help, I need a training program for a contest

[BadBrain]

hi I have been here for a while, reading a lot.
In 2 months from now there will be a contest were I live, Israel.
we only have 2 kind of grades: from 0lbs to 165lbs, from 165lbs until .... unlimited, I am 165lbs so I would like to compete in the first grade, the light one...
there is the deal... we only compete in Bench press, and dead lift... no squat... ya... it's weird
I havent been powertraning till now, but I am not bad for Israeli standard.... wich is pretty low standard....
I found out couple of traning routing

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/9w...ng-program.htm
http://www.zyworld.com/powerlifting/workout.htm

but I am looking for someting specific to my need.
please help me win , I want a medal , If I lose i will stop traning.. seriously..., Iam ready to give 110% for this contest

[phreezer]

Well, just because your competing in Deadlift only doesn't mean you shouldn't train squat..

What kind of weight lifting experience do you have? It is asking a lot to have someone just put together a complete routine for you without ever having seen you, or knowing anything about you..

What are your current numbers?
Bench?
Deadlift?

[BadBrain]

I have been powerlifting only for 3,4 months
I am 165lbs (75kg), and I want to stay this weight for the competition.

bench is 2654lbs (120kg) max for 1 rep
dead is about 308lbs (140kg) max for 1 rep
squat is about 308lbs (140kg) max for 1 rep

I have only recently started powerlifting, so I gess I am kind of weak, but I started to really love powerlifting, I have been traning normally In the jym for 2 years so I have some knowledge, and I do cardio, and eats lots of protein, not much carbs or fats, so my body fat is kind of low now, not really low..., but low... I will try to get a photo soon.... so do u need more info on me?
I am single, fun outgoing guy, with green eyes...

[BadBrain]

could sombody please help me???
and I have another question, what belt should I buy? I heard about inzer at
http://www.inzernet.com/
Are they good, I so which one of the belt will be good for me?
and do I need more gear for now?
thanks ...

[phreezer]

I have been powerlifting only for 3,4 months
I am 165lbs (75kg), and I want to stay this weight for the competition.

bench is 2654lbs (120kg) max for 1 rep
dead is about 308lbs (140kg) max for 1 rep
squat is about 308lbs (140kg) max for 1 rep

I have only recently started powerlifting, so I gess I am kind of weak, but I started to really love powerlifting, I have been traning normally In the jym for 2 years so I have some knowledge, and I do cardio, and eats lots of protein, not much carbs or fats, so my body fat is kind of low now, not really low..., but low... I will try to get a photo soon.... so do u need more info on me?
I am single, fun outgoing guy, with green eyes...

Lol..I've been busy and it's taken me a few days to get back to this forum. So I guess you are ready? Let’s begin by discussing the bench press. The muscles that are the prime movers in the benchpress are the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. The lats are also used as stabilizer muscles when bench pressing. The biceps are insignificant as to their involvement in the benchpress, but it is still recommended that these muscles be exercised to maintain muscle balance. You’ll notice that we powerlifters do very little work with biceps because we simply don’t use them often enough to warrant a lot of direct training. We rely more on compound lifts to strengthen them and increase their size.

I know this isn’t exactly what most body builders want to hear, but hey; we’re not body builders! We are powerlifters!!! We have walked away from the homo erotic oiled up world of body building where men rub each other down with Baby Oil and stand around wearing nothing but their underwear We go to all you can eat buffets and we hate light beer. We’ve traded in spandex for smelling salts. We’ve thrown lifting gloves in the trash and purchased 18” lifting Straps! We don’t drink spring water, and we don’t eat tofu. We drink Mountain dew because it’s got carbs (and we could care less about the calories), and instead of chewing bubble gum we chew Copenhagen (and yes, we spit on the floor)

Ok, all kidding aside, we need to address form, so before you start pushing that bar off your chest you need to make sure your body is positioned correctly on the bench. You should be positioned on the bench so that during the ascent of the lift there is clearance from the bar hitting the uprights. This also prevents the beginning benchpresser from hitting his head on the bar every time he lies down on the bench. In my 10+ years of lifting, I’ve seen many lifts nullified by the bar hitting the uprights because the lifter underestimated his/her trajectory of the bar.

After you’ve positioned yourself correctly on the bench, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades into the bench, then try to bring your ass as close to your shoulders as possible. This “Arching” of the body will help decrease your bench stroke (the distance the bar has to travel from your chest until lockout). The feet are great for utilizing extra leverage in the bench press. Try benching with your feet crossed on the bench and then try benching again with your feet on the floor. There is a notable difference in leverage, with the latter of the two positions being the best.

You’ve expressed an interest in competeing in division’s of some of the powerlifting federations. Some federations allow you to benchpress with just your toes on the floor other federations require your feet to be flat on the floor. If you bench on your toes make sure you have them tucked underneath the bench as far as possible without losing any leverage. If you bench with your feet flat on the floor tuck your heels underneath the bench as far as possible without the heels coming even slightly off the floor. Your knees should be directly above your toes. Dig in with the heels for that extra leverage.

