lift-off (he was lifting UP and practically lifting me right off the bench), so once we got that squared away, the final sets were actually better than the first ones. 
I completely f-ed up the fourth set, I don't know what happened, but the bar hit the board and I just totally failed and couldn't get it up at all.  It was a do-over, and once I focused more, I got the rest of the sets fine by myself.

I was tempted to do some shoulder work, but my left shoulder was hurting after I finished those sets, so I stopped there.  What I really need to do is incorporate some back and leg work into my revised routine.

[ripitupbaby]

Last Friday was a pretty tough shirt workout. 

-2 board 195 x 2...with a spot.  first couple of sets are always the worst for me.
-same thing again
-same thing again
-same thing again
Less spot every time. I got some of them OK, but some of them were a mess.  It's not the weight, it's the shirt and my inability to make it work.  I break form, I lose focus on my legs and staying tight, I get all thinking about the shirt and not the lift. 
-1 board 200 x 1.  I got it to touch the board, but then I basically had no leverage getting it off the board and needed help.  I twisted a bit and struggled BAD once it was on the board. 
After this, I was pretty frustrated, so we messed around with weight releasers.   
-I put 45s on the weight releases and 45s on the bar, so I went down with 225 (to about the height of a 2 board) and up with 135. 
-Then, I went down with 250 and up with 135.

So then, I took the shirt off, and practiced a bit with chains that weigh 40 pounds each side.  I just did two sets of 5-6 with the bar and the 40 pound chains, just to see how they feel.  The chains make the bar SUPER wobbly. 

My shoulders are bothering me a bit, flaring up and aching, but I've taken three days off now, and I'll be back in the gym tomorrow, working with the chains later this week. 

[ripitupbaby]

Another tough workout tonight....Board presses with the 2 board
 
I trained alone, and recruited this dude to spot me.  We had some "issues" with the lift offs (why do people insist on lifting UP so much when lifting OFF?), but we squared that away after a couple of sets.  I tucked my board underneath my tee-shirt since I didn't have someone holding it for me. 

-180 x 2
-180 x 2
-180 x 2
-180 x 2
-185 x 2 - This set was tough, and my arms were hurting by this point.  I am having A LOT of pain in my shoulders and arms lately...I think it's my bicep tendons.  They flare up during my workout to the point where both of my arms were starting to throb from the shoulders all the way to my fingertips. 
-Sixth set was a DISASTER.  I went for 185 x 2 again.  I was tired, my arms hurt, and it was HEAVY.  On the first rep, the bar came down a little higher on my chest than normal, hit the board, and the board flipped upwards on the opposite end, sending the bar sliding towards my face.  I was not prepared for that, so I pretty much failed under the weight, and the bar came crashing towards my throat.  My spotter took the cue when I yelled "F*CK!" and managed to grab the weight and pull it off me right before it crushed my throat.  

That was definitely the closest I have ever come to being injured under the weight. 
Not a very good experience, but at least I learned that the ole' tuck-the-board-under-the-shirt trick isn't a real good idea unless the shirt is really tight. 

By this point, my arms and shoulders were killing me, so I did some abs and called it a night.

Why are all of these random things that never used to hurt starting to hurt?   
I think I need to start taking some ibuprofin before I train.

[trab]

I'd back off of a workout and do shoulder rotations and ice/heat them sore spots..

Massage,,, eat well..... This heavy stuff is hard on the joints in only a few reps.

Pump the shoulders full of blood w/ light & moderate weight shoulder rotations... Chain and light bands are great for them... Dont strain at it.

Have you ever dumped the plates off bar ends when stuck on the chest?
I never cap the ends so I can do that if need be. These spotters dont sound like you can trust them.
Pour the plates off one end, the other will take care of itself rather quickly.
Ive only done it once,,,

[ripitupbaby]

I'd back off of a workout and do shoulder rotations and ice/heat them sore spots..

Massage,,, eat well..... This heavy stuff is hard on the joints in only a few reps.

Pump the shoulders full of blood w/ light & moderate weight shoulder rotations... Chain and light bands are great for them... Dont strain at it.

Have you ever dumped the plates off bar ends when stuck on the chest?
I never cap the ends so I can do that if need be. These spotters dont sound like you can trust them.
Pour the plates off one end, the other will take care of itself rather quickly.
Ive only done it once,,,

Yeah, I just took three days off of everything, but I'm noticing more flare up every time I train, no matter how much rest.  Massage sounds very good, eating well would be a great idea too haha!

I've dumped once or twice, but this time, the bar was too far up my chest and was sliding down the board, towards my throat.  There was no way I was getting it under control and dumping it...at least my spotter caught it before it crushed my throat.   

[trab]

Are you wrapping your wrists at that weight?

Are you bringing the bar down to a good tight lat flare as a landing pad?
Squeeze that bar like your trying to Kill it! ANd, try to spread/stretch it like a band.


THose are  things I can see letting the bar roll back easier.

You also got a hell-of-a lot of arch,,, more than lots of guys can pull off. That complicates that problem.

A good spotter is prolly necessary.  You could do pin press at various height and skip boards next time till you get a spotter.?

I dont like the sounds of "Roll Back to Throat"... Average gym goers are to clueless to trust with carrying groceries, much less the bar.

[ripitupbaby]

Are you wrapping your wrists at that weight?

Are you bringing the bar down to a good tight lat flare as a landing pad?
Squeeze that bar like your trying to Kill it! ANd, try to spread/stretch it like a band.

THose are  things I can see letting the bar roll back easier.

You also got a hell-of-a lot of arch,,, more than lots of guys can pull off. That complicates that problem.

