# I think I am over training my bench?



## chicken_hawk (Oct 13, 2013)

Your thoughts would be appreciated here as well. Anyway, after having two pec strains in the past 5 weeks and seeing my bench progress coming to a halt I realize that I not only have shitty posture, muscle imbalances (week mid traps etc)...but have likely been over training which may have contributed to my injury and stalled progress.

So, here is what I have been doing

Bench press
135x5
185x3
225x3
315x1
370x3
385x3
395x1
405x1

Dipsx3

Shoulder work

Friday
Close Grip 5x5
225 x failure

Front Press 4x8

Front raises

Thoughts,
Hawk


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## turbobusa (Oct 13, 2013)

Too many weeks of singles that I assume are singles dictated bt wt.
I always stall when working triples and under for any length of time,
I would start getting pec strains too. Some felt like pre- tear warning pains.
The lighter sets in your program look like "feelers". Looks like you are trying to conserve strength /energy til you get to your heavy singles. Don't you have a meet coming up in nov? If so i can't see why you wuold be using that set/rep scheme in early oct.Maybe i'm mistaken. Would you like some input from some big benchers and totalers? I'm no bench cycle guru by a long shot but That type of routine never produced well for me . I'll be at quads monday tell me your meet date and I'll run it by coan and a couple other guys. 
If you are getting pec strains/pain listen to yor body . It's telling you something.
I'll check back here before monday gym . Oh by the way. How the hell are ya CH?Hope things have smoothed out for ya bud. Thx, T...


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## Ironbuilt (Oct 13, 2013)

Muscle imbalances can greatly influence the chest for sure.I'm sure you have the whole bench movement down so it's not that.. Hows the rear delts that help u get off the bottom before pecs and all the other muscles play out ?  
Turbobusa has the connections and Ed will sure have some answers to share cause he's a cool guy too. I'm curious too so good thread CH.


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## chrisr116 (Oct 13, 2013)

CH, I am no competitive power lifter, but after reading your post, my gut instinct is telling me that if you have a meet coming up, I would just back off a little so your at 100% on that day.  I do the same thing with bench.  Once I get in the high 300s to low 400's I start getting those same pre-injury warnings.  And I am always strongest after taking a break for a week to 10 days.


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## chicken_hawk (Oct 13, 2013)

turbobusa said:


> Too many weeks of singles that I assume are singles dictated bt wt.
> I always stall when working triples and under for any length of time,
> I would start getting pec strains too. Some felt like pre- tear warning pains.
> The lighter sets in your program look like "feelers". Looks like you are trying to conserve strength /energy til you get to your heavy singles. Don't you have a meet coming up in nov? If so i can't see why you wuold be using that set/rep scheme in early oct.Maybe i'm mistaken. Would you like some input from some big benchers and totalers? I'm no bench cycle guru by a long shot but That type of routine never produced well for me . I'll be at quads monday tell me your meet date and I'll run it by coan and a couple other guys.
> ...


Frankly, tt I have no real idea what I am doing...basically here was my thinking, warm up slow and then work some heavy singles that are less then my max ($420) so I could tune my body for singles at the meet 11/9. So my when I started a few weeks ago my heaviest set was 360, then 370 then and so on. I rarely do singles except in the dead so I thought I should train for them.

Then I strained my chest right at the beginning and again now. The to pour salt in the wound another competitor who is a real tool has gained 15lbs on me and he simply maxes out every freakin week. So, here I am a month out and can't bench ughh.

And things are going well now, business is looking good and my middle boy is doing much better.

I am very interested in what you come back with...thanks!

Hawk


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## chicken_hawk (Oct 13, 2013)

Ironbuilt said:


> Muscle imbalances can greatly influence the chest for sure.I'm sure you have the whole bench movement down so it's not that.. Hows the rear delts that help u get off the bottom before pecs and all the other muscles play out ?
> Turbobusa has the connections and Ed will sure have some answers to share cause he's a cool guy too. I'm curious too so good thread CH.