Placement of the head can be in an up (head off the bench) position or in the down (head flat on the bench) position. Research has indicated that there is really no advantage to using either one. Most federations allow you to bench either way, but some still do not. Check the federation rules before you do one or the other.

Now that your body is in the proper position, it’s time to grip the bar. The widest grip cannot exceed 81 cm or 31 7/8 inches between your index finders. Your index fingers must be in contact with the rings on the Olympic bar. The wider you have your grip, the shorter the distance till lockout (bench stroke).

I recommend starting out with a grip where the outside edge of the palm is just touching the rings. Once you have acquired proper form and technique your grip can change to a slightly wider grip. I highly recommend that you experiment with varying grip widths to discover the strongest hand position on the bar that best suits you. Lifters with long arms should consider using the widest legal grip. The closer the grip the more emphasis placed on the triceps. Wider grips emphasize more anterior deltoid involvement.

When grasping the bar, wrap your thumbs completely around the bar. I have seen some pretty nasty accidents with lifters who use a thumbless (suicide) grip because the bar rolled off their palms and fell onto their chest. Some federations don’t allow the thumbless grip anyway because of the liability involved. The reverse grip is also another grip that a lot of powerlifting federations have banned due to liability reasons.

Once you have grasped the bar, make sure you keep your hand and wrist in the same alignment as the path of the bar. Don’t roll your wrists back. Take the bar out of the uprights and hold it at arm’s length. Tighten up your whole body from head to tow. Bring the bar down in a controlled manner to your chest where it remains motionless just below the nipple area of the pectorals. Don’t bring the bar down to your chest too fast. This requires the muscles to be unnecessarily worked to break the quick descent of the bar. Another reason not to bring the bar down fast on the descent is you increase the chances of missing the proper bar placement on the chest and thus losing important leverage needed to initiate the lift properly. During the descent try and focus on keeping your elbows inward and take in a deep breath.

Start the ascent of the lift like a rocket coming off your chest. Push as hard and fast as possible utilizing velocity to defeat gravity. Do not slow down until the bar is completely locked out. I have seen many lifters miss lifts due to over confidence. As soon as they have pushed the bar through the sticking point they slow down believing they will finish the lift, but only to find out they cannot lock the lift out due to their own deceleration of the bar.

As the bar comes off the chest the elbows should push out slightly as you exhale through the sticking point. The trajectory of the bar is a slight arc that moves inward towards the uprights to the point of lockout.. If you have strong triceps, a straight up press may suit you. This, of course, results in a shorter bench stroke.

Here is an eight-week program geared toward increasing your bench press. That I put together for someone else. I based all figures on a 225lb. max. If your max is heavier just multiply the poundage used in the routine based on your max.

Example: 200/225 max = .88 (88%) 400/225 max = 1.7 (177%)

8-WEEK CYCLE:

WEEK 1
Monday (Heavy Day)
Benchpress 135X10, 165X10, 175X8
Close grip Benchpress 115X8X2
Lying Dumbbell Presses 20X10X2
Dips Bodyweight X10X2
Weighted Push-Ups 45X10X2
Lying Tricep Extensions 55X10X3

Thursday (light day)
Benchpress 135X10X1, 145X8X2 (3 second pause reps)
Power Rack Lockouts (110% of your 1RM) X5X2
Tricep pushdowns 30X10X2
Hammer Curls 20X10X2

WEEK 2
Monday (Heavy Day)
BenchPress 135X10 170x8, 180x8
Close Grip Benchpress 120x8x2
Lying Dummbell presses 25x10x2
Dips Bodyweightx10x2
Weighted push-ups 45x10x2
Lying Tricep Extensions 55x10x3

Thursday (Light Day)
Benchpress 135x10, 150x8x2 (3 second pause reps)
Power Rack Lockouts (109% of your 1RM) x5x2
Tricep Pushdowns 30x10x2
Hammer Curls 20x10x2

WEEK 3
Monday (Heavy Day)
Benchpress 135x10, 175x6, 185x6
close grip benchpress 125x8x2
Lying dumbbell presses 30x10x2
Dips Bodyweightx10x2
weighted pushups 70x10x2
Lying Tricep Extensions 60x10x3

Thursday (Light Day)
Benchpress 135x10, 155x8x2 (3 second pause reps)
Power Rack Lockouts (108% of your 1RM)x5x2
Tricep pushdowns 35x10x2
hammer curls 25x10x2

WEEK 4
Monday (Heavy Day)
Benchpress 135x10, 180x5 190x5
Close grip benchpress 135x6x2
Lying dumbbell presses 50x6x2
Dips (add 15lbs)x8x2
Weighted Push-ups 70x8x2
Lying tricep extensions 65x8x2

