Anyone have anything significant to report from doing board presses in terms of strength gains?
I think the guys over at Westside Barbell have gotten decent gains
[quote]vandalay15 wrote:
I think the guys over at Westside Barbell have gotten decent gains[/quote]
oh really? lol jk jk. No I meant on this board. Board presses good for overloading the bottom part of the movement correct?
Depends what board you’re going to use. Use a 4-5board press for a supplemental exercise to strengthen the lockout and triceps. 2and3 board are good for a max effort exercise. Carpet presses are also good.
[quote]bigpump23 wrote:
vandalay15 wrote:
I think the guys over at Westside Barbell have gotten decent gains
oh really? lol jk jk. No I meant on this board. Board presses good for overloading the bottom part of the movement correct?[/quote]
How would this exercise overload the bottom portion of the movement?
What size wood is that in the pic? 2x4, 2x6, 2x8? Does anyone have any suggestionson what size to get to make the boards?
You makes the boards with 2X6’s. And believe me board presses will do you a world of good. I don’t see how people can progress past a sticking point in the bench without boards. They are great for bringing up a certain point in your range of motion.
I have used 2x4’s and 2x6’s. I think the 2x6’s are better, they give you a wider base to press off of. Board presses are the best thing to ever happen to my bench. My lockout strength has improved tremendously since using boards. 4 and 5 boards for lockout and maybe 6 boards if you’re like me and have a ginormous wingspan. 2 and 3 boards make for good ME movements, and if your sticking at your mid point. I only use 2 and 1 boards for shirt work. If you train alone use a thin belt to keep the boards on your chest. A busted lip can throw you out of the groove:)
Some people double up a mini-band and wrap it around their torso and the boards to hold them in place if you don’t have someone to hold the boards. You can also use a bungee cord, which I prefer over the mini-bands.
I only use up to 3 boards, but I tuck them under my shirt to hold them in place. That seems to work fine if you don’t have a spotter.
I love them, especially since I have shoulder issues. My raw bench is climbing since I substituted 2 board rep day for speed work and have concentrated on 3-5 board for ME day.
I have 4, 3, 2 and 1 board set-ups. I have 2x6 boards for some and 2x8 for the others, the wider the better if you ask me.
If I need something to hold them in place, I just put on another t-shirt over the boards that’s tight enough to keep them from moving.
Most importantly, I’ve had some really good strength gains when I’ve used them. One thing that I’ve noticed though is that I need to be even more diligent about stretching my upper body after my workouts because of the limited range of motion.