How To Get a Bigger Bench - Part II

In part 1 of How to Get a Bigger Bench we discussed the required bench press technique. As mentioned, without correct technique, none of the tools for increasing your bench press strength are going to help because as soon as the weight gets heavy you're going to lose your technique and fail the lift.

So presuming you've got the technique the next thing to do is figure out where you're weak. To do this, work up slowly towards a 1RM.

Depending on how strong you are your warm-up set-up may be a little longer or shorter on sets but this will give you a sample to follow.

Let's say the best you've done lately is a set of 5 reps with 250. So your warm-up will look like this:

8x45, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225, 1x245.

Then you will attempt 1x265, 1x275, 1x285 and possibly 1x295.

Wherever you fail, your previous best is your 1RM to work from.

With a new 1RM of lets say 285, now we're going to drop back down to 250 and work on your sets of 5.

Do 5 reps, and then continue to attempt sets of 5 reps until you fail.

Where do you fail?

Do you fail to get the bar past the sticking point? Do you manage to get past the sticking point but fail to get the lockout? Or do you generally just find it tough all the way through without either point being more difficult than the other.

If you just generally find it tough, in other words both the sticking point and the lockout are tough for you, then you'll need to work on both areas. Otherwise if you only have one weakness, then you'll focus on that area mostly.

Sticking Point Solutions:
Due to the joint angle geometry, the point at which you have the least mechanical leverage during the lift is at what is called the sticking point. So clearly if you're getting stuck at the sticking point, getting stronger is going to help, but if it's where you fail, and you can't lift any heavier to get stronger, then how do you train to beat the sticking point?

Momentum = Mass x Velocity

So as you may recall from Physics 101, an object in motion tends to stay in motion. What this means to us is that if you put an object into motion (say a bar moving from the chest towards the sticking point), to a certain degree it will continue to move upward so long as the forces acting upon it allow it to continue.

Gravity is working against you, and your muscles are working for you. Since at the very bottom of the lift, just off the chest, your joint leverage is stronger than at the sticking point, it is at the bottom where you can potentially apply more force to the bar than at the sticking point.

Again from Physics 101, Force = Mass x acceleration.

So if you can accelerate the bar from the chest towards the sticking point, while your joint leverage is strong, the bar will have a greater velocity when it reaches the sticking point. If the bar has a greater velocity at the sticking point, it will have more momentum and a better point of making it past the sticking point. Essentially what we're looking at is combining our maximum force at the lower leverage sticking point along with the momentum gained from accelerating the bar from your chest to the sticking point. This combination helps you push "through" the sticking point that you previously failed at.

To help you learn how to accelerate the bar, the use of accommodating resistance is most helpful. Either chains or bands can be used to help you practice accelerating the weight.


Lockout Solutions:
If your main problem during bench press is the lockout, essentially you need to work on handling heavy loads in the top portion of the movement.

Board Presses and Rack Lockouts are the best tools for this purpose. Rack lockouts allow you to practice maximum poundage elbow extension over a very small range of motion. Board presses also allow for heavier elbow extension, but they also have the added advantage over rack lockouts in that they allow the weight to come down and transfer to your body, which you then transfer back into your push against the bar.

Triceps Strength:
If you usually finish your workout with 1-arm overhead triceps extensions, or kickbacks.. STOP!

These exercises are a waste of time if you're looking to get stronger.

In my opinion the top triceps exercises are, in no particular order:

1. Tate Triceps Press (flat to high incline)
2. Decline Close Grip Bench Press
3. Lying dumbbell/barbell triceps extensions
4. Heavy tricep pressdowns (maybe!)

Spend more time finishing your pressing workouts with these exercises and you'll notice more benefit on your bench!

Back Strength:

Everybody in the gym does pulldowns. Lots of variations of them exist, and while I think they're a good mass builder and they're good for beginners to get their shoulder joints accustomed to loading, in terms of strength carryover to bench press, they suck! Wide pull-ups, chins, and other variations are far better for helping develop strength that will carry over to the bench. But if your number one goal is a bigger bench, then keep your chinning and pull-up work to a minimum, and put most of your efforts into developing your strength with Rows. Bent-over barbell rows are probably the best, but bent-over dumbbell rows and T-Bar rows are good too. Essentially you want to load the muscles while they're in the same anatomical position as when on the bench. Rows are perfect for this.

For balance, be sure do some High Rows as well where the upper arm is at or above 90 degrees to the body. This will help avoid rhomboid dominance and ensuing problems.

To recap then, first figure out where your weakness is. A test of your 1RM is always a good idea so you have an idea of what kind of weights you should be using. Then a few good sets of a relatively heavy weight (5RM or a little less) and you should have a good idea of where you fail.

Work the sticking point by developing explosive strength and accelerate the bar off the chest towards the sticking point. Accommodating resistance with chains or bands can be used to help learn how to push fast!

Work the lockout with board presses and rack lockouts. Stay way from pansy triceps exercises and stick to what works, and finally do tons of rows!

In future articles I will discuss full set-up for chains and bands with pictures and video so you'll have a complete understanding of exactly how to set it all up!


:)
Shane

Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but ain't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weights!
- Ronny Coleman -


To recap, the first thing is to find out