Am I benching enough?

Okay, I've only recently broken 200 for bench. I did it once last week, and once today, almost twice. No lift off. I have the flu or something, I may have been able to do more. I warmed up with 85 pounds first. After the 200, I did 10x 135 no problem, 5x 160, and 2x 175.

Does this sound right? I'm planning on starting every chest workout with a max bench after warming up. Are the weights in proportion, is my method stupid? Any input appreciated.

 

There are dudes who can lift more than me for sure, but I've done 385 X 2, so I'll tell you what I think;
If it's working for you, do it. The method I always used for lifting got me stronger every workout. I never did 'roids, and there was no way I was getting any stronger than what I lifted. Give it a trial, if you don't make progress mix it up. I've never believed in arbitrary numbers, i.e. doing this weight for ten, that weight for six, etc., when you can go harder. I always put on a weight that would give me 6-10 reps and go to failure. Presses behind the neck and dips will help your bench too. Good luck

 

massgrunt,

A very important starting point...what is YOUR goal? Are you trying to get strong? Are you trying to get big? Are you looking for power and endurance? Your goal will dictate the methodology. Fill in the blank for us.

 

about the only thing in that post that was't retarded was that dips will make your bench better...behind the neck presses are stupid, training to failure is stupid, 10 reps is stupid

 

And you're stupid. How much have you done professor? BTW, Ted Arcidi (first man to break 700 in the bench press) was the guy who advocated presses behind the neck, but I guess you know more than he does.

 

Sounds like a typical Marine to me.

 

I think he meant that behind-the-neck presses are very dangerous for your shoulder joints. Some people can do them without problems, but the risk of injury is very high for most people because the shoulder is put in a very fragile position.

 

Presses behind the neck are extremely useful and are a great exercise for size & strength....however, they are also very dangerous and I only recommend someone who has extremely good control, form and a partner to spot them to ever attempt them.

 

Yes, I agree they're a tricky exercise, but that moron could've made the point like a civilized person the way you did.

 

theres nothing stupid about training to failure every now and then, its when you do it everytime you workout that it becomes a problem, training to failure may be beneficial when used sparingly. also, 10 reps is not stupid, it can also be very useful. many rep parameters on the westside program require 8-12 reps, and theyve got over 11 guys squatting over 800 pounds. dont be so quick to flame people for no reason

 

What are the supposed benefits of behind the neck as opposed to a standard military press? I know this is a bit off topic, but what is there to be gained, other than a greater chance of shoulder injuries?

 

I don't remember verbatim, but I can tell you Arcidi's philosophy in a nutshell:

Flat bench presses put a tremendous amount of strain on your front delts. Regular military presses also stress the frontal deltoid and the rationale is that this can lead to joint problems and overtraining if you're an avid bench presser. However, presses behind the neck are better for overall shoulder development as they involve the entire shoulder girdle, w/ far less emphasis on the front delts. I won't argue w/ you about them being dangerous, they certainly can be. They're a very tricky exercise and should be used w/ caution.

 

But surely as long as you press the bar overhead rather than overface when performing your bog standard military press, it's practically as much of a total shoulder exercise as behind the neck presses? I mean, you'd only be talking an inch or twos difference in terms of how far back the bar is and if you give up those couple of extra inches you reduce the risk of injury a fair bit. I guess it is up to the individual to make the choice, but the benefits of the behind the neck press over the regular kind don't really seem to speak for themselves.

 

defintely some good points above....I use them sparringly....whenever I need to change the variables then throwing behind the necks in makes a world of difference, just a slight angle change is changing the different fibers that are recruited and the way the muscles develop.

 

To add to that point..Over the last 4 months Ive added more military presses and shoulder work to my routine to not only develop overhead pressing but mostly to add to my bench. Since that time my bench has gone down every week.

 

Wow, I've no idea what to say to that. Almost all the really big benchers (Lain, Arcidi, etc.) have strongly suggested extensive shoulder work. Could you be overtraining?

 

Im not sure. Im on a push pull legs routine. I do all of my push movements all in one workout and once a week. Im due for a new routine so it may be a plateu issue as well.

 

I'm aiming for strength and power, a little size would be nice, but I need functional, save-my-life strength, not bulk for show.

Just as a scenario, say I need to pull open a stuck vehicle door or haul somebody through a truck window. Not chest specific examples, but that gives you the idea. Also for grappling.

 

the best exercise for hauling someone through a truck window is the truck window pull, you need to practice this, just wait til you see someone in a truck at a traffic light and then get out of your car and pull! You will be a master in no time.

 

That was so helpful, thanks.