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View Full Version : Starting Powerlifting Competition - lagging chest!



Dre-J
12-02-10, 10:33 am
Hey fellas,

just came back from TX after one year of college-exchange - now I'm back in weak ass Berlin, Germany.

finally i decided to quit football and concentrate on my favorite: powerlifting - there is an open competion on 18th and 19th feb - that's where i wanna start.

i started to lift 7 years ago, but i tryed to much of this bodybuilding to get heavier instead of getting stronger.
anyhow, the past 3 years it was easier find me in the gym in a dust full of chalk, instead on the grid-iron.

now i builded a good technique, but still have a week chest and tris.

my current results are:
Bodyweight: 210lbs (around 12%bodyfat)
Squats: 2x 575lbs - RAW
1x 645lbs - Belt and kneewraps
Bench: 2x 315lbs - RAW
1x 360lbs - Elbowwraps and Wristwraps
Deads: 2x 585lbs - RAW
1x 675lbs - Belt, Straps, Wraps

Still waiting for enough cash for suits and benchshirt.

Anyhow, you can see: my chest is the weakest part in this whole pictures.

I was even worse benching, before I went to TX - I was benching the 225-250 and struggled.
Now I'm blasting them for 8-10reps.

My routine is pretty simple, I kinda modified Westside Barbebell for myself:
working out every other day the big three lifts.
I always start with squats, go over to the bench and then doing some deads.

So I workout 4x in 8days.
During my 8day routine I do 1day max effort of every lift and all others are trained dynamic - with bands or
weight releasers.

Day 1: Heavy Squats + dynamic variations of Bench and DL
Day 3: Heavy Bench + dynamic variations of Squats and DL
Day 5: Heavy Deads + dynamic variations of Bench and Squats
Day 7: Heavy Bench with board + triceps workout and shoulder

On dynamic I work 10sets of 2-3 reps and on heavy I go to my one rep max and
try to top that every week with a spotter.


I'll get an old bench-shirt from a friend of mine by the end of the week, so I can get used to it.

What would you guys suggest me to do, specially about my chest and tris?
Do you have any tips on contest prep for powerlifting?

Cheers, Dre

IRBS
12-02-10, 10:49 am
Hey fellas,

just came back from TX after one year of college-exchange - now I'm back in weak ass Berlin, Germany.

finally i decided to quit football and concentrate on my favorite: powerlifting - there is an open competion on 18th and 19th feb - that's where i wanna start.

i started to lift 7 years ago, but i tryed to much of this bodybuilding to get heavier instead of getting stronger.
anyhow, the past 3 years it was easier find me in the gym in a dust full of chalk, instead on the grid-iron.

now i builded a good technique, but still have a week chest and tris.

my current results are:
Bodyweight: 210lbs (around 12%bodyfat)
Squats: 2x 575lbs - RAW
1x 645lbs - Belt and kneewraps
Bench: 2x 315lbs - RAW
1x 360lbs - Elbowwraps and Wristwraps
Deads: 2x 585lbs - RAW
1x 675lbs - Belt, Straps, Wraps

Still waiting for enough cash for suits and benchshirt.

Anyhow, you can see: my chest is the weakest part in this whole pictures.

I was even worse benching, before I went to TX - I was benching the 225-250 and struggled.
Now I'm blasting them for 8-10reps.

My routine is pretty simple, I kinda modified Westside Barbebell for myself:
working out every other day the big three lifts.
I always start with squats, go over to the bench and then doing some deads.

So I workout 4x in 8days.
During my 8day routine I do 1day max effort of every lift and all others are trained dynamic - with bands or
weight releasers.

Day 1: Heavy Squats + dynamic variations of Bench and DL
Day 3: Heavy Bench + dynamic variations of Squats and DL
Day 5: Heavy Deads + dynamic variations of Bench and Squats
Day 7: Heavy Bench with board + triceps workout and shoulder

On dynamic I work 10sets of 2-3 reps and on heavy I go to my one rep max and
try to top that every week with a spotter.


I'll get an old bench-shirt from a friend of mine by the end of the week, so I can get used to it.

What would you guys suggest me to do, specially about my chest and tris?
Do you have any tips on contest prep for powerlifting?

Cheers, Dre

Chest has very little to do with a Bench Press. Upper Back, Lats, Traps, Triceps are probably the most important muscles in benching. Not to say the chest doesnt play a role, it does, but for moving the most weight from point A to point B, they are not as important.

I'm not crazy about your template either. Doing Max effort and Dynamic effort in the same training session is not going to work for very long.

