I want a bigger bench!

drdeadlift

How much would your average gym rat improve their bench by focusing on everything that aided that lift alone.Instead of going to the gym 4/5 days a week just go twice and focus on that lift itself.
Was thinking about this to give myself a target of some sort.
Anyone with experience-do you see more improvement in lifts with the extra days rest?

cheers

squod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bk6n9romyo

squod

Benching more often vs resting more? I reckon resting more wins. It has to get bigger as your volume increases IMO.

Brian?

If I wanted a bigger bench, I'd do feck loads of upper back work, bench heavy once a week and bench medium on another day

The Guvnor

What is your current max and where do you want it to go and in what time frame?

When using chains years ago we went up about 40-55lbs in 10 weeks.

jive

Bench incorporates pretty much everything (even legs to an extent). Strong triceps, shoulders and upper back will help a lot (particularly strong tri's).

The best way to increase your bench fairly rapidly is 1) make sure your technique is perfect and 2) bench + eat a lot.

gymsoldier

The Guvnor wrote: »

When using chains years ago we went up about 40-55lbs in 10 weeks.

I have only recently started training with bands/chains, care to expand on you're training so I can get a few ideas.

The Guvnor

This was written by me back in 31/03/00!

(5) A 370lb Bench Press - down to chains?

Just for you JD!

To delve into the history of my 1RM's on the Bench Press. In March of 1999 I did 355lbs and in all honesty it was a dodgy lift and my training partner definitely had to hold the bar up otherwise it would have gone back down. Can I therefore genuinely claim a 1RM of 355lbs. IMO - I cannot and after the 355lbs the best I could genuinely lay claim to would have been a 340 or 345.

I am always looking for ways to tweak my training routines and am always opened minded about different training systems etc. I have been aware of Louie Simmons and his unique training methods which include chains, wooden boards, rubber bands and more. A friend of mine who is an ex world champion powerlifter always scoffed at the idea of Louie's training ideas. This in turn put me off trying it for a long period of time. It's kind of hard to argue about weight training with a guy who's won the world championships!

I changed my mind and decided to give it a go. The reason I was so sure it was the right move was after reading an article by a Westside Barbell Member (Louie's Gym) - in it they listed the amount of guys they have benching over 500lbs and believe me it's a long list! The most impressive story was of a 40- something guy who is the strength coach of a top university football team. He had being training for about 30 years and had a 1RM in the Bench Press of 480lbs. He joined Westside Barbell and followed their training methods and 18 months later he had a 1RM of over 600lbs! This is a highly conditioned man who I would suggest had definitely reached his physical peak, let's face it 480 ain't no chicken **** Bench Press.



To be able to add 20% in 18 months is very impressive. I'd certainly take a 20% increase in 18 months! It should be noted that these lifts are not gym lifts but were performed in powerlifting competitions. This makes the success of Louie's ideas and training methodology that much more credible.

So I set about buying a set of chains - if you look to buy them yourself you'll soon realise that not many people stock chains of this size. I bought two 5ft lengths of galvanised 5/8 inch link chain, plus some smaller chain and some nuts'n'bolts and the lot cost me just £30-00. Each 5ft length of chain weighs about 22-25lbs. See the pictures below.

So what's the idea behind this type of training? It is essentially "Plyometric" training. Plyometric training is a type of exercise that suddenly preloads and forces the stretching of a muscle an instant prior to it's concentric action. Concentric is where a muscle shortens. The bench press is always done with a narrow grip(12-16 inches apart) to stress the triceps. According to Louie (I agree with him) the triceps is the most important muscle in a big bench press followed by the lats and then the pecs.

So with a narrow grip on the bench we perform 8-10 sets of 3 reps as fast as possible with 60% of our 1RM. You actually are pulling the weight down to your chest but you do not bounce the weight, instead just before the bar is about to crush your chest you start pushing it up as fast as possible. If done correctly the 3 reps will take about 5 seconds. Now we all know that the closer we get to lockout the stronger we are, this is where the chains come in.


