Home Posts tagged "Bench Press" (Page 5)

Show and Go Training Review: The Way to Get Strong!

There's been a lot of buzz about my new strength and conditioning program, Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better, lately.

While this digital resource has been used by folks of all walks of life for everything from fat loss to athletic performance training , in light of an email I received the other day from my buddy, Kevin Neeld, I thought I'd highlight the strength increases aspect of things.  Kevin is director of athletic development at a strength and conditioning facility in Sewell, NJ - and I sent him an advanced copy of Show and Go.  Here's what he sent me the other day:

"Eric, I wanted to let you know that I put our whole staff on your Show and Go program and the result [after just a month] has been:

Matt Siniscalchi-405 x 5 (Personal Record)

David Lasnier-385x5 (Personal Record)

Kevin Neeld-425 x 5 (Personal Record)

"I also front squatted 285 for 3, which is pretty good for me. Turns out your programs work! I've been pumping Show and Go's tires a lot around here since you launched it. Hopefully the program is getting the attention it deserves."

Then, a day later, a few days later, I got another email:

"We just did the front squat 1RM test; here were some results:

David Lasnier - Front Squat (295 - PR)

Kevin Neeld - Front Squat (315 - PR)

"You should also know that David and I both tied/set PRs during our 1-RM bench press test too...but we were both SO sore from the previous upper-body lift that we didn't even bother shooting film. I think we'll both beat our previous bests by 10-15lbs in a couple weeks when you have the next 1RM built in.  Thanks!"

So, don't miss out on the great opportunity to get strong with Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better.

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How to Select a Weight to Use in a Resistance Training Program

The question of what weight to use in a resistance training program comes up very commonly not only among beginners, but also intermediate and experienced lifters.  So, when I got this question from a reader recently, it gave me the kick in the pants I needed to cover this in a detailed write-up.

Q: I have a question about how to select weights to use within programs like yours that may fluctuate the sets and reps from week to week.  For example, if it’s 4x3 in week 1, 4x2 in week 2, 4x4 in week 3, and 3x3 in week 4, are there are certain percentages that I can use based off my one-rep max?  This would make it easier to know exactly what weight to use each week.

A: Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’m going to paraphrase a bit from chapter 2 of the Show and Go main guide. Let me preface this explanation by saying that the goal of all my programs – and indeed any good strength and conditioning program – is to get stronger. And, I fully expect you to do so.

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Now, if that’s the case, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to select what weight to use based on percentages of one-rep maxes that were taken before the program even began. By the time you get to phases 2, 3, and 4, you aren’t going to have sufficient overload to make optimal progress.

So, to that end, I rarely assign training percentages. All sets should be to one rep shy of failure; basically, go hard but never attempt a rep that you won't complete on your own. Each session should be somewhat of a test of your new strength as you work up to heavier loads and listen to your body along the way.

As a frame of reference, on your first (main) exercise(s), just work up to your heaviest set of the day (in perfect form, of course), and then find 90% of it. Anything you did above that 90% number "counts" as a set. Anything done before it is a warm-up. So, imagine you had 4 set of 3 reps planned on the bench press, and you worked up to 300 on you heaviest set using the following progression:

Set 1: 45x8
Set 2: 135x5
Set 3: 185x3
Set 4: 225x3
Set 5: 275x3
Set 6: 295x3
Set 7: 300x3

That puts you at three sets (275, 295, and 300) above 90% of your heaviest load for the day (300). So, to get a fourth set in, you just need to get one more set somewhere between 270 (90%) and 300 (100%). By the next week, this 90-100% range may have shifted up by 5-10 pounds, so you have to accommodate it – and prescribing percentages on an old one-rep-max just doesn’t do the job justice.

It really doesn’t matter what rep range is in question – whether you’re doing heavy singles or a 5x5 workout.  You can really apply it to just about every set in every training session when you're wondering what weight to use.

