Bench pressing in quarantine.

Smont

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My buddy bet me I can't bench 350 for a paused rep by may. So this is going to be my "powerbuilding log" of sorts. Kinda like a pull/push alternating routine with some legs thrown in.


Pull day 1 is heavy deadlifts, back and biceps

Push day is heavy bench press, shoulders and triceps.

Pull day 2 is back and biceps, high rep squats

Rest

Push
Pull 1
Push

Rest and so on

I also plan on doing some hiking and bike Riding.
 
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My sole goal here is to win this bet. $100, 1 paused rep with 350

My best bench is 340, but for a paused rep it's 330.

Lots of food

Today's menu

4oz turkey breast, 1 slice Munster cheese, 1 bagel, I cup chopped veggies, mustard, eaa's mixed with water, vitamins

2/3 lbs ground beef, 2 small burger rolls, 1 med potato cut and air fried, ketchup, water

2 coffees with cream while reading

1 scoop whey, 1 banana, 2 tablespoon pb, 1 cup milk, cinnamon.

More eaa, pre workout, water.

Workout

6oz chicken breast, 1.5 cups white rice all topped with beans and olives in a tomato base sauce.

2 pbj on white bread with 16oz milk

I fill a jug that's a little smaller then a gallon, add 5gm creatine and 2 servings of eaa's and drink it through the day, that combined with more water, milk and coffee " this is all I usually drink" comes out to 1.5 gallons of fluid, mostly from water
 
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I only have 300lbs of plates so I will be making use of bands and chains for added resistance
 
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Went for a walk around the block and down into my basement.

Light superset- facepull/laying ham curls 3x15

Deadlifts 5 warm up sets of 3-5 reps then 300+chains for 3. Too easy. Need more weight or I just add reps every workout till I stall. I can probably do 10 at this weight+chains that are 30lbs.

Wide grip chin-ups 5x8
Chest supported dumbbell row 35s 3x15
Cable rows 3x15 too light, going to have to either super set with higher reps or do biceps first to make them harder.

Hammer curls 35s 3x12
Db curl 20s 3x12

2 minutes rest on deadlifts
1 minute rest on back exercises
30 seconds rest on hammer curls
15 seconds rest on dumbbell curls.

Got to get creative to make the weights feel heavier.

Didn't miss a meal.

Day 1 complete
 
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Day 2.

With everybody being stuck in the house all the time we're doing more cooking than normal and we've accumulated a large amount of leftovers. So today I'm eating all the leftovers.

sloppy joes topped with fried eggs.

Stuffed pork tenderloin and mash potatoes

A big salad with turkey keilbasa

Push workout

one scoop of whey protein 2 tablespoons of peanut butter 1 banana 1 cup of milk

Chicken breast with rice and beans
 
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Day 2 almost complete, 1 meal to go.

Flat bench- various warm ups working up to 280lbs for 5, definitely not failure.

Back not supported shoulder press 135lbs 3 sets of 6

Leaning side db raise 10x20,20,22

Close grip bench 135lb x25 rest 20sec. 22 more reps rest 20sec. 18 reps

Various pressdowns to failure
 
jswain34

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You following any particular strength programming? Could definitely find a program out there where you set a “meet goal” and it then programs the weeks leading up to the “meet” for you in a way to prepare you for that goal attempt. You’ll also want to start doing heavy singles, you have to be good at hitting a max single to hit a true max. Its a skill. Do you have enough band tension to give you enough weight for a true max? Thats not ideal but most of us dont have ideal scenarios right now so its what youll need to do to give yourself the best shot at getting to your goal. I’d also start hitting a heavy single EVERY time you bench. That doesnt mean a daily max, but a single rep with 1-2 reps in reserve. Then when youre 7-10 days from the date you have set for going for 350, youll hit a true max effort lift but DON’T FAIL it.

Also, make sure you’re working on pausing your reps. Definitely pause all of the x1 w/ 1-2 RIR sets and id even recommend pausing the first rep of EVERY set you do on bench from here until you go for the 350.

I dont know your experience here so forgive me if you’re already doing some of this stuff.
 
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You following any particular strength programming? Could definitely find a program out there where you set a “meet goal” and it then programs the weeks leading up to the “meet” for you in a way to prepare you for that goal attempt. You’ll also want to start doing heavy singles, you have to be good at hitting a max single to hit a true max. Its a skill. Do you have enough band tension to give you enough weight for a true max? Thats not ideal but most of us dont have ideal scenarios right now so its what youll need to do to give yourself the best shot at getting to your goal. I’d also start hitting a heavy single EVERY time you bench. That doesnt mean a daily max, but a single rep with 1-2 reps in reserve. Then when youre 7-10 days from the date you have set for going for 350, youll hit a true max effort lift but DON’T FAIL it.

Also, make sure you’re working on pausing your reps. Definitely pause all of the x1 w/ 1-2 RIR sets and id even recommend pausing the first rep of EVERY set you do on bench from here until you go for the 350.

