Magoo: The Quest for a 405 bench

[ripitupbaby]

stands for the Anti Drug Athletes United. it's basically the only raw meets around here. i could be suicidal and do an IPA or IPF meet, but... nah.

I'm still getting familiar with all the feds.  I'm doing APF Feb 23, and I am considering a USPF meet in March.  PL is very fragmented. 

[MisterMagoo]

I'm still getting familiar with all the feds.  I'm doing APF Feb 23, and I am considering a USPF meet in March.  PL is very fragmented. 

truth. look on powerliftingwatch, there's gotta be 60 different federations. it's ridiculous. anyway...

THURSDAY - squat day

box squat with bands: purples. according to a chart i found on PLwatch, they hit around 90-100 pounds at the top for my height.
45x5 - i'm listing the bar weight here.
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
315x3 - belt on
365x2
385x1
405x1 - i'm totally not used to this shit. my form slipped a bit here but, hey, almost 500lbs at the top.

front squats: no belt, all the way down
135x10
185x8
205x6
225x5
225,135x5,10 - quick drop set to get the blood flowing

stiff-leg DLs: standing on a 4" block
135x15
225x13
225x12
225x10

GHRs:
3x10 - shitty

abs: random ab work for about 5 minutes

DB shrugs: quick and easy
85x12
85x12
85x12

weight: 232

yo wicked, i think you're right about these bands. i'm lovin' it! plus, i work out at a college gym with all the "get a pump before we go to the bar" types, so me standing there in my skully with 405 on the bar and bands with boxes in the rack beside a dude using 185 with the pussy pad for partials? priceless.

[natural al]

hey MM, you ever try really heavy rest paused movements to increase strength?  Low rep, ultra heavy RP's got me strong as heck a few years ago when I was trying to up my bench...

just wonderin'

[MisterMagoo]

hey MM, you ever try really heavy rest paused movements to increase strength?  Low rep, ultra heavy RP's got me strong as heck a few years ago when I was trying to up my bench...

just wonderin'

how do you mean? all my reps are paused when i bench, but if this is a different technique entirely then i'm definitely curious about it.

[natural al]

how do you mean? all my reps are paused when i bench, but if this is a different technique entirely then i'm definitely curious about it.

there's a couple of different ways to do them but when I used it to up my bench weight I would take a weight that I could get for 2 or 3 reps, I'd do a couple and if I was at the point of failure I'd rack it, rest about 10 seconds and go again, maybe I'd get 1 rep, I'd rack it rest about 10 seconds and go again, I'd keep going like this until I totally failed.  Metzer used this tech. alot. 

[MisterMagoo]

there's a couple of different ways to do them but when I used it to up my bench weight I would take a weight that I could get for 2 or 3 reps, I'd do a couple and if I was at the point of failure I'd rack it, rest about 10 seconds and go again, maybe I'd get 1 rep, I'd rack it rest about 10 seconds and go again, I'd keep going like this until I totally failed.  Metzer used this tech. alot. 

hm. it does sound interesting. i'm not sure how well it'd work for increasing absolute strength but it sounds absolutely beastly for packing size on.

[natural al]

hm. it does sound interesting. i'm not sure how well it'd work for increasing absolute strength but it sounds absolutely beastly for packing size on.

I combined that with heavy ass neagative only movements and my bench shot up, it was the only time I really ever tried to push the limits with what I could bench press.

instead of moving say 315*2 you can actually move 315*5 or 6 it's just spread out a little more, I don't know how many pure strength trainers use it so.....take it for what it's worth.

[The Squadfather]

I combined that with heavy ass neagative only movements and my bench shot up, it was the only time I really ever tried to push the limits with what I could bench press.

instead of moving say 315*2 you can actually move 315*5 or 6 it's just spread out a little more, I don't know how many pure strength trainers use it so.....take it for what it's worth.

i did that today on close grips, had no spot and had to take the weight off the racks myself and couldn't get the damn bar centered over my chest the way i wanted it so i did a RP set and was pumped as fucck when i was done.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

Magoo, when's your next meet?

[MisterMagoo]

Magoo, when's your next meet?

ideally? feb 23rd, last saturday of the month. then one on march, i think, 29th. the feb 23rd is a single-lift meet, i'll probably hit bench that day.

