The Infonian

This exercise is often used as a max effort exercise training the chest, shoulders and triceps. It has become very popular with equipped powerlifters because the lift mimics to an extent the use of a bench press shirt. The barbell is placed inside of the bands which are attached to the top of a power rack. By using these bands you feel the most weight at the top of the movement. As you lower the weight to your chest the bands stretch and the tension is decreased.

How much weight does the band take off the weight you’re lifting? This depends on what kind of bands you’re using and how high you have them set up on your particular power rack. To figure it out exactly put enough weight inside the bands and let the bar hoover right at chest level.

However much weight you have on the bar is how much weight you can subtract from the total at the bottom when you are performing working sets.

The reverse band bench press is a good variation to throw in once or twice a training cycle so you don’t do straight weight every week.

It’s also a great exercise to do if you have trouble touching in a shirt. You have to practice pulling the weight to your chest and the bands allow you to do this in a more controlled fashion without as much risk of dumping it on your chest. Performing this exercise can also help break in a new shirt, making it easier to touch in when you go back to the regular bench press without bands.

You’ll be able to bench press a lot more than usual, but do not be fooled. People always try to do the math and project their true one rep max. Just because you benched 700 pounds for one rep with the bands off your chest and the bands take off 200 pounds in your case does not mean you can bench 500 of your chest. You can bench 500 off your chest when you bench 500 off your chest. However you do now have a new PR in the reverse band bench press if that means anything.

Most people perform this exercise for 1-3 reps for 5 or 6 sets, but this varies. Use the lift for variation, to strengthen the top end of your bench press, to shock your nervous system and to practice the grove of your bench press shirt.

To see a video demonstrating the exercise visit this page: http://www.criticalbench.com/reverse-band-bench-press.htm

Mike Westerdal is the owner of www.criticalbench.com. Visit his site to receive two free PDF reports entitled, “31 Days To Bigger Arms” and “Boosting Testosterone Levels for Big Muscle Gains.”

Author: Mike Westerdal

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This article will assume that you are trying to increase your strength. If you go to the gym to stay in shape, maintain your strength, or even worse, to avoid getting fat, than don’t waste your time reading this. However, if you set your goals for yourself, have an open mind and want to get bigger and stronger than read on.

Negatives can be applied to any exercise to help shock your muscles. They are specifically included in the Critical Bench Program to help you increase your bench press. First lets review what exactly a negative is making sure everybody is on the same page. Using the bench press as an example let’s review a negative set. You will load the bar with a weight that is about 40 lbs heavier than your one rep max. (If you don’t know your one rep max you can look it up on this chart: http://www.criticalbench.com/chart.htm) Three spotters will be needed. The most important spotter is the one that stands behind you because he will keep his hands on the bar throughout the entire lift. The two remaining spotters will stand on opposite ends of the bar. Of course you will need a lift off unless you plan on turning negatives into a positively bad idea. You will now begin to lower the weight as slowly as positive. At first you’ll do fine, but about half way down you’ll feel like you are trying to stop the weight from falling. Once the bar touches your chest all three spotters lift the weight to the lockout position where you start again. When you are lifting poundage this heavy only a few reps will be possible so don’t feel discouraged.

Okay so why in the world would you want to do this? Won’t you look like an idiot in the gym when three people have to pull the weight off your chest? People have even said that the exercise is just an ego booster and doesn’t do much for you. Some clowns might even say that you are cheating! Well don’t believe any of it. Luckily, I’m here to tell you why negatives are so important.

1. Heavy Negatives Overload the Muscles

Most of us will agree that singles help improve strength because you overload your muscles will heavy poundage that your body is not used to. Based on the same principle, if you do negative sets with even more than your max weight you will overload your muscles even further.

2. Conditioning Your Body

Let me give you a few examples of this. A basketball player who is shooting jump shots while he is wearing ankle weights. A swimmer who does laps wearing pants and a t-shirt. A football player preparing for camp by running in the middle of the afternoon during a 90-degree summer day. A sprinter that runs with a parachute tied to his back. How about a powerlifter that does negatives with a weight that is much heavier than his one rep max. Are you beginning to see the correlation? When you run in 90-degree weather, practice in 80-degree heat doesn’t seem so bad. When you shot jump shots with ankle weights, you feel pretty light and explosive when you take them off. When it is time to unload in each situation the body can perform better because it has been strengthened by the overload. You get the point. Let’s say your goal is to bench 400 lbs. If you’ve never tried it, the initial shock might surprise you. If you’ve felt the weight of 450 lbs and done negative sets with it, your mind and your muscles will be preconditioned to handle the 400 you were aiming for. You’ve felt heavier weight, making this weight seem lighter. Your muscles need to feel the shock of heavy weight to prepare for a max. So why not take it to the extreme?