I dont know your experience here so forgive me if you’re already doing some of this stuff.
So no I'm not following any set program just kind of put it together myself. all of my reps on bench are a slow negative, pause for 1 second at the bottom, and explode back up. I actually did a bench contest last year that I didn't train for, only used a smith machine, dumbells and chest press machine until 2 weeks before the contest and put up 330 for a pause rep. Just had to make the best of what I had at the time. it's definitely safe to say I don't know much about real strength training programming. I just alternate rep ranges and weights. So next bench day I will do 300x3 the following will be 290x5 then 300+10lbs of chainx3 then 300x5 and so on. At least that was my plan
 
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I also should add that my bench is really high off the ground and I can't get a lot of leg drive
 
jswain34

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Heres a good article on how to get your strength to be maximal on the day you want it to be. You could use the intermediate 198’er peak example in there as a rough template. They also cover some of the other stuff I talked about and much more.


Id look around on google for “meet peaking calculator” there are a ton of templates out there. Pick one you believe will work, stick to it, do the work, and you should be good to go.

In regards to the high bench thing, a lot of shorter lifters have this problem on comp benches. Do you have any 1-2” blocks you can put under your feet to make a better platform to establish some leg drive?

Straight from the USAPL handbook:
“Blocks in the range of 5cm, 10cm, 20cm, and 30cm should be made available for foot placement at all international competitions.”

Id recommend doing the single with 2 RIR and then hit the work you were going to do thay afterwards. So your main bench training could be like 270 vs bands x1 w/ 1-2 RIR, then 250-255x3x3. I just made that up for an example.
 
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Got a call for a emergency job today, something that had to be taken care of in 1 day so I'm a little beat and taking a rest day from lifting.

I got roughly 3200 calories already today but 1800ish were from the pizza the customer brought me for lunch. Times are tough for work so this was a necessary evil, and it was eat the pizza or wait 5 hours till I got home, so I ate the pizza, all 8 slices lol
 
jswain34

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The barbell will be there waiting for ya tomorrow, no worries. BW is the biggest driver of a lot of guys’ bench strength so if you just get huge thatll help the 350 go up too lol.
 
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The barbell will be there waiting for ya tomorrow, no worries. BW is the biggest driver of a lot of guys’ bench strength so if you just get huge thatll help the 350 go up too lol.
 
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The barbell will be there waiting for ya tomorrow, no worries. BW is the biggest driver of a lot of guys’ bench strength so if you just get huge thatll help the 350 go up too lol.
I've already convinced myself it's ok to get fat this month, I'm not crying bout it
 
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Subbed for some motivation
 
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Today's menu

1/2 cup oats, 1 banana, 5 dates, 1scoop whey and cinnamon

1/2 lb beef and sausage, 1 cup vegetables, tomato sauce

1/4 lb turkey breast, 1 wrap, veggies and mustard, 12oz milk

Gym

Shrimp tacos with veggies

Pbj on a bagel with cinnamon
 
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Smont

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Went for a walk, did some push ups and a few stretches. Then

Bent-over rows working up to 185 for three sets of 8

Pull ups 40

Chest supported dumbbell rows 3x15

Reverse barbell curls 3x10

Dumbbell preacher curl 3x10
 
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Going to try some heavy singles tomorrow on bench press
 
manifesto

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What gear are you currently on?
 
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State record for bench press in Connecticut is only 398 in the 198lb class. Once the gyms open up im finding a real powerlifting gym and going for that record
 
manifesto

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Nice. Are you running an AI?
 
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Nice. Are you running an AI?
Nope. I don't use one unless I have estrogen sides, don't matter what I'm on I only use it if I need it. My doses are always low so I don't really ever need them. If I get signs of gyno I would take nolva before a ai, nolva just seems to work better for me and usually it only takes 3 or 4 doses and symptoms dissapear
 
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Decided to work out earlier today so I could have a spot. Meal plan is pretty much same as yesterday.

Flat bench- after 5 warm up sets did 300x1,1,1. Then added chains (36lbs) and did another single. Now some of the chains never left the ground as there really long so it was probably closer to 325 total lbs but it went up easy.

Shoulder press 135x6,6,6

Some light behind the neck presses

Pressdowns 3x15

Db skull krushers 3x20


Talked to a friend that has a gym about 45min from where I live and he's got some oddball plates I can pick up. 2x33lbs and 2x44lbs so now I got everything i need. Going to eat lunch and pick my bike up so I can start doing some bike rides
 
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The barbell will be there waiting for ya tomorrow, no worries. BW is the biggest driver of a lot of guys’ bench strength so if you just get huge thatll help the 350 go up too lol.
Question, I have more plates on the way, would it be foolish to max out this week and see where I'm at or should I just keep going short of failure. I took a look at some programming that I'm taking Ideas from but not diving completely into one as I only have 3 more weeks. I'm pretty confident I I could do 340 as of right now with a pause after how light today's numbers felt
 
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Also I noticed bodyweight has been roughly the same for almost a month now. 208 seems to be where my body wants to stay so I'm thinking about forcing down a extra 500 calories per day for the next 3 weeks just to get the scale moving
 
jswain34

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Question, I have more plates on the way, would it be foolish to max out this week and see where I'm at or should I just keep going short of failure. I took a look at some programming that I'm taking Ideas from but not diving completely into one as I only have 3 more weeks. I'm pretty confident I I could do 340 as of right now with a pause after how light today's numbers felt
Template 1:

IMG_6852.JPG


IMG_6853.JPG


Day 5 is a GPP day with upper back work and abs.

