The good news was that my shoulder felt fine with the much-needed grip change.
We asked Dave for his “best bench video ever” and this is what he ended up with.
The next week you could rotate to some reverse bands with shirt off boards
The first thing I learned here was I wasn’t using the proper intensity and mindset in my warm-up.
Enjoy the early accomplishments of a young (and pre-male pattern baldness) baby-faced Ted.
This will take me well into pre-comp training and lead to some important sessions.
They’ve hit some crazy numbers, so they must be doing something right!
I’ve been around some of the best bench pressers to ever lift a weight.
Jimmy discusses time, exercise selection, and conditioning and how all three are important for reaching your fitness goals.
This lift is usually only done by lifters that have a very long wingspan and have a very large ROM.
Maybe you just don’t know how to f&*%ing bench! Then we suggest you read these tips.
One very important thing to remember about training and competitive advice is that what others overlook is usually the answer. In other words, the answer is usually very simple but normally only comes from an advanced lifter.
There are a few factors that must be addressed before you decide on a competition. First and foremost, are you physically ready for a competition?
Here at Lexen, we train raw for much of our upper body development, but by using both environments (the shirt and raw training), you can actually make personal records in each.
It was Friday night. I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. This was nothing new, but when I woke up in five hours, I would be starting my trek to one of the strongest gyms in the Midwest—the EliteFTS compound.
Let me first tell you briefly about myself for those who do not know me.
I’m a lifter just like you. I’m not a trainer nor do I have any connection to the strength and conditioning field outside of elitefts™.
In powerlifting, there are many different paths to achieve our lifting goals.
This week’s EliteFTS Spotlight focuses on powerlifter Al Caslow, the newest EliteFTS sponsored athlete and member of the Q&A staff. Al is currently ranked #1 in the world in the 165 pound class.
I first started lifting when I was about 11-years-old. I started doing little things before this time, but I entered a weight room when I was about 11-years-old.
Why is it that whenever I’m in a gym I see people benching the same weight at each workout? It usually goes like this—a person performs a few reps at 185 lbs, then at 205 lbs, and maybe at 225 lbs.
The subject of this week’s EliteFTS Spotlight is Q&A staff member Matt Wenning. Matt is one of only a handful of people to total over 2600 pounds in professional competition.
The last five years of my life have seen significant changes, the least of which has been my body weight.
The bench press is a great lift. Whether your goal is to develop a powerful overall physique or a barrel chest or just get brutally strong, the bench press can help you get there.
EliteFTS Spotlight is a weekly feature here on EliteFTS.com where Q&A member The Angry Coach interviews athletes and strength and sport coaches from various disciplines in order to find out more about what they do, how they train and how they do business.
Here’s the exemplary monthly plan with two trainings of the beginning lift operators:
What’s keeping you from setting a personal record (PR) in your lifts? Why isn’t your “top end” going up?
The entire routine is structured around the strength curve that you would use while benching in a good shirt. The main exercises are floor presses with chains, 4-boards, 5-boards, and shirted bench work.
Please note that different classifications may be used depending on the athletes’ weak and strong points, level of development, training period, emphasis, and additional items. Those classifications are used to help the coach organize the training system and prioritize things according to the demands of sport and position.
When developing strength and speed, fiber type matters.
For more examples regarding loading protocols, I highly recommend reading Christian Thibaudeau’s, Black Book of Training Secrets–Enhanced Edition. Most of these graphs are taken from there. Another interesting book to consider is Joe Kenn’s, Coach’s Strength Training Playbook, which is another awesome read.
Fans of Run Lola Run might recall a piece of wisdom featured in the beginning of the movie—“After the game is before the game.”
In my many years of powerlifting and traveling to meets and gyms to train and through association with many shady characters, I have amassed a “bag of tricks” to help me on meet day.
Congratulations! You’ve finally decided to take the plunge and compete in a powerlifting meet
On day one in November of 2005, I completely committed myself to making sure that everything, every day was going to be as productive as possible to enhance my strength.