First time benching 315 in 2 years

[macgyver]

Cant let @FLEXjs have all the recuperating OG lifting cred around here

Since my back injury 2 years ago I have not gone heavy benching as I have instability which when I tried to push heavier weight would result in breaking form and hurting myself and sometimes lower back spasms. I have not really trained bench heavy for 4+ years with a shoulder that is very temperamental, I had given up pushing hard for a long time.

For the last few years I have mostly benched 135 for reps and going up to 225 occasionally recently. I felt good tonight, so I put on 315 to see what it felt like. The first rep felt crushingly heavy, and then I had to mentally allow myself to push harder (a weird thing I have discovered when you dont train heavy for a while). My 'groove' was a little off, but all in all it felt ok.

Might start training a little progression, but just have to be careful. I could feel a slight tug in my back which happened on the second to last rep. That is why I did my last rep slowed down and decided to rack it there.

 

[rawdeal]

You mention both back and shoulder issues. Not sure if this will help the back at all, but my recent acquisition of a Multi-Grip Bar aka Swiss or Football, has worked well with my shoulder. Off chance that smoothing out your performance would indirectly benefit the back too(?) Even for my shoulder, it's not a cure, but it's money well spent for the degree of improvement I did get.

It does take a little getting used to at first.

 

[The other Snake]

Did I miss something? The most you had in your hands recently was 225? You felt good so you put 315 on and did like a heavy warm up?

Oh and fuuk those softball calves of yours. lol

 

[macgyver]

You mention both back and shoulder issues. Not sure if this will help the back at all, but my recent acquisition of a Multi-Grip Bar aka Swiss or Football, has worked well with my shoulder. Off chance that smoothing out your performance would indirectly benefit the back too(?) Even for my shoulder, it's not a cure, but it's money well spent for the degree of improvement I did get.

It does take a little getting used to at first.

I have one! Bought one about 4-5 years ago. I got out of the habit of using you, but you are right. It is GREAT on the shoulders. But as I get to 225, the critical nature of the grip position gets super important.

I stopped using it as I did all my benching for a few years 135 reverse grip. I need to blow the dust off of it!

Did I miss something? The most you had in your hands recently was 225? You felt good so you put 315 on and did like a heavy warm up?

Oh and fuuk those softball calves of yours. lol

I quit benching heavy about 6 years ago after a failed 440 raw lift in comp. I had just hit a 420 PB and let my ego select more than I could bite off. I have had a messed up RC for years. Looked into surgery in 2007 but never went through with it. When I came back to gym in 2010, I did tons of rehab. Still 'bad' but as long as I lift with very strict form, I can do so without pain. Break form...and my shoulder is screwed for months. It took me a year after that failed attempt to go over 135 again.

Since that time, I would go years in-between benching anything over 225. I was mostly reverse grip benching 135 for years. I got my shoulder feeling really good and decided to start training with a little more weight and then 2 years ago, I was rear ended and got a spinal fracture and 3 disk injuries. I have had to be very careful doing pretty much anything since.

I knew I wanted to try heavier weight so I have been using 225 the past few workouts and doing a few sets with 275x3 to see if I was ok. But tonight, it just struck me to put on 315. I felt like the worst that would happen I could ditch it on the safeties and squeeze out from under it with my only my pride hurt.

My calves have always been my worst bodypart (visually) and I put a lot of work into them the last 6 years and now they at least dont look stupid. I have had 18"+ arms even when I was a natural years but never got my calves to grow. It was not till I joined a gym and got access to equipment that I could stimulate them to grow some. My calves were literally terrible. Not they at least are 'not bad'

 

[rawdeal]

. . . But as I get to 225, the critical nature of the grip position gets super important . . .

Noticed that myself. When I started I instinctively centered my hands on the grips, but the bar didn't sit well in my hands. Then I realized most of the weight sits away from my thumbs and into the heels of my hands so I adjusted to where it is more the heel end being centered than the whole hand. Now the bar feels stable when I push instead of seeming to twist back toward my head. There's a learning curve with these bars, but it's pretty fast.

