Touch and go bench versus pause - strength gains

GDay

Wondering how you guys have found touch and go benching as a tool in bringing up your strict comp bench? Versus training paused exclusively

Do you find the loss in carryover gets in the way of its value?

Or simply a good way to build the base of a bigger comp bench?

I've trained paused only for over 6 months, just keeping up with a slow progressive system of +2.5kg per month (minus injury downtime)
One periodised heavy day, one speed day

I wouldnt say I'm at a brick wall in progression, just frustrated with an injury setback, so I want to try jump back up a bit(injury is rehabbed away)

Sitting on a 1rm of about 110kg paused. So beginner/intermediate level

Thanks in advance

I do both. It's like using lifting straps for deadlift. If it helps you handle a heavier weight, go for it.

With paused bench I tend to pause just about everything. But if I am going for a new max weight or a new max for reps, I just touch and go. The idea is to get the weight pressed, no matter what, or getting the reps in, no matter what. Once you have worked with the new max for a while you can go back to doing paused with that weight as you gain strength.

All my warmups and working sets up to the last set are all paused.

For the last month I have been cruising after my last comp, letting joints heal and generally have a break from max work. Everything has been paused. From this week I am 13 weeks out from Nationals so will start heavy training again where I will incorporate touch and go. I will also, for the first few weeks, break out the slingshot to get the feel for much heavier weights.

Ok that sounds pretty good, come to think of it it's basically how I got to build the base of 100 paused
Thanks for your reply mate!

Nathan jones, one of Australia's top lifters in recent years (PA, GPC and CAPO), told me he always does one paused rep each set, can't recall if its was first or last rep (think it was first).

He has benched 200kg raw.

I've never been to a meet where I've had to pause more than 1 rep so I just pause the first

0ni said:

I've never been to a meet where I've had to pause more than 1 rep so I just pause the first

Click to expand...

Yerp. A few times guys at the gym have asked me, "how much can you bench". I tell them whatever and they say, "how many reps bro?"

I mean, wtf. right?

^ It's a valid question

Nope.

If you are asking about maxes, it is pretty clear that that would be the most you can move for 1 rep.

How much can I squat.
60kg.
how many reps?
161.

Does that explain much of my maximum strength?

Re OP's question: I always pause the first rep of every set and Tng from there. I've never done all reps paused but as I understand it it would help with upper back stability.

jzpowahz said:

Nope.

If you are asking about maxes, it is pretty clear that that would be the most you can move for 1 rep.

How much can I squat.
60kg.
how many reps?
161.

Does that explain much of my maximum strength?

Re OP's question: I always pause the first rep of every set and Tng from there. I've never done all reps paused but as I understand it it would help with upper back stability.

Click to expand...

I've been doing a lot of ring dips lately and they have made the bottom end of the bench press and pausing reps a fucking joke