| StanF18 |
02-03-2010 01:26 AM |
OK, I'll bite. There are 2 "old school" approaches where you use 1) wooden boards, as well as 2) chains as part of your benching. There's a lot more to it than I can fit into one post. But I'm sure the information is out there if you Google it.
Basically with boards, you are laying a thick plywood board lengthwise on your torso while benching. Someone definitely needs to hold it steady, while another guy acts as a spotter. So you do need 2 guys to assist. You can use a 2-board, meaning 2 boards glued together, or you can go as high as a 4-board or 5-board. You're benching the same way. But now the bar hits the board long before it comes all the way down to your chest. So you are essentially working just the TOP END of your benching motion. You would do this towards the end of a traditional benching workout. Because you are using just the top end movement, you are able to do 10-20% more than your typical working weight. The 4-board is obviously easier than a 2-board, since you're not coming down as low. Note that you are never doing this "instead" of a classic bench. This is in addition to a routine bench. What it allows you to do is further stimulate those muscles that get "stuck" in a middle "sticking point" on a full range of motion bench. You are working your top-end muscle fibers, i.e. the ones that are involved in the top portion of the bench.
Chains meanwhile, are just that. They are typically 20 to 30 pound chains that you would wrap around each end of the bar, after you have loaded the plates. You want the bottom part of each chain "feathering" the floor. And you want the free hanging portion of the 2 chains to be equal in length, i.e. symmetrical on both sides. The concept here is progressive resistance on the way up. When the bar is on your chest, most of the chain is on the floor. As you're moving the bar up, you are lifting more and more weight during your rep as more of the chain leaves the floor.
These 2 techniques are definitely old-school and you will not see them in today's ultra-modern high-tech gyms. But very experienced powerlifting/bodybuilding trainers will know how to do it and how to set you up. Amazingly, these 2 techniques will accelerate your classic bench press much quicker than just doing classic bench presses!:thumbup:
Typically you never want to do more than one heavy bench workout per week. But that doesn't mean you're only hitting your chest once a week. You definitely want to hit your chest and triceps twice a week. Your second workout is called an "assistance" workout. It is to assist your next benching workout. This would consist of at least 6 to 8 sets of incline dumbell presses, as well as flat bench dumbell peel-offs and tricep presses.
I'm not even going to get into diet. Just a couple of notes: Everyone concentrates on protein which is definitely important. But everyone forgets that musculature is just one part of the equation. The muscles are attached to ligaments, which are attached to BONES. You need to feed your skeleton, not just your muscles. This is easy to do. Take a Calcium supplement (normal dose). Calcium + Vitamin D is a good way to go. And Glucosamine-Condroitin-MSM for joint support. That's it. No need to go crazy with a million supplements that all put unnecessary strain on your kidneys and liver. Just remember that as your lifts get heavier, skeletal support is critical, feed those bones with the calcium and glucosamine they need, and they will return the favor.
|