By adding chains to the bar what you do is ensure that as you are getting progressively stronger the weight gets progressively heavier. This means that you cannot slacken off or relax as you approach lockout, you must keep pushing all the way to the top. When the bar is on your chest all the chain is on the floor so that the weight is the same as what's on the bar, as the bar moves upward link after link is lifted from the ground until at lockout half the chain is off the floor. This means that if you use 5/8 inch link chains there will be an extra 22-24lbs on the bar at lockout.

Using 60% of our 1RM one could be excused for thinking this can't be any good for increasing your max. It is extremely effective and it does work. By using 60% we are moving the bar very fast and therefore for 99.9% of the population we will be generating far greater force than if we used 80% and the bar was moving a lot slower.



The greater force generated is the key to increasing your 1RM. Before starting on this program, I had a 1RM of roughly 310lbs, after 5 weeks I tried a 1RM and got a very good 355lbs. Another 5 weeks and it was 1RM time again and all of us doing a 1RM were bricking it as this was the session that would verify Louie's methods or blow them apart.

Here is what I posted to URB about 2 hours after getting my new PB:

"Just back from the gym -

Today was week 10 of our new routine - did a max 5 weeks ago of 355lbs and at the start it was about 310 although I had done over 330 on a few occasions.

Anyway here is how it went:

• 8 X 165lbs - 1st set of normal flat bench in 5 weeks, felt awkward and I felt ****e.
• 5 X 215lbs - Better felt nice and smooth
• 3 X 285lbs - Was getting in the zone, repping really smooth here
• 1 X 315lbs - Dead easy, so smooth
• 1 X 340lbs - Better than the 315lbs this one shot up dead straight and good bar speed.
• 1 X 360lbs - Needed to better the 355lbs, was nervous but there was no pausing on the bar on the way up and I had an arch in the back and drove the feet into the ground and the bar went up smoothly if a little slow for my liking but there was no bounce, both my shoulders and my butt were on the bench as per PL guidelines. Bar went up even.
• 1 X 370lbs - Was slow on the descent and slow on the ascent but as above with 360 it went up without a pause and in a straight line i.e. no moving back over face. Bench we use is a standard Olympic Bench but very smooth and about 2/3rds the way up I actually slipped about 2 inches towards the upright, on a proper bench my shoulders would of had decent grip. Anyway I got the 370 well and there was even a pause on the chest and not a mm of bounce. It was a perfect rep although as I was at my limit the bar speed was quite slow. This rep took about 6-8 seconds.

Who cares - I've just gotten 370 and I feel brilliant. THE SYSTEM WORKS - 'nuff said!

Was ****ting myself before this session. All three of us who were present got new maxes. The other two did a 300 and a 255 which was about a 30lb - 40lb gain in 10 weeks.

I will be doing up an article on this which will explain it in more detail and include the actual workouts that I did but for now this should afford you a better understanding of what it actually is and how you go about starting it, when I was looking into it, I was a long time figuring out how to go about it:)

The Guvnor

If you read all of that I think I had a 1rm before the chains of 340 or so but when we started I must have done a current 1rm which was 310.

Not sure of my weight back then but imagine it would have been in the 16st7 range.

The Guvnor

I think these workouts were done in the old flex gym at the top of upr dominic street.

gymsoldier

The Guvnor wrote: »

I will be doing up an article on this which will explain it in more detail and include the actual workouts that I did but for now this should afford you a better understanding of what it actually is and how you go about starting it, when I was looking into it, I was a long time figuring out how to go about it:)

Was a good read.

Did you ever end up writing the article on the workouts that you did?

Mellor

squod wrote: »

Benching more often vs resting more? I reckon resting more wins. It has to get bigger as your volume increases IMO.

I think its either 2 days a week focusing on bench/upper only, or 4 days a week split between 2 days upper and 2 days lower.

Basically should be cut the lower days out in favour of rest if he only wants a bigger bench.

The Guvnor

No.

I don't think they were mad fancy or special just 60% for 10 sets of 3 with speed.

Mellor

The Guvnor wrote: »

No.

