Sunday, November 2, 2008

Bench benchmark

Today we kicked off training for a bench press competition at VT on February 28. My one rep max was pretty much right at 100 lbs; I was not unhappy with that as a starting point. Jake believes I can increase that to be able to bench my body weight (125ish) by the meet. So that would be a 25% increase over where I am now. YIKES!

In my competitive powerlifting days my best bench was 130 but that was with a bench shirt that ups your bench max by 10-15%. So all these years later, I'd be thrilled to achieve even a 115 bench (but I'd take more).

The plan seems to focus on triceps quite a bit, probably since that is my weak link. It was strange to handle some heavier stuff today after six months of light weight and high reps. Like anything, the mind plays a very big role (belief, visualization, no fear), as do breathing and form. A strong core is also important for a good bench.