Strength Guru's Helpppp!!!

[SUPERDAVE]

Ok i just came from working out and am pissed off. I have been working out 4 hard years and have just recently been hitting the weights especially hard the past 2 months. All i care about is strength/power. I play football. However, my body refuses to get stronger. My body just keeps growing. My training partner is getting stronger and stronger but my strength has halted

What the hell is going on?
Before you answer take these thoughts into consideration:
I am on a big3 basic movement routine 6 reps per set 3 sets
My intensity is as high as it has ever been
I eat right
I sleep 8 hours a night


I have a few questions for the strength guru's out there
Do the length of your arms cripple your bench press ability(i have the wingspan of a 747)?
Do some people have a genetic ability to get bigger without strength increases?



Can someone give me a routine for strength. Keep in mind i play football so i want power cleans, squats,bench, and deadlifts included. NOTE: i dont care about size, all i want is strength


Your advice will be seriouslly considered

[KINGLYON8801]

Well to answer your question, yes arm span can effect your bench. ok lets put it this way could you push harder for 100yds of 200yds. if u get my point. shorter the arms short the movement, it will result in a shorter explosive range. Ya some ppl do get bigger but not stronger, i am the opposit my strenght shoots up but my size not really. if i was you i would concentrate on iso movement. and go all out. i tried the 3X3 workout but really didnt like it. you should keep rep range between 6-8 reps per set on upper body and 6-10 lower body. Pm me if u have questions or need help setting up a strength training program.

[Fif the Great]

One thing about your arm reach playing a role in bench pressing. I have very long arms as well, and it is difficult for me to get weights all the way up on my own, even weights I know I can lift. To me, it is harder on guys with longer arms, because gravity is playing a huge role in our press. Not to mention how much longer we have to actually be in our motion. Smaller guys, with smaller "wingspans" seem to easily hit more reps than I do. But they travel a less distance. So to me, it all evens out in the end... we do less reps, but travel farther, they travel less, and hit more reps.

As far as training goes. Try explosive training. For instance, use a lighter weight on the bench press, come down slowly, and push up on the bar as hard and as fast as you can, repeat this as many times as possible without putting too much strain on yourself. Do this for other muscles as well, especially legs. This increases the explosive power needed in football and other contact sports. But always make sure to stretch well before an exercise, and in between sets, to avoid injury. Just some advice I thought I'd pass along.

Good luck!

[VEGETA990]

You worry too much man,
You said you've been hitting the weights esp. hard for 2 months, give it time. My advice to you is that if you are training to be a better football player concentrate on compund movements: power cleans, squats, bench, and deadlifts are all good.

Just take them all to a new level. instead of just power cleans, do a clean and press. Once you have that down, do the clean, but when you press it throw the weight up with your legs and while your pushing the weight up, break your stance into a lunge. This will give you a great edge. Your body will get used to handleing heavy weights while in an alkward stance. I pitty the guy that has to line up against you at practice. Just be real careful. Start with low weights to get the balance right, otherwise you will hurt yourself or someone else.

For squats, do some squats (i forget what they are called) where you hold the weight over your head with your arms fully extended and then squat. Again, balance is the key. If you go too heavy, you will loose the weight. You'll find that it is difficult to go very heavy with these.

For bench, use your spotter. Your last two sets he should be helping you press the weight for at least 3 reps, and he only helps the absolute minimum that you need to get the weight up.

For deads, get straps. Again, use your spotter. When you can't do anymore reps he should be in front of you helping you lift the weight up for a few more reps. If you can stand after that finishing that set, then you didn't go heavy enough. After dropping the weight, you should should be so tired that you need to sit or lay down for a minute before you can spot him.