Holy crap! I'm so proud of myself! I FINALLY found my groove with the bench press. After a month or two of messing around, I've finally found my groove! I've found that benching P-lifter style for lack of a better term (elbows in tight, arch in the back, drive with the legs, scapular retraction, and a tight grip and butt) has really really helped. When I found just the right spot for the groove, the weight was going up nice and controlled in my EDT PR zone. Much easier and more controlled than it was before. It's amazing what an adjustment here and an adjustment there can do to help with a lift. Next, I need to perfect my front squats, which I just started. And now, back to your regularly scheduled MAP threads. [/end ego stroking] Edit: Since when have I had 1000+ posts? O isn't this a night of surprises?? LOL!
Well, I was sticking to my prescribed weight of 135 (which flew up freakishly easily today, I could have done 140 or 145 in my PR zone I felt) until I hit 45 reps in my PR zone, which will be wednesday, so I'll be doing 140 next monday (third week of EDT). Considering this is my first "serious" training cycle with a decent diet and caloric intake after surgery, I'm surprising myself. Technique really seems to be half the battle in lifting when you first start, heh.
I need to get mine sorted, I'll just do reps using what I think is right, then suddenly I'll start the next set inadvertently in a slightly different position obviously, and the weight is significantly easier to lift. Now if I could only get in that position all the time I'll be laughing. :cry:
When can I expect my shirt to be in the mail from you? Another TKD Guy- It will come. I had the same problem, and last night, I just "learned" and "felt" where I needed to be. You'll get the hang of it once you can kinda "memorize" that position I suppose.
Only if it's a T-Nation shirt because you will then look teh strong and hawt!!1!! Oh, and their new shirts are created with nano-dispersed technology that releases massive amounts of testosterone on your concentric portion of the lift allowing you to be both 478% more anabolic than using steroids.
Half the time it's not a different position, it's the increased neural drive from the last set giving you the ability to go a bit harder hence why you can't truly max out straight away. You have to find your optimal rest periods etc. to find how to use this kind of effect.
Practice practice and more practice. You'll get even better. I only started improving my squats recently and now I wonder how much I can really squat
I wondered what it was, I'd always found my second set to be the one I can lift most! And the grip, assuming all the rings markings on olympic bars are the same(?) I have my little finger around the mark. So a slightly narrower grip than most people. As you've said before, its the optimal and safest method when your upper arms are parallel to the ground at the bottom of the press.
