Quit being that pipsqueak that complains about their lack of gains. Make the girls gawk at your superior bench supported by your superior pecs!

Bottom Speed and Lockout Strength: Improving your Deficiencies and BECOMING THE ALPHA

Let me paint a picture for you…you’re at dinner, took your girl to the finest Applebee’s establishment nearby and order the unlimited boneless wings special. Things get exciting, she might even be the one…she looks you in the eyes and says…

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but you have a subpar bench. Your bottom speed is decent, but your transitional speed needs work and you have no tricep development whatsoever”

Not saying this happened to me...but imagine if it did? You sit and think about it, and then you begin to hit the notepad and start sketching your newest workout. You consider all things mentioned before, finish your programming and realize “holy crap! This workout is going to take HOURS!”

For some this could be an exciting venture, bragging to your kin that you had a badass bench press workout that last three hours Monday. Hell, it’s Thursday and you are STILL SORE! Although this sounds like success and you could be on the right path, let me tell you something…

You’re wrong. This isn’t the solution. To combat this pressing deficiency takes much more thought, much more dedication, and more importantly…it takes much more time.

First of all, you cannot do all the “cool” things you want to do upfront. You have to program with a goal in mind, and more importantly a timeframe. Most of the time I promote programming between 12-16 weeks as we discuss the goal, we discuss the steps it’ll take, and we map out the best routine possible. First month could be basic barbell movements, second month more development of speed and multiple variations of the bench press, and the third month we would peak with less volume and much more specificity towards the deficiencies you have. Although that sounds vague, it does sound much more consciousness and realistic than a three hour workout for multiple weeks in a row.

Secondly, you have to get creative and find movements that could serve several purposes to your program. Instead of doing 10 different presses, maybe split them up amongst two days a week or maybe take all the movements you feel would increase your pressing motion and decide when best they would fit your program. Whether its bands, chains, dead presses or dumbbell presses…they could all work but make sure to place them at the appropriate part of your program to help you peak at the right time. In this video I am showing you to the left is the “Dead Bench with Hanging Bands”. What happens with this movement is at the first part, the weight is much lighter than at the end. This will help by giving you a lighter load to push off your chest with faster speed. As you continue to press, the band stretches and adds resistance meaning your have to keep the speed on the bar while the resistance loads. Then…once the band is stretched enough it starts to lift the plates off the ground and then you have an immediate load added to the bar. On this movement I have 25’s stacked on each side, four of them to be exact. So by the time I finish my press its 375. So within one press, I have gone from 275 to 375 and have worked speed off my chest, acceleration while maintaining this speed, and then working hard to continue to ascend the bar through a heavier resistance once I am beginning to lock out my press. This creative mindset helps me add much more value to my programming, and I can accomplish many concepts within one movement.

Sometimes, it’s not the sharpest sword that wins in battle, it’s the sharpest MIND! KNOWELDGE IS POWER!

Quit being that pipsqueak that complains about their lack of gains. Make the girls gawk at your superior bench supported by your superior pecs! BANG THE IRON