Burly Decides to Bench Again...
I don't want to regurgitate all the same stuff, so if you haven't already read all my backstory, you can find it in the first post of this thread: Burly Decides to Pull Again...
So... benching... It's not something I've done much of over the last several years, though I do dabble from time to time. I have heaps of scar tissue in my shoulders from years of injuries, so bench press has been an on/off thing for me. I really haven't cared too much about strength in the bench press, unlike some guys at the gym who seem to live by that number. Of course, I'm not immune to feeling great when numbers increase. That just hasn't been my focus since around 1990. I don't think I have performed a barbell bench press at all since July or August, so you might say it has been a while.
It has been a crazy crazy busy last couple of weeks for me, getting 4-5 hours of sleep each night and working 100+ hours a week on a coffee shop we are building. With all that craziness, I snuck in 2 workouts last week and only 1 so far this week, which was tonight. I walked (or dragged myself) into an Anytime Fitness location after a 16 hour day. It was nearby the jobsite, so I was unfamiliar with it. Most Anytime Fitness locations will not have a bench for bench pressing. However, they do have benches that are moveable into a power rack.
I walked into the gym tonight and the bench called me over to it. I have no idea why. Maybe I wanted to gauge where I am right now. Maybe I needed a change from dumbells.
Because of the shoulder issues I take a very long time warming up. You'll see a very slow progression in weight increases. I'll comment below as it warrants.
Bar 40 reps
65 lbs 25 reps
85 lbs 15 reps
95 lbs 12 reps
135 lbs 5 reps
185 lbs 5 reps I am so NOT used to the bar/style, that my arms/elbows began shaking a bit on the way down.
All the sets below were done with a 3 count down, short pause on chest, and up again.
195 lbs 3 reps Arm shaking again, but I felt more under control this time
205 lbs 1 rep Feeling a bit better control than the previous set
225 lbs 1 rep Shoulder had a short twinge, but I think I got off balance when I pulled the bar off the rack.
245 lbs 1 rep Shoulder felt much better on this set than the previous. My form now is critical as the weight begins to require everything just so.
265 lbs 1 rep. Went up well. Feeling heavy, and considered stopping the weight increases here. However, it ends up with me deciding to push it a bit more.
275 lbs 1 rep. Went up smooth and without issue. I let out a small grunt to heave up the weight, but the bar never stopped moving upward.
I called that "good enough" for a first day back. My shoulder is just a little tender after the workout, but no worse off than from any other chest workout. I finished out the chest workout with a few sets of flat dumbell flyes with reps of 12-15 and some sets of bodyweight dips in the 15-25 rep range. I finished out the night with some bi and tri work and called it good.
I don't know how frequently I will incorporate barbell bench into my training, but seeing as I am running out of the dumbells as I grow stronger, it may become more and more frequent as long as the shoulder holds up. Overall, the night went well and it helped me assess my current strength levels so I can move forward in increasing them.
I'll keep adding to this thread as I do more. In the meantime, feel free to use this thread as a discussion place for all things bench press related.
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
weekend
damn how can you hit 275 after not benching for a year...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Coolazice
And only weighing 182ish....
And 43 years of age....
And working those ungodly hours....
And....
And....
And....
The guy is a freakin' machine!!!
You never cease to amaze me, Burly!!! :cool:
Aww shucks, guys... yer gonna make me blush. ;)
Weight is all relative. I've been stronger, and I've been weaker. I've said it before: it doesn't matter where you or I start-- it's where you go from there and what you learn on the way that really matters.
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
O_RYAN_007
Shoulder Pain - Page 2
page 2 post 16 by Northcutt.
He brings up a great point in checking out some vids on shoulder mobility using a lacrosse ball. I started checking it out yesterday and found tons of great techniques to use to. Trigger point releases are also amazing in breaking up the muscles.
I'll check it out! Thanks!