For more information, check out Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better.

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Alex Maroko’s Readers: How to Create a Real Strength and Conditioning Program

Because Alex Maroko is a good buddy of mine, I decided to make this webinar available to you at absolutely no cost. If you want to learn about the thought process behind each strength and conditioning program I write - for athletes that range from baseball players, to basketball stars, to professional boxers, to Olympic bobsledders - then look no further.

If You Read Alex's Daily Emails, Use His Special Show and Go Half-Off Discount Link Below Today for Big Savings!

Click Here to Learn More About Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better

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Wednesday Randomness: Back in Action!

1. I'm happy to report that I not only survived our wedding festivities, but that Anna actually said "I do" (actually, "I will").  Kidding aside, it was - without a doubt - the single best weekend of my life; we had an absolute blast. 2. For those who are wondering, I did, in fact, eat the cake (actually, I ate a lot more than just cake; we had a sweet buffet):

3. Speaking of cakes, my fiancee wife had an extra one made in the shape of a dumbbell with our initials on it.  We're both bummed that we never had a chance to try a piece, but at least it looked great - and hopefully some people enjoyed their slices.

Enough with the wedding stuff, as these aren't even the wedding photographers pictures - and you are probably more interested in me talking about lifting heavy stuff and the like!

4. Brian St. Pierre - who happened to be in attendance at the wedding (like that transitional material?) - just had a great article published at T-Nation that I think you'll really like: 10 Forgotten Muscle Building Foods.

5. A while back, I contributed on an article by Bret Contreras - and it was just published yesterday.  Check it out: The Best Assistance Exercises for the Three Big Powerlifts.  It's a good one if you are wondering which strength exercises will have the most carryover to squat, bench press, and deadlift.

6. I have an AWESOME interview lined up with Kelly Baggett for later this week.  Kelly and I go back quite a few years, and he's one of those guys that I always learn something from when we connect.  If you are interested in athletic performance improvements, he is a great guy from whom to learn.  He actually did a interview at this site a while back, if you want to check them out: Baggett of Tricks: An Interview with Kelly Baggett: Part 1 Baggett of Tricks: An Interview with Kelly Baggett: Part 2 Kelly recently collaborated with Alex Maroko on a product called The Truth About Quickness, and it came out really well.

7. Last, but not least, if you are a Red Sox fan (or any sports fan, for that matter) and didn't see this on ESPN last night, you missed an awesome hour of television.  I had goosebumps the entire time.

You can find TV listings for its replay HERE.

Sorry for not having any unique "EC content" for you today, but we're doing all sorts of post-wedding stuff - from unpacking, to writing thank you notes, to

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Scientific Proof: Why So Many People Squat 600lbs on the Internet

I came across the abstract for this interesting Australian study the other day: Actual versus perceived lifting ability in healthy young men (18-25 years). Basically, researchers compared what men under the age of 25 SAID they could lift with what they actually COULD lift when tested.  According to the researchers, "One third of subjects were able to accurately self-report their lifting performance, approximately one-third underestimated, and the remaining third overestimated their lifting ability." So, out of every three people, we have one person who is pretty even-keeled and honest with himself about his physical abilities. And, we have another who is either a) intimidated and doesn't think he can do it or b) lazy and unwilling to "do it." Finally,we have everyone's favorite: the tough guy who talks a big game.  These are the guys who sit behind their keyboards claiming to squat 500 pounds - or bench 400, or throw 95mph fastballs.  However, nobody every witnesses it.  They have big balls on the internet.

