Lock Out Training!
What does it mean to fail at the
lock out portion of the bench press for a raw lifter?
It
can mean a few different things. Most
commonly, it would be the lack of speed off your chest. It could also be the transition portion of
the lift – half way through the lift where your technique breaks down.
So how do we fix this?
First
we start with the easiest fix possible. Start
with working on speed off of your chest. For raw lifters this is often over looked. Doing paused pressing will certainly help. One movement I have found to be the most
helpful is to incorporate dead pin presses. The best way to set this up is in a squat
rack. Place the safety rack so the bar
will be directly on your chest as you lay on the bench. Start with about 70% of
your max on the bench. You can add more
weight as needed. Or you can also place
chains on the bar to increase your work load at the top of the lift. Keep in mind each rep should come to a
complete stop and wait a brief second before blasting your next rep. The Alpha Project that will be releasing soon
calls for doing sets of 3 reps. You will
find quickly that this will really force you to work on explosiveness off your
chest. Another way to work on this
portion of the lift is to grab a sling shot and work with about 125% of your
max, pause each rep on your chest for a solid 2 count. Getting all momentum off of the press and
solely working on blasting the bar out of the bottom.
Don’t
start worrying about grabbing boards and incorporating lock out work. That isn’t the problem. If we examine how you lift off of a three or
four board press you are typically much stronger, so if that is the case why
are we not blasting through the last 20% of the lift? The reason is simple. Without speed or explosiveness off your chest
you are doomed because you will never reach that last 20% of the lift you’ve
worked so hard on with your lockouts.
If you’re stubborn and you still
love 3 or 4 boards, that’s fine. Doing
lock out work is better than doing nothing.
Ask yourself if boardwork helps you with your raw bench? It is important to have an expectation from
each set, each movement and each workout. Without having that expectation you may not be
getting everything out of each workout. That
means you are not reaching your potential.
The second portion of failing half
way up would fall under technique. The
Alpha Project calls for rotating each week from a heavy bench to lighter bench
week. Only working up to 75%, this is
the time to make the technique adjustments. We are dealing with a percentage that is high
enough that we feel the weight, but light enough to make adjustments. These adjustments can be keeping your elbows
in, flaring at the correct time, and activating your lats. Learning to correct certain technique flaws
will certainly take time. And with help
from lift off partners or by recording your lifts you will be able correct
these simple adjustments.
In conclusion, don’t continue
something that you aren’t meeting goals with.
Examine your training and have an expectation for what you are doing in
the gym. Understand what movements best
fit you and your goals. And finally
always be Alpha; don’t be the sheep.
