bench press Archive

0June 20, 2010
EFS Classic: Strength?

I just returned from a consulting engagement with a division 1-football program. I was contracted to review and give insight on their strength-training program.
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By Dave Tate
13June 5, 2010
EFS Classic: 12 Steps to a Bigger Bench

12 steps to jacking up you bench press.
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By Dave Tate
9May 13, 2010
Give Perfect Hannies

Fear was definitely a motivating factor. The other thing is pride.
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By Matt Rhodes
11April 28, 2010
A Program That Failed: My Quest for a 500-lb Push Press

Several years ago during one of the more Olympic lifting intensive periods of my lifting career, I hit a long awaited personal record—a 420-lb push press.
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By Steven Morris
0March 15, 2010
My Review of the Metal Ace Pro Bench Shirt

I have to be honest, when I joined team EliteFTS, it wasn’t for the Metal Gear. I knew nothing of Metal at all.
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By Vincent Dizenzo
0February 3, 2010
Power to the Push-Ups

It’s a little minuscule workout that is everything—the push-up.
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By Ryan Minney
0December 21, 2009
The Mindset Behind a Great Bench Press

What does everyone want? A bigger bench press of course. Let’s face it—people don’t walk up to you and ask, “So what do you curl?” Everyone wants to know how much you can bench. Well, I can bench press a lot, and I’m going to share some tips with you.
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By Vincent Dizenzo
0December 4, 2009
Get a Grip: Know What’s False

Dave stormed into the office, slammed down his energy drink and crashed onto his chair, still scrolling through his e-mails on his iPhone.
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By Rachel Cassano
16December 3, 2009
EFS Pro Short Band Strength

Bands were first introduced to Dave Tate close to 10 years ago. After experimenting with accommodating resistance and the use of chains, Dave took his squat from 760 to 855 in 12 months.
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By Rachel Cassano
0November 12, 2009
Problem—Raw Bench Press; Solution—Plyometrics

The bench press is classified as a low speed, muscular strength test. Low speed muscular lifts generally require three seconds or less for a one repetition max (5, p. 288). In spite of this, speed training in the bench press has become increasingly popular. Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell Club popularized this concept by advocating a speed day in the bench press. Some call it a “dynamic” day, and some call it a “light” day.
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By Josh Bryant
Bench Press More Weight Instantly!0October 22, 2009
Bench Press More Weight Instantly!

How many people do you see in the gym trying to make an exercise more difficult, believing the more difficult it is, the more effective the exercise will be? All they’re really doing is putting their body in an unnatural position, which limits muscular overload and increases the chances of an injury. The bench press is a perfect example. You see people crossing their feet in the air, using a thumbless grip, or only lowering the bar halfway to their chest. All of this causes you to handle less weight because you can’t generate maximum power due to your body’s position. Many guys make the big mistake of zapping their strength even before they start their working sets.
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By Sean Barker
Bench Training for Gear and Raw0October 14, 2009
Bench Training for Gear and Raw

Most training articles and templates today are dedicated to shirt training. Because most of us compete in a bench shirt, it only seems logical. But there are many gains to be made both in and out of a shirt through proper training technique. Here at Lexen, we train raw for much of our upper body [...]
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By Matt Wenning
0October 4, 2009
My Experience at the 2004 WPO Bench Bash for Cash by Ed Rectenwald as told to Dave Tate

Let me first tell you briefly about myself for those who do not know me. I am 33 years old and live with my wife, Laura, of 8 years in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I work as a research Hydrogeologist for the state and specialize in subsurface geophysics and aquifer hydraulic testing. I started competing [...]
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By Dave Tate
Going Raw0September 14, 2009
Going Raw

Disclaimer: Before you read this article, please note. Because this is my first EliteFTS.com article and some may not read my log, I’ll give a little introduction. First and foremost, I’m not an expert. I’m a lifter just like you. I’m not a trainer nor do I have any connection to the strength and conditioning [...]
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By Scott Yard
Training Individuality0September 14, 2009
Training Individuality

In powerlifting, there are many different paths to achieve our lifting goals. Some paths can elicit great results in short periods of time while others are developed for long-term success. In powerlifting, we base our training and our paths from meet to meet, but is this the correct thought process? Is it correct to follow [...]
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By Matt Wenning
EliteFTS Spotlight: Vincent Dizenzo0September 10, 2009
EliteFTS Spotlight: Vincent Dizenzo

This week’s EliteFTS Spotlight interview introduces the readership to powerlifting legend Vincent Dizenzo. If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, Vincent’s name – as well as his exploits under the bar - should be very familiar to you
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By The Angry Coach
Proof of Life0September 9, 2009
Proof of Life

