Trying to up bench

[anonynmous39596706]

I did my heavy chest day just now and have to thank @insertnamehere , @Docd187123 and @Masters Power along with everyone else that sent tips and advice.

I hurt my back yesterday and was having trouble bending and moving. I was a little nervous about 90% of my max since I just hit that number and was not that comfortable with it yet. This is how it went:
135x6
185x3
225x2
265x1 eight sets with 1.5 to 2 min rest
265x2

It felt like I was going to be able to get 4 or 5 more singles but the guy spotting had to leave. The 265 on the 9th one felt light and the double was no problem. The set up made all the difference in the world. I felt like a spring compressing and that the potential energy exploded. From chest to lock out was faster then expected. Next week I plan on doing 175 singles.

It took concentration to remember to drive with my feet, arch the back, squeeze the shoulders and rotate the scapular. After I was done I realized I was not thinking about my grip. The goal had been 315 by my birthday the middle of Feb. I think I will hit it much sooner and will have to come up with a new birthday goal.

Thanks again to everyone for the help and support.

Rocco

 

[anonynmous39596706]

@insertnamehere , @Docd187123 @Masters Power, can I impose on you guys for another quick lesson. Today the guy spotting me said Iwas holding my breath throughout the whole bench movement. I am not sure what the proper breathing rhythm is. I know what I am doing must be wrong.

Thanks for the help
Rocco

 

[Haunch]

@Docd187123 That is some great stuff. I was doing it 100% wrong. I was under the impression that I had to keep my ass in full contact with the bench at all times. I bench with my back completly flat and if you saw me bench you would swear I was a paraplegic. I relax everything from the bottom of my rib cage down.

My second problem is I always thought you had to unrack and rack yourself or it did not count. When I do my 90% singles is it all right to unrack myself your should I get a hand off?

Now I feel like I have to get up in front of the room and say "Hello, my name is Rocco the Dog and I don't dead lift". I want to be a responsible member of the gym society. I am going to wacth a few videos but I have the feeling I will be starting a thread on that also but a quick question first. Deadlifts on back day or leg day?

This might be the begining of the end to my hypertrophy days of lifting. Deep down I was a little envious of @Frank the tank 456's posts. Now I want to hang with the big boys.

Doc, I really appreciate the time you put into posting your advice for me. I assure you I will put it to good use. I am going to work on set up every day before me regular workout. Next chest day is Wed. so I will post how it went.

Thanks
Rocco

ditto to Doc. Really good stuff.

 

[GradeApe]

I did my heavy chest day just now and have to thank @insertnamehere , @Docd187123 and @Masters Power along with everyone else that sent tips and advice.

I hurt my back yesterday and was having trouble bending and moving. I was a little nervous about 90% of my max since I just hit that number and was not that comfortable with it yet. This is how it went:
135x6
185x3
225x2
265x1 eight sets with 1.5 to 2 min rest
265x2

It felt like I was going to be able to get 4 or 5 more singles but the guy spotting had to leave. The 265 on the 9th one felt light and the double was no problem. The set up made all the difference in the world. I felt like a spring compressing and that the potential energy exploded. From chest to lock out was faster then expected. Next week I plan on doing 175 singles.

It took concentration to remember to drive with my feet, arch the back, squeeze the shoulders and rotate the scapular. After I was done I realized I was not thinking about my grip. The goal had been 315 by my birthday the middle of Feb. I think I will hit it much sooner and will have to come up with a new birthday goal.

Thanks again to everyone for the help and support.

Rocco

nice read, but did you mean u'll be doing 275lbs singles next week? not 175. right?

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

Thanks for the links Jay. From reading them I have come to the conclusion that I am not eating enough. I dropped another 2.5 lbs this week. That would be a good thing back when I was a fat bastard. My mind set does not allow me to eat bad food. My diet is strickly eggs, plain chicken, tuna, yogurt steamed veggies and kidney beans. very rearly will I eat anything else. Its hard to take in enough cals unlessn I eat non stop. I think I will add in nuts and cheese to see what happens.

Rice milk ftw.
Barista PLUS pasta ftw.

What is your current macros?
How long have you been cutting?

In the end. Unless you are in your first year of training, you aren't going to lose weight and get any strength gains. Especially at the rate of 2.5 lbs a week. Assuming you are weighing fasted.

 

[anonynmous39596706]

nice read, but did you mean u'll be doing 275lbs singles next week? not 175. right?

275 singles would probably be better. I did light chest yesterday and everything felt super light. I am still having trouble from hurting my back. After having trouble loading the bar I still got two sets of five at 225 on the incline. I decided to hold off on a bast I had planned until I hit the 315 flat bench.

 

[Docd187123]

@insertnamehere , @Docd187123 @Masters Power, can I impose on you guys for another quick lesson. Today the guy spotting me said Iwas holding my breath throughout the whole bench movement. I am not sure what the proper breathing rhythm is. I know what I am doing must be wrong.

Thanks for the help
Rocco

Learn the valsalva manuever. Take a deep breath into your belly and hold it. Then press out and contract your abs while you keep your airways closed. This will tighten your core and therefor provide a better transfer of force from the ground to the bar.

