Question for Chad

[shmokes]

What's the best way of maxing, particularly bench press?  Should I start cold?  Warm up with some very low weight reps of just the bar?  I don't know if you remember me from the What Do Yall Look Like thread, but keep in mind that I'm a lightweight - about 130 lbs, 5'6".  Last time I maxed was about 8 years ago when I weighed 125 lbs. and I benched 160 lbs.  I'm about five pounds stronger now and am kinda curious.

[fredster]

Start with free weights.  Try 10 and go to 15.  You'll get where you want faster.

Get a bar and do curls.

[ChadTower]

I'm not clear on what you want to do.  Do you want to test your single rep max, or do you want to develop a program for increasing your bench press over a period of time?

[shmokes]

Single rep max.  I go to the gym pretty regularly and I slowly add to my bench press, but I generally do 15-20 reps per circuit and 3 circuits.  I don't lift anywhere near my single rep max and it's just been so long that I'm curious.

[ChadTower]

If you do a bench pressing style exercise with some regularity, and assuming the resulting max is going to be around 160, this is the way I would do it.

5 pushups
2 x 85
1 x 115
1 x 135
1 x 160

It's always more effective to set a goal max rep than it is to go on a progressive set of 5lb more each rep.

[shmokes]

Freeweights

[ChadTower]

Okay, yeah, then what I said is how I would approach it.  There are a lot of other things you can do, and actually should do, if you want to develop a strong bench.  I could help you with that too.

My baseline for an adult, healthy and noncompetitive male, is that they should be able to bench their own bodyweight without a ton of difficulty.  You're ahead of that if you're thinking bodyweight +30.

[TheVengeance]

On that note, what does his diet consist of? (shmokes) All the lifting in the world will mean absolute diddly unless he has a healthy diet to go along with it.

That also means staying away from the bottle!

[ChadTower]

Yeah, when I'm in real training, I don't drink very much, and never on a training day.  Fortunately for me right now, my training is mostly bodyweight strength (pushups, chinups, dips, squats) for maintenance, and cardio in the pool.  The drinking has less of a detrimental effect.

Really, so long as he's just trying to keep himself in decent condition, he only needs a decent diet.  Your diet must mirror the goals you have.  This stuff is way simpler than the magazines and personal trainers would have you believe.  If enough people understood how simple it really is, those people would be unemployed.

[shmokes]

I eat pretty well.  Almost no fast food, maybe 5-10 times a month and it's always Subway or Gandolfos.  Pizza periodically.  I don't drink soda or eat candy or hydrogenated oils.  Most of my meat intake is fish and chicken (yes, I do like brussels sprouts, but hate cooking it cos my apartment stinks of it for the next couple days).  And I drink a lot of water.

I love bread so much that I probably get a higher ratio of carbs to protein than I should, but I don't think I am deficient in protein intake.  I eat a lot of cheese too.

Before I work out  I make a protein shake from a whey protein powder, a banana and a raw egg.  When I'm really trying to gain weight I make them periodically throughout the day, but usually just before I go to the gym in the mornings.

I used to be a lush and could drink just about anybody, regardless of size, under the table.  But I don't drink much anymore.  I probably binge drink once a month on average and the rest of the time I might have a couple of beers or a couple glasses of wine here and there.

I'm about 8% body fat.

There are a lot of other things you can do, and actually should do, if you want to develop a strong bench.  I could help you with that too.

I'm interested.  I picked up The Book of Muscle published by Men's Health a couple months ago.  Everything I'm doing currently comes from there.  Prior to that I just winged it.

edit:  ROTFLMAO, I thought I was going crazy.  I did not type brussel sprouts up there.  It's a sneaky sort of auto-censor.  If y'all havn't already figured it out, you will soon.  Trust me.

[ChadTower]

That seems like a good book from the description.