squirrel-nuts-1

How many times have you walked into a commercial gym and seen a 400-pound bench press?  I think I've seen it once - and the guy weighed about 330 pounds. How about a legitimate 600-pound squat?  I've never seen it in a commercial gym, only a few times without a squat-suit in hardcore powerlifting gyms, and only twice college weight rooms in my life. And, I'm certainly not seeing 95mph fastballs at every high school baseball game.  In fact, as I recall reading last year, there are only about eight pitchers in all of Major League Baseball who have consistent 95+mph fastballs.  Maybe the rest of the pros need to spend more time on the internet to be able to throw baseballs faster? However, go on to any internet forum - whether it's for lifting or pitching - and you'll come across all this hidden talent that is yearning to be discovered.  Sorry, folks, but you're the 1/3 of people I referenced above.  Put up or shut up.  I'd actually say that this 33% figure also applies to baseball fathers; about one in three is CONVINCED that his kid is much better than Junior really is. Finally, as an interesting little aside, ever wonder why nobody ever lies about their deadlift numbers?

I have to assume that it's because the deadlift is a pretty "yes or no" exercise.  You either can or can't pick something heavy up off the floor.  It's not like a squat or bench press, where you can shorten the range of motion and instantly improve your numbers. Related Posts Crazy Dads and Kids Who Throw Cheddar Shoulder Mobility for Squatting Please enter your email below to sign up for our FREE newsletter.

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A More Than Satisfied Female Customer

I have to admit: when I first saw this subject line for an email, my mind was a bit in the gutter! However, as it turns out, it was an awesome review of the Maximum Strength program from a female exercise enthusiast who had undertaken the program from start to finish.  Check out what she had to say: "My name is Alison Minton, I'm a 25 year old 'recreational' lifter.  I was given your book, Maximum Strength, about 5 months ago by a friend at my gym (who happens to be one of your guniea pigs for your next project).  I just finished the program today and I wanted to share my thoughts with you.  A little background: former avid runner, sidelined by unsuccessful bilateral fasciotomies for compartment syndrome in my lower legs 3 years ago, which lead me to really hit the weights.  My workout routines were getting pretty stale in the last year or so and I was getting frustrated and bored from circuit after circuit of moderately heaving lifting.  I had exhausted everything I knew from years of reading about fitness/running/lifting and realized every female fitness magazine I received was going straight to the trash.   I begged my friend at the gym for help and he gave me your book for guidance.  I've since read your and Tony Gentilcore's blogs religiously! "I know you have gotten tons of very well deserved feedback by satisfied guys who have read the book/complete the program.  I wanted to write to you because when I was thinking about starting it, I searched high and low for any information about women doing the program, and I found very minimal material in the way of feedback, tips or special considerations (if there even are any).  Even after that, I figured, what the heck, if some random guy at the gym can do this, then so can I!  So, I had my friend help me with packing day and the rest is history!  I absolutely loved the program, stuck to it like glue and got some decent results: Broad Jump: 72 inches --> 78 inches Bench Press: 100 lbs --> 115 lbs 3 RM Chin Up: BW + 7.5 lbs --> BW+17.5 lbs Deadlift: 175 lbs--> 190 lbs Box Squat: 130 lbs --> 135 lbs "I would loved to see the DL and squat go up a little more, but I did do a bit more cardio than prescribed (in the form of sprints and technique workouts, mostly) and wonder if that hindered me a bit.  My body composition also changed significantly for the better and my before and after pics totally rocked. "Just wanted to tell you that as a female 'lifter' I loved your program and the ideas/concepts that come out of the CP team blogs.  I would LOVE to see a little more encouragement to all the ladies out there!  It didn't intimidate me to find minimal feedback regarding women attempting Maximum Strength, but some women need a little more persuasion to get over the apprehension of starting a program in a book geared towards men. "Definitely looking forwards to your next book/program!  Thanks again!" -Alison Minton

Click here to purchase your copy of Maximum Strength for just $18.95.

