Like many tall guys I can deadlift pretty well, but my bench just sucks! My best lifts are SQ 500 (wide), DL 600 (sumo), and bench 305. After reading Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION and stumbling on video of Konstantinovs bench (he’s 6’4" and benches 550 with a close grip) I’ve decided that maybe I shouldn’t be beating myself up trying to bench wide. Looking back at my training log, my closegrip (18") and regular grip (pointers on the rings, or 35") bench have always been nearly the same.
Please tall guys only: tell me how tall you are, your best bench, and how wide your grip is. Also tell me the back exercises you think have the most impact.
I’m 6’6" (have a wing span of 6’10"), benched 305 with pointers on the rings, when I rowed everything I benched.
My best raw bench is 415. Best shirted 615. I use a max legal grip both raw and equipped. I squeeze the bar hard with my index finger and thumb and wiggle my grip out so it is outside the rings slightly but the skin strethes to cover the rings. I generally do not have shoulder pain. When I did, it was a function of using a low bar postition to squat with. I train the hell out my upper back- 2 or 3 times a week- usually heavy one as part of of deadlift day or back day and then lighter work on my two bench days. The heavy work is barbell rows, shrugs, DB rows, weighted pull ups, fat grip rows. The lighter work is machine rows, pulldowns, facepulls, DB cleans. I can’t tell you which exercise made the difference, but I know that when I upped my back training in tersm of volume, requency and intensity, my bench and DL went up.
Pinto: We are about the same height and I am looking to get as strong as you are. Currently only aiming to increase raw strength with the 5/3/1 program. I would appreciate it if you could perhaps loosely outline the specifics of your training. What type of training method do you feel has benefited you the most? Thanks in advance=)
[quote]FTG wrote:
Like many tall guys I can deadlift pretty well, but my bench just sucks! My best lifts are SQ 500 (wide), DL 600 (sumo), and bench 305. After reading Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION and stumbling on video of Konstantinovs bench (he’s 6’4" and benches 550 with a close grip) I’ve decided that maybe I shouldn’t be beating myself up trying to bench wide. Looking back at my training log, my closegrip (18") and regular grip (pointers on the rings, or 35") bench have always been nearly the same.
Please tall guys only: tell me how tall you are, your best bench, and how wide your grip is. Also tell me the back exercises you think have the most impact.
I’m 6’6" (have a wing span of 6’10"), benched 305 with pointers on the rings, when I rowed everything I benched.[/quote]
Im not really tall at all(6’0) but I bench with my pointers just outside the rings.
Just hit a 300lb pr recently. As far as back work I focused on heavy heavy rows/pulldowns for several sets. And then I would finish back days with high rep one arm rows.
6’4" best touch and go, an easy 385. Best meet, an ease 370 (I am making a run on 400 in 2wks). I bench with my ring-fingers on the rings. Like Pinto, my bench increases with back work.
I’m 6’, 228# , wingspan is 6’-1". Bench stroke is 12" (just had my wife measure from the bar at lock out to my chest with ring finger on rings of texas power bar-32" apart) my best bench so far is 375 RAW. In my loose ass Katana I can muster 435-445 on a good day.
I found that I’m the strongest with my ring finger or middle finger on the rings. What I did was do push ups and took note of where my hands were when I felt the strongest. Then I put a bar in the floor, did the push ups, and noticed where my fingers were in relation to the rings on the bar. I’ve been with that grip ever since.- I know sounds kind of ghey…
For me doing t bar rows has helped, fat man or Australian pull ups. You didn’t ask this but doing suspended push ups on d rings hanging from the top of my power rack has helped my stabilizers TREMENDOUSLY. Another great fininshing move is to hang plates off of jumpstretch bands hung off the sleeves of your bar (bamboo press for poor folks) and do benches this way. Use 25’s. 225 feels like 315. This has helped me stay tight as shit which helps my bench.
6’1". Close Grip, index finger at start of gnarling on texas power bar. 405x1, 365x4, raw. no shirt bench. just trying to get strength up.
my other lifs are close to yours, dl 585x1, sq 495x3.
i found in my old logs my close grip was usually 20-30 lbs under my wide grip bench and i didnt have the shoulder issues with close grip like i did with wider grips.
[quote]Asoss wrote:
Pinto: We are about the same height and I am looking to get as strong as you are. Currently only aiming to increase raw strength with the 5/3/1 program. I would appreciate it if you could perhaps loosely outline the specifics of your training. What type of training method do you feel has benefited you the most? Thanks in advance=)
[/quote]
I’ve tried almost everything, but lately I’ve come back around to a Westside style split-
DE Squat/Pull- working up to heavy weights every couple weeks, little bit of lower accessory work
DE Bench- light speed bench with some upper back work
ME Squat/Pull- GMs or DL variants and heavy upper back work
ME Bench- shirted every other week, light upperback and grip work following
UNtil last spring I have never benched 400 raw. I trained almost exclusively in shirts or just did top end work when I went raw. I always figured I could do it- but I was a little gun-shy since the last time I had done heavy raw work (365 for a triple) a year before, I tore my right pec (partial tear). So I kept my heavy work shirted at first. But on a my light day I set up a linear plan where I did two work sets of flat bench, 2 sets of incline, and two sets of close grip floor press for tow weeks at 10 reps, two weeks at 8, and two weeks at 5. I feel like this rep work helps build up the connective tissue a lot that my shirted work had neglected.
