Doing Smolov again

[Kerpal]

Good point. Maybe I should do the pressing movement first. I don't like putting off the squats so long though, I like to get them out of the way at the beginning of the workout because they're the hardest thing.

How do I dedicate a whole day to the bench press?

 

[Warboss Alex]

How do I dedicate a whole day to the bench press?

You go in, do some benching, possibly bench some more, and maybe do some bench assistance stuff.

take what you're doing now and split it over two days (one day being were the bench is the main exercise). you can gain a reasonable amount of strength working out 2x a week if your schedule is hectic.

 

[Quagmire911]

Here is "where to start" B as an example:

Incline Press 2 x 5
Dumbbell Press (Flat/Decline) or Dips 2 x 8-10
Shoulder Press 2 x 8-12
Tricep Exercise 2 x 10-15

Lots of things you can do though. Something like:

Bench 1x3-5
CG bench 2x6-8
DB oh press 3x6-8
Tri move 3x10-12
Abs ???

You can also manipulate sets/reps. And I will say again, higher reps ARE useful, even for someone like you and I who are more interested in keeping bw down but getting stronger. You cannot constantly bombard your CNS/joints with low reps. You do get stronger in the higher rep ranges.

Remember those Poliquin articles I linked to in that other thread, you may have something holding you back (RC or something).

Good luck, and try and get the 500+ dead on video

 

[Kerpal]

Eh, I've been playing around with it, and I just can't figure out how to dedicate a whole day to the bench press. I'm already lifting 4x a week and have already cut out a lot of other stuff I wanted to do The problem is that there are so many different exercises and lifts I want to do, and I can't fit them all in even going 4x a week. Actually I'd rather go 2-3x a week, but that would mean cutting out even more stuff.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Eh, I've been playing around with it, and I just can't figure out how to dedicate a whole day to the bench press. I'm already lifting 4x a week and have already cut out a lot of other stuff I wanted to do

I thought you lifted 2x a week? must've misunderstood. I don't see why if you lift 4x a week you can't do a bench day.

what exactly do you do on these four days?

 

[Kerpal]

Well, I'm constantly changing what I'm doing. There are just so many different lifts and exercises that I want to do. This is what I'm doing currently:

(sets x reps)

Tuesday:

Snatch 8x2
Back squat 5x5
Bench press or Overhead press 5x5

Thursday:

Clean & Jerk 8x1
Front squat 3x3
Overhead press or Bench press 5x5

Saturday:

Snatch 8x2
Squat 1/3/5 RM or 12x2 speed box squats with bands
Bench press or Overhead press 1/3/5 RM

Sunday:

Clean & Jerk 8x1
Deadlift 1/3/5 RM
Weighted chin up 3x5

Current numbers (in lbs):

Deadlift: 405x5

Squat (deep, hip joint way below top of knee): 365. Also did 410 at the top with bands, with an extremely wide stance and a safety squat bar and in a monolift so no walkout.

Power snatch: 160 x 2

Power clean & jerk: 195 (I can clean a hell of a lot more than this. I have trouble with the jerk)

Overhead press: 3 x 3 x 135

Bench press: 3 x 5 x 170

Chin ups: 18 x bodyweight

I weigh around 185.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Put the bench press first on tuesday so you're freshest for it. Simple enough. Maybe cut out the squats/snatch that day for more bench work.

 

[Kerpal]

I will try that. I'm not going to drop the squat/snatch on that day though. While I would like to improve on my bench, it is my lowest priority lift. I'd rather work on my snatch or deadlift.