Man, I am all f'd up. My middle traps and rhomboids are too weak and my neck protrudes forward as well as a massive anterior tilt with my pelvis. I am working on these things but fat chance they get fixed in a few short weeks.

Hawk


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## chicken_hawk (Oct 13, 2013)

chrisr116 said:


> CH, I am no competitive power lifter, but after reading your post, my gut instinct is telling me that if you have a meet coming up, I would just back off a little so your at 100% on that day.  I do the same thing with bench.  Once I get in the high 300s to low 400's I start getting those same pre-injury warnings.  And I am always strongest after taking a break for a week to 10 days.



Your probably right as I was already thinking along those lines...unfortunately I may have no other option due to this strain. I have deloaded but the last time I took time off was in June for vacation.

Hawk


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## turbobusa (Oct 13, 2013)

Oh you are fairly close . Hey i'm heading out the door in a sec if any of the bench freaks are in there I'll holler at em. best advice will come from
a 3 lift guy though. That would be tomorrow. Give the connective tissue a break for a a bit. a couple of consecutive rest days would do you a world of good. It will help your structural pains as well as your nervous system.
You will get stronger.  I'll hit you back soon... Oh yeah how old is your bud that bumped his lift 15 lbs? You "get away with" more less than Ideal training when younger.. Thx, T


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## chicken_hawk (Oct 13, 2013)

turbobusa said:


> Oh you are fairly close . Hey i'm heading out the door in a sec if any of the bench freaks are in there I'll holler at em. best advice will come from
> a 3 lift guy though. That would be tomorrow. Give the connective tissue a break for a a bit. a couple of consecutive rest days would do you a world of good. It will help your structural pains as well as your nervous system.
> You will get stronger.  I'll hit you back soon... Oh yeah how old is your bud that bumped his lift 15 lbs? You "get away with" more less than Ideal training when younger.. Thx, T




Ok, I really have no choice with this strain, but this morning I have had a hard time finding it which is good. I upped my GH by going thru the weekend, used advil through out as well as some heat. Now, with some guidance at least I should be able to hit my potential.

And yeah, the tool is  30 ,but walks around all puffed up and I is a total ego lifter. I watched him bench on Friday and was how is he doing this...bench 135x10,225x3,315x1,385x1,400x1(PR) and every week it's the same...he works up to a new PR and will miss it 3 weeks and hit it the fourth. Same with his dead lift...my ego could not handle all the missed lifts and heck he does one work set. I can't figure it...but that is what made me think I might be doing too much.

Hawk


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## turbobusa (Oct 14, 2013)

Hey CH heading out in a minute.  The "tool" would be quickly humbled 
and feel like an idiot at my gym. Tell him before he gets too excited to check out Karen Campbell.. I think she  went mid 4's or so fdrug tested ina single @198 a couple years ago. Think that is one of the things I dig at quads 
national and world class lifters with no fucked up "tudes". Just cool pweo;leto inspire , train with and shoot the shit(after training of course). 
Gotta get your butt over here this winter. It will jump your game upmfor sure. Ok 'Ill holler back this afternoon. Just so I have this straignt. 3 lift raw meet correct?Thx T


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## turbobusa (Oct 14, 2013)

Ed suggested no heavy bench for a week . Light 20 rep sets to break up adhesions and allow some mending time. He also suggested some flys for a stretch to break up adhesions also. Was watching Vinnie one of ed's guys benching this morning . He took some submaximal singles At 615. 
looked very easy. His meet is wpf worlds nov 2nd. Good 220er
won 220 nats this year uspf.   He too suggests you are over taxing cns and white fiber connective tissues too.  Thx   T.


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## chicken_hawk (Oct 15, 2013)

turbobusa said:


> Ed suggested no heavy bench for a week . Light 20 rep sets to break up adhesions and allow some mending time. He also suggested some flys for a stretch to break up adhesions also. Was watching Vinnie one of ed's guys benching this morning . He took some submaximal singles At 615.
> looked very easy. His meet is wpf worlds nov 2nd. Good 220er
> won 220 nats this year uspf.   He too suggests you are over taxing cns and white fiber connective tissues too.  Thx   T.



