How'd your training go?

[DCR]

It was shit. At my last session, I got the idea that my touch point when benching was too low. In retrospect it’s hard even to articulate where I got that idea. Some combination of shit I’d read previously about raw bench form, noticing that I tended to touch higher until the weight got heavy and suspecting that I was cheating my form, and some sloppy reps over the past few session that made me think that I was unstable and needed to clean something up. This was all idiocy.

To be clear about what changed: Usually, after I unrack, the bar sits over my throat before I begin the descent, and touches just beneath my sternum. In my last session, after I unracked, the bar sat over my eyes before each descent, and the touch point was at my nipples.

The result: spasms in my right shoulder for the past two days, and today barely being able to bench 225 (usually warm up weight). After the shoulder rolled on a nearly failed rep, and some miserable attempted singles that a terrible spotter took from me, I restarted with 135 and did a few sets of 5 with my “old” form, to which I will be returning permanently despite what the internet has to say. And by will be returning, I mean maybe next week, because I can tell that the shoulder is fuct and I’m gonna need a few days of ice and excessive pulling work.

This hobby sucks.

The whole bar path thing confuses me, frankly. I Squat in a vertical path over my line of force (Varies between mid-foot and ankle generally speaking). I DL in a vertical path as close to direclty over my line of force production as possible, which is as close to the shins as you can get away with for most people. OHP is again, in the straightest possible vertical path above my point of force production. Push Press is going to ideally be in direct vertical line with the force production of the feet (See Squats). I'm not a doctor, but I cannot understand how the bar being anywhere but in line of my force production (Somewhere over the pecs/anterior delts) at the bottom is a good idea for performing the Bench Press. Sure, there are arguments about the arc path at the top being somehow beneficial, which I don't believe for a second is universal, but why would I touch at point that is ineffecient biomechanically to initiate the press? Unless maybe shoulder pain is your "Thing". I don't care what elbow flare someone uses or does not use, I still believe the best spot to touch for almost everyone would have to be somewhere between the bottom of the pec and mid-pec.

My (possibly wrong) understanding always was that pressing straight up off the sternum or lower was for geared powerlifting, and that pressing in a J curve off the nipples/pecs toward the face was for raw benching. Yet, I always have done the former, and the latter wrecked me. My second post in two weeks that I’m writing while icing.

[Renascent]

My (possibly wrong) understanding always was that pressing straight up off the sternum or lower was for geared powerlifting, and that pressing in a J curve off the nipples/pecs toward the face was for raw benching. Yet, I always have done the former, and the latter wrecked me. My second post in two weeks that I’m writing while icing.

I know you didn't ask for advice (and I'm not credentialed, so all I've got to offer is my own experience(s)), but I tend to touch closer to the sternum as well. It feels more natural to me, though sometimes I wonder if I'm relying on some subconscious protective mechanism due to a lack of shoulder mobility between planes or something.

Some kid at a Smoothie King once asked me how to fill out his lower chest. At first I thought he was lightweight shading me, implying I had droopy dog tiddies or something, so I just told him to try decline bench (which I've never done). Didn't occur to me until later that my bench touch point is towards the lower chest.

I tend to shoot the reps nearly vertical during the ramp-up sets, primarily for the sake of accumulating the reps themselves. Once the weights are "heavy" enough, I almost instinctively default to a more concentrated J path.

Most of the time when I fail a rep, it seems to be a combination of the low touch and the bar speed slowing to the point where it takes too long to get it up towards my neck/head.

Claire Zai posted an explanation about the J path on IG months ago, and it made me realize that -- in my case -- the J path was absolutely beneficial, and I always fuck up the rep when I can't regain the leverage that said path affords on the ascent.

And I'm no doctor, but the spasm stuff sounds like you pinched a nerve somewhere between the humerus and the breast meat.

[DCR]

I know you didn't ask for advice (and I'm not credentialed, so all I've got to offer is my own experience(s)), but I tend to touch closer to the sternum as well. It feels more natural to me, though sometimes I wonder if I'm relying on some subconscious protective mechanism due to a lack of shoulder mobility between planes or something.

I was sort of asking for advice and it’s always welcome from people who bench significantly more than me while weighing less. I too have wondered whether my form has been due in part to a subconsciously concern with protecting my shoulders, they being the one joint I hadn’t yet fucked up over the years. (Knees, hips, elbows, wrists, and neck all have been prior victims.) If so, I now know that my subconscious mind was correct to be concerned.

Smoothie King

As a New Yorker who now spends half his time in Louisiana, seeing these has been new to me. Heard they were good and been meaning to give it a shot.

I tend to shoot the reps nearly vertical during the ramp-up sets, primarily for the sake of accumulating the reps themselves. Once the weights are "heavy" enough, I almost instinctively default to a more concentrated J path.