I don't think they were mad fancy or special just 60% for 10 sets of 3 with speed.

60% of max plus chains i'm guessing.
I'd love to give a decent set of chains a shot for a few weeks. But current program is working, so not right now.

Brian?

The Guvnor wrote: »

No.

I don't think they were mad fancy or special just 60% for 10 sets of 3 with speed.

Did you do a heavy bench day and then another day with chains?

I have chains in my gym, rarely used by anyone. I did bench with them once out of curiosity though, a strange experience.

COH

briankeating wrote: »

Did you do a heavy bench day and then another day with chains?

I have chains in my gym, rarely used by anyone. I did bench with them once out of curiosity though, a strange experience.

Where do you train? Just curious, I'll send my ninjas down to rob your poor unused chains!

Speed benching a la westside is done on a seperate day to the max effort work, usually 3-4 days apart. I think its 50/55/60% + chains on a three week rotation then reset

gymsoldier

What denotes the weight of the chains though?

EG: 60% bench + what weight in chains?

Hanley

gymsoldier wrote: »

What denotes the weight of the chains though?

EG: 60% bench + what weight in chains?

The chain weight tends to stay constant, and the bar weight waves. 50-60% is where you usually start w/ bar weight, may have to adjust down if you're using lots of chain weight.

I'd guess anything from 20-40kg of chain weight is typically used.

COH

gymsoldier wrote: »

What denotes the weight of the chains though?

EG: 60% bench + what weight in chains?

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/accommodating_resistance

d'Oracle

gymsoldier wrote: »

What denotes the weight of the chains though?

EG: 60% bench + what weight in chains?

http://www.westside-barbell.com/westside-articles/PDF.Files/04PDF/Chains%20and%20Bands.pdf

The Guvnor

I think all we did was the one session per week will check.

Did a max on day 1.

5 weeks of the speed with chains.

Another mid max.

5 more week.

Final max.

All iirc as this was 11 years ago.:D

60% with chains - chain weight was not massive.

According to the article I went from a current 1rm of 310 (pb was 340 prior) to 370 in ten weeks.

The Guvnor

The sets were all narrow grip or medium grip.
The focus was all triceps imo.

Brian?

COH wrote: »

Where do you train? Just curious, I'll send my ninjas down to rob your poor unused chains!

Top secret facility, deep in the crater of an extinct volcano.

Especially now it looks like I might have use for said chains .

Brian?

The Guvnor wrote: »

The sets were all narrow grip or medium grip.
The focus was all triceps imo.

As near as I can figure out, the chains are all about triceps because the weight increases the closer to lockout. A correct assumption?

d'Oracle

briankeating wrote: »

As near as I can figure out, the chains are all about triceps because the weight increases the closer to lockout. A correct assumption?

Not exclusively.
They (and bands), I have learned, sort of act like brakes.
50-60% is light enough and you are doing it for dynamic work so you will push the bar fast.
Thing is at the top if you really tear into 50-60% you nearly come off the bench, and lose a bit of tightness. The increase in resistance at the top prevents that.
This is my limited understanding of "accommodating resistance", from what Dave showed me.

But with heavier chains it seems to be about overloading the top end.
Also they make you keep pushing hard.

Brian?

d'Oracle wrote: »

briankeating wrote: »

As near as I can figure out, the chains are all about triceps because the weight increases the closer to lockout. A correct assumption?

Not exclusively.
They (and bands), I have learned, sort of act like brakes.
50-60% is light enough and you are doing it for dynamic work so you will push the bar fast.
Thing is at the top if you really tear into 50-60% you nearly come off the bench, and lose a bit of tightness. The increase in resistance at the top prevents that.
This is my limited understanding of "accommodating resistance", from what Dave showed me.

But with heavier chains it seems to be about overloading the top end.
Also they make you keep pushing hard.

That makes sense. Cheers.

The Guvnor

As fast as possible but under control!:D

Basically you get stronger as you get closer to the finish/lockout position and with the chains the weight gets heavier.

I've never used bands but do have 5 sets.

The Guvnor

As d'oracle said they keep you pushing hard.