For bench press, take your breath after unracking the weight while your arms are still locked. Hold this breath for the entire rep, if you can hold it for multiple reps that's fine too. Once you need to reset your breath make sure you're at lockout before doing so

 

[anonynmous39596706]

Thanks @Docd187123 that is exactly how I do it. The guy said I needed to breath all the way through the movement. I thought I was wrong because no one ever toughy me what to do, I just did what felt natural.

Wed is my next heavy chest day. I will let you know how it goes. I am still having trouble moving with by back. Once it stops hurting maybe you can give me a few pointers on the dead lift. That is how I hurt it last week after reading all the tips that were posted on @brutus79 log. I never did them before. I am hoping that this pain is just from starting something new.

Thanks again

 

[anonynmous39596706]

What is your current macros?
How long have you been cutting?

I keep a pretty detailed food log and I try to hit 275g of protein, 150g carbs and 100g fat, that is about 2600cals a day (50-30-20). Some days the cal is under but never really over that much. I am not trying to cut, I just eat very clean. The fat comes from cheese nuts and and peanut butter. Carbs are only steam vegetables, no bread, rice, potatoes or pasta. Protein is plain chicked breast, tuna, eggs and yogurt.

I am not trying to cut now. I have been eating like this for 2.5 years. I eat so strick that everyone thinks I am crazy, which I am. I dropped from 318 ti 218 in two years and now I am 228 today. I weigh myself every morning and it creeps up 2 or 3 pounds and then drops to or three pounds. I have been bouncing around the 230 mark for the last few months

 

[Docd187123]

Thanks @Docd187123 that is exactly how I do it. The guy said I needed to breath all the way through the movement. I thought I was wrong because no one ever toughy me what to do, I just did what felt natural.

You're right and the other guy is wrong. It is natural as that's how we've evolved. Rippetoe makes a great example of this:

If your car broke down on railroad tracks, a train was coming, and you wanted to try and push your car off the tracks before the train came, what would you do? Instinctively you would take a deep breath of air, hold it and push. You would not release the air until either the car was off the tracks or until you ran out of oxygen.

Wed is my next heavy chest day. I will let you know how it goes. I am still having trouble moving with by back. Once it stops hurting maybe you can give me a few pointers on the dead lift. That is how I hurt it last week after reading all the tips that were posted on @brutus79 log. I never did them before. I am hoping that this pain is just from starting something new.

Thanks again

Of course I'd be happy to offer pointers for deadlifts as would the others who have posted in here.

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

You're right and the other guy is wrong. It is natural as that's how we've evolved. Rippetoe makes a great example of this:

If your car broke down on railroad tracks, a train was coming, and you wanted to try and push your car off the tracks before the train came, what would you do? Instinctively you would take a deep breath of air, hold it and push. You would not release the air until either the car was off the tracks or until you ran out of oxygen.



Of course I'd be happy to offer pointers for deadlifts as would the others who have posted in here.

Is that from "Starting Strength"?

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

I keep a pretty detailed food log and I try to hit 275g of protein, 150g carbs and 100g fat, that is about 2600cals a day (50-30-20). Some days the cal is under but never really over that much. I am not trying to cut, I just eat very clean. The fat comes from cheese nuts and and peanut butter. Carbs are only steam vegetables, no bread, rice, potatoes or pasta. Protein is plain chicked breast, tuna, eggs and yogurt.

I am not trying to cut now. I have been eating like this for 2.5 years. I eat so strick that everyone thinks I am crazy, which I am. I dropped from 318 ti 218 in two years and now I am 228 today. I weigh myself every morning and it creeps up 2 or 3 pounds and then drops to or three pounds. I have been bouncing around the 230 mark for the last few months

Your carbs are low man.

 

[insertnamehere]

@insertnamehere , @Docd187123 @Masters Power, can I impose on you guys for another quick lesson. Today the guy spotting me said Iwas holding my breath throughout the whole bench movement. I am not sure what the proper breathing rhythm is. I know what I am doing must be wrong.

Thanks for the help
Rocco

I take a deep breath before I unrack the weight and hold it for almost the entire first rep, where I let out a little at the top, then take another breath for the next rep and repeat.

Its really a mater of staying tight. If you can get through the whole set holding your breath the entire time, then go with that as you're most likely going to loosen up when you breath out.

 

[anonynmous39596706]

That is what felt natural. Deep breath, lower it and explode from the bottom then take another breath. Thanks

 

[Docd187123]

Is that from "Starting Strength"?

I kind of paraphrased it but yea it's from the book

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

I kind of paraphrased it but yea it's from the book

Should be on every lifters reading list.

 

[grey]

I also found chickpea pasta.

Costco etc also have edamame pasta which is delicious.

 

[ChaseTheYoke]

Costco etc also have edamame pasta which is delicious.

Estrogen ftl

 

[anonynmous39596706]

Estrogen ftl

I don't think that is a problem if you are adding T and taking an AI

 

[grey]

Estrogen ftl

Not unless you are eating a bale of it a week.

Soy products can be slightly estrogenic and largely estrogenic in bulk and in the absence of other protein sources but eating a couple of cups of this pasta a week as a few percentage points of your protein intake isn't going to do anything (except be delicious).

The body is a robust machine, and a system of systems, not a delicate flower disturbed by eating a bit of something.