Training bench different than squat and deadlift - Dan Stephenson

When training to improve your maximum strength on the Big 3 (squat, bench, and deadlift), bench press requires a different approach to training than squat and deadlift.

Unlike squat and deadlift, after the first rep is completed on bench, the lifters’ position changes and the original position cannot be fully regained without re-racking the weight. Therefore each successive rep in a bench set will be slightly different than the first rep. The lifter will tend to flatten out between breathes and lose their tightness.

With the squat and deadlift, the lifter is able to reset their position before each rep and repeat the same form further enforcing the same motor pattern. This is why high rep sets, greater than 3 reps in a set, won’t do as much for bench as it will in squat and deadlift in terms training for maximum strength.

In my personal experience, I find that I need to train bench press heavy frequently. I have tried programs in the past that the training weight will start moderate-to-light in a training cycle and will gradually increase week by week with the goal of ending with a new max. I have found this to be successful with squat and deadlift although my bench has suffered and stalled out from programs like this from the first few weeks of the training cycle from only using moderate weights.

Getting To Know New Alpha Athlete Dan

I’ve been a personal trainer since 2007.  My background in sports primarily consisted of tennis in high school, but behind the scenes I was a weight lifter; a young kid eager to grow strong. For years, through high school and college my comfort zone, my sweet spot, my place… was the gym. My style was always lift big, get strong. It wasn’t until my first powerlifting meet that I realized what strong really was. The time and dedication that it takes to get as strong as some of these individuals were, amazed me. I was hooked. I craved more, I wanted to get as strong as I possibly could. I researched and tried various programs, trained hard and kept competing. I was lucky and fortunate to have met Adrian Larsen; a veteran in the sport with incredible knowledge and strength.  He has given me the opportunity to share my progress and experiences through the Alpha Project.  I am looking forward to learning more through Adrian’s coaching and sharing my experiences with all of you.

Get To Know New Alpha Athlete TashAyla

I am a personal trainer and Novice Power Lifter. I have been involved in fitness/ sports/ Athletics since I was young. I started as a sprinter, and ran for years. I took up boxing, and played on competitive sports teams growing up. I have always been inspired by strong women, and wanted to be one myself. I started lifting heavier and in a couple years put 20lbs of lean mass on, but it wasn’t enough…. I wanted to not only look strong, I wanted to be strong.

 I fell in love with the sport of power lifting. I have competed in 5 competitions and recently got a qualifying total to compete at Worlds and Nationals both this year and next. I believe the Alpha Project will be the most helpful thing in my training towards Worlds this year. I train hard and love to learn by people who have been in this industry, compete at professional levels, and hold world records, such as Adrian Larsen. At 29, I finally feel like I found my place in fitness…. Powerlifting!!! Looking forward to my future adventures of lifting big, getting stronger, better and learning from the best.

Choose your BATTLES

         OK, I do not ever really spend my time getting involved in other people's bullshit; BUT this really got to me. I see things all the time on social media or other outlets that really bother me and I bite my tongue. Unfortunatly, I can't do that for this topic. I am going to cover a bunch of things that are questioned regularly. 

First, we have too many federations in Powerlifting. WHY? Well, because believe it or not every person that starts a federation thinks two things. I can make money at doing this and secondly, I can make a difference. 

Now keep in mind, every time this gets brought up the defense is "I do not make money at this." 

Seriously? 

C'mon! People do make money at this. 

It isn't enough to retire and be set for life, but money is made. I am tired of hearing about how you barely scrape by holding meets.  Typically, meet directors don't pay for a great venue. In fact, I have only been in seven or eight venues in my entire career where I thought it was awesome. Every other venue has been a beat to shit building or a gym. Secondly, you don't pay the lifters. Even the top lifters don't get paid. Maybe you comp the entry fee. WOW! Great! How about pay up to the lifters?   There are only a handful of meets that include money every single year, but companies that support powerlifting make hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. What it boils down to is lazy ass promoters and presidents. Get off your fucking ass and find sponsors that treat them good and do more than collecting entry fees and sit on their ass. 

How do we fix this? 

Don't think by starting another federation to change things will help. Don't spend your money on a federation just because they are 20 mins from your house. 

Spend the money on the federations that truly gives a shit and truly can or are making a difference. Federations that do not allow bullshit lifts or bend the rules for certain lifters. It is the same thing when you buy wrist wraps or knee wraps. You do not give your money to the company with the worst review rating. Maybe they have horrible customer service or maybe they just simply have a crappy product. 

Spend your money on the company that has great products and that are loyal to the customers. It is the same with federations. Let the bottom feeders sink and never come around. 

Finally, I am extremely pissed at the current USPA fall out with Mark Bell and Sling Shot products.  I have known Steve Dennison for a long time. I think he is a good dude, but for fuck sakes, seriously?! 

Whatever the reason you're pissed at Mark Bell about the products he sells, how he sells them, or how it affects Iron Rebel gear. Don't go public with shit until you know what or how you're going to do it. 

I seriously thought that USPA was one on the first federations that could truly help fix powerlifting. Now, I am truly re-thinking that. I am extremely disappointed in this. In fact I am a little embarrassed to be involved in Powerlifting and have to deal with these type of issues. If you head up a powerlifting federation, rules are rules.  If you have rules about wrist wraps and the lifters do not read the rules nor follow them, that is on them. 