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
I love your analytical approach to monitoring progress, really inspires me to start recording more.
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
h2s
I love your analytical approach to monitoring progress, really inspires me to start recording more.
I remember reading that Frank Zane has a whole library of training logs that record every rep, set, and what supplements and food he had eaten that day. The logs go all the way back to the 60s. Now that is analytical!
This thread's purpose is really multi-fold. Obviously I'm recording my successes and failures here for myself, but it may have some value to others at some point. Also, I think a lot of forum members (Cobalt alluded to this) think that certain people are pushing huge amounts of weight and I thought an honest look at what a normal guy with some years behind him can or can't do might be interesting. Additionally, I figured that this could be a gathering point for all things bench press. Ideas can be discussed, different training programs rated, and PRs celebrated on all our bench press milestones.
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
h2s
Yes, I used to do it often. The issue I had was strength is a shitty metric for me in terms of my goals. I am purely in for visual gains. I think taking a personal notepad of strength AND measurements might help me be focused.
Taking pictures every few months to correlate the numbers to the visual is also a good idea. The mirror is a great gauge, but since we see ourselves in it daily, unless changes are drastic, it is hard to see a lot of difference.
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
olddawg
burly maybe you will want to post that pic of your old log from when you were a teen, amazing that you still have that around.
hts, I've been meaning to get a white board for my gym, a big one so I can do just that, maybe tomorrow
Eventually I will post it, along with other old pics, in my profile. Just haven't gotten around to that yet. The only reason I still have it was because I stuffed it in one of my bbing photo albums. I used to take photos every few months in order to be able to translate what those numbers (measurements) really meant visually. For instance, I may have put 1/2 inch on my arms, but am I just fatter or are the muscles bigger?
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sorrow
Come back stronger and get it.
Thanks bud. I've never been a great bencher... I guess genetics just dealt me that card. Doesn't mean I can't keep pushing, though. ;)
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
O_RYAN_007
I've never been a great bencher either Burly. When I really wanted to get stronger in that area, I just pursued a relentless path to strength and form. Since the Strength competition over on Primordial that started last June, I started on this path... Over the course of this time, I've managed to move my max bench from 275-365#s!
I know you have some minor injuries, but I know over time you'll get to where you want to be. I'm sure of this.
You've done phenomenally well to up your bench by 90 lbs in that time period! Very cool! There was a lot of hard work involved in that increase, for sure. As for my injuries... they would probably be considered chronic rather than minor, but I deal with it as best I can while trying to not make things worse.
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
O_RYAN_007
great work Burly! I really wish I had access to chains. I want to buy some, buy they can get really expensive. I have bands and they work really well, but I still want to try chains. I've been really thinking of getting a membership at Metro Flex here in Houston, since they have bands, chains, and other power lifting equipment. I think I might just have to do it.
The guy I talked with had these made instead of buying them premade. He went to the hardware store and got the biggest ones he could find (1/2" diameter) and found a metal tube to cut that was the right size to slide on the bar. A couple of welds and he was good to go.
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
VayneZ
Burly, you workout arms the same day as chest, correct? Since I recently changed my routine to arms the day ''before'' I do chest (which is today, and my triceps are sore as hell), It would probably be best to avoid exercises such as dips today right? Focus on them more on arm days?
Dips might be ok, but go wider grip (if your gym has angled or adjustable bars) to focus the stretch on the chest. You can also focus on the lower half of the exercise, which keeps the tris out of the movement. I would not focus on adding weight to the exercise though. Just light and high reps. Throwing a little blood in your tris wont hurt you unless you are tearing down the muscle again.
Re: Burly Decides to Bench Again...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JM1000
Has work cleared up a bit for you? seems like you're getting in some pretty good sessions man!
Workload is back down to the usual hectic schedule. Only 50-70 hrs a week now. I was only getting to the gym about 2x/wk but I've been in 3x this week so far. Might squeeze in another workout this week , even.