Good Luck bro!
Down a can of Spike Shooter before the comp.
[quote]DtotheG wrote:
Diablo9845 wrote:
Good luck!
Thanks, the record is 300 
Anyone have any nutritional advice?[/quote]
Yes. Eat as if you were going to train on a normal day. The day of the competition is not a day to experiment with new food or supplements. Since it’s bench only, you shouldn’t have to worry about eating during the meet. Just eat normal and bring something to drink.
Get some rest, go for an easy opener, a PR or close on the second attempt, and if you hit that, then let it all hang out on the third try. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
To add more to my sadness, I’m in the 198 category, which has a record of 315. I thought I was in the 170, but that’s UP TO 170, not 170 to 198.
Any last minute advice on how to get my #s up?
Hate the bar. Get a good arch and leg drive.
Pull the bar apart and push yourself away from the bar and not te bar away from you.
Hire someone to break the other competitors knees with a pipe.
Most of all, believe in yourself, get a tight setup, remember to pause then explode with everything you have.
Good luck bro, kill em!
[quote]DtotheG wrote:
To add more to my sadness, I’m in the 198 category, which has a record of 315. I thought I was in the 170, but that’s UP TO 170, not 170 to 198.
Any last minute advice on how to get my #s up?[/quote]
A bit late for that. Stop stressing about it. Just clear you head. Focus on the task at hand. As was said before, get an easy opener so you have a good lift. 2nd lift at or near PR, and let it all hang out on the third lift.
This is not the time to make changes to your technique. You should have been working on your set up to this point. If that’s the case, make sure you get a good setup, keep everything tight as hell, and try to push yourself away from the bar as fast as possible.
This isn’t life or death man. Just go have a good time, and try to break a PR. Have fun with it, and learn a little in the process.
[quote]Diablo9845 wrote:
Hate the bar. Get a good arch and leg drive.
Pull the bar apart and push yourself away from the bar and not te bar away from you.
Hire someone to break the other competitors knees with a pipe.
Most of all, believe in yourself, get a tight setup, remember to pause then explode with everything you have.
Good luck bro, kill em!
[/quote]
Good advice, you beat me to it.
[quote]Modi wrote:
This isn’t life or death man. Just go have a good time, and try to break a PR. Have fun with it, and learn a little in the process.[/quote]
Thanks, everyone. I guess I should be seeing this as a self-improvement thing (breaking PRs) instead of a competition. I just got nervous when I saw the record as 315 and I thought, “…shit” Who knows, I might luck out and get put into a weak division, but the important thing is I break my PR of 230.
And Wolf, I’ll be sure to TIGER UPPERCUT!!! The hell out of that bar tonight. It might be the next “UNCONVENTIONAL!!!” (Yes, I read the Squat Rack Curl Thread, who doesn’t?)
I increased my max from 255 to 285 and then 295 by benching my max for one rep before every bench press workout.I would usually do 5x5 after that or something with low reps and a good bit of weight.Read Dave Tate’s new article “Eat my Meat” he has some really good advice for putting up a big max bench.Is Stony Brook a high school or college?
This is undoubtedly too late, as it’s 7:45 and you’re probably mid comp, but for next time, and as a normal training thing, keep your warmup sets low rep. On any max/test day, whether dl or squat or bench or OH press. I noticed your warm up pattern and while ok, it leaves something ot be desired.
Take a couple easy sets of 5 at 50-55%. If you’re finding a 5 rep max, keep the reps at 5 and work up in even jumps of weight. If trying for a 3 rep max, keep 5 reps until weight gets hard to complete, then drop to 3 reps a set until you hit your max. If trying for a true 1RM, start your first 1 or 2 warmup sets at 5 or 6 reps, then drop immediately to 3 reps while working up. When 3 reps gets hard to complete, drop to singles and work up until you max. For a competition or meet day, don’t strain too hard at your 3 rep working sets. Just go until the weight gets a little uncomfortable, but you still have plenty in the tank (3+ reps or so). Then drop to singles and work up to be ready for your opener.
