225 bp test

[buckeyefootball4]

if u guys had to pick one method to train for the 225 bp test which would it be, training for max strength or strength endurance remember u can only use one.

[skribbble]

train for strength but do a set of 225 after a bench workout mayb 2 sets to beat the hell out of your arms

[JJEB2]

you have to train what you are doing so strength endurance. there are cases where you work with your max and you overall max goes up as well as the overall # of reps that you can get. but i like to work above the 225 for higher reps. i talked to a guy on another board who in 2005 hit 41 at the combine and he does 275 untill failure, 255 for failure and 225 for failure. this guy was hitting 25-30 each set which is amazing. generally my numbers are low but i can hit from 23-26 depending on the day.

[buckeyefootball4]

you have to train what you are doing so strength endurance. there are cases where you work with your max and you overall max goes up as well as the overall # of reps that you can get. but i like to work above the 225 for higher reps. i talked to a guy on another board who in 2005 hit 41 at the combine and he does 275 untill failure, 255 for failure and 225 for failure. this guy was hitting 25-30 each set which is amazing. generally my numbers are low but i can hit from 23-26 depending on the day.

whats ur max?

[JJEB2]

whats ur max?

most i have ever done is 365. which sucks but shoulder surgery. just got it scoped and then it dlowed again.

[JJEB2]

the guy that did the 41 if i recall benches around 450-465.

[buckeyefootball4]

most i have ever done is 365. which sucks but shoulder surgery. just got it scoped and then it dlowed again.

whats ur max now?

[JJEB2]

whats ur max now?

no idea i did 325x3 the other day and my left shoulder was lagging behind so i didnt go any higher than that

[JJEB2]

i would have to say 350 with all this combine training. once i get back into reg lifting i am hoping to get closer to 400

[buckeyefootball4]

no idea i did 325x3 the other day and my left shoulder was lagging behind so i didnt go any higher than that

so bout 350.

[JJEB2]

so bout 350.

yea around that for sure.

[buckeyefootball4]

these are my 3 methods for training for the 225 test:


method 1:
bp max effort 1-3reps
front plate raises 4x20
1 arm row 4x20
db tri ext 4x20

second day
bp 225x100reps

method 2:
bp max effort
close grip heavy
1 arm rows heavy
front press heavy

second day
bp 225x100 reps

method 3:
bp max effort
speed bp
med ball chest pass
reb pushups
pullups
iso lat raises
oi scrap retraction


second day
bp 225x100

also with method 2 and 3 we will do btw 200-500 pushups those days, right now i am playing around with pushups on method 1 not sure how it will go. what do you guys think and which method u like best??

[buckeyefootball4]

guess ur guys are afraid to make comments, i promise i wont slap anyone..

[powerliftmike]

these are my 3 methods for training for the 225 test:


method 1:
bp max effort 1-3reps
front plate raises 4x20
1 arm row 4x20
db tri ext 4x20

second day
bp 225x100reps

method 2:
bp max effort
close grip heavy
1 arm rows heavy
front press heavy

second day
bp 225x100 reps

method 3:
bp max effort
speed bp
med ball chest pass
reb pushups
pullups
iso lat raises
oi scrap retraction


second day
bp 225x100

also with method 2 and 3 we will do btw 200-500 pushups those days, right now i am playing around with pushups on method 1 not sure how it will go. what do you guys think and which method u like best??

225 for 100 reps? holy shit man. i dont think anyone has that kind of endurance. I know I cant do that.

[buckeyefootball4]

225 for 100 reps? holy shit man. i dont think anyone has that kind of endurance. I know I cant do that.

LOL- naw bro its just a total of 100reps, the first 3sets try and rep out then take about 8mins rest and then just keep banging out 5reps 1-3mins. does that sound easier. lol.

[JJEB2]

LOL- naw bro its just a total of 100reps, the first 3sets try and rep out then take about 8mins rest and then just keep banging out 5reps 1-3mins. does that sound easier. lol.

i tried it and i got to 85 and it took 3 sets to hit 50 and then it was a bitch the whole way after that. i def like the other plan of attack but people react differently

[buckeyefootball4]

i tried it and i got to 85 and it took 3 sets to hit 50 and then it was a bitch the whole way after that. i def like the other plan of attack but people react differently

what is the other plan of attack? how much rest where u taking, it is very hard for the first workout or 2..