3. The Challenge

If your training lacks intensity I’d like to see you have the courage to take this exercise lightly. Actually I wouldn’t, but don’t worry about it because it’s not possible anyhow. Your heart will begin racing, and you will be pumped with adrenaline. Not to mention the fact that you have three people watching you. You’ll be ready to perform, because there is no other choice. This is more weight than you’ve ever lifted in your life, so you will get psyched up for the big challenge. As mentioned earlier, some people call negatives ego boosters. They are partially correct. It does feel good to load the bar with the heavy poundage. Whipping out a few reps will definitely give you confidence when it’s time to max out for real. The only difference will be you’ve felt heavier.

4. Letting It Down Slow

Still not convinced? Let me pull out the textbook for you. The eccentric phase is the opposite of the contraction. For the bench press it is the lowering of the weight. Many bodybuilders treat this phase as an after thought, which they shouldn’t because it is very important. Research confirms that the eccentric component of a lift may be more important than the concentric phase for promoting muscle growth. One study showed that, when compared to normal weight training, concentric-only training required twice as many repetitions to produce similar results. With normal weight training, during an eccentric contraction (negative) you lower the same weight with fewer muscle fibers, and that means that each fiber involved has to sustain greater force.

5. Get The Last Laugh

We all know variety is important as well. If you haven’t done heavy negatives before than give them a try. It may be just what your muscles are screaming for. If you get funny looks at the gym, don’t worry about it. You’re not there to impress anybody; you’re there to get stronger. The only person you have to look at in the mirror is yourself. The weights will always weigh the same so you can’t compete with them. You may want to practice negatives with lighter weight before you jump right into this. Round up a couple buddies and show them why heavy negatives are positively a good idea.

Mike Westerdal is the owner of www.criticalbench.com . Visit his site to receive two free PDF reports entitled, “31 Days To Bigger Arms” and “Boosting Testosterone Levels for Big Muscle Gains.”

Author: Mike Westerdal

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“Don’t Let These 8 Mistakes Sabotage Your Bench”

Increase Your Bench Press Max By 50 Pounds in only 10 weeks!

Did you know the average weight training enthusiast can barely bench press their own bodyweight? That statistic doesn’t even account for the people that don’t work out. Give yourself a pat on the back if you’ve conquered the feat of benching your own bodyweight. Don’t worry if you’re not there yet, you’re about to learn eight sure-fire methods that will help you earn bragging rights in and out of the gym.

So what’s the big deal about the bench press anyway? You’re not playing sports or trying to compete, why is this legendary exercise so vital to an attention grabbing physique? In fact for those of you who think the bench press is simply for the ego, you’re wrong. It’s true no other exercise is more frequently talked about. However it’s not so strange when you think about it. The bench press is a core fundamental exercise for developing upper body strength. You’re not only working your pectorals (chest), you are also working your anterior deltoids (front shoulders), triceps brachii, and latissimus dorsi (back). If you could pick just one exercise to acquire a full round chest with some functional power to go with it, you would be wise to go with the bench. You just can’t develop the same upper body with any other exercise.

As a personal trainer I have seen hundreds of people strive for a 300-pound bench. The truth is most people make the same mistakes, but they can easily be changed to help you start an explosive growth spurt of your own.

Mistake #1: Less is more.

By far the biggest mistake people make is “wanting it” so bad that they overtrain. It’s human nature, if we don’t see the gains we’re looking for the common sense solution is to work harder and harder. I can tell you from personal experience that last time I hit a plateau in my training I took a week off from the gym and came back stronger than the last time worked out. Be on the look out for warning signs of overtraining such as lack of motivation, trouble sleeping, poor nutrition, and of course lack of progress.

Mistake #2: Full body workouts.

Let’s get you set up on a new split where you can give each muscle involved in the bench press the attention it needs. Remember, there’s more to the bench press than just your chest. For maximum recovery you should only train each body part once per week with an optimal workout split. If you still think you need to bench two or three times a week, see mistake #1. You have time to workout 45-minutes a day, 4-days a week don’t you?