One of my favorite moments in the history of powerlifting is Doc Rhodes’ third deadlift at the 1977 IPF Worlds in Australia. Rhodes was in the 165-lb weight class and had squatted 512 lbs and benched 374 lbs.
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By Myles Kantor
Advice to the Beginner and Elite0August 9, 2009
Advice to the Beginner and Elite

When we begin to train, usually the goal of most lifters is to get big and strong. On this path, our goals stay in that realm, but how we reach them becomes ever changing and more difficult as we push our genetic and mental limits.
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By Matt Wenning
0May 28, 2009
Team EliteFTS Meet Report: Joey Smith, SPF National Championships

Yes, I went ahead and competed this weekend. I had originally talked myself down from doing this meet as of last week.
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By Joey Smith
The “Devil” Bench Workout0April 23, 2009
The “Devil” Bench Workout

Why is it that whenever I’m in a gym I see people benching the same weight at each workout? It usually goes like this—a person performs a few reps at 185 lbs, then at 205 lbs, and maybe at 225 lbs. Then, they get stuck. At this point, the individual moves to another exercise, most likely the incline bench, and does the same kind of thing. You would think that after a year, the weight that they can bench would be through the roof, but unfortunately, they haven’t seen continued improvement because most people don’t know how to maximize their strength training capacity. They don’t know how to initiate progression. The potential for increasing muscle size just isn’t being met.
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By Larry Jusdanis
0April 14, 2009
Elite FTS Meet Report: Hannah Johnson By Hannah Johnson

430 pound squat (30 pound PR) 285 pound bench (20 pound PR) 405 pound deadlift (5 pound PR) 1120 Total @ 145 pound bodyweight (55 pound PR) I competed yesterday in Columbia, South Carolina at the APF Spring Break Meet. It was held at Progressive Sports, and was hosted by Will and Marge Millman and [...]
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By EFS Staff
EliteFTS Spotlight: Matt Wenning0April 12, 2009
EliteFTS Spotlight: Matt Wenning

The subject of this week’s EliteFTS Spotlight is Q&A staff member Matt Wenning. Matt is one of only a handful of people to total over 2600 pounds in professional competition.
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By The Angry Coach
0April 9, 2009
Team EliteFTS Meet Report: Joey Smith, SPF National Championships

Joey Smith is currently one of the top 275 pound class bench pressers in the world. In 2007, he made both a 500 pound raw bench press and a 730 pound shirted press in competition. On February 21, 2009, he registered a 750 pound shirted press in competition. When it comes to enthusiasm and excitement, [...]
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By Dave Tate
0April 9, 2009
EliteFTS Meet Report: Matt Kroczaleski, UPA Nationals

Thursday, April 23, 2:23 PM: Just arrived in Dubuque and checked my weight against the meet scale.
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By Matt Kroczaleski
Meet Preparation0March 14, 2009
Meet Preparation

So, you’re ready to take it to the next level, right? In my opinion, you’ve thought about it and put it off long enough. If you base your decision on your current standards or concerns, you may never be ready, but trust me: you’re ready. Just jump in. It’ll be the best move you’ve ever [...]
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By Chris Clark
EliteFTS Spotlight: Charles Bailey0March 12, 2009
EliteFTS Spotlight: Charles Bailey

The subject of this week’s EliteFTS Spotlight is Q&A staff member and EFS sponsored lifter Charles Bailey. Charles, a 45 year-old personal trainer from Jacksonville, FL, is poised to make a major move in the powerlifting world in 2009, and we thought it was about time we gave one of the world’s strongest lifters a chance to introduce himself on the site.
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By The Angry Coach
0February 14, 2009
Benching with the Big Boys When You’re Not

The last five years of my life have seen significant changes, the least of which has been my body weight. This “little” change has led to much larger ones in my training. Keeping up with the Joneses takes on a whole new meaning when you’re trying to bench with guys who outweigh you by 50 [...]
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By Eric Patterson
Defending the Bench Press0February 14, 2009
Defending the Bench Press

The bench press is a great lift. Whether your goal is to develop a powerful overall physique or a barrel chest or just get brutally strong, the bench press can help you get there. Before we go any further, however, let’s get a few things out of the way. First off, I’m not a great [...]
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By Mike Robertson
EliteFTS Spotlight: Julia Ladewski0February 12, 2009
EliteFTS Spotlight: Julia Ladewski

EliteFTS Spotlight is a weekly feature here on EliteFTS.com where Q&A member The Angry Coach interviews athletes and strength and sport coaches from various disciplines in order to find out more about what they do, how they train and how they do business.
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By The Angry Coach
0February 5, 2009
Jeremy Frey Meet Report UPA Midwest Championships

Cutting Report Let me start off by saying that I will never cut more than 8 pounds ever again within this sport. Let me explain: I started my diet/water/sodium manipulation on Friday of the week before my competition. Everything with that was on track. The following Thursday morning is when I started my cut, 24 [...]
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By EFS Staff