I Benched 107.5 kg in Competition 3-16-08

[tu_holmes]

Short and sweet speed workout last night, very light. 
Assuming my 1RM is somewhere around 180 right now, 60% is 118, so I went with 120. 

(EDIT: I just realized that I did the math wrong...60% of 180 is 108, so I prolly could have gone a little lighter.   )

5 sets 120 x 2.  Nice, long pause at the chest, and as much speed off the bottom as I could.
3 sets rotator cuff x 15
2 sets light DB bicep curls x 12
2 sets crunches, 2 sets leglifts (dreaded!  )

Really? Really? Good thing you're not a physicist.

[ripitupbaby]

Really? Really? Good thing you're not a physicist.

Math is actually one of my strongest subjects!  lol
The worst part about it is that the person who set up the workout for me GAVE me the correct numbers...instead of writing the numbers down, I wrote down "60-65% of 1RM" and then proceeded to calculate it incorrectly at the gym.   

[tu_holmes]

Math is actually one of my strongest subjects!  lol
The worst part about it is that the person who set up the workout for me GAVE me the correct numbers...instead of writing the numbers down, I wrote down "60-65% of 1RM" and then proceeded to calculate it incorrectly at the gym.   

Haha... It really is usually some other dumbasses fault.

Good to see you're sticking to the plan though... You're really going to do well in Feb.

[ripitupbaby]

Haha... It really is usually some other dumbasses fault.

Good to see you're sticking to the plan though... You're really going to do well in Feb.

Nope, the only dumbass was me.   

No biggie though, all in all, it is going pretty good.  Thanks!

[ripitupbaby]

I FINALLY received my competition belt in the mail today from Titan. 

It's really nice...a custom made blue competition belt with double hooks.  I ordered it like almost two months ago....problem is now I don't really want to use it.   

I think I like the nice little, thin dress belt that just holds the shirt down and doesn't get in the way.  The Titan belt is a bit cumbersome and very stiff.  Not sure if I could even break it in by the bench meet.

I'm gonna keep it of course...I'm sure I will use it at some point.

[Overload]

I FINALLY received my competition belt in the mail today from Titan. 

It's really nice...a custom made blue competition belt with double hooks.  I ordered it like almost two months ago....problem is now I don't really want to use it.   

I think I like the nice little, thin dress belt that just holds the shirt down and doesn't get in the way.  The Titan belt is a bit cumbersome and very stiff.  Not sure if I could even break it in by the bench meet.

I'm gonna keep it of course...I'm sure I will use it at some point.

i've never been able to get a good arch with a thick belt, i always used a regular belt i'd normaly use when i wear jeans.

[ripitupbaby]

i've never been able to get a good arch with a thick belt, i always used a regular belt i'd normaly use when i wear jeans.

Yeah that's what I am talking about.  I call it a dress belt lol, but it's a canvas belt to wear with a pair of jeans.  It works well to hold the shirt down, and that's all I need.

[ripitupbaby]

I did a pretty killer board workout tonight.  I may have done a couple sets too many, but I wanted to get up to a 3 rep max, and I kept adding weight till I did.  I probably should have increased the weight more rapidly at the beginning of the workout.

RAW 2 BOARD
170 x 3
175 x 3
180 x 3
185 x 3
190 x 3
195 x 3 
175 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3

[Geo]

Short and sweet speed workout last night, very light. 
Assuming my 1RM is somewhere around 180 right now, 60% is 118, so I went with 120. 

(EDIT: I just realized that I did the math wrong...60% of 180 is 108, so I prolly could have gone a little lighter.   )

5 sets 120 x 2.  Nice, long pause at the chest, and as much speed off the bottom as I could.
3 sets rotator cuff x 15
2 sets light DB bicep curls x 12
2 sets crunches, 2 sets leglifts (dreaded!  )

post video's

I showed you mine.......now you show me yours !

 

[ripitupbaby]

post video's

I showed you mine.......now you show me yours !

 

haha I'm shy.      

I'll post up vids from the bench meet next month. 

[Luv2Hurt]

Sounds like you are pretty strong Rip keep it up!  Nice job on the training.  Looking forward to seeing how your upcomming meet goes 

Have you revised the amount of weight you think you will be able to do?

[ripitupbaby]

Sounds like you are pretty strong Rip keep it up!  Nice job on the training.  Looking forward to seeing how your upcomming meet goes 

Have you revised the amount of weight you think you will be able to do?

No, I am still struggling with the shirt, finding the groove, etc.  I haven't even gotten the bar to touch my chest yet with the shirt on, which makes me very nervous about the meet in 5 weeks lol. 

It's not so much a matter of strength as it is technique and ability to work the shirt, so I think I'll be lucky if I can get 225. 
Learning how to use the shirt has been a major challenge. 

[cauthon]

I FINALLY received my competition belt in the mail today from Titan. 

It's really nice...a custom made blue competition belt with double hooks.  I ordered it like almost two months ago....problem is now I don't really want to use it.   

I think I like the nice little, thin dress belt that just holds the shirt down and doesn't get in the way.  The Titan belt is a bit cumbersome and very stiff.  Not sure if I could even break it in by the bench meet.

I'm gonna keep it of course...I'm sure I will use it at some point.