I can’t call mine “concentrated” but, now that you mention it, yes, when things get real heavy there’s definitely a movement a little less than halfway up to get my chest and delts more directly under the bar. What my shoulder apparently hated was trying to replicate that position right off the chest. Lesson learned.

Most of the time when I fail a rep, it seems to be a combination of the low touch and the bar speed slowing to the point where it takes too long to get it up towards my neck/head.

Other than just not being strong enough to move a particular weight on a given day, if I fail a rep it’s nearly always because I let the bar drift too low. As opposed to just, like, not fucking doing that, I tried to overcorrect it by changing my touch point entirely. These sorts of deviations from my natural form have never worked out for me in any movement.

Trying to find the Claire Zai thing. She’s really good. My lack of any social media really restricts me from stuff that isn’t brand new. I know the move is to just make a dummy account, but I’ve resisted for two decades.

[Renascent]

Smoothie King

As a New Yorker who now spends half his time in Louisiana, seeing these has been new to me.  Heard they were good and been meaning to give it a shot.

Their prices have been creeping up rather gracelessly of late. I'd be better off bringing a half-gallon of milk and a protein powder baggie to work, but some of the motherfuckers around this bih have a lot of nerve and no couth; I wouldn't be shocked if my milk came up missing.

Trying to find the Claire Zai thing.  She’s really good.  My lack of any social media really restricts me from stuff that isn’t brand new.  I know the move is to just make a dummy account, but I’ve resisted for two decades.

I think this is the post I was remembering.



Initially, one of the main reasons I got an IG account was to keep from getting that little pop-up window when you go digging too far into somebody's post history as an outsider.

Like nearly every other social media platform, there's a lot of mindless noise and eye candy, but also some useful information that has helped me here and there as well.

Still, I should probably get a ghost account to separate actual lifting influences from the sartorius-admiration distractions. Just been too lazy to bother with setting up a new dummy email and burner phone number.

[DCR]

@Renascent, big thanks for digging that up. Very helpful.

[alek]

Renascent, big thanks for digging that up. Very helpful.

For us non-grammers, would you mind screenshotting the post and putting it here?

#kthxbai

[Renascent]

Renascent, big thanks for digging that up. Very helpful.

For us non-grammers, would you mind screenshotting the post and putting it here?

#kthxbai

I'm not (yet) set up on an image hosting site. Are you unable to see the embedded IG post above? I used to be able to see them in posts on the message board(s) long before I got an IG account...

[DCR]

I don’t have IG and it’s showing above / I was able to scroll through it.

[alek]

Renascent, big thanks for digging that up. Very helpful.

For us non-grammers, would you mind screenshotting the post and putting it here?

#kthxbai

I'm not (yet) set up on an image hosting site. Are you unable to see the embedded IG post above? I used to be able to see them in posts on the message board(s) long before I got an IG account...

I don’t have IG and it’s showing above / I was able to scroll through it.

I wasn’t able to see it on my desktop, but I’m able to see it on my phone. Thanks, guys.

[KOTJ]

Re: bench press technique

Unrack empty bar with your hands open. Get to top position.
Close hands. Squeeze tight.

Do warmups with 3-5 second eccentrics. Do reps of 5, and lower reps to 1-3 for work sets. See how that feels.

If you catch yourself analyzing your bar path as you're lifting, tell your brain to shut up. Only review something at the top/start position, or between sets.

Remember you'll have to experiment to see what works best for you.

[DCR]

@EggMcMuffin, why’d you delete your short post re: no biceps / running Montana Method? Got some / changed your mind?

[EggMcMuffin]

@EggMcMuffin, why’d you delete your short post re: no biceps / running Montana Method? Got some / changed your mind?

To be honest, I was feeling pretty hopeless and I figured no one likes a whiner, probably done enough of that in this thread.

It is very annoying how small my arms are though. I was curling everyday for a solid 3-4 months earlier in the year and never got anywhere, and BBM programming had doing like 8+ reps of CGBP so the only conclusion is that someone salted my arms so that no biceps would grow.

I fell off the training wagon so I was going to ease back in with Montana Method. I have been running a ton but I despite noticing that I am actually pretty jacked (weight loss lol) though I am also beginning to noticeably atrophy, mostly in my legs.

[DCR]

@EggMcMuffin, why’d you delete your short post re: no biceps / running Montana Method? Got some / changed your mind?

To be honest, I was feeling pretty hopeless and I figured no one likes a whiner, probably done enough of that in this thread.

It is very annoying how small my arms are though. I was curling everyday for a solid 3-4 months earlier in the year and never got anywhere, and BBM programming had doing like 8+ reps of CGBP so the only conclusion is that someone salted my arms so that no biceps would grow.

I fell off the training wagon so I was going to ease back in with Montana Method. I have been running a ton but I despite noticing that I am actually pretty jacked (weight loss lol) though I am also beginning to noticeably atrophy, mostly in my legs.