Im 6’3, I bench with my middle fingers on the rings. My best bench was 285 some months ago, so I think im good for 300.
I just recently started really incorporating back work into my routine, maybe 7 months ago. I usually stick with basic stuff, pullups (assisted ones) lat pulldowns and rows.
[quote]FTG wrote:
Like many tall guys I can deadlift pretty well, but my bench just sucks! My best lifts are SQ 500 (wide), DL 600 (sumo), and bench 305. After reading Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION and stumbling on video of Konstantinovs bench (he’s 6’4" and benches 550 with a close grip) I’ve decided that maybe I shouldn’t be beating myself up trying to bench wide. Looking back at my training log, my closegrip (18") and regular grip (pointers on the rings, or 35") bench have always been nearly the same.
Please tall guys only: tell me how tall you are, your best bench, and how wide your grip is. Also tell me the back exercises you think have the most impact.
I’m 6’6" (have a wing span of 6’10"), benched 305 with pointers on the rings, when I rowed everything I benched.[/quote]
I’m 6’5"
300 lbs
275 x 14 bench I guess around 390-400
I usually put my ring fingers on the rings, the wider I go the more my shoulders feel it. Before tearing my bicept tendon out of my elbow 8 mos. ago I was doing a lot of wide and close grip rows. I noticed that I was more stable on the bench. this let me concentrate more on the press. I am now working my way back very lightly and it sucks. I lost a lot but I’ll get it back.
I’m going to try pinkies on the rings for a while, and go back to doing pullups daily. I can only do set of 5 (the first set or two is good, after that I start to do kickups), would you suggest getting some assist & doing better quality reps?
[quote]FTG wrote:
I’m going to try pinkies on the rings for a while, and go back to doing pullups daily. I can only do set of 5 (the first set or two is good, after that I start to do kickups), would you suggest getting some assist & doing better quality reps?[/quote]
I think doign any kind of back exercises that are hard-ass work will help you out. I wouldn’t sweat form too much. I find that kipping my pull-ups and starting my rows with a stiff-leg is ok. As long as you’re pushing yourself on weight/reps, you’ll probably get stronger. Pull ups are good. The thing I like about them is that unlike most other heavy upper back movements, they are very easy on your lower back as opposed to things like rows and shrugs. I suspect that pull ups are therapeutic to your spine because of the stretching and tracion, but I’ve never read/heard anythign specific to that point.
[quote]Pinto wrote:
Asoss wrote:
Pinto: We are about the same height and I am looking to get as strong as you are. Currently only aiming to increase raw strength with the 5/3/1 program. I would appreciate it if you could perhaps loosely outline the specifics of your training. What type of training method do you feel has benefited you the most? Thanks in advance=)
I’ve tried almost everything, but lately I’ve come back around to a Westside style split-
DE Squat/Pull- working up to heavy weights every couple weeks, little bit of lower accessory work
DE Bench- light speed bench with some upper back work
ME Squat/Pull- GMs or DL variants and heavy upper back work
ME Bench- shirted every other week, light upperback and grip work following
UNtil last spring I have never benched 400 raw. I trained almost exclusively in shirts or just did top end work when I went raw. I always figured I could do it- but I was a little gun-shy since the last time I had done heavy raw work (365 for a triple) a year before, I tore my right pec (partial tear). So I kept my heavy work shirted at first. But on a my light day I set up a linear plan where I did two work sets of flat bench, 2 sets of incline, and two sets of close grip floor press for tow weeks at 10 reps, two weeks at 8, and two weeks at 5. I feel like this rep work helps build up the connective tissue a lot that my shirted work had neglected.
[/quote]
Thanks for the reply Pinto, really appreciate it. Always wanted to learn from all the strong guys and then pick things to my own training philosophy. I am currently on a modified WS4SB template with the 5/3/1 percentages on all my main effort lifts. Its working pretty good actually, all my lifts seem to come up pretty sweet. Thanks again for the reply!
To complicate the issue, I lift in my garage. I have two olympic bars and 700# of plates, and no DB’s. No machines. In addition to pullups, I’ve started doing T-bar rows (no T, just grabbing the end of the bar) and I’m going to continue rowing what I bench with the same grip. Any other BBell exercises for the equipment impaired?
although im not tall (5’10"), nor am i as strong as some of the guys on this forum, but i have found that inverted rows have made me feel more stable when i bench. i do them with my feet elevated and pull in the exact plane as i would if i were benching. i feel these work better for me than bb rows. those, old school tbar rows, pull ups, and db rows have added some serious meat to my back and my bench and deadlift have improved because of it.
FTG, what part of VA do you live in?? I’m going to be putting on a bench meet here in a couple months. I’ll be doing a bench seminar beforehand to make sure everyone at my gym is on the same page form wise. you are more than welcome to come. i could check out your form and give you a couple pointers.