[JJEB2]

i like doing the 275 as many as possible, 250 as many as possibly and 225 as many as possible. when i did it the first sets i was taking 5 mins and then it turned into 6-8 minds trying to finish out and i was getting consective 12s and i see where it gives endurance but u need to work with more than 225 so it doesnt feel so heavy ya know.

[buckeyefootball4]

i like doing the 275 as many as possible, 250 as many as possibly and 225 as many as possible. when i did it the first sets i was taking 5 mins and then it turned into 6-8 minds trying to finish out and i was getting consective 12s and i see where it gives endurance but u need to work with more than 225 so it doesnt feel so heavy ya know.

nope i have had guys do 40+ on this program aka calvin pace de for cards. it work but take mental toughness, its not for everyone - fo sho. no point to go higher then 250 bc ur load is only 225 which is a sub load for most.

[JJEB2]

nope i have had guys do 40+ on this program aka calvin pace de for cards. it work but take mental toughness, its not for everyone - fo sho. no point to go higher then 250 bc ur load is only 225 which is a sub load for most.

idk if that was a knock on me but i did it for two weeks and my reps went down so something had to be wrong. yes it isnt for everyone. everyone is different bro and all i said is it wasnt for me.

[buckeyefootball4]

idk if that was a knock on me but i did it for two weeks and my reps went down so something had to be wrong. yes it isnt for everyone. everyone is different bro and all i said is it wasnt for me.

its wasnt a knock on u at all, i dont see how ur reps went down but then again i not there to see you train - it is possible that the vol was too much for ur system. also post your 2 bp days on here.

[JJEB2]

its wasnt a knock on u at all, i dont see how ur reps went down but then again i not there to see you train - it is possible that the vol was too much for ur system. also post your 2 bp days on here.

well i was doing the whole workout that you gave me so my heavy day was reb pushups, 5 rep max, med ball toss, 58% speed bench, and a few other things. then you told me to switch over to my ME bench like what westside does. which i will add is my favorite style for power and strength. i started that and the following week my bp reps went down by 3 from the previous weeks. now i am doing the ME day and bench reps like i was doing before as i stated above. last week i got 275x8, 250x18, 225x16. so that right there tells ya a lil about my endurance so i would fall into that category i think were the 100 bench reps wouldnt work, i often have trouble with overtraining and my CNS gets burnt very easily.

[buckeyefootball4]

well i was doing the whole workout that you gave me so my heavy day was reb pushups, 5 rep max, med ball toss, 58% speed bench, and a few other things. then you told me to switch over to my ME bench like what westside does. which i will add is my favorite style for power and strength. i started that and the following week my bp reps went down by 3 from the previous weeks. now i am doing the ME day and bench reps like i was doing before as i stated above. last week i got 275x8, 250x18, 225x16. so that right there tells ya a lil about my endurance so i would fall into that category i think were the 100 bench reps wouldnt work, i often have trouble with overtraining and my CNS gets burnt very easily.

ok so could u list ur max strength for example bp, sh press etc, just curious.

[JJEB2]

bp most recent is 325x3 so i figure 350. i did 325 the same this week with no budgeing. sh press?

On my ME day i will do bench, then CG decline 275x5, 295x5, 315x5, then weighted dips bw(230)+90x10, 135x7, bb rows 275x8, 315x6, 335x4, rear delts- i did face pulls last week low weight high reps. thats my ME day that i just did this past week.

[JJEB2]

if you look my accessory lifts are very good but i just really cannot bench heavy heavy like i should be able to. maybe its a mental block that i need to breakthrough.

[buckeyefootball4]

bp most recent is 325x3 so i figure 350. i did 325 the same this week with no budgeing. sh press?