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Stuff You Should Read: 6/28/10

I just got back from Chicago yesterday, and am playing a bit of catch-up, so I don't have time to write much today.  However, as I was tinkering with a formatting issue on the site last night, I realized that I now have almost four years worth of archives - and that many readers haven't seen a lot of that older work of mine.  So, I think I'll be using my reading recommendations for the next few weeks as a way of bringing older (but still applicable) material back to the forefront. How to Progress Back to Deadlifting after a Back Injury - Here's a step-by-step progression we've used quite a bit with excellent success. Bench Pressing with the Feet Up? - Not a good idea.  Here's why. Lifestyle Checklists - Here's a quick strategy for getting people adherent to training and nutrition practices. Please enter your email below to sign up for our FREE newsletter.
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Floor Press vs. Pin Press vs. Board Press

Q: I would like to know what the main differences are between floor presses and pin presses in the power rack, obviously with the same range of movement. Usually, in talking about injury at the shoulders, the advice is to drop full range of motion in the bench press in favor of floor press; does the pin press in the power rack - starting around middle point - accomplish the same thing? In a strength program for a healthy individuals, do these two similar movements have same utility? A: My experience with the pin press is that it is not as effective as a floor press or board press because the lifter isn't in a good position to appropriately "set" the scapular stabilizers to lock the shoulder blades down and back.  As a result, the lifter tends to shrug up - which allows the shoulder blades to anteriorly tilt - which can exacerbate the shoulder impingement that may already be occurring. Moreover, I believe that it is important to have a lifter lower the bar, as opposed to starting from a dead-stop.  This way, we not only teach eccentric control of the muscles acting at the shoulder girdle, but we also train the movement by learning the appropriate bar path.  Considering the number of individuals who take the bar too high on the chest and let the elbows flare out when benching, I think it's important to use movements like board presses and floor presses in lieu of the pin press.  Otherwise, we won't get rid of clowns like this.

ronald_bench

That said, generally speaking, I prefer board presses first, followed by floor presses, and then (if at all) pin presses.  These, of course, come much later than push-up variations and (usually) dumbbell exercises.

For more information on the specific return-to-pressing progressions that we use with the athletes and clients we see with shoulder impingement, AC joint issues, and a host of other shoulder conditions, check out the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD Set.

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Random Friday Thoughts: 4/16/10

1. Yesterday was tax day.  And, since you're all probably feeling like Uncle Sam took a dump in your favorite shoes on the taxes front, this uplifting video couldn't be more appropriate to kick things off.

2. Yesterday also marked the end of the introductory offer on our new Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set.  Some of our more noteworthy customers of these DVDs sold to the likes of President Obama, Amelia Earhart, Spongebob Squarepants, and King Tut.  Okay, they really didn't buy any - but they might have if you blog readers had told all your friends about this fantastic resource to spread the word.  The take-home point is that you should feel poor and guilty the day after April 15.  Thanks for nothing.  Let's move on.

3.  Just when I thought nobody could beat me down more than Uncle Sam yesterday, I realized that Tony had written this month's staff training program, and I went through one of the most brutal training sessions in Cressey Performance history.  Here's a little taste:

A1) Bench Press Clusters: 4 x (4x2) - 10s A2) (160-lb/hand) Farmer's Walk: 4x90yds (on last set, it was walk as far as you could go...I went 135 yards)

Frankly, this first pairing was enough to get a 25% attrition rate from our training crew (man down!) - but there was actually more:

B1) Wide Pronated Grip Seated Cable Rows: 3x10 B2) 1-arm, 1-leg DB RDL: 3x8/side C1) Standing DB Military Press: 3x8 C2) Slideboard Bodysaw: 3x10

And, last but not least:

D) Side-Lying External Rotations: 2x8/side

I'm not sure why, but it really made me angry to do these external rotations at the end of all this brutality.  It was almost like Tony was rubbing it in our faces that we weren't quite done, even though the hard stuff was over.  So, just as a statement, I did 2x10/side instead and then suplexed Tony off the loading dock...just because (okay, not really; Uncle Sam suplexed him off the loading dock).

