Fair enough.
Seeing as you hold some bench records, why don’t you give us some of the basics of your training philosophy? Like how often would you bench per week (these days there are plenty of people benching 3-4x/week but it seems to me that twice is just as good if not better), periodization, offseason work, etc.
My bench training, not philosophy has changed over time due to age. I’m 40 now. I cant’ train the way I used to.
I bench 2x a week, read that as 2x in 7 days. I do not bench on specific days. I use 3 different workouts.
I pause most triples and all the doubles.
Overlload is board work and/or slingshot. Use one on the small size and get the black one.
I train some chest assistance each day post flat bench work
I train triceps last each chest day. High rep, low volume. sometimes using drop sets.
I train mostly shoulder assistance. I overhead very infrequently.
I really like all this input.
Do you see any benefit for spoto? Where would it be better applied?
In my opinion it is worthless in every way and you are looking for a pec tear. .
Pause the bar on your chest. Just like you do in competition.
Get the bar to your chest, under control as quickly as possible.
YOu ever see any west side guys spotto pressing? YOu ever see Hoonstra do it?
I don’t use the term off season in powerlifting.
12 week training cycles work well. If I don’t do a meet, I reset the same as if I did one.
I typically do 3 meets a year. Usually one in the fall and one in march and one somewhere else. I occasionally randomly do one for fun. I always reset training after a meet.
I add in more functional strength i.e crossfit or out door activities, hiking, kayaking, SUP and yoga in what I guess you could call the off season.
WHat is a reset?
A reset for me looks like this. 10 weeks training, 1 week deload/active recovery until Wednesday before the meet. 2 days rest then meet. Meet day, 5-7 days off (totally out of the gym and off macros). Then back in and reset my programming. That’s pretty typical.
That’s funny, last year I thought I tore a pec doing spoto press. Seems like it was just a muscle cramp, I was fine after, but I could definitely see it happening.
I don’t know about Hoornstra himself but his coach Josh Bryant like them. He did an interview with Mark Bell the other day where he said that they are good for teaching you to stay tight and such. He’s actually doing a seminar here in Ottawa tomorrow, I can ask him about that.
So I asked Josh Bryant what he thought about Spoto presses being high risk for pec tears. He said that theoretically they could be but he has never seen anyone tear a pec while doing them. The fact that they create a lot of tension at the bottom also means that they will strengthen your pecs. Perhaps if you have torn a pec in the past it might be something you would be better off avoiding.
The exercise that he singled out as high risk for pec tears was wide grip bench, he uses it with his lifters but never going heavier than a 6rm. He said not to do them if you have a history of pec or shoulder issues.
So… which one is you? 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkH7EB1gKKR/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=378f6htmi4w3
I would be interested in your training as well. How many days per week do you work out? How do you typically set up your training? @osu122975 had a great thread in Elite Lifter Programming that I am going to try out shortly but am always looking for successful lifters suggestions to see what works for others.
Front row close to the middle between the skinny kid and the black girl.
I train a typical 5-6 days a week when powerlifting. That may go 1 day in either direction.
I don’t lift on the same days, just an ongoing cycle. I train chest/tries 2x a week with at least 2 if not 3 days between them in the order mentioned in my post above, back/bies at least once (but only dead once), squat once (but maybe hit legs 2x, shoulders at least once, then restart. I never train shoulders before bench day.
re: Spoto press
Well, it looks like you might be onto something. As I mentioned before, Josh Bryant told me that he has never seen anyone tear a pec doing Spoto presses but just recently it happened to Robb Phillipus (who is coached by Josh).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlMPoplDdPv/?taken-by=quadslikerobb
Lately I have been doing some Spoto presses myself, inspired by Josh Bryant’s advice, but this video has me thinking twice.
And yes, you can tear a pec many other ways but why take unnecessary risks?
This is similar to how I started training recently and have seen great gains in dead and squat strength primarily
Monday squats trained
Tuesday’s lats biceps
Wednesday bench triceps
Thursday off
Friday dead’s with a squat variation at light weight
Saturday light bench, shoulders triceps, lats
Sunday off
Everything hit directly or indirectly twice.