lockout assistance.

[startinfromscratch]

im more meaning bench lockout, but i guess the applies somewhat to pulls/rack pulls aswell. With assistance work generally your looking at doing slightly higher reps than your core program.

my question - if im wanting to build tricep/lockout strength, should i be doing strength reps, ie 5 or less, or stick with the 'standard' 8-10 reps assistance recc?

any opinions/experiences would be appreciated.

real talk.

[tinytraps]

Hey SFS

If lockout strength is your goal go heavy 3-5 reps the best boards to use will be 2 and 3board press and 4" racklockouts. 4 board press and high racklockouts become more of an ego boost IMO.

Are you focusing on raw bench or using a bench shirt? Lockout strength becomes more important for the equipped lifter as the shirt gives you more assistance off the chest than towards lockout. If you are going to be lifting raw then it may be more beneficial to hit more full range exercises to help with getting the pop off the chest eg ultra WG bench, close grip, jm press, and dead stop benches.

hope this helps bro 8)

TT

[Best Bench]

Hey SFS

If lockout strength is your goal go heavy 3-5 reps the best boards to use will be 2 and 3board press and 4" racklockouts. 4 board press and high racklockouts become more of an ego boost IMO.

Are you focusing on raw bench or using a bench shirt? Lockout strength becomes more important for the equipped lifter as the shirt gives you more assistance off the chest than towards lockout. If you are going to be lifting raw then it may be more beneficial to hit more full range exercises to help with getting the pop off the chest eg ultra WG bench, close grip, jm press, and dead stop benches.

hope this helps bro 8)

TT

TT hit most of the main points. Lower reps even triples and singles as handling the heavier weights will help. You can also look at using accomodating resistance from bands and chains.

Another important part is speed off the chest. Most people get stuck in the transition point which is where your chest starts to be used less and just before the triceps really kick in. Speed off the chest will help blast the bar through the transistion (sticking point). The standard westside approach is 9 sets of 3 (3 different grips) with between 50 - 60% max. I know Tonka has a slightly different approach to speed so maybe he can share some info. Both Tonka and his training partner TK have awesome speed when they are benching well.

[startinfromscratch]

awesome guys, your replies help heaps!

[SoaringSwine]

How wide is your grip in relation to the rings?

[startinfromscratch]

How wide is your grip in relation to the rings?

the bars at l.m differ, but generally i do pinkys over rings for any floor pressing, havent got boards yet. and slightly wider for normal benching. still not 100% sure where i need to be. is there a standard rule? ie 2/3 fingers wide of rings?

[SoaringSwine]

How wide is your grip in relation to the rings?

the bars at l.m differ, but generally i do pinkys over rings for any floor pressing, havent got boards yet. and slightly wider for normal benching. still not 100% sure where i need to be. is there a standard rule? ie 2/3 fingers wide of rings?

Sounds like you're pretty wide then, if you were narrow I'd advise widening your grip to make lockout easier. For powerlifting some part of the hand must be covering or inside the rings (standard rings are 81cm apart).

[tinytraps]

SFS i may need to be corrected but max grip in comp is 81cm? which equates to about index finger on the rings. If raw is your focus id say stick to pinky on rings to focus on tri strength and helping to protect your shoulders.

[steak]

good info right thurr 8)

[startinfromscratch]

SFS i may need to be corrected but max grip in comp is 81cm? which equates to about index finger on the rings. If raw is your focus id say stick to pinky on rings to focus on tri strength and helping to protect your shoulders.

im all 'raw', im just getting into p/lifting style training. and im wary of wide grip as i dont have strong shoulders. but i will experiment with wider grip and see how it feels.. appreciate this input guys, thread full of good info! keep it coming :nod:

[Tonka]

SFS i may need to be corrected but max grip in comp is 81cm? which equates to about index finger on the rings. If raw is your focus id say stick to pinky on rings to focus on tri strength and helping to protect your shoulders.

TT, all depends what kind of bar your gym has. Best thing to do is measure the distance between the rings. Maximum spacing for the bench grip in competitions is 81cm. Like I said with SFS, when you are RAW your natural instinct will be to grip the bar a little closer like say 50-60cm. This does load the tricpes alot more and for people looking to bring their bench up this muscle along with shoulders and upper back should be punished.

SFS i may need to be corrected but max grip in comp is 81cm? which equates to about index finger on the rings. If raw is your focus id say stick to pinky on rings to focus on tri strength and helping to protect your shoulders.

im all 'raw', im just getting into p/lifting style training. and im wary of wide grip as i dont have strong shoulders. but i will experiment with wider grip and see how it feels.. appreciate this input guys, thread full of good info! keep it coming :nod:

SFS, the guys have pretty much covered it on exercises that will help improve your lockout. Just with grip width, what ever is comfortable will do especially if you are benching RAW. Only if you are looking to get into a competitive lifting where you might wear a shirt, then look at getting your grip out to the maximum 81cm width. Other than that, close grip width should be a hand spacing of 8-12inches apart and medium grip around 15-20inches apart. here is a list of exercises that will help get you on track.

Tricep exercises:

CG (close grip) incline, flat, decline, floor press

BB (barbell) skull crushers, DB (dumbell) skull crushers

Dips - bodyweight for reps or weighted

Seated BB/DB overhead extensions

Shoulders:

Seated or standing BB/DB shoulder press (front and baehind the neck)

BB upright rows

DB lateral work

Rear delt work - DB, BB, cable

Heavy BB shrugs

Upper back:

Wide grip chins

Various grips of lat pulldowns - Close grip, medium, wide, underhand, palms facing, rope

BB/DB Bent rows

Heavy seated rows - various grips like lat pulldowns

T-bar Rows free or supported

Hopefully these will get you started and moing towards hitting some big ass bench numbers.

Good luck mate and stay strong

[nate225]

Hard to add much more to that advice - solid as!

In summary:

* Measure 81cm (most comercial bars wider), some part of your fingers must cover this (or narrower)

* 2-3" boards are good (higher seem to have little transfer)

* Speed of chest is hugely important in transitioning (and often neglected or overlooked)

A good pal of mine who is doing some insane numbers (270@125 recently) gave me some good advice a long time ago. He said never train with pinkies wider than 81cm ring without a shirt. This looks after the shoulders/chest (minimises risk) and also build tri's. He also never benches heavy in what a BBer would call narrow (as also loads shoulders due to unatural position you are forced into) he grip is widened slightly.

All the best with the benching, and again kudos to the contributors above with a very thorough lot of advice.

Nate