[Zakk]

Not to start another BOSE thread, I've switched from preference on freeweights (taught to me as scripture by my late great father), to good quality 'nautilus' (cable) equipment.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

brussels sprouts   <------Not what I typed either

EDIT: BEST AUTO-CENSOR OF ALL TIME!!!

[hyiu]

I'm no longer a workout person anymore...

use to be very skinny.... 5'10, 130 lbs...

started working out for quite some time, and then, a little better... around 155-160 lbs...

From cannot really bench press, to be able to bench bodyweight... (well... not anymore...    )

my limited experience is if you want to boost single rep bench press weight,
- you'll need someone to spot you to make sure in case you don't make it, you won't kill yourself...
- make sure that guy can actually help you if you can't make it, cos when I first start, I spot for my friends who bench like 170... when they're running out of strength, I was trying REALLY hard, but not much help... (well... luckily, he didn't get hurt....)

- also, to boost weight, you want short sets and reps..
3 sets of around 6 reps - boost strength....
when I mean 3 sets of 6 reps... I mean you use heavier weight so that you can normally do 5 reps, and the 6 is the "boost"... (that's why you need a good spotter...)

to push yourself to higher limits....

my friend who is like 170lbs... he can bench 250lbs for like 3 times....

he told me its not only just muscle, but also technique....

well.... I haven't been working out for a while.... but play golf once in a while (that's some walking...     )  so, take it at your own risk.....

[ChadTower]

Hey, free weights or machines, they are both better than the couch.  Either one will help you improve yourself.  I never argue against a person using either.

A properly educated, thinking lifter will rarely injure themselves with free weights.  I have lifted hard, lifted heavy for nearly a decade with free weights and I have had two minor injuries.  Both were the result of carelessness.

A lot more thought and care goes into proper strength training than most people think.  People look at a big guy and think "well he's probably dumb" because it makes themselves feel better.  I am not as purely strong as I used to be but I am far, far from dumb.

If you think things through and are intelligent you can work around anything.  The concept of needing a bench spotter is a good one... but I train in my basement, alone, with my own equipment.  Rather than wait for a spotter, I bought a set of 800lb test sawhorses and I place them to either side of the bench when I need a spotter.  If I fail, the bar rests on my chest, I roll it down, and when it clears my ribs it falls onto the sawhorses. 

[shmokes]

I have my wife spot me periodically.  I find that when I fail I'm not entirely useless.  If she just lifts 20 lbs. off the bar I can easily finish the rep.  So if I fail lifting 145 lbs. it's not like she has to be able to dead lift 145 lbs.  She just has to lift enough that I'm not failing anymore.

[DarkKobold]

...but I am far, far from dumb.

Just bitter!

j/k.

Its interesting how that comes about. There are quite a few dumb musclebound idiots. There are also quite a few dumb couch potatoes. Hell, there are dumb people everywhere.

I don't have a "bench" at my apt complex, I use 2 freeweights(?). I can not bench near my weight at all.  I'm really trying to develop an exercise program on my own, but how well it is working is yet to be determined.

[ChadTower]

I have my wife spot me periodically.  I find that when I fail I'm not entirely useless.  If she just lifts 20 lbs. off the bar I can easily finish the rep.  So if I fail lifting 145 lbs. it's not like she has to be able to dead lift 145 lbs.  She just has to lift enough that I'm not failing anymore.

That is how spotting works.  All the spotter is supposed to do is take enough of the weight that you can finish the rep.  There's nothing else they can do.  What is a person going to do, barbell curl 145lb for you?  Usually the difference between failure at 75% up and completion is only about 10lb.  A good spotter only has to use a couple of fingers to do the job.

I don't have a "bench" at my apt complex, I use 2 freeweights(?). I can not bench near my weight at all.  I'm really trying to develop an exercise program on my own, but how well it is working is yet to be determined.

Do pushups in sets of 20.  Do one set, then add a second set as you can, a third set, etc.  People too often overlook the simple bodyweight exercises.  You can become VERY strong with dips, chins, pushups, and squats.

