Why your press sucks?

[Manveer]

Going to ask the T&P Hivemind something that I can't for the life of me figure out: why your bench sucks?

If I take time off of benching and pressing, I seem to lose bench strength much more rapidly. For example, I have been equally lax at lifting these past few months, but I can still press 92.5% of my press 1RM, but I could maybe 82.5% of my bench 1RM. What gives?

Maybe you've lost more pec muscle mass? Re-establishing infraclavicular fossae?

Also, why grinding works?!?

[cgeorg]

I was actually thinking about starting a thread over the weekend requesting video of good benchers to review technique and bar path. Basically the bench version of this thread, really, because my bench is not great and I think a good bit of that is technique. OP with some resources coming from a more knowledgable lifter might be even better?

[slowmotion]

And, could it be that it is because one can bench heavier weights than one can press?

So more than losing relative strength, I've just retained more absolute strength? I don't really understand where you're going with this one.

I'm just thinking. The press is an easier lift than the bench, the weight on the bar is lower. You can still easily bench the weight of your all time press PR, right?

After about the half way point your triceps do most of the work, but since the weight on the bar is heavier for the bench, you lose more on the bench than you do on the press, percentage wise.

[Allentown]

I was actually thinking about starting a thread over the weekend requesting video of good benchers to review technique and bar path. Basically the bench version of this thread, really, because my bench is not great and I think a good bit of that is technique. OP with some resources coming from a more knowledgable lifter might be even better?

It's been a while, but Dave Tate/EFS has a 4 (or 6?) video series called "So you think you can bench"

[damufunman]

Going to ask the T&P Hivemind something that I can't for the life of me figure out: why your bench sucks?

If I take time off of benching and pressing, I seem to lose bench strength much more rapidly. For example, I have been equally lax at lifting these past few months, but I can still press 92.5% of my press 1RM, but I could maybe 82.5% of my bench 1RM. What gives?

What is your press/bench ratio? Is it way outside the ~65-75% range? Might indicate that one is disproportionately stronger and would lose strength faster/slower (not sure which way this one would go). Also, what is cumulative training time on both? Have you trained bench more, so you might have a farther way to go back due to technique as you mentioned, or just losing some of the strength gained?

[cgeorg]

It's been a while, but Dave Tate/EFS has a 4 (or 6?) video series called "So you think you can bench"

Watching. Part 1 to save others some time.

[cgeorg]

That is exactly what I was looking for. Here I made a playlist of all the episodes.

[slowmotion]

Thanks!