Mistake #3: Self-doubt.

Hopefully you don’t need a pep talk, but here it goes anyway. Excuse me as I impersonate motivational speaker Anthony Robbins for a moment. Your subconscious mind believes whatever you tell it, so do yourself a favor and program it with positive thoughts. I cringe every time someone asks me for a spot and they bash themselves before they even start the lift. Comments like, “I don’t think I’ll get very many reps,” or “I can’t do this much, but I’ll try.” If you’re not confident, fake it, and tell yourself you’re going to succeed. Trying is a part of failing. If you’re afraid to fail, you’re afraid to try.

Mistake #4: Bad form.

Let’s work on some mechanics. After practicing a few of these techniques you should be able to boost your bench press by a minimum of 25 pounds.

Widen your grip a little bit. The wider your grip, the less distance the bar has to travel. Therefore it makes sense that you’d want to grip the bar as wide as possible. If you have been benching with a closer grip this will take some getting used to, but will make a big difference in a few weeks. To determine your grip, assume a natural push-up position and then bump it out approximately 3-inches.

Another way to decrease the distance the bar has to travel is to retract your shoulder blades. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together during the entire movement. This will give you a more stable surface to bench from.

Keep your feet on the floor and drive with your heels. If you see someone kicking or flapping their legs in the air, as they turn blue trying to push the weight you’ll know that they are off centered and it’s costing them some serious poundage. Keep your heels on the floor to help you generate power.

Arch your back. Your butt, shoulder blades, and head should always be in contact with the bench, but it’s okay to arch your lower back. If this isn’t natural for you, you can place a foam roller under your lower pack for practice. Many people have asked what the point of this technique is. Again, it shortens the distance the bar needs to travels. Is this cheating? Not at all, this is a regulation lift. If you want to completely isolate your chest head over to the pec deck machine to finish up. It’s good that you’re learning to use more than just your chest when you bench press. Don’t be surprised if two days later you feel sore in your back, chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Mistake #5: Too many warm-up sets.

Don’t get me wrong you certainly need to properly warm-up. However you should do so with some very light weighst, push-ups, and stretching. You don’t want to exhaust your muscles before you get to your working sets. Most people pyramid up and then wonder whey they can’t get the weight on their last set. By doing lighter warm-up sets you will save your energy for the heavier weights and a big finish.

Mistake #6: Neglecting your back.

Strong lats or “wings” are very important to the negative phase of the bench press. Your back is the center of support for the weight as you lower it to your chest. That’s why blasting your back is so important and must not be skipped. Try some T-bar rows, or bent over barbell rows to strengthen your back. You’ll notice that it’s almost the exact opposite or antagonistic lift to the bench press.

Mistake #7: Lack of goals.

So you want to increase your bench press. That makes the two of us. The problem with this statement is it’s much too vague. I want you to pull out your pen and paper. Write your goal down on four separate sheets of paper in bold letters. “ACHIEVE A ______ POUND BENCH PRESS BY ______.” The simple task of writing your goal on paper brings you closer to completion. This act will make your goal more concrete, increasing the likelihood of achieving it. Now post these pieces of paper on your fridge, dashboard, computer screen, and dresser to constantly remind you of your goal.

Mistake #8: Lack of variety.

The human body is an amazing system. Whatever you throw at it, it can adjust and learn to handle. Keeping it off guard, mixing things up, and adding variety to your workouts will ensure your body responds positively. Always stay one step ahead by changing your workouts when you feel you’re not making the gains you expect. If you’re like me and want to look good while, while having some strength to back it up you’ve probably been training with reps between eight and twelve. Try lowering the reps on your bench press sets to the six to eight repetition range for a few weeks. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see how your body reacts if you haven’t tried this before.

If you can avoid these common pitfalls and you’re open-minded enough to try something new you’ll soon be bench pressing more than you dreamed possible. Take it from me, the man who was stalemated at a 275-pound bench press for more than three years! Learn from others mistakes and watch your bench press sore. Your wife or girlfriend will be admiring your muscular upper body while your friend’s are dying to learn your secrets.