SATURDAY - bench assistance

close-grip: index inside the smooth
135x15
185x10
225x5
275x3
315x2 1/2 - help on the third again

bench rep-out: why not?
225x22

standing shoulder press:
135x8
135x6
135x6

DB standing shoulder press:
50x10
50x10

cable rows:
200x10
200x10
200x10

pullups:
3x10

bar front raises:
45x12
55x12
65x10

straight bar curls:
65x12
65x12
65x12
65x12
65x12

rope pushdowns:
60x15
60x15
60x15

notes: here's a video of my close-grip maxing and the bench rep-out. i know my ass came up, but keep in mind i'm just fucking around. when i hit the paused benches i'm aiming for competition form. this is me trying shit out. and the angle makes it look like my arms are about 11" hahaha.

[thewickedtruth]

That's right bitch!  I told you that shit would feel good and watch your raw speed and power explode up! I've noticed a HUGE difference in my squatting since I started using bands! I blew the hell out of my raw box squat goal yesterday after having used bands for a few weeks now.

[MisterMagoo]

That's right bitch!  I told you that shit would feel good and watch your raw speed and power explode up! I've noticed a HUGE difference in my squatting since I started using bands! I blew the hell out of my raw box squat goal yesterday after having used bands for a few weeks now.

ahahah, i'm starting to see the ways. a few weeks of heavy GMs on my pull day and box squats with bands on squat day and hopefully things'll be on the up and up. 

[thewickedtruth]

ahahah, i'm starting to see the ways. a few weeks of heavy GMs on my pull day and box squats with bands on squat day and hopefully things'll be on the up and up. 

yep...getting stronger in the good mornings not only helps you out of the hole in a deep squat but can also save the lift if you end up leaning too far forward.

[MisterMagoo]

MONDAY - pull day

good mornings:
135x10
225x8
275x5
315x3 - belt on here
365x3
285x3
405x2 - might have gotten 3, but didn't like how it felt

speed pulls: double looped light bands, standing on a 5" box. from what elite's site says, that means i probably had about 235 or so at the top (which felt accurate).
135x5
225x3
315x3
315x3
315x2 - my grip was shitting out on me. still though, ~540 pounds at lockout ain't terrible.

pendlay rows: again with a big deficit
135x10
185x8
185x8

GHR:
3x15

seated shrugs:
100x15
100x15
100x15

abs: jackknife crunches
4x15

calves: goofy calf machine
230x15 - no real rest between sets. just enough to shake loose
230x15
230x15
230x15

weight: 234

notes: i sunk those good mornings deep, boy. after the set with 405 i felt like my head was going to explode. it was rough. 

[thewickedtruth]

get the boar lower on your back for heavy good mornings... just at the legal depth just below the delts to keep it from killing your neck and rolling forward onto you and making your face want to pop. Lower bar with wider grip helps a ton just like it does on squatting.

[thewickedtruth]

speed pulls: double looped light bands, standing on a 5" box. from what elite's site says, that means i probably had about 235 or so at the top (which felt accurate).
135x5
225x3
315x3
315x3
315x2 - my grip was shitting out on me. still though, ~540 pounds at lockout ain't terrible.


holy hell!    NICE WORK!

[MisterMagoo]

get the boar lower on your back for heavy good mornings... just at the legal depth just below the delts to keep it from killing your neck and rolling forward onto you and making your face want to pop. Lower bar with wider grip helps a ton just like it does on squatting.

yeah man. what sucks, though, is that the squat racks here have the hooks RIGHT where my hands want to go. it's tricky to get my grip wide enough. 

holy hell!    NICE WORK!

haha, thanks man. not quite your numbers, but i'm on the road. it's funny i'm basically adopting your SQ/DL routine just with higher volume. i like the look of it and obviously it produces results. 

[thewickedtruth]

yeah man. what sucks, though, is that the squat racks here have the hooks RIGHT where my hands want to go. it's tricky to get my grip wide enough. 

haha, thanks man. not quite your numbers, but i'm on the road. it's funny i'm basically adopting your SQ/DL routine just with higher volume. i like the look of it and obviously it produces results. 

yeah results you could say that hahaha..well it works for me anyway....and our racks here do the same to me..so i have to unrack it narrow...slowly get it lower and widen my grip..and then when I'm done doing the movement...bring the bar BACK UP my back by rolling and hiking it up and narrowing my grip.

not hte safest thing but it's the only way I can do it.

[MisterMagoo]

yeah results you could say that hahaha..well it works for me anyway....and our racks here do the same to me..so i have to unrack it narrow...slowly get it lower and widen my grip..and then when I'm done doing the movement...bring the bar BACK UP my back by rolling and hiking it up and narrowing my grip.

not hte safest thing but it's the only way I can do it.

hah, i do the same, actually. i can get it low as i need to with the narrow grip (flexible shoulders), but unless i widen, it'll roll up my neck on the way down. real pain in the ass.