There are many problems in Powerlifting. Many things need to be fixed. Don't make the problem worse with petty bullshit. Just do what you can to make Powerlifting better.      

      

Bench big

Bench Big takes time-    

                                                                                              

Everyone wants to bench more.  Everyone!  If they say they don’t they are lying.  Benching has become the big staple in lifting.  No one comes up to you and asks, “Hey bro what is your knee extension?”   They ask what you can bench. No matter if you’re benching 200lbs or 700lbs everyone wants to bench more.

From when I first started lifting to now the goal is to put myself in the best position possible to bench more.  If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I thought I could be the strongest raw bencher at 220lbs, I would have told you probably not.  Why?  I don’t have some high tech equipment.  I don’t own thousands of dollars in bands, chains, boards, foam rollers or whatever else is needed.  I go to a regular gym and lift with regular people just trying to get stronger.  To top it off if, you haven’t noticed I do not get a ton of leg drive.  Ok, that was a lie I don’t get any leg drive.  How is it possible could to increase your  bench or maybe break an all time record?  How is it possible to make decent jumps every year?  How possible is it to reach a goal? Whether it is to bench 225lbs ten times or to bench 405lbs for 5 reps.  Following some very simple steps will help increase your bench no matter what level you’re on.

I see this often when a person tries to make leaps and bounds on the bench in a short period of time.  Shit, it has taken me years to get to where I am.  Usually people think that working harder in the gym translates into bigger numbers.  Not always.  It is great to have a strong work ethic.  In fact, something that drives me in the gym is to think of someone that could possibly be out working me.  That makes me train harder and stay focused, but that doesn’t mean I over do it.

Think about this: training hard with high intensity during every training session does equal gains, but that isn’t all that it takes.  You also have to put thought into your training.  Ask yourself why I am doing certain things?  Am I getting the most out of my training?  Follow the Alpha Project.   As an example here is a break down of a common four week outline of the Alpha Project.

Week 1: 

·         Front Load Your Training

o   By this I mean to get in some good accessory work prior to benching. For instance I will super set some Lat pulls with a rear delt excersise. I will also incorporate some band movements like face pulls along with some curls. This is a good way to warm up.

·         Bench Press

o   Work up to benching three sets of two, without ever failing. This puts a little thought into your workout --not failing at a lift takes time to judge and makes you leave your ego outside.

·         Dead Pin Presses From the Chest

o   Focus on firing that bar off your chest as fast as you can.  Shirted benchers need to work  on lock out work with boards, but Raw benchers need to work on the opposite side of  things.  We need to work on firing the bar off our chest and create as much speed as  possible to carry us to lockout.

·         Shoulder & Tricep Work

o   Most commonly, I try to stick around 5 sets of eight reps for both.  I will hit shoulder  raises along with a variety of tricep work that includes push downs, dips and incorporate dumbbells.        

Week 2:

·         Front Load Your Training

·         Bench Press

o   This week’s benching is much different, it is designed to fix the trouble areas in form.  When benching, your working sets should not be over 75% with a pyramid set of 3 reps,  2 reps, and single rep.  Using a light weight will help you make adjustments in your form

·         Pushups, Pull-ups, & Flies

o   3-4 sets of 8-10 reps.  Think of this workout as taking it easy to prepare for the next heavy week.

Once you get to week three, repeat week one.  Flip flop theses two weeks and you will see a dramatic change in your benching.  This means you will only go heavy 26 times a year.  Take every single workout seriously! Put in the effort and train as hard as possible -- 26 times in one year isn’t a lot.  There isn’t lot of room for texting on your phone and playing grab ass. Part of understanding 26 weeks of heavy benching is making a sacrifice that you will be in there week in and week out trying to better yourself.  That means taking care of your body days in advance with hydration, supplements and plenty of sleep.

Examine your weak areas on benching and make them your strong areas, but do this without neglecting your strong areas.  Remember they are your strong areas for a reason.  Continue to train them hard and do not neglect them.  Train smart by evaluating movements and what you are expecting to get from doing those movements.  Don’t be the sheep and follow around someone and do something just because they do it.   Understand why you are doing things and have an expectation of what you are getting from what you’re doing.   Expecting results is important.  

Also ask questions, a common question I often get asked is, “How do stop the bar from stalling off my chest.”  Once that question is answered, the very next question should be WHY.  Why would I do that? How does that fix the problem? Understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Do not just settle with an answer not fully understanding the concept.

Remember doing a lot of volume is as hard on your body as doing heavy singles.  You’re not doing your body a favor by thinking you’re taking it easy one week and doing high repetition work.   Benching high reps takes a toll on your body and can take as long to recover from high rep work as heavy benching can. It is fun to gauge your training and the hard work you have put in by doing some volume work or testing your eight or ten rep max.  However, keep in mind on how your body reacts to that, along with your expectation of what it is doing for you.  Doing high repetition work doesn’t get your body used to handling heavy weight and it doesn’t make your one rep stronger.

 There is no one rep calculator out there that can judge where you should be.   Your training dictates that. The one rep calculator is you on the platform.  That is the only calculator that matters.

Lastly, it took me an entire year to increase my raw one rep bench from 545lbs to 585lbs.  I am happy with a 40lbs progress per year.  Although, that will not be the case every year.  I set myself up for the best chance of that by hard work and following the few things listed above.  You can simply follow any program out there and have success, but you must be consistent and give what you expect out of the gym.   Be an Alpha don’t be the sheep.