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Asymmetric gains

>Just finish leg workout
>driving home
>old lady starts crossing the road
>slam my foot on the break
>left leg pushes down instead, declutching the car and mowing the old lady and her pathetic excuse of a dog down
>muscle confusion
 
everyone is going to be a different in terms of lever ages etc. IMO as long as you do SOME overhead and rotator cuff work and can bench without pain, you're fine.

FYI I've been on Bulgarian Method programming for the last few months, I bench heavy with volume 4 times or more a week, working up to a minimum of 90% 1RM every time. I am completely injury and pain free, while making progress.

No chinning,heavy rowing or accessories AT ALL. However, for most bench sessions I will do some light overhead speed work to warm up, and finish off with a few sets of face pulls. Some heavy overhead work maybe once every few weeks.

I just benched 107.5kg and did a 67.5kg ohp a few weeks ago. I bench quite narrow and with a flat back, it just seems to suit my build better (180cm, long arms, slender bone structure) and is pain-free. And yes my ohp:bench ratio sucks but there is no pain, injury or any obvious balance problems so I'm not too concerned.
 
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Goosey said:
I'm not too sure about this whole pinching the shoulder blades together thing

For shoulder stability the shoulder blade need to move, pinning or pinching will lead to trouble either now, later or never depending on the the persons structure.
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The best coaches and the top benchers in the world advocate this position for the upper back. You are neither. And not all the coaches are PL coaches (Defranco. Cressey, Staley, Robertson, Smitty).

Retracting and depressing the scapulae while bench pressing is the safest and most efficient way to bench. Maximizing the stability of the shoulder gridle and minimizing the distance as well as the rotation of the shoulder. However, it is not good to be in this position all the time for all exercises as Stong Enough? pointed out. That is why we use Open Chain exercises to counteract the Close Chain movements, allowing the scapulae to float freely around the rib cage as intended, making sure the protraction and upward rotation actions are not left unchecked to possibly form imbalances later.

Setting up this way can impact the upper back, not too sure if I'd call it a workout, but maybe you could ask a good presser like Sean Bostock if it's all in his head?
 
joe said:
Disagree on traps, traps pull blades up, direction should be 'down and back'.
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There are upper, middle and lower parts to the trap. All have different functions. The Upper traps are responsible for shrugs.

I thought you were a back man too Joe?
 
bams_101 said:
There are upper, middle and lower parts to the trap. All have different functions. The Upper traps are responsible for shrugs.

I thought you were a back man too Joe?
Click to expand...

The lower traps serve to pull the blades 'down and back' and stop the hunched over look right?

What are the best exercises for them in your opinion? You seem to know what you're talking about...
 
Yes, it's not about appearance it's about shoulder health which is pretty important for benching (and general sport).
 

The reason for pinning the shoulders is for shoulder stability, so that we can lift more weight.

I find it curious that if it was for shoulder health and protection that we are prescribed closed chain exercises, such as push ups, to allow our shoulder blades to both protract and retract ie move freely through space.

Given that Goosey appears to have been lifting as long as any of us in our twenties have been alive and his stated goal is to ensure that he (and others it would seem) keep on lifting till his balls are grey and saggy, I'm willing to consider whether or not it is in fact good to ever keep your shoulders down and back.

Being a coach/top lifter doesn't mean that you have everyone's shoulder health in mind.
 
It is safer when you bench to pin the shoulders back because the bench is preventing the shoulder blades from moving around. When you do push-ups they are free to move around.
 
joe said:
The lower traps serve to pull the blades 'down and back' and stop the hunched over look right?

What are the best exercises for them in your opinion? You seem to know what you're talking about...
Click to expand...

Exercises that pull them down and back...
Rows, chin-ups, inverted shrugs on the dip station, etc
 
Are you just guessing? Chins ups are quite good for accentuating a shoulders forward posture. Rock climbers do a lot of them (and focus on them too much) and develop thoracic kyphosis as a result.

Interested in bams opinion...
 
joe said:
The lower traps serve to pull the blades 'down and back' and stop the hunched over look right?

What are the best exercises for them in your opinion? You seem to know what you're talking about...
Click to expand...

For the most part the upper traps elevate the shoulder blade. Middle traps retract the shoulder blade. Lower traps depress the shoulder blade. Then upper traps, lower traps and serratus anterior work synergistcally to upwardly rotate the shoulder blade (overhead press).

The hunched over look can usually attributed to tight anterior (chest/shoulders) and weak/inhibited upper back (not lats/upper traps though).

Not too sure about "the best" but my favourite lower trap exercises are YTWL's, Scarecrows and Wide Grip Pullups; just going head to bar and focusing on the contraction.
 

Oni got it spot on, but there's more to it. Every person will have one of three types of scapula, with varying shapes. Type I has the most space and these people can generally do any shoulder movements, upright rows and BTN presses, and not get fucked up. Type III has the least space, and these lifters have to be very careful. Without an MRI though, you can't tell what type you are.

By setting up the way that's recommended it allows the humerus to sit properly in the socket negating any anterior laxity and creating more space in the AC joint for Type II/III individuals.

Goosey's long lifting career doesn't validate the advice he is giving. As I said, balance is necessary to maintain proper function of the scapula and related joints. For this specific example it is the best setup to perform the bench press.

The NUMBER 1 PRIORITY of a coach is to not hurt their clients. If they get hurt, they don't come back. If they get hurt, their career can be ruined. If they get hurt, they can sue your ass for failing as their coach. The people I mentioned are dealing with athletes that have Multi-Million dollar contracts or the possibility of them.

Kobe Bryant's strength coach tells him to do an exercise, and then while doing the exercise he ruptures his ACL. Do you think this coach will ever work with top level athletes again?
 
Noting that this is the PL forum

You got to bench press.

The old power lifters of the 70's and 80's three weeks out had them doing just the three lifts twice a week around the same time of day as the meet.

Most of the time they used a cocktail other exercises.
 
0ni said:
My lats feel like they are going to cramp when i am benching
Right at the tie in to my upper spine
Click to expand...

Same

If you're a powerlifter and don't get any lat activation or strong scapula retraction when you bench imo you're doing it wrong
 
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