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I've been liking the feel of close grip more and more. What do you like about it?

Nice PR btw, thats huge!

IronWorker

^^ agreed.


closer feels alot better on the shoulders for me...even doing speed work with a wide grip feels eh.

Well, if you think about the bench press, it's a triceps dominated lift. So the closer my hand placement is, the more my regular bench will go up. To me, using a regular or wide grip for maximal effort work is more the ego talking than trying to benefit from what you're doing. I know from experience that 9/10, the harder you make the exercise, the better the results.

Max effort work has about 10% to do with lifting as much as humanly possible believe it or not. It's 90% trying to BENEFIT from what you're doing lol. It has way more to do with the work involved inside the > 90% range. So if you want to increase your bench press, and you know it's 90% triceps, 5% delts/back, and 5% technique, then I'll be hammering away at what's most important. And if a trainee is whinning about being weak off the chest, I wouldn't fudge with the grip vs. hammering away at speed work, supplementals, and technique.

Closer grip > More Triceps > Shoulder Health > Bigger Bench

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I'm now a believer! *bows down*


lol


IronWorker

DE SQUAT / ME DEADLIFT

Warmup -

Sled Drag: 100 lbs x 5 minutes

Reverse Hypers: 110 x 12
Pushups: 20 reps ballistic
Pulldowns: 100 x 15
Standing Abs Pulldowns: 50 x 10
* Rest 30 seconds, repeat circuit

SSB Box Squats (40 lbs chains): 205 x (10 x 2)
- 50%, 45 seconds rest. Chains make it 250 on top.

Reverse Band Deadlift: 315 x 3, 405 x 3, 455 x 1, 495 x 1, 530 x 1, 475 x 1
- Light band choked about 5'6" which made the bar float just off the ground (45 lbs), and the band was off the barbell in my hands. Felt tired from the squats.

Reverse Hypers: 185 x 8, 8, 8
- 60 seconds rest timed.

Standing Abs Pulldowns: 80 x (5 x 10)
- 60 seconds rest timed.

DE BENCH / ASSISTANCE DAY

Warmup -

Pullthroughs: 150 x 12
Pushups: 20 ballistic
Pulldowns: 150 x 15
Abs Pulldowns: 100 x 15
* Rest 30 seconds, repeat circuit

Speed Bench: 205 x (8 x 3), 225 x 1, 255 x 1, 275 x 1, 295 x 1, 315 x 1
- No bands for this microcycle. Definately need to increase the weight. Afterwards, I did a workup to 80%. Easy goin'.

Closegrip - 225 x 17 reps
Medium grip - 225 x 15 reps
- 3 minutes rest, close to failure

Hyper/Gluteham Combo: 50 lbs x 10, 10, 10
- 90 seconds

Triceps Pressdowns: 100 x 15, 15, 15

Chest Supported Rows: 275 x 12, 12, 12

Heavy Abs
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Nice deadlifts - wow. And very interesting stuff about the bench - I'd been feeling kind of the same way but I wasn't sure if it was because I was overemphasizing the triceps in my bench. I guess I'm okay, at least for now. I've been plateauing on bench, though... I'd like to work in some speed work if possible, or else just mix it up with some bench variants (incline, floor press).

Great lifts DH!

Thanks.

9/10 if you plateau on bench, you either need to ditch it a while, or devote more time to triceps work. You don't need speed work or special variants as a cure all. Doesn't work that way. I would say 100% of the time, it's the little things that need attention, not the adding in powerlifting specific techniques.

Hmm, alright. I may keep some of the other stuff in (variants etc.) and get more triceps work instead of ditching it, at least for now. Thanks DH - you da man!

hey DH you plan on doing a meet anytime soon bro?