4. While I don't really "commute" anymore because our new house is so close to the facility, I do have a pretty good audio book rolling in the car right now: Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.

switch-dan-chip-heath

It was written by Chip and Dan Heath (who also wrote Made to Stick, a book I absolutely loved and highly recommended in the past).  The Heath brothers go into detail on the important factors that determine whether or not attempts at change will be successful, highlighting some profound examples from everything from the business world to nutritional practices with newborns in Southeast Asia.  What I like the most is that they relate everything back to principles that are directly applicable to everything in my "world:" training and nutrition practices, managing employees, and running a business.  It's definitely worth a read.  Check it out HERE.

5. This point is going to make today's blog interactive, as I need some feedback.  My one responsibility on the wedding planning front is to decide where we go on our honeymoon (tough job, I know).  I know I've got readers all over the world who have been to some cool places, so let's hear some recommendations in the comments section below.  We're an active couple and want to honeymoon where we can hike, exercise, etc. instead of just sitting around drinking tequila.  As of right now, I'm leaning toward the Riviera Maya, but am open to suggestions - except Iceland.  This guy convinced me otherwise:

I think that was Alwyn Cosgrove.

Have a great weekend.

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Random Friday Thoughts: 3/19/10

1. I thought I'd kick this post off with a little technique troubleshooting.  Yesterday, one of the "guinea pigs" for my new project emailed this video to me and asked for some suggestions on bench press technique:

BP from Caleb Chiu on Vimeo. My suggestions to him were as follows: a. Your feet are antsy and jumping all over the place.  Get them pulled up a bit more under you so that they can't move around.  Then, focus on pushing them into the floor the entire set. b. Get more air in your belly.  Notice how the stomach sinks in?  That's because you don't have any air in it! c. Get a handoff.  The #1 reason guys flair the elbows out is that they lose scapular stability - and you lose that the second you hand off to yourself. 2. I'm headed to a Postural Restoration Institute Myokinematic Restoration Seminar this weekend up in Portland, ME - while my fiancee and my mother work on stuff for the wedding.  It is amazing what lengths guys will go to in order to escape wedding planning, huh? Just kidding; I'm actually really excited about it.  Neil Rampe of the Arizona Diamondbacks turned me on to the PRI stuff and it's really intrigued me from the get-go. 3. It's been a fun week around here with the start of the high school baseball season.  I got over to help out with some warm-ups and movement training with the Lincoln-Sudbury guys during tryouts on Mon-Tue.  In all, we saw 33 Lincoln-Sudbury high school baseball players - from freshman to seniors - this off-season, so it was pretty easy to pick up where we left off with them in the weight room.  There was great energy, and lots of excitement about the new season. 4. Here's a great feature on Blue Jays prospect Tim Collins and his training at Cressey Performance.

5. I was interviewed last week for an article about pitch counts.  It's now featured HERE.

6. Some feedback on Assess & Correct:

"I was pretty excited when I received an e-mail from Eric and Mike saying that I was getting an advanced copy of their new Assess and Correct product.  Mike and Eric have had a history of putting out top notch information and products and when I saw that Bill Hartman was also involved in this new product I knew that this was going to be even more special.

"Since I own a fitness facility, I'm always looking for cutting edge information that I can recommend to my trainers.  After viewing the DVDs and reading through the manuals, my first thought was, 'Wow, a home run!' "Finally, a product that I could wholeheartedly recommend to all of my trainers as an excellent go-to reference tool to enhance their abilities in assessing their clients needs; pinpointing their weakness &/or imbalances and then effectively addressing these findings to make sure their clients can achieve their goals safely." Joe Dowdell, CSCS - Founder & Co-owner of Peak Performance, NYC www.peakperformancenyc.com Click here to pick up a copy of Assess and Correct.

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7. Last, but certainly not least, CP athlete Danny O'Connor aims to run his professional boxing record to 11-o tonight with a bout at Twin River Casino in Rhode Island. Good luck, Danny!

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