On my ME day i will do bench, then CG decline 275x5, 295x5, 315x5, then weighted dips bw(230)+90x10, 135x7, bb rows 275x8, 315x6, 335x4, rear delts- i did face pulls last week low weight high reps. thats my ME day that i just did this past week.

ok thats what i wanted to see is your max effort workouts. couple questions whats the purpose of the cg decline? also have you ever done low reps weight dips like 3x5? you also have pretty good pulling strength with ur rows, u should to be able to clean over 300? with this workout have you been getting stronger each week- adding weight to the bar. you should try some heavy 8in lockouts instead of cg decline.

[JJEB2]

yea the CG is for tricep strength. less ROM and can go heavy on them.
i have never done lower reps with the dips. i have done a set here and there with 3 plates and a quarter for a set of 4 or 5 but not to the extent of of 3 sets. you i can clean over 300 but it was been a while since i cleaned.

as far as getting stronger its my first week getting back into it since about 10 weeks where i was extremely strong and only 224. i was squatting 545 off a box for 2, benching 330x5x3, 365x5 on bb rows and was hitting 405 for a few. i love the westside template for training and it has given me my best strength.

yea i prob need some rack work bc i def have a lockout problem 2in from my lockout points.

[buckeyefootball4]

if you look my accessory lifts are very good but i just really cannot bench heavy heavy like i should be able to. maybe its a mental block that i need to breakthrough.

i like ur max strength day/

also could u list ur rep day exerices?

[JJEB2]

so i take it as you havent been adding weight to the bar on the bp- ur stuck?

also could u list ur rep day exerices?

yea stuck. my left shoulder lags behind on the bench. it was from the overhead PP and cleans.

on rep day i do a set of 30 on pushdowns and high rep front delt excercise or cuff. thats it bc i dont want to burn out bc i just did alot of volume.

[buckeyefootball4]

nice read:

Mike,
I'll keep this short and simple. One day should be a max effort day, the other day should be a repetition upper body day where you focus on improving strength endurance and work in the 20+ rep range. Good choices here are weighted pushups, chain suspended pushups, db presses, etc. Another good option is to rep out with 225 on a bench then add a board and do few more reps, add another board and do as many as you can, add a third board, fourth board and finally fifth board, going for as many as you can each time. This method works great when training for the 225 test.

Another thing you may want to change is your bar path. As most people know, the strongest bar path is up and back, allowing your shoulders to come into play and assist your triceps in locking out the weight. Like many people I used to use the old "Westside" method of benching in a straight line becaus it is the shortest distance between two points. However, Jim taught me the proper way to flare and push back and I have used that method ever since. BUT... when you are going for the 225 test you should actually bench in a straight line. This will help you to get more reps with the shorter stroke.

[buckeyefootball4]

tell me what you think about this, my guys have stated during pushups twice a week on there upper day we started at 200 this week and will work up 500 very quickly, i was wondering should i drop mon high vol aux stuff for more strength aux work since we are duriing lots of pushups? i am thinking about seeing how many reps they increase today and then go from there.

[JJEB2]

so board presses for increasesing the 225 bench. i havent heard of that. you would be working with the 225 and the ROM would be much less but nevertheless you are working with the weight.

keeping the bar path is the biggest slut when you are just repping the shit out of the weight. i find i am strongest and most others will agree is if i hit right under the nipples and in a straight line keeping the forearms straight. many times i will just be repping it out so fast that the bar will be all over the place. that is another thing i noticed is that i have very good bar speed but my endurance just isnt there to hit 28+. i know i have the strength to do it but my body gives out first.

[JJEB2]

tell me what you think about this, my guys have stated during pushups twice a week on there upper day we started at 200 this week and will work up 500 very quickly, i was wondering should i drop mon high vol aux stuff for more strength aux work since we are duriing lots of pushups? i am thinking about seeing how many reps they increase today and then go from there.

very good question. pushups are a full upper body workout. shoulders, tris, chest, abs, and lats. IMO i would say to stick with the weighted pushups at 200 and keep the auxillary lifts at a high volume. i would say the more direct work on the certain muscle will benefit the bencher more than not having them and just doing the pushups.

but then again i have talked with many people regarding my rep day and most say simply just to do my bench and thats it. so maybe on your volume bench day you have them do the weighted pushups and thats then end of the workout. the other day just do the auxillary lifts.