Aim to hit your max in 6-9 sets, not counting your first warmup set(s). There’s no need to do a set of 14 when warming up, unless it’s the bar only.
Example–1 RM of 250 lb bench
bar/95 lb x 6 warmup, 125x5, 145x5, 165x3, 195x3, 215x1, 235x1, 255x1 PR!
That’s 7 sets. Take jumps that are neither very small, nor very large (unless you’re already past your previous best–in bonus territory). Jumps should be 5-10%, give or take. The true goal of a training day max, as opposed to a competition max day, is to get between 2 and 4 lifts at 90% or better of your 1RM. Any less, and you’re not getting full CNS strain to elicit strength improvement. Too much more than 4 lifts and you risk going overboard. Of course, this is only a guideline and highly individual. It is also trainable to change (CT has some programs where you do 6-10 singles at 90%), but good rule of thumb. I like to take my last single at 93-94% before trying for a PR. I take jumps of 7-8%, but once again that’s individual preference. The goal is 2-4 singles above 90% on training day maxes.
Read the Dave Tate article link on Benching–work on your set-up, and feeling the technique on warm up sets and working sets. You need to practice to make that feeling or “groove” automatic and reproducible under heavy/max weights.
Hope you’re doing well tonight. Break your PR!
SEXY ACTION NEWS COMP REPORT!!
As predicted, I was fucked from the get go. The other 3 guys in my weight class were benching my MAX as their first attempt (the winner benched 335 and won the best wt. to lift ratio)
Enough about them, here’s what happened to me:
1st- 205. Easy enough. I racked a bit early (it was up there for a sec, but he didn’t say “rack”, but it was cool, I got it)
2nd- 230. I stumbled a bit through the middle of the lift, but I got it! It felt REALLY easy.
3rd- The next guy ahead of me failed on 245 twice before, so I figured I’d outdo him, 250. I started my lift, and I stalled. I didn’t go down, but people were cheering me on, and I felt it going up, and I gritted my teeth and gave it hell thinking, “IM GONNA DO THIS!! I’M GONNA DO THIS!!”
And I hit the pins. The lift was No Good.
So, out of sheer cajones, anger, curiosity, whatever, I went up stairs to the gym, and hit 250 there, 100% good.
I THINK I muttered “Tiger Uppercut” silently with the 250, but it was VERY audible when I gave it another shot in the gym.
And I wore my MMA shorts, which are essentialy the same as Sagat’s.
And I did give a good hearty laugh as I left that I have a new max.
[quote]DtotheG wrote:
SEXY ACTION NEWS COMP REPORT!!
As predicted, I was fucked from the get go. The other 3 guys in my weight class were benching my MAX as their first attempt (the winner benched 335 and won the best wt. to lift ratio)
Enough about them, here’s what happened to me:
1st- 205. Easy enough. I racked a bit early (it was up there for a sec, but he didn’t say “rack”, but it was cool, I got it)
2nd- 230. I stumbled a bit through the middle of the lift, but I got it! It felt REALLY easy.
3rd- The next guy ahead of me failed on 245 twice before, so I figured I’d outdo him, 250.
I started my lift, and I stalled. I didn’t go down, but people were cheering me on, and I felt it going up, and I gritted my teeth and gave it hell thinking, “IM GONNA DO THIS!! I’M GONNA DO THIS!!”
And I hit the pins. The lift was No Good.
So, out of sheer cajones, anger, curiosity, whatever, I went up stairs to the gym, and hit 250 there, 100% good.
I THINK I muttered “Tiger Uppercut” silently with the 250, but it was VERY audible when I gave it another shot in the gym.
And I wore my MMA shorts, which are essentialy the same as Sagat’s.
And I did give a good hearty laugh as I left that I have a new max. [/quote]
The Emperor of Muay Thai would be pleased with your effort.
SO you missed the 250 in the comp then hit it after the comp in the gym? Still man, sweet, you beat your PR by 20 lbs. Keep it up and 3 plates will be looking easy soon enough.
Didn’t you get a second try at 250 in the comp?