 

[macgyver]

Noticed that myself. When I started I instinctively centered my hands on the grips, but the bar didn't sit well in my hands. Then I realized most of the weight sits away from my thumbs and into the heels of my hands so I adjusted to where it is more the heel end being centered than the whole hand. Now the bar feels stable when I push instead of seeming to twist back toward my head. There's a learning curve with these bars, but it's pretty fast.

You are reminding me that I need to blow the dust off it.

Truth be told, I have been in a workout 'funk' the past 2 years. Getting hurt, I felt like the thing I loved was taken from me. I feel like I have been going through the motions, were as I used to enjoy my workouts. I was always competing against myself to be stronger. I had my shoulder that I had to work around, but my back was bullet-proof. The pain from the disk injuries was humbling. Never been though anything even close, and I survived a helicopter crash and was left with a broken neck and frontal brain injury. It made that seem like nothing.

I am closing in fast on 50 and just trying to find a way to enjoy lifting again and feel good. I am not really sure where that is. But I do know I enjoyed my workout tonight!

 

[rawdeal]

I get in and out of those funks, thinking about how I'll never be an IFBB Pro or a top level OL or PL now that Social Security is closer than High School. Then I think about how much better I probably am than anyone I would see at my HS Reunion, and that I could lose that edge if I don't get my ass in gear.

 

[FLEXjs]

The first rep felt crushingly heavy,

Crushingly heavy, yet you did 5 reps.

LMAO

Also what the fuck are you listening to while you lift, your daughter's playlist???

 

[macgyver]

Crushingly heavy, yet you did 5 reps.

LMAO

Also what the fuck are you listening to while you lift, your daughter's playlist???

The "crushingly heavy" is real. I am not sure if everyone experiences this, but there is a huge mental aspect to moving weight. When I have not lifted heavy for a long time it is really deceiving. 225 feels heavy. Like on lift-off, maybe I could only rep 5 times. I have to decide in my head that I can push harder. Almost like another level of strength that exists but you dont tap it often. You almost have to decide to use it.

Putting on 315 was sketchy for me. I really had no idea what to expect. The first rep was weird as on the lowering, I was not sure it was going back up. I decided to push it, and when it started going up, it drifted away from me. I had to pull it back. At that point I had more confidence to push it. But I still did not feel like I could fully push on it like I wanted to. I was a touch nervous (which is never a good feeling under a weight). When I used to approach a lift, I never considered that I would not get it. I can count the number of failed attempts (except deads) on two hands EVER. I have actually never failed a squat. Some might say I dont push enough, but I think a big part is just deciding to lift somthing.

Not going to push my luck, as I did have a small back spasm on the second to last rep. I need to work back up over time. If my shoulder and back cooperate, I think it will be a fun thing to do again.


As for music....I cant listen to your death metal sh!t. I had it on my Spotify 'discover'. That was Awolnation. Some cool songs. Kind of progressive modern rock. You have probably heard "Sail". That is on my workout play list and why I am pulling other songs from them. My workout list has everything from classic rock, to modern electronica, hip hop, old school rap...etc


GREAT workout song!

 

[FLEXjs]

You have probably heard "Sail".

GREAT workout song!

I prefer this version.

 

[macgyver]

I prefer this version.

Never could get into that genre. Just seems like screaming Now I sound like an old man But if that is you secret to squatting like you do, I might have to try it!

Never was much a 'heavy metal' guy though. But I like quite a range of stuff.

These last few years I have been searching for newer stuff to break me out of the box I was once in. My workout playlist has probably a 40 year span in it. Pandora originally led me to a lot more artists and music that I like, but I switched to Spotify now which I still use to find similar stuff. Problem is, I like so many different things, but I just keep adding to it.

 

[FLEXjs]

When Lisa is in the gym with me, I just put on a generic Commerial Free Rock Station (Stingray Music) that plays mostly newish stuff but they salt and pepper in some older classic stuff here and there.

As soon as she leaves my SPofity Gym playlist comes on.

She listens mostly to old country and showtunes and old stuff, not even rock usually. LOL Like Partridge family and the Osmond's and shit. Serious. And Judy Garland. LOL.