All I do is whine about my neverending succession of self-inflicted injuries, and I haven’t gotten the boot yet. I think you’re good.

Let’s get this biceps thing figured. When you say curling every day, about what specifically are we talking? What type(s) of curls and for what set/rep scheme?

[Allentown]

It is very annoying how small my arms are though. I was curling everyday for a solid 3-4 months earlier in the year and never got anywhere, and BBM programming had doing like 8+ reps of CGBP so the only conclusion is that someone salted my arms so that no biceps would grow.

We should start a "curl every day with no results" club

[Hanley]

It is very annoying how small my arms are though. I was curling everyday for a solid 3-4 months earlier in the year and never got anywhere, and BBM programming had doing like 8+ reps of CGBP so the only conclusion is that someone salted my arms so that no biceps would grow.

We should start a "curl every day with no results" club

Bros, you should do chinups every day.

Here's your week
Monday: 4 sets x amrap (90-120 seconds rest)
Tuesday:
a. amrap
b. 2 minute rest
c. 5 minute density block
Wednesday: Total rep count is 3X whatever your amrap from yesterday was, broken into sets/reps of your choosing
Thurs: Myorep format
Fri: 5 x 25 seconds on / 60-75 seconds rest
Sat: Repeat Tues
Sun: 4-5 variable rep sets to RPE 7-8ish threshold

[Allentown]

It is very annoying how small my arms are though. I was curling everyday for a solid 3-4 months earlier in the year and never got anywhere, and BBM programming had doing like 8+ reps of CGBP so the only conclusion is that someone salted my arms so that no biceps would grow.

We should start a "curl every day with no results" club

Bros, you should do chinups every day.

Here's your week
Monday: 4 sets x amrap (90-120 seconds rest)
Tuesday:
a. amrap
b. 2 minute rest
c. 5 minute density block
Wednesday: Total rep count is 3X whatever your amrap from yesterday was, broken into sets/reps of your choosing
Thurs: Myorep format
Fri: 5 x 25 seconds on / 60-75 seconds rest
Sat: Repeat Tues
Sun: 4-5 variable rep sets to RPE 7-8ish threshold

For serious though, all my semi-dedicated arm blocks have been during cuts. So yeah, obviously it's not going to work. Same with my pull up training blocks. Chin ups make my elbow explode, though.

Once I give up on my current cut (bw possibly at a 12 year low) I am going to reverse diet and possibly bulk with 4+ days a week of curls and lat work.

[DCR]

Chin ups make my elbow explode, though.

Same. The solution if you have access is neutral grip bars, ideally with shoulder width spacing. They feel amazing and are (almost) as good.

As far as attacking the issue with curls, I’ve never seen anyone with bicep growth trouble get far with DBs. A slow barbell curl progression is the way to go, if one’s wrists/elbows can take it.

[OrderInChaos]

Bros, you should do chinups every day.

Here's your week
Monday: 4 sets x amrap (90-120 seconds rest)
Tuesday:
a. amrap
b. 2 minute rest
c. 5 minute density block
Wednesday: Total rep count is 3X whatever your amrap from yesterday was, broken into sets/reps of your choosing
Thurs: Myorep format
Fri: 5 x 25 seconds on / 60-75 seconds rest
Sat: Repeat Tues
Sun: 4-5 variable rep sets to RPE 7-8ish threshold

How much of a meme vs real recommendation is this?

And are they L Sit chins?

[Hanley]

Bros, you should do chinups every day.

Here's your week
Monday: 4 sets x amrap (90-120 seconds rest)
Tuesday:
a. amrap
b. 2 minute rest
c. 5 minute density block
Wednesday: Total rep count is 3X whatever your amrap from yesterday was, broken into sets/reps of your choosing
Thurs: Myorep format
Fri: 5 x 25 seconds on / 60-75 seconds rest
Sat: Repeat Tues
Sun: 4-5 variable rep sets to RPE 7-8ish threshold

How much of a meme vs real recommendation is this?

And are they L Sit chins?

Totally real. No kipping bullshit though

If you're able to knock out 25+ chinups/pullups, I'd modify it with weighted work.

[Jumrobe]

It was going really well until my second backoff set of deadlifts Monday. I managed to hit my 405 Zercher squat goal, and definitely with some more in the tank.

I’ve finally accepted that repeating top singles is OK and leads to productive training. Pretty cool to finally get there mentally. I’ve successfully squatted 405, Zercher and lowbar, without doing a single backdown work set over 275.

On my second backdown set of deadlifts with “only” 365, I felt something in my back “pop” and lock up as I got to lockout.

The first night was the worst with not really being able to find a comfortable position. Yesterday was better, and today I was able to do a full bench workout, and work up to a 3-0-paused Zercher squat with 315 with ease. Deadlifts I did a couple uncomfortable reps at 135 and called it a night.