Sticking Points?

[sneezingstardust]

I need a little help with a couple things on my big lifts...I'm trying to find out ways of strengthening my sticking points.

Bench: About 1/2-1 inch above my chest is where I most often get stuck.

Deadlift: About halfway up my shin. Lockout is fine.


Since I'm running Madcows, is there really any way to do accessory movements to strengthen this, or should I just stick through and run with the program? The only accessory stuff it provides is:

- BB curls
- Tricep extensions
- Dips
- Weighted sit-ups

[strkout35]

whenever i've heard people ask this the answers always been "don't mess with it." not telling you what to do but that's the most common response i've heard

[sneezingstardust]

Originally Posted by strkout35

whenever i've heard people ask this the answers always been "don't mess with it." not telling you what to do but that's the most common response i've heard

Yeah I kinda heard that too. :/

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by sneezingstardust

I need a little help with a couple things on my big lifts...I'm trying to find out ways of strengthening my sticking points.

Bench: About 1/2-1 inch above my chest is where I most often get stuck.

Squat: The first few inches coming out of the hole.

Deadlift: About halfway up my shin. Lockout is fine.


Since I'm running Madcows, is there really any way to do accessory movements to strengthen this, or should I just stick through and run with the program? The only accessory stuff it provides is:

- BB curls
- Tricep extensions
- Dips
- Weighted sit-ups

Could you post the program days and exercises again...maybe we can give you some swap out suggestions for stuff like tri extensions...

[quicksilver0587]

You could try out isometrics at those sticking points. Like, put the pins above the bar when you deadlift, and try and work against the pins for as long as you can at your sticking point, until the bar starts falling again.

"Start the bar at a specific height, and lift it two to three inches against a second set of safety pins. Then hold the position for six to nine seconds. Keep on adding weight until you can't lift it. Just hold the bar firmly against the second set of safety pins for at least six seconds, while maintaining a good lifting posture.

This way you're actually lifting weights, and can quantify your progress. Furthermore, since there's a short dynamic phase to the movement, the transfer of the gained isometric strength to an actual dynamic action is more important.[1]"

Also, a good technique is simply powering through it. The faster you can move the bar at the start, the easier it is to get past the sticking points. Seems common sense, but actually think about it when you go to do it.

[1] TMUSCLE.com | Beast Building - Part 2

[big_swede]

Try doing different height heavy rackpulls for the deadlift, helped me with s/p's a while ago, and good luck!

[cooltom]

With your bench, that is a common sticking point. My advice is to not start worrying about **** like that right away and just work hard on your main lifts for a while. But, if you are concerned with that sticking point, paused bench presses would probably help.

With the deadlift, just keep hitting the accessories hard after you pull, like good mornings, SDLs, leg curls, rack pulls, etc.

And I'm not saying to do each one of those accessories after your main lift, just pick one or two that you think will benefit you most and work it really hard.

[sneezingstardust]

For reference, these are my exercises:

Monday – Heavy Day

Squat – 5 sets of 5
Bench – 5 sets of 5
Barbell Row or Powerclean – 5 sets of 5
Weighted hyperextensions - 2 sets (optional)
Weighted sit-ups - 4 sets (optional)


Wednesday – Light Day

Squat – 4 sets of 5
Incline Bench or Overhead Press – 4 sets of 5
Deadlift – 4 sets of 5
Sit-ups - 3 sets (optional)


Friday - Medium

Squat – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, 1 set of 8
Bench – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, 1 set of 8
Barbell Row or Powerclean– 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, 1 set of 8 for rows
Weighted Dips - 3 sets of 5-8 (optional)
Triceps Extension and Biceps Curl - 3 sets of 8 each (optional)


I'd also like to get some calf work in, cause mine suck...but I don't know whether it's smart or not to add in any extras.

[BendtheBar]

If I were doing it...I would dump the weighted dips for closegrip benches.

I know a while back, you and Tony and DW were talking powerlifting. Did they have any opinion on you doing speed deads or deficit deads. I'm thinking either of these might help with your pull at the shins.

[sneezingstardust]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

If I were doing it...I would dump the weighted dips for closegrip benches.

I know a while back, you and Tony and DW were talking powerlifting. Did they have any opinion on you doing speed deads or deficit deads. I'm thinking either of these might help with your pull at the shins.

I was thinking of that, but where would I fit them into the program?