[buckeyefootball4]

very good question. pushups are a full upper body workout. shoulders, tris, chest, abs, and lats. IMO i would say to stick with the weighted pushups at 200 and keep the auxillary lifts at a high volume. i would say the more direct work on the certain muscle will benefit the bencher more than not having them and just doing the pushups.

but then again i have talked with many people regarding my rep day and most say simply just to do my bench and thats it. so maybe on your volume bench day you have them do the weighted pushups and thats then end of the workout. the other day just do the auxillary lifts.

my question was since they are during bw pushups twice a week on the upper body days starting 200 going up to 500 should i drop tue high vol aux stuff front plate raises, 1 arm row and db tri ext for 4x20 since the pushup are giving them volume for more something like this bp, lockouts, wieght dips,rev grip rows and rear delt raises and keep my rep day for the bp.

[JJEB2]

nah, i would keep it teh way you are doing it. keep adding the weight on the bar on the heavy days and keep the high volume to be like the high reps of the bp. sets from 20-40 at sets of 2-3. there is no other way to actually focus on each part of the bench with just pushups.

[buckeyefootball4]

nah, i would keep it teh way you are doing it. keep adding the weight on the bar on the heavy days and keep the high volume to be like the high reps of the bp. sets from 20-40 at sets of 2-3. there is no other way to actually focus on each part of the bench with just pushups.

this is what we did last yr: i kinda like it bc i get to hit the bp aux lifts heavy at least once a week. i just feel like you have to do more then just a heavy bp on ur max effort day.

first session
bp max effort
4x20
front plate raises
1 arm row
db tri ext

second session
bp 100reps
4x5-8
front plate raises
1 arm row
db tri ext

[JJEB2]

this is what we did last yr: i kinda it bc i get to hit the bp aux lifts heavy at least once a week. i just feel like you have to have more then just a heavy bp on ur max effort day.

first session
bp max effort
4x20
front plate raises
1 arm row
db tri ext

second session
bp 100reps
4x5-8
front plate raises
1 arm row
db tri ext

so you do volume aux lifts on ME bench and low volume aux lifts on DE rep day. it seems very interesting bc you just put a heavy load on your CNS and then you hit it with higher reps.

you have gotten good success with this workout? how do you do front plate raises for only 5-8? i ask bc most likely i would use the 45 for sets of 20 and then if i used a 45 for 5-8 then i wouldnt be doing anything for myself. you like 1 arm rows over bb rows? i am just a real fan of the bb rows bc it just gives alot of power and builds mounds of mass onto my back. i dont have wide lats but i have bulky thick muscles. I also like them bc u can load a nice amount of weight and throw some momentum into it and really get the strength aspect of the lift.

[buckeyefootball4]

so you do volume aux lifts on ME bench and low volume aux lifts on DE rep day. it seems very interesting bc you just put a heavy load on your CNS and then you hit it with higher reps.

you have gotten good success with this workout? how do you do front plate raises for only 5-8? i ask bc most likely i would use the 45 for sets of 20 and then if i used a 45 for 5-8 then i wouldnt be doing anything for myself. you like 1 arm rows over bb rows? i am just a real fan of the bb rows bc it just gives alot of power and builds mounds of mass onto my back. i dont have wide lats but i have bulky thick muscles. I also like them bc u can load a nice amount of weight and throw some momentum into it and really get the strength aspect of the lift.

one of the reason of mixing load is after during 100reps its hard to 4x20 of those drills 4x5 is easier. i like both rows and use both, but i think for the 225 the 1db rows standing with no support is better just me. the the front raises u can make any drill hard by using tempos and pauses etc. this is the program pace used.

[JJEB2]

one of the reason of mixing load is after during 100reps its hard to 4x20 of those drills 4x5 is easier. i like both rows and use both, but i think for the 225 the 1db rows standing with no support is better just me. the the front raises u can make any drill hard by using tempos and pauses etc. this is the program pace used.

got ya. makes sense for sure. u got the guys with the numbers so its working.

[buckeyefootball4]

yeh the program works ur body will adapt to anything, the first week or two it may **** u up and ur reps may even go down but once ur body adapts u will shoot up. remember u r doing 100reps at the 225 ur reps have to go up.