All training and programming related queries and banter here
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GeoffBUK
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#21
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by GeoffBUK » Thu Jan 23, 2025 11:34 am
walterkurda wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 11:03 am
For bench presses, there are only the following "alternatives" or "additional exercises":
Bench press, bench press, bench press, ...
You dont like this, ... You are NOT a bencher.
(Walter Kurda, 200 + kg-competition-bencher since 1980)

Wise words from an extraordinarily strong bench presser, if only I had a bench and a quarter of your bench pressing Tallent!
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walterkurda
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#22
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by walterkurda » Fri Jan 24, 2025 6:57 am
GeoffBUK wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2025 11:34 am
walterkurda wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 11:03 am
For bench presses, there are only the following "alternatives" or "additional exercises":
Bench press, bench press, bench press, ...
You dont like this, ... You are NOT a bencher.
(Walter Kurda, 200 + kg-competition-bencher since 1980)

Wise words from an extraordinarily strong bench presser, if only I had a bench and a quarter of your bench pressing Tallent!
Hello, I made this remark because I see the many sad cases in the studio every day. People who supposedly value a significant increase in the bench press waste their time with nonsensical exercises and exercise combinations. It's very, very sad. But they don't want it any other way.
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KarlM
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#23
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by KarlM » Mon Jan 27, 2025 6:51 pm
walterkurda wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 6:57 am
GeoffBUK wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2025 11:34 am
walterkurda wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 11:03 am
For bench presses, there are only the following "alternatives" or "additional exercises":
Bench press, bench press, bench press, ...
You dont like this, ... You are NOT a bencher.
(Walter Kurda, 200 + kg-competition-bencher since 1980)

Wise words from an extraordinarily strong bench presser, if only I had a bench and a quarter of your bench pressing Tallent!
Hello, I made this remark because I see the many sad cases in the studio every day. People who supposedly value a significant increase in the bench press waste their time with nonsensical exercises and exercise combinations. It's very, very sad. But they don't want it any other way.
On the other hand, there are a lot of successful powerlifters that utilize bench variations and additional movements to push their bench numbers up. What is your take on that? It seems to me there are a lot of ways to skin this cat, and for a lot of people, if they just bench they wind up with overuse injuries.
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walterkurda
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#24
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by walterkurda » Wed Jan 29, 2025 6:22 am
KarlM wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 6:51 pm
walterkurda wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 6:57 am
GeoffBUK wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2025 11:34 am
walterkurda wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 11:03 am
For bench presses, there are only the following "alternatives" or "additional exercises":
Bench press, bench press, bench press, ...
You dont like this, ... You are NOT a bencher.
(Walter Kurda, 200 + kg-competition-bencher since 1980)

Wise words from an extraordinarily strong bench presser, if only I had a bench and a quarter of your bench pressing Tallent!
Hello, I made this remark because I see the many sad cases in the studio every day. People who supposedly value a significant increase in the bench press waste their time with nonsensical exercises and exercise combinations. It's very, very sad. But they don't want it any other way.
On the other hand, there are a lot of successful powerlifters that utilize bench variations and additional movements to push their bench numbers up. What is your take on that? It seems to me there are a lot of ways to skin this cat, and for a lot of people, if they just bench they wind up with overuse injuries.
"spiteful" and exaggerated I say: most "good" powerlifters, and even bench pressers, have quite little idea about bench press. Most of them have never really trained consistently, because they lack the "bite" and the sporting background (maybe also the necessary intelligence). It may sound cynical, but it's my experience from 55 years of competitive sports. First as a shot putter and discus thrower, and later as a bench presser. The problem with most of them is probably also that they train themselves, and learn a lot of nonsense from others who also have no idea. The weightlifters do it more correctly. They practically only train the three disciplines, whereby squats, wide pull, swing press, etc. are just parts of the actual disciplines. But none of this can really be conveyed by text. But I wish you good luck with your training.
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Hardartery
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#25
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by Hardartery » Thu Jan 30, 2025 10:31 am
walterkurda wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2025 6:22 am
KarlM wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2025 6:51 pm
walterkurda wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 6:57 am
GeoffBUK wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2025 11:34 am
walterkurda wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 11:03 am
For bench presses, there are only the following "alternatives" or "additional exercises":
Bench press, bench press, bench press, ...
You dont like this, ... You are NOT a bencher.
(Walter Kurda, 200 + kg-competition-bencher since 1980)

Wise words from an extraordinarily strong bench presser, if only I had a bench and a quarter of your bench pressing Tallent!
Hello, I made this remark because I see the many sad cases in the studio every day. People who supposedly value a significant increase in the bench press waste their time with nonsensical exercises and exercise combinations. It's very, very sad. But they don't want it any other way.
On the other hand, there are a lot of successful powerlifters that utilize bench variations and additional movements to push their bench numbers up. What is your take on that? It seems to me there are a lot of ways to skin this cat, and for a lot of people, if they just bench they wind up with overuse injuries.
"spiteful" and exaggerated I say: most "good" powerlifters, and even bench pressers, have quite little idea about bench press. Most of them have never really trained consistently, because they lack the "bite" and the sporting background (maybe also the necessary intelligence). It may sound cynical, but it's my experience from 55 years of competitive sports. First as a shot putter and discus thrower, and later as a bench presser. The problem with most of them is probably also that they train themselves, and learn a lot of nonsense from others who also have no idea. The weightlifters do it more correctly. They practically only train the three disciplines, whereby squats, wide pull, swing press, etc. are just parts of the actual disciplines. But none of this can really be conveyed by text. But I wish you good luck with your training.
I love the fact that someone else is being the curmudgeon here, just to say up front.
The point, while I tend to agree with
@walterkurda that the best thing tends to be derivates of what the lift is, I don't think it is without exception. I will give an example. If your Bench Press is weak off of the chest, maybe DB Flyes to build strength and size in the pectorals and anterior deltoids would serve very well to offer improvement even though it is not a Bench Press derivative. This is because it offers overload in the actual plane of the lift for these muscles with lower weight/systemic fatigue. Additionally, I don't think it can be disputed that back development is a great asset to the Bench Press. Specifically development of the lats, which can be accomplished by quite a few exercises that are not Bench Press but serve to overload the targeted muscles in an effective way.
As a disclaimer here, I don't believe for a millisecond that pushups are useful for improving the BP once your BP is more than your bodyweight, and I think loaded pushups are a second rate exercise if the goal is improving BP. Why would you eat ground beef if steak exists for the same price? I get that it is a current fad, but I very much agree with Señor Kurda with regards to pushups for improving BP.
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KarlM
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#26
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by KarlM » Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:09 am
@walterkurda, ok, you're on. I'll bench every other day for the next few months. Let's see if that finally gets me my 300 lb paused bench press.
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Hanley
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#27
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by Hanley » Tue Feb 04, 2025 10:50 am
KarlM wrote: ↑Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:09 am
walterkurda, ok, you're on. I'll bench every other day for the next few months. Let's see if that finally gets me my 300 lb paused bench press.
I've tracked/tried to reverse engineer a bunch of Walter's training/programming. He's done some really neat things to manage fatigue. I'd recommend you take a look at his logs for some ideas on how to implement.
If you can mange weekly fatigue with the high frequency, I'm VERY confident you will hit 300 pounds.