[thewickedtruth]

hah, i do the same, actually. i can get it low as i need to with the narrow grip (flexible shoulders), but unless i widen, it'll roll up my neck on the way down. real pain in the ass.

dude I had 500 roll up to the base of my skull and I about shit my entire large intestine out trying to get the fuck back up..

I wonder how stronger you'd be if you cut down the volume and worked HARDER with fewer sets.

[MisterMagoo]

I wonder how stronger you'd be if you cut down the volume and worked HARDER with fewer sets.

i wonder, too. i really do put my all into all the sets. even with 135 i'm pushing it with the same force i push into 345. a few guys on elite and other sites told me to do a lot of your main lift. i know my volume is high on assistance, but i really ratchet down the overall intensity of those (shorter rest, etc) in comparison to the big lift.

TUESDAY - bench

bench: every rep paused.
bar warmup
135x8
185x5
225x5
275x3
325x3
325x2.5 - help on the third
275x8 - this one surprised me.

bench 30's: like 21's, only on the bench. good to get blood through the joints.
135x30
155x27 - form started falling apart.

high incline DB press: on the adjustable bench, one down from vertical
75x10
90x6
90x7

DB bench: light here
100x13
100x8

pulldowns:
12x10
12x10
12x10
12x10 - i have no idea what the weight is here, just that it was pin 12

DB front raises: seated, like in dennis james' video
22.5x12
22.5x12
22.5x12

hammer curls:
45x10
60x10
60x10
60x10

then i did a few sets of super light pushdowns for sets of 15-20 just to get my elbows moving, and a long set of flies to stretch out my chest. i hardly count it because i put nearly no effort into it.

weight: 233

notes: dude. 325x2x3? badass. i'm well on the road to a 365 paused bench by summer. this is awesome.

[thewickedtruth]

i wonder, too. i really do put my all into all the sets. even with 135 i'm pushing it with the same force i push into 345. a few guys on elite and other sites told me to do a lot of your main lift. i know my volume is high on assistance, but i really ratchet down the overall intensity of those (shorter rest, etc) in comparison to the big lift.

That's right! Grip that bar like you're going to put hand prints on that shit and press it hard! Speed is everything in the bench press on the eccentric and concentric both! I used to take 5-7 seconds on heavy shit to get to the bottom and coudln't figure out why I hadn no strength.. I was doing fucking negatives fighting the weight on the way down! I'm getting better at it.. I would say push as hard and as fast as you can to build explosive power! Make those fucking p lates rattle baby! I explode with 135 and 185 on DE speed days so fast my shoulders hop up a little. I would warm up doing a few sets with just the bar for higher reps to get your groove worked in and your "muscle memory" in check and see how that helps you handle heavier shit. Helps me a ton!

[haider]

nice benching dude, are you just pushing it on bench every week without break or are you rotating ME exercises? Just wondering. Also, whats with the "bar warmups"?  I always either start with 65 or 95 on the bar, and I bench 2/3rds of what you do...

[MisterMagoo]

nice benching dude, are you just pushing it on bench every week without break or are you rotating ME exercises? Just wondering. Also, whats with the "bar warmups"?  I always either start with 65 or 95 on the bar, and I bench 2/3rds of what you do...

i like the bar warmup because it's weightless. i just stretch my shoulders out, get my "groove" before i start to use any weight. i figure before i put any actual resistance on there, i should just get the feel going.

rotating out my bench exercise has never worked for me. it helps my squat and pull, but not my bench. so i just cycle between triples and singles on my main day, and then on my assistance day i switch amongst heavy close-grip, sets of 10-12 on close-grip, and bands. that's worked a lot better for me.

[thewickedtruth]

i like the bar warmup because it's weightless. i just stretch my shoulders out, get my "groove" before i start to use any weight. i figure before i put any actual resistance on there, i should just get the feel going.

rotating out my bench exercise has never worked for me. it helps my squat and pull, but not my bench. so i just cycle between triples and singles on my main day, and then on my assistance day i switch amongst heavy close-grip, sets of 10-12 on close-grip, and bands. that's worked a lot better for me.

same here..to get a bigger bench I have to bench with doubles and triples.. and then retest after a few weeks cycle.. conjugate or cycling lifts works GREAT for my lowerbody but not for my upper for some reason.