A good spotter is prolly necessary.  You could do pin press at various height and skip boards next time till you get a spotter.?

I dont like the sounds of "Roll Back to Throat"... Average gym goers are to clueless to trust with carrying groceries, much less the bar.

ERrrrmmmmm I haven't been using wrist wraps as often as I should, I don't like them.  I actually meant to use them last night, but I forgot.   

I don't like the sounds of "roll back to throat" either LOL, and I didn't really enjoy seeing the bar come sliding towards my face at an increasing weight.  The spotter could have been a little quicker, but damn, I was thankful he grabbed it when he did. 
The arch is definitely part of it....a big arch, no one holding the board on my chest, and wearing a loose t-shirt - a recipe for disaster, I suppose. 
Next time, I will make sure I get someone to hold the damn board on my chest. 

[thewickedtruth]

ERrrrmmmmm I haven't been using wrist wraps as often as I should, I don't like them.  I actually meant to use them last night, but I forgot.   

I don't like the sounds of "roll back to throat" either LOL, and I didn't really enjoy seeing the bar come sliding towards my face at an increasing weight.  The spotter could have been a little quicker, but damn, I was thankful he grabbed it when he did. 
The arch is definitely part of it....a big arch, no one holding the board on my chest, and wearing a loose t-shirt - a recipe for disaster, I suppose. 
Next time, I will make sure I get someone to hold the damn board on my chest. 

Your progress is amazing rip! DAMN GIRL! Looking REAL good and looks like you're going to hit 225 and keep going! Are you having ahard time keeping your arch? I am trying my best to get the biggest damn arch I can but I always sink down on the way down. Do you keep your legs tight when you do it? i'm thinking that might be the part I'm not getting right....the driving my toes into the floor part.  And wrist wraps are a GODSEND! Once you get used to them it helps me bench wiht alot more confidence and I don't have any more wrist pain at all! prowriststraps.com has the convict pros that I'm in love with. Those bad boys are like wearing a fucking cast! 

[ripitupbaby]

Your progress is amazing rip! DAMN GIRL! Looking REAL good and looks like you're going to hit 225 and keep going! Are you having ahard time keeping your arch? I am trying my best to get the biggest damn arch I can but I always sink down on the way down. Do you keep your legs tight when you do it? i'm thinking that might be the part I'm not getting right....the driving my toes into the floor part.  And wrist wraps are a GODSEND! Once you get used to them it helps me bench wiht alot more confidence and I don't have any more wrist pain at all! prowriststraps.com has the convict pros that I'm in love with. Those bad boys are like wearing a fucking cast! 

Thanks!  I'm kinda frustrated right now!   

When I started working on the arch a few months ago, I found that it was hard to maintain it during the lift, but I got better with practice.  The first day I tried to bench with an arch, I tweeked my back so bad I had to go to the chiropractor.   
Keeping tight through your entire body, including the legs, and pushing from the ground helps, but it's SO hard to remember to do all of this at the same time and still focus on the lift.  It's even harder when you start working with the shirt and can't think about much of anything other than how much it hurts.  I'm pretty good now at benching decent weight RAW (like in the 165-175 range) with a big arch and good form, but when I put the shirt on, everything kinda falls apart.  I guess this will come with practice too. 

[Overload]

This is just the way it goes when you don't have a GOOD coach or spotter there in person.

Just keep pressing on and if you don't feel comfortable just go a little lighter, it takes YEARS to get all this stuff down to where you are comfortable and smooth with each press.

Sounds like your spotter isn't very educated in powerlifting, most people have no idea how to spot someone for a real bench press attempt. the arch and elbow tuck can makes things get messy real quick. like I've said before i know what it's like to catch a barbell on the neck and it sucks ass, but you have to get past it.

Just keep practicing and don't get frustrated, it is a learning process and you are still a beginner...just stay focused and positive.

One thing is that i believe you are overtraining, just training too frequently. your layout is great but if your arms and shoulders are hurting like that you are overworking them. external rotator cuff exercises may help but i think you need more rest between bench sessions. this is just my opinion and i always think about the "long run". if they are bothering you now, what's it going to be like in 2-3 years? just my .02, i've had my share of aches and pains over the years, now i try to prevent them as much as i can so i can lift the rest of my life...

Good luck, you are doing great!

[Vet]

ERrrrmmmmm I haven't been using wrist wraps as often as I should, I don't like them.  I actually meant to use them last night, but I forgot.   

I don't like the sounds of "roll back to throat" either LOL, and I didn't really enjoy seeing the bar come sliding towards my face at an increasing weight.  The spotter could have been a little quicker, but damn, I was thankful he grabbed it when he did. 
The arch is definitely part of it....a big arch, no one holding the board on my chest, and wearing a loose t-shirt - a recipe for disaster, I suppose. 
Next time, I will make sure I get someone to hold the damn board on my chest. 

Do you have a power rack available?  Seriously, if you are that worried about the spotters, get someone to give you a lift off and then dump the weight if you can't get it.  There is little difference in my mind about dropping the weight on the pins of a rack or someone grabbing it and pulling it off of you if you fail on the attempt except for the safety issue.  The rack will protect you.  Then use a regular bench when you've got a reliable spotter. 

[thewickedtruth]

Do you have a power rack available?  Seriously, if you are that worried about the spotters, get someone to give you a lift off and then dump the weight if you can't get it.  There is little difference in my mind about dropping the weight on the pins of a rack or someone grabbing it and pulling it off of you if you fail on the attempt except for the safety issue.  The rack will protect you.  Then use a regular bench when you've got a reliable spotter. 

Bingo. I stopped asking people to spot me anymore... the only people I trust are the guys at meets now.