I use a $15 wall mart belt with the pad cut out of it for benching. Works well if you want something with a bit of support without going with a full sized belt. What kind of shirt do you use? You probably mentioned it before but I am to lazy to look for it.

[ripitupbaby]

I use a $15 wall mart belt with the pad cut out of it for benching. Works well if you want something with a bit of support without going with a full sized belt. What kind of shirt do you use? You probably mentioned it before but I am to lazy to look for it.

I'm using a Titan F6.  This is what it looked like the first time I managed to get it on.  I'm still breaking it in!

[thewickedtruth]

haha girl's moving up so fast she's doing triples now! 

[cauthon]

I'm using a Titan F6.  This is what it looked like the first time I managed to get it on.  I'm still breaking it in!

I just got an F6 a couple weeks ago. I used one about a year ago but at the time I didn't have enough arch to  get it to work.  Making sure the collar is right up at your neck should help you touch. You might want to get the same shirt one size bigger for training. Doing full range doubles and triples in a training shirt really helped me learn how to use a shirt properly.

[ripitupbaby]

Shirt workout tonight.  I noticed that the collar is right up there by my neck.  I tried to touch tonight...came damn close, but just couldn't get it.  Sooooo close!   

I moved all the weight by myself, so I felt pretty good about it even though I didn't touch.  And I used a small canvas belt that didn't get in the way.

3 board (just to set the shirt) 205 x 2
2 board 205 x 2
1 board 205 x 2
1 board 225 x 2
1 board 225 x 2
No Board 225 x 1 (very close!)
No Board 225 x 1 (not as close lol, I was starting to poop out)
3 Board 275 x 1  (this was a major struggle lol, I thought I popped a few blood vessels in my face on this one  )

For the first time tonight, I felt confident that 225 won't be a problem if only I can get this fkn shirt to work.

[danielson]

Shirt workout tonight.  I noticed that the collar is right up there by my neck.  I tried to touch tonight...came damn close, but just couldn't get it.  Sooooo close!   

I moved all the weight by myself, so I felt pretty good about it even though I didn't touch.  And I used a small canvas belt that didn't get in the way.

3 board (just to set the shirt) 205 x 2
2 board 205 x 2
1 board 205 x 2
1 board 225 x 2
1 board 225 x 2
No Board 225 x 1 (very close!)
No Board 225 x 1 (not as close lol, I was starting to poop out)
3 Board 275 x 1  (this was a major struggle lol, I thought I popped a few blood vessels in my face on this one  )

For the first time tonight, I felt confident that 225 won't be a problem if only I can get this fkn shirt to work.

How much do you think you can bench right now without the shirt?

[ripitupbaby]

How much do you think you can bench right now without the shirt?

Hard to say...I haven't maxed out raw in a long time. 
But I am definitely getting stronger.  And given that I can press 195 for three with the 2 board, I'd like to think that my 1RM is up to 185 by now.   

[danielson]

Hard to say...I haven't maxed out raw in a long time. 
But I am definitely getting stronger.  And given that I can press 195 for three with the 2 board, I'd like to think that my 1RM is up to 185 by now.   

Thats pretty good. Why are you using the shirt? Seems like its an awful lot of trouble.

[Stubborn]

Thats pretty good. Why are you using the shirt? Seems like its an awful lot of trouble.

She wont go topless, bro. We tried. 

[trab]

I think the 225's a done deal.
Show total control at start/ Handoff (arms length hold-outs, pinpress) and find how long need pause for the press command at bottom.
Beat them both, and its on to the next set of wheels on the ends of the bar.......

[Stubborn]

I think the 225's a done deal.
Show total control at start/ Handoff (arms length hold-outs, pinpress) and find how long need pause for the press command at bottom.
Beat them both, and its on to the next set of wheels on the ends of the bar.......

Absolutely! I have to commend you for your efforts, Rip. Great progress!

[ripitupbaby]

She wont go topless, bro. We tried. 

 


Thanks guys!  I'm hoping the 225 will be do-able...I'm really really close to getting the shirt to touch.  And then like trab said, I gotta work on the handoff (alot) and the pause. 
I don't think I'll be working on three wheels for this meet LOL, but I'm really just gettin' started with this benching thing.  There will be more meets after this one, I'm sure.   

WHY the shirt?  Why not!  It's something new, something different, and very challenging.  Last meet I competed in, I was the only one who competed raw.  That's cool and all, but I was dis-advantaged.  Plus, raw meets are few and far between.
Learning how to use the shirt doesn't preclude me in the future from benching raw.  I'd rather be good at both ways than not know how to use a shirt at all.  It's been a really cool experience.  I like working with the shirt, as much as I bitch about it.  I've enjoyed mixing up my training and learning something totally new.  It's probably been the biggest physical challenge I've dealt with since I started training MANY years ago.  It's quite a mental challenge too.  And I think it will be very rewarding at the end if I can make it work...another goal I set for myself and met.  Next year, maybe I'll try to conquer the squat suit.   

[trab]

This whole shirt max training has increased your RAW bench #'s faster than most guys will be stuck  w/ their raw bench #'s forEVER.
Why do it is a silly question. As if the top shirt benchers dont have awesome RAW #'s to..
Mendelson?