JTurner's Eat, Lift, Eat Log

[mab54]

Easy PRs are great PRs, nice day J!

[JTurner]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Defies logic, but a payoff for the hard work you put in.

Originally Posted by MikeM

Awesome JT! Weird how some great lifts come a on bad day, and vice versa.

Still, hard work always wins. Good luck on the exams! Man, I don't miss those days.

Originally Posted by mab54

Easy PRs are great PRs, nice day J!

Cheers guys. I have some work to catch up on with deads and squats after this week so it's just the start. Time for some am max bench .

[JTurner]

12/05/12 - Bench

Bench
40kg x 5, 60kg x 3, 80kg x 2, 90kg x 1

105kg x 1
115kg x 1
125kg x F

100kg x 3 x 2
100kg x 6 +RSling

DB Rows

46kg x 10 x 5

Facepulls
25 x 20
30 x 20 x 2

Shouldn't have gone for the 125, was meant to get some quality singles in and some back off sets. Regardless, no excuses on the 125, just not there yet. Rows were fun though.

[LtL]

Do you have video of the 125? Be good to analyse.

LtL

[JTurner]

Originally Posted by LtL

Do you have video of the 125? Be good to analyse.

LtL

Here's the vid, not the best angle with busy gym. I still have problems with my right shoulder coming lose and flaring with heavier stuff. I need a lot more practice with heavy singles and controlling them.

2012-05-12 Bench - YouTube

2012-05-12 Bench - YouTube

[LtL]

Two things I notice:

1. You're not as tight in your legs with the way you're setting up now. IMO feet should be further back to enable more leg drive.

2. You flatten out as you unrack. You could really use someone to pull (not lift) the bar out for you.

Other than that I think you may have rushed it a bit. You got it off the chest so if you can stay tight, you can press that. If you came to Reading, I'm sure Hazz and I could have you over 130kgs.

LtL

[JTurner]

Originally Posted by LtL

Two things I notice:

1. You're not as tight in your legs with the way you're setting up now. IMO feet should be further back to enable more leg drive.

2. You flatten out as you unrack. You could really use someone to pull (not lift) the bar out for you.

Other than that I think you may have rushed it a bit. You got it off the chest so if you can stay tight, you can press that. If you came to Reading, I'm sure Hazz and I could have you over 130kgs.

LtL

Thanks for the advice LtL, always appreciated.

I see what you mean about the legs, I know how my traps should feel on the bench now so I'll try the pull through set-up next time and push my upper back into place with the bar, a little more mobility would be nice but it's getting there.

As for 2, if there was anyone in that place I trusted I would. Setting up in the power rack isn't ideal so it would be nice to have a decent spotter and use the flat bench. I might give someone a chance on Tuesday.

That would be cool, shame about how far away Reading is.

[Fazc]

Really good points by Ltl.

I've been noticing this in my brother recently, although he's great at Squatting (200) and Pulling (230) his Bench is really lacking. Part of that is to do with bodyweight, he's only around 75kg but also he's finding it difficult, as you are, to transition from 'manageable weights' to '**** that's heavy weights'.

The Bench in particular is so massively determined by your body position, if you can get your body position correct, keep your arch, tightness, legs tense, upper back pulled back and all the rest of it you will find thing a lot easier. If you don't then like a loose string the whole deal unravels and you're left with just pure pressing power to press that barbell back up and at maximum weights that just won't happen.

Mobility is great, also just concentrate on shrugging back strongly for as long as you're on that Bench. Your body should actually raise up, from the rearward shrug of your upper back muscles, you want that much of a contraction.

[JTurner]

Thanks Faz, and this is it spot on:

Originally Posted by Fazc

'**** that's heavy weights'.

I unracked it today and my mind blanked, tried to press any which way, like you said trying to use pure-pressing power and not take advantage of a solid base.

I'm not going to push anything on Tuesday, no psyching up and forgetting everything. Some quality heavy singles, tight and controlled.

[Fazc]

Sounds good.

This is where I think after the heavy volume phase, and now this two-week period of singles and lower volume work you'll have a decent idea of what is lacking in your Bench Press. You'd do well to settle into a routine which then targets specifically what you lack.

For example part of what has gotten my brother a 135kg slingshot press finally after so many years, is doing overloaded work alongside his rep work. So for my money a decent combination of 1) The actual lift 2) Higher rep work on the lift and finally 3) Overload work with partials will see you right.