Day 1: Heavy Squats, Light Deadlift movement, Posterior Chain (GHR, GMs, 45deg Back Raise), Abs
Day 3: Heavy Bench, Upper Back, Lats, Traps, Triceps
Day 5: Light Squat Movement First, Heavy Deads, Posterior Chain(GHR, GMs, 45deg Back Raise), , Abs
Day 7: Heavy Bench with board + triceps workout and shoulder (this looks fine but keep your reps 3-5 on your work sets for the board work, should be no where near failure, no need for 2 heavy bench days per week)

Good luck

Dre-J
12-02-10, 1:43 pm
Hey IRBS!
Thanks for the reply.


You're totaly right about the bench, but if you would take a look at my body, then you could even see, that my delts, traps and upper back can't be the problem.
I was always week with my chest and my tris - never liked to train them when I was younger and later it was to hard to catch up.

I completely get your thinking about mixing DE and ME, but it worked pretty well for me, because I work diffrent muscle-groups and so I actually don't mix too much with that.

Anyhow, I like your routine-idea, but I'm missing the DE. Where should I put it now or maybe I should stop training dynmaic or can I still doit instead of the "light movements"?

The problem is, that I tried the Westside Barbell style, but I was definitely missing the deads.
Simmons has actually a good theory on it, but I realized that I need to do the movement constantly or I miss feeling.
So when I tries WB-style I was getting better in benchs and squats, but my deady sucked.


Do you have any suggestions about the DE?



Good idea with the board. So 5x5 would be better for board press than a ME?


Cheers and thanks,
-Dre

IRBS
12-02-10, 2:05 pm
Hey IRBS!
Thanks for the reply.


You're totaly right about the bench, but if you would take a look at my body, then you could even see, that my delts, traps and upper back can't be the problem.
I was always week with my chest and my tris - never liked to train them when I was younger and later it was to hard to catch up.

I completely get your thinking about mixing DE and ME, but it worked pretty well for me, because I work diffrent muscle-groups and so I actually don't mix too much with that.

Anyhow, I like your routine-idea, but I'm missing the DE. Where should I put it now or maybe I should stop training dynmaic or can I still doit instead of the "light movements"?

The problem is, that I tried the Westside Barbell style, but I was definitely missing the deads.
Simmons has actually a good theory on it, but I realized that I need to do the movement constantly or I miss feeling.
So when I tries WB-style I was getting better in benchs and squats, but my deady sucked.


Do you have any suggestions about the DE?



Good idea with the board. So 5x5 would be better for board press than a ME?


Cheers and thanks,
-Dre

You do pull in a traditional Westside/Conjugate method. The thing most people mis-understand/completely miss is that the conjugate method IS NOT a template for you to follow. It is simply a way to organize your training, just like most other programs that work. Block Periodization is the same way. If you want to make the pull something you focus on, then do it.

I, personally, have never benefitted from traiditional Dynamic Effort work other than getting REALLY beat up. I have found what works best for me and it is a mixture of what I have learned over the past 10 years or so. The only place that I know of where they still use the DE method effectively is at Westside where Luoie is watching everything that goes on. All the other gyms that still call what they do "DE" are generally doing a "Squat Day" and a Deadlift Day" and working up most of the time and they have a Heavy bench day and a "light' (DE) Bench day.

I dont really care what you look like, your shoulders and upper back may look jacked, but they may be weak as hell. Performance trumps looks every time.

Max Effort and traditional Dynamic Effort work on the same day is a recipe for disaster. You wont last long if you are actually pushing yourself.

But, you could just go for it like you have laid out and see if it works. Trial and error is how most people figure out what works for them and what doesnt.

One thing I have learned, there are NO absolutes...everything is open for interpretation.

BigChrisF
12-02-10, 2:12 pm
Where do you stall out on your bench?

prowrestler
12-02-10, 3:11 pm
a video of a heavy bench would help give advise

Dre-J
12-02-10, 3:31 pm
Where do you stall out on your bench?

Just a lil above the set of the bar.
So the first inch is actually possible, but quite hard, but after it I get the problems.
If I use a shirt it feels like the shirt is actually solving my problem.

A video is a good idea. Will ask for a cam next week when I'm @college.
Should it be of ME or is it quite equal?

prowrestler
12-02-10, 3:33 pm
of a heavy bench....weight is a factor when it comes to form.

your form for benching 100lbs is not gonna be the same as 300+

IRBS
12-02-10, 3:40 pm
If I use a shirt it feels like the shirt is actually solving my problem.



Of course it will...you need to address your weakness though and figure out what the cause is. I doubt it's weak pecs...

Dre-J
12-02-10, 3:44 pm
yeah, you're right.
you always fail form a lil on max efforts and there you could see what's the problem.

anyhow, could take up to a week for a clip - got a cam in my phone, but no one wanna see this clips - looks more like a mosaic..... as mentioned, tryin to catch someone with a cam in college.