Thanks tt, looks like I was hitting it too hard or too much really. I will back off this week as you suggested and get some flys rolling and let you know how it goes.

Thanks alot!

Hawk


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## Ironbuilt (Oct 15, 2013)

Cool Hawk.. Keep us posted.. Plus add more finger pointing at work and do less labor...


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## chicken_hawk (Oct 16, 2013)

Ironbuilt said:


> Cool Hawk.. Keep us posted.. Plus add more finger pointing at work and do less labor...



Right on brother!

Hawk


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## turbobusa (Oct 16, 2013)

Go easy on the flyes and the light benching. maintain that perfect groove on the bench with perfect rep every rep.Use the flyes as a stretch and blood moving movement more so than a grind em out working movement. .
Thx t..


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## chicken_hawk (Oct 17, 2013)

turbobusa said:


> Go easy on the flyes and the light benching. maintain that perfect groove on the bench with perfect rep every rep.Use the flyes as a stretch and blood moving movement more so than a grind em out working movement. .
> Thx t..



Well, Monday before you gave me advice I did a few sets with 135,185 and 225 working on form as I decided to go back to being flat footed. I know when I try to get my best arch with my toes under me I am wobly and I think that contributed to the strain. I have a difficult time stablizing the bar and so the weight shirts some from side to side. 

So, I brought my grip in one finger and went flat footed on Monday and made my way up to an easy 315x3 and decided to call it good. I didn't feel anything at the gym, but the strain was tender that night and even a little today.

So, next week I will go super easy and do like you said, but two weeks out I would like to work up to my opener anyway.

Hawk


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## hawkeyes56 (Nov 1, 2013)

Do you stretch any before your sets?  Also I personally do more warm ups.  I will usually do a couple sets of 8-10 at 135, 225x5, 315 x 5, 365 x 3, 385 x 2
The week of the meet I would probably stop at 365.  My last competition I hit a 425.  Obviously you know your body best though, mine reacts better with a good warm up.  Good luck in your meet.


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## chicken_hawk (Nov 2, 2013)

hawkeyes56 said:


> Do you stretch any before your sets?  Also I personally do more warm ups.  I will usually do a couple sets of 8-10 at 135, 225x5, 315 x 5, 365 x 3, 385 x 2
> The week of the meet I would probably stop at 365.  My last competition I hit a 425.  Obviously you know your body best though, mine reacts better with a good warm up.  Good luck in your meet.



I do stretch enough to get my my shoulder to sit back in the socket. This past Monday (two weeks out) I wanted to test it so this was my bench workout, took it super slow:
135x10
135x5
225x3
275x3
315x3
345x1
375x1 then said what the hell,
405x1 built some confidence as my pec felt fine.

For me I think it is about stability and a good spot.

Hawk


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## hawkeyes56 (Nov 3, 2013)

Looking good man, you will do great.


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## Slate23 (Nov 3, 2013)

Do you workout with a friend? The biggest increases I ever got with my bench was when I competed against my bud. We were very close in the weight we would put up and for about 90% of the time the person that benched last would always get more. Competition can be a great motivator.


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## chicken_hawk (Nov 5, 2013)

Slate23 said:


> Do you workout with a friend? The biggest increases I ever got with my bench was when I competed against my bud. We were very close in the weight we would put up and for about 90% of the time the person that benched last would always get more. Competition can be a great motivator.



I have a bro, who is not a PLer but still squats and benches heavy so we train together when we can. Besides that there are a few dbags who I could train with, but I would prefer not to. Not too many people want to commit to regular heavy training.

Hawk


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## jacked391 (Nov 5, 2013)

Wish i was close bro. Yup yup


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## chicken_hawk (Nov 5, 2013)

jacked391 said:


> Wish i was close bro. Yup yup


 

No doubt bro,

Hawk


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