Template 2:

IMG_6854.JPG


IMG_6855.JPG


Same thing with day 5.

You wouldn’t have to do the deadlift and squat programming. Just the bench, but you will want to limit any accessory volume that final week going into the weekend when you go for the max effort attempt.

I am basically treating your attempt as a powerlifting meet, which may or may not be completely necessary. It will however have you at your absolute strongest the day you want to go for that attempt (assuming all the other stuff that goes into it is on point - sleep, cals, etc).

To answer the question you asked - i would save that circa max effort attempt for 8-10 days from the day you plan on making the attempt at 350. I will say, you dont build any STRENGTH from hitting a 1 rep set, you can become more technically proficient at a max effort lift which can also be a huge, huge help, but it doesn’t actually make you stronger. Thats why i was saying to hit the backdown work in the 2-5 rep range after the x1 w/ 1-2 RIR.

Edit: also, since you have more plates on the way, drop the bands and just use straight weight from here on (as long as you have up to ~320-330).
 
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Template 1:

View attachment 192837

View attachment 192838

Day 5 is a GPP day with upper back work and abs.

Template 2:

View attachment 192839

View attachment 192840

Same thing with day 5.

You wouldn’t have to do the deadlift and squat programming. Just the bench, but you will want to limit any accessory volume that final week going into the weekend when you go for the max effort attempt.

I am basically treating your attempt as a powerlifting meet, which may or may not be completely necessary. It will however have you at your absolute strongest the day you want to go for that attempt (assuming all the other stuff that goes into it is on point - sleep, cals, etc).

To answer the question you asked - i would save that circa max effort attempt for 8-10 days from the day you plan on making the attempt at 350. I will say, you dont build any STRENGTH from hitting a 1 rep set, you can become more technically proficient at a max effort lift which can also be a huge, huge help, but it doesn’t actually make you stronger. Thats why i was saying to hit the backdown work in the 2-5 rep range after the x1 w/ 1-2 RIR.

Edit: also, since you have more plates on the way, drop the bands and just use straight weight from here on (as long as you have up to ~320-330).
I really appreciate you taking the time to post all that
 
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Nothing good to report today. Very busy day, had to paint a kitchen and power wash a deck. Slacking on food so far, had 2 eggs and a slice of toast with coffee, then a salad with grilled chicken and 2 more coffees. Heading home to catch up on my calories. Taking a rest day from lifting as I don't think it will be productive.

Tomorrow I'm going to switch to the program that was provided above but slightly altered to fit my needs/equipment. I also am looking at Brandon Lilly cube predator program for bench. I have everything needed for that , I was thinking maybe do the last 3 weeks of that 6 week program.


As usual, I'm all over the place trying to figure out what im going to do
 
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manifesto

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How tempted are you to start that SD back up???
 

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If you don’t have enough weight to truly push you on the flat, why not switch it up with some incline pressing? If you incline goes up so should your flat, just a thought.
 
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If you don’t have enough weight to truly push you on the flat, why not switch it up with some incline pressing? If you incline goes up so should your flat, just a thought.
I don't own a incline bench. And I have another 154lbs of plates coming this weekend
 
jswain34

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And because hes maxing out on flat bench in less than 3 weeks. Specificity is king this close to trying to hit a max attempt at something. Also, the whole incline gains always = flat gains doesnt always work out for everyone by any stretch of the imagination.
 
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And because hes maxing out on flat bench in less than 3 weeks. Specificity is king this close to trying to hit a max attempt at something. Also, the whole incline gains always = flat gains doesnt always work out for everyone by any stretch of the imagination.
Agreed, I actually find if anything that when my shoulder press goes up so does my bench. If I had a incline I would include it but it's not in the cards right now

What's your thoughts on the cube predator program, if you have heard of it or used it
 
jswain34

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I havent used the predator, but @Hyde has run it at least once and ive seen him say on several occasions that youre pretty much guaranteed to make gains...or get injured.
 
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I havent used the predator, but @Hyde has run it at least once and ive seen him say on several occasions that youre pretty much guaranteed to make gains...or get injured.
I like the sound of that
 
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I havent used the predator, but @Hyde has run it at least once and ive seen him say on several occasions that youre pretty much guaranteed to make gains...or get injured.
Used it twice, still stand by it. I know enough now to probably avoid injury (AMRAP needs to be cut when form is deteriorating, not go til you fucking die), but you need to eat and rest for that program.

It works.

You need to be gaining weight right now if you are serious. Drop lower body to one easier day per week and 2 upper days with a lot of specific work. Take an oral for the next 3 weeks. Eat like a fatass. This all works together and makes a big difference.
 

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