The Split

Monday: Chest/Biceps

Tuesday: Legs

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Shoulders/Traps

Friday: Back/Triceps

Saturday: Watch the game

Sunday: Rest

The Bench Blastoff Routine

Day 1: Chest/Biceps

Flat Bench Press 4 sets of 6-8 reps

Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Cable Crossover 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Alternating Dumbbell Curls 4 sets of 8-10 reps

Seated Preacher Curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Day 2: Legs

Squat 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Leg Press 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Leg Extensions 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Leg Curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Day 3: Off

Day 4: Shoulders/Traps

Font Military Press 3 6-8 reps

Upright Rows 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Lateral Riases 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Day 5: Back/Triceps

Pullups 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Bent Over Barbell Rows 3 sets of 6-8 reps

Lat Pulldowns 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Close Grip Bench Press 3 6-8 reps

Tricep Extensions 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Day 6: Off

Day 7: Off

Points To Remember:

Ø Make sure you’re not overtraining.

Ø Work your bench press only once per week.

Ø Ditch the self-destructing negative thoughts.

Ø Don’t waste your energy with surplus warm-up sets.

Ø Train your back just as hard as your chest.

Ø Set a specific goal.

Ø Try performing less repetitions when benching.

Ø Drive with your heels, widen your grip, arch your back, and retract your shoulder blades!

Author: Mike Westerdal

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Boris Sheiko is a Russian bodybuilding coach and renowned powerlifting expert. Several of his trainees have won national and international competitions. Along the path to prominence in the powerlifting world he developed his own training regimen, which came to be known as Sheiko Training. Boris’ training philosophy flies in the face of what most training regimens where you train each muscle group once each week. In contrast to this, Boris believes that frequency and volume performed at low intensities can drive progression and gains. In Sheiko Training, you repeat lifts several times a week, which both improves your form and drives growth. The key though is that the weight must be kept relatively low in order to allow your body sufficient time to recover.

I’ll tell you straight up that the program is complex and if you’re not into keeping a journal then this is not the plan for you. Measured progress is the underlying principle of Sheiko Training. In Boris’ program, frequency refers to the number of days you train a muscle group each week, volume refers to the number of reps you for each muscle group and intensity refers to the weight-specifically, the percentage of your max weight that you’re lifting. With so many things to track, you’ll need to log your training sessions each week so you can see your improvements.

For the beginner, Sheiko Training can be confusing-especially since it has not been that long since it was first translated from Russian and most of them have been literal translations such as, “Trainings of arresters in the preparatory period.” As a result, some of the terms and phrases can be difficult to understand for the layman. Also because its translation to English is relatively recent, it can be a bit tough to find detailed explanations of the program and its philosophies.

Sheiko Training uses percentages to manage your lifting volume. You start low and work your way up, increasing the percentage as you go along. For the beginner, the first bench press set might be 50% of max lift, then 60%, 70% and the finally 75%. Remember that although the weight may be lower than what you’re used to doing, you’ll be doing more reps (volume) than in a normal workout. In fact, with Sheiko training you may be going anywhere between 850 – 1000 reps each month, sometimes more.

In addition, there are three periods in Sheiko Training: the preparatory period where the foundation is established, the emulative period, which is more advanced and the transitive period, which prepares you to renew the cycle again. During the preparatory period volume is higher and intensity lower. Conversely, during the emulative period, intensity is higher but volume lower. And finally, during the transitive period, volume, intensity and the number of weekly workouts are all reduced in order to give the body time to recuperate.

There are a lot of different Sheiko Training templates to choose from depending on your level of familiarity with the program. Most Sheiko experts recommend that beginners start with training routine #29. This is a three day a week program that will help you get accustomed to Sheiko. This routine has you doing about 964 lifts (reps) per month.

As you progress through the templates things get tougher. For instance, in Sheiko Training template #37, the total number of reps for the month is 1093. Gains are also achieved by increasing the weight (percentage of max lift) lifted in the templates. Because of the complexity of the routines-keeping track of all those percentages and lifts can be a real chore, some guys have taken the time to make spreadsheets that automatically calculate the appropriate percentages for you, based on the one-rep max you enter.

Opinions on Sheiko training run to extremes. Some guys swear that they’ve made incredible gains following Boris’ training templates with others saying that it’s just too complicated and that any gains they made are negligible. Keep in mind though that because Sheiko Training is relatively unknown here in the United States, there really isn’t enough information out there to say that the program isn’t really effective.

Also, remember that the Russians have long been known for their expertise and success in developing some of the world’s most powerful lifters and if you take the time to read the science behind Boris’ training philosophy you’ll see that he knows what he’s talking about. So given that, I definitely believe that we’ll be seeing and hearing more about Sheiko Training in the future.

Author: Mike Westerdal

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