[hyiu]

well.... to make it a little clear....

my friend hurted his shoulder or something and lost his strength.... (not caused my me !!!... )

I manage not to let the bar fell on him and kill him....
but as you said, I can't lift that 170lb..... so... it was a danger / ugly situation....

after that, I would prefer someone who can take the weight (or majority of the weight...) to spot me....

if its someone not as strong, I don't try to max out ... like if I can bench 140, I would probably just bench 120....

you know... I want to be better.... but if the bar somehow fell on my neck.... I can't play robotron anymore.... not good....
 

[Zakk]

One bonus to the cable systems: I can bench up to 400lbs (I can't, the machine has that much weight on it...if I recall correctly what the stats were, but I digress), if I try to bench 200, and I can't hold it, all it does is slam the plates down, the "bar" is split (static it's a bench press, unclamped it's a peck machine).  Nobody gets hurt unless they had their fingers between the plates.  I still dig sitting up while doing bench press, so much easier (for me!).

[hyiu]

one thing about free weight that set weight cannot achieve is...
you can't train the balance...

yes, for set weight (those machines... that you picj the weight by pushing that pin thing to set how many weights gets lifted...), without a spotter, definitely more safe....

worst is you get a loud slam... nothing will fall on you...

however, if you notice, if you ran out of strength in 1 arm, you can actually use the other arm to help.... (which means your strength might turns out unbalance....)  while free weight, if 1 arm is stronger, it can't really help the other cos the bar will tilt...

but as said before, workout is better than no workout...
haaa haaa....
 

[ChadTower]

Machines - safer.  No spotter required.  Work the target muscles in isolation.

Free weights - require more care with higher reward.  Work target muscles and all relevant stabilizers.

For any given motion, free weights will bring more benefit than a machine.  Gravity rarely works with weights and pulleys when you lift something heavy and strength training is all about real life.

[Sephroth57]

if i just wanted to start doing a routine at night every other night or whatever, just like pushups and situps maybe use some dumbells, would that really help anything or do i have to just go all out and hit the gym to see anything, like im not expecting to get ripped but will that help my strength

[ChadTower]

Yes, if what you are doing now is nothing, what you are describing is more than that, so it will be effective.  Be sure to stick with it and do enough, don't cheap out and do a single set of 20 pushups.

[DarkKobold]

Ugh, workout plan not going too well. Was in too much pain yesterday to work out. They say the key to being able to work out more often is to push the lactic acid from muscle destruction out, by pumping lots of water...

[ChadTower]

They are probably not too smart.

It gets easier over time because your muscles become more efficient at fibre recruitment.  More active fibers + larger fibers = stronger, more enduring muscles.

The acid buildup is the result of overloading the muscle, which becomes progressively harder to accomplish as the muscle becomes stronger as described above.

[Stingray]

This all sounds way too difficult. Isn't there a dangerous surgery I could have instead?

-S

[ChadTower]

Yes, there is, but I've never heard of it turning out well.

[DarkKobold]

They are probably not too smart.

It gets easier over time because your muscles become more efficient at fibre recruitment.

[ChadTower]

Well, look at it this way.  If you want to paint your cab, but don't feel like waiting proper drying time between layers, the end product won't look very good.  You'll be adding more paint to semidried paint and it will all suck.

You probably don't need to wait until you are completely recovered, but there's no need to be doing tons and tons on top of tons, unless you want to be injured or develop tendonitis.

[Stingray]

Yes, there is, but I've never heard of it turning out well.

As long as I don't have to actually do anything, I'm in.

-S

[Zakk]

I could, for a fee, cut out your eyes and tell you that you looked ripped.

[Dartful Dodger]

I use to work out an hour and a half a day and I thought I hit wall with my maxes, then I started doing this Get Big 20 minute work out and my bench and curl started to

[Zakk]

You're looking quite sexy.

[Stingray]

I could, for a fee, cut out your eyes and tell you that you looked ripped.

Works for me.

-S