Quote:
8/31/08 DE Bench
Speed Bench
Barx20
135x5
155x4
185x3x9
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Do you have a 385 lb bench like me??
You should be using 50% of your 1 RM.. In other words, speed bench means so fast that you can pump out three reps in the time it takes you to say, "one mississippi" or "one one thousand". Those three reps stand for the time you'll be straining under a record or near record lift. You're teaching your body to fire faster to be able to bench past your sticking point wherever that may be. Almost like letting momentum carry you through off your chest.
I use the exact same weight although I also use bands too.
EDIT: There's no way you have any speed w/ that. If your press is right around 275 (I don't count anything a PR if a spotter helps), you need at
most 150 lbs, and that's at 55% right there.
Quote:
Flat Bench
Barx15
115x5
145x5
165x3
185x3
205x2
230x1
255x1
285x1(PR!?!?)(spotter said he helped a little)
280x0
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Don't ever count a record if you didn't do it. What happens is that next time you'll be gunning past a record lift that you never did. So if that spotter isn't there, or if there's someone else, you're SOL. Also, if you start counting two finger magic here and there, your percentages and training will be waay off. So speed will be faster than you should have it, and you'll have no idea what or where your weak at. So next time bench comes around, try to establish something like 275 lbs. If you get it, add another 5 lbs. If not, at least you have a baseline. So every time thereafter bench comes up, you're looking for 5 lbs. Even if you don't make it but come close, that's ok every once in a while too because you're still straining under a load > 90%.
For most beginners and intermediates doing conjugate training, there are two mistakes that everyone seems to make. Either going waay too heavy for speed work which destroys the purpose, or getting variation happy and taking a couple of months before the same lifts come around again.