Bench Press

[twizzbeats]

With my bench I struggled to get past 170 for awhile then I worked really hard on evrything, I was doing a 6 week superset program and it really helped me get stronger. After the 6 weeks I was benching 200 and now a few months later I am upto 220.
I only weigh 175 too. Just stay focused and the longer it takes you to grow the more rewarding it will feel to get that extra weight up.

[realconan]

Originally posted by stonecold54
well then how do you explain me being able to dunk when I was doing slow repetitions with no explosivness but I combined that with PRACTICE almost everyday on takeoff and position for dunking. I agree powerlifting has everything to do with explosivness...that is the sport but it only works for THAT sport. I also agree that the slightest edge in professional sports is needed but I don't see how unsafe training would be an edge? I am not trying to be a revolutionary, lol. I am not trying to apply BB principles I am trying to apply logical thought.

OH, I'm not saying that powerlifting is the only way to develop explosive power. Practice is indeed the best way to improve anything. I was disagreeing that training in the gym doesn't directly affect performance on the court/field/track, etc. Many sports use powerlifting techniques though. Football, basketball, baseball, track and field. Those techniques are useful in a variety of different applications. They aren't the sum total of their training, but they still have their place in professional sports. They even have their place in body building. Quite a few of today's top bodybuilders started as powerlifters. I just don't think that it's as black and white as you appear to think. No offense meant there.

[mr8907]

if your max is 200 do five sets of five of 175-185. or try adding sets in between your jump to 205 from 135,you can use chains,or fo forced reps.

[Taylor]

when i was in high school i pretty much just benched, curled, and did squats....

if your primarily benching i would suggest focusing on your shoulders and triceps more....once i started specifically training my tri's and shoulders my bench jumped up rapidly

[Primal Instinct]

Originally posted by bonebreaker
Your problem may not be anything more complicated than your hand(s) position. Many people who don't know any better keep their hands too close together, thus using more triceps than the more massive pectoral muscles. To hit your pecs in a bench press, your hands should be at least 10" or more outside your shoulders, according to your reach If you haven't been using a wide enough grip, it will feel very weird at first because you haven't been truly training your pecs. Just a thought. BB

Good points, BB. I agree with positioning of hands makes leverage and thus, power differences. I also agree with stonecold54 on the proper positioning arguement because in football (like martial arts), power is generated primarily through the core and then outward. Technique is everything. I remember playing football in high school and there were guys who were huge but didn't have much strength yet there were smaller guys who seemed stronger and hit much harder but it was more to do with their balance and technique (foot plant, angle of attack, etc.,) than actual muscle mass. The bigger guys WERE physically stronger but couldn't necessarily transfer that power to their upper bodies and utilize it to their best advantage because they were lacking in technique.


Weight training does have a positive impact on sports performance but sports specific training is really more of a fallacy because all movements in active sports require synchronization of various muscle groups to successfully perform physical manuevers. Focus training of certain muscle groups doesn't make an athlete a better performer, per se. Focus training to bring specific muscle groups into symmetry for strength balance is probably the better description.



Thrower74,

If you repeat the same routine over each week you will not see a strength or mass increase because your body will only respond to heavier weight or a longer load duration aka time under tension (TUT). So what you need to do is to either add a percentage of weight to your chest routine or else squeeze out a few more reps at the same weight than what you had been doing. Muscles are funny in that they will only grow or stay at a certain size if there is a corresponding work load. If you don't drive your muscles to the limit on a regular basis, they will start to decrease in size until they match the work load because the body does not need the additional mass and weight to carry around. You only maintain what you need in that respect. It's nature's efficiency at it's finest. Make sure you are eating enough calories to gain mass too. Browse through the nutrition section here on SM for ideas. Good luck!