[quote]Diablo9845 wrote:
SO you missed the 250 in the comp then hit it after the comp in the gym? Still man, sweet, you beat your PR by 20 lbs. Keep it up and 3 plates will be looking easy soon enough.
Didn’t you get a second try at 250 in the comp?[/quote]
His second attempt was 230, he missed 250 on his third. You only get 3 attempts, regardless of whether you get the lift or not.
Either way you got a pretty good increase and a lot of information from this thread to use in the future.Congratulations man.
[quote]Modi wrote:
Diablo9845 wrote:
SO you missed the 250 in the comp then hit it after the comp in the gym? Still man, sweet, you beat your PR by 20 lbs. Keep it up and 3 plates will be looking easy soon enough.
Didn’t you get a second try at 250 in the comp?
His second attempt was 230, he missed 250 on his third. You only get 3 attempts, regardless of whether you get the lift or not.[/quote]
DtotheG, sorry if my last post didn’t acknowledge your 250 PR. Well done. The fact that you hit the pins just means you need to engrain the bench press movement through repetition. Once you’ve done it enough, it will be second nature. Nice job on the PR, now just keep pushing that number up!
[quote]Modi wrote:
Modi wrote:
Diablo9845 wrote:
SO you missed the 250 in the comp then hit it after the comp in the gym? Still man, sweet, you beat your PR by 20 lbs. Keep it up and 3 plates will be looking easy soon enough.
Didn’t you get a second try at 250 in the comp?
His second attempt was 230, he missed 250 on his third. You only get 3 attempts, regardless of whether you get the lift or not.
DtotheG, sorry if my last post didn’t acknowledge your 250 PR. Well done. The fact that you hit the pins just means you need to engrain the bench press movement through repetition. Once you’ve done it enough, it will be second nature. Nice job on the PR, now just keep pushing that number up![/quote]
Actually, the judge at the head of the bench said my head was hanging off the edge of the bench, so that screwed up my form (my movement was thrown off by a couple inches (i.e. y=x^2+2.) Later in the gym, I was sure my head was on the bench 100%.
Thanks for the gratz.
I WILL participate next year, and I’ll start the program earlier.
Any recommendations on what sort of programs to do next (in case all the chest training has thrown things off)? I’m still looking to get stronger, but I’m also looking to better my body composition while trying to stay at 194.
[quote]DtotheG wrote:
Actually, the judge at the head of the bench said my head was hanging off the edge of the bench, so that screwed up my form (my movement was thrown off by a couple inches (i.e. y=x^2+2.) Later in the gym, I was sure my head was on the bench 100%.
Thanks for the gratz.
I WILL participate next year, and I’ll start the program earlier.
Any recommendations on what sort of programs to do next (in case all the chest training has thrown things off)? I’m still looking to get stronger, but I’m also looking to better my body composition while trying to stay at 194.
[/quote]
Yes, train your weakness. You need a strong chest, lats, tri’s and delts to press heavy weights. Figure out where you are weak, and strengthen that.
Lots of rows, facepulls, inverted rows, rear delts, etc to balance out all the pressing. Get some variety in there, change up your exercises as well as your rep ranges. 5x5,10x3,4x8, etc. See what works best for you.
Right now, I think frequency, consistency, and intensity will be most beneficial to you. Your head would not be off the bench if you had the movement engrained in your head.
What are “facepulls”?
[quote]DtotheG wrote:
What are “facepulls”?[/quote]
Face Pulls are Seated Rows pulling to the face/collarbone with strict form. Keep your elbows higher than your shoulders.
I do these with a rope (overhand grip) or with a lat pulldown bar, gripping on the bend. I usually keep them in the 8-10 rep range. Your starting weight will probably be about 60-70% of a seated row. If it lower, you need A LOT of work. If it’s higher, you are probably in good shape, but do them anyways to balance out all the pressing.
So should I “reverse” my Westside (chest w/ back, tris w/ bis +vice versa) and add another leg day for a month, or is there another, ready made, program I could follow?
Also, pardon my naivete again, but what are “inverted rows”? Can/Should I also do chins as well?