Thursday (Light day)
Benchpress 135x10, 160x8x2 (3 second pause reps)
power Rack lockouts (107% of your 1RM)x5x2
Tricep Pushdowns 40x8x2
Hammer curls 30x8x2

WEEK 5
Monday (heavy day)
Benchpress 135x10, 185x10, 195x5, 170x5 (3 second pause reps)
Close Grip Benchpress 145x5x2
Lying dumbbell presses 55x6x2
Dips (add 20lbs)x6x2
Weighted Push-ups 100x6x2
Lying Tricep Extensions 65x8x2

Thursdsay (Light day)
Benchpress 135x10, 165x6x3 (3 second pause reps)
Power Rack Lockouts (106% of your 1RM)x5x2
Tricep pushdowns 45x6x2
Hammer Curls 40x6x3

WEEK 6
Monday (Heavy Day)
Benchpress 135x10, 200x3, 210x3 175x5 (3 second pause reps)
Close grip benchpress 155x5x2
Lying dumbbell presses 60x5x2
Dips (add 30lbs)x5x2
Weighted Push-ups 75x5x3
Lying Tricep Extensions 75x6x3

Thursday (Light Day)
Benchpress 135x10 170x5x3 (3 second pause reps)
Power Rack lockouts (105% of your 1RM)x5x2
Tricep Pushdowns 50x5x2
Hammer Curls 45x5x3

WEEK 7
Monday
Benchpress 135x10 215x2, 230x2 185x5

WEEK 8
135x10, 185x1, 240x1, 250x1

Perform every rep in your workout with a pause. This includes your warm-ups. You must pause your attempts in competition; so why not train using pauses in your workouts?
Gradually increase the weight on the supplementary exercises then, in weeks seven and eight stop, performing them along with the light bench day. Focus on just the benchpress the last two weeks of the cycle. You should only bench one day a week while handling sub maximal and maximal poundage. Your body will need the additional rest to recover.

Perform the lockouts in a power rack, not a smith machine. The smith machine will completely change your natural mechanics of the benchpress. Position the pins in the power rack three inches before your elbows are locked out. Start out using a weight that’s 110% of your 1RM. This 3” height from the top of your chest is usually the beginning of the sticking point in the benchpress for most lifters.

I can’t remember for certain, but I believe that you do not have a partner. If you have a partner this will help you a great deal while doing weighted pushups. have him position the plate on your upper back. The lower the plate is positioned on your back, the less stress placed on the delts, pecs, and tris. So try and keep the plate positioned on your upper back for a better effect. Now, if you do not have a training partner. I would recommend getting a back pack and using that. Place the 45lb plate in the sack and fasten it to yourself as securely as possible so the weight doesn’t slide around too much while performing the lift.

On your light bench day, after the warm up set, perform all pauses with a three second count. 1...2...3...press. This will help build explosiveness pushing the bar off your chest. This will help you prepare for bands/chains in the future, and it will also help if you’re in a meet and the head referee is a little slow on the press signal.

As far as equipment is concerned, if you’re serious about powerlifting, you’re eventually going to have to get a shirt. I recommend an Inzer or a Karen’s Double Denim benchpress shirt. However, shirts are not easy to learn, you can’t just go out, buy one, put it on, and set a new PR. Chances are, the first time you use your shirt you’ll actually not be able to bench as much as you normally do. We powerlifters use our triceps a lot more than BB’s to bench, and if you’re not used to training in this manner, your triceps will be lacking and you will fall short on your lifts. If there is someone close to you who knows how to use a shirt I would get with them and have them teach you. It will also be VERY important that you find a good training partner if you want to pursue a career in this sport, you’ll need a spotter to help with heavy lifts, and you’ll need someone to hold boards for you when you start doing board presses, but that’s in the future.

Also I would recommend that you get a good belt and a good set of lifting straps. Straps can be anywhere from 12”-18”. I use 18” wraps myself, but my lifting partner hates wraps that big and swears by the 12”. You’ll just have to find which size your more comfortable with.


Hope this helps!

[phreezer]

I'm getting fairly short on time, but I'll put about three weeks worth of lower body workouts here. This should be enough to get you started. You need to read everything you can find on the web by Louie Simmons, this will help you carry beyond this three week ME DE lower body workout.

You'll need to get yourself some power bands.... Here is a link detailing what I'm talking about...http://www.monstermuscle.com/accessories.asp

you'll need mini's, lights and average....

week1
Tuesday - Max Effort Lower Body Day

Box Squats 3 sets of 5 (3-5 warm-up sets)
Good Mornings 3 sets of 5 (3-5 warm-up sets)
Pull-Throughs 4-8 sets of 8
Pull-down Abs 3-7 sets of 8
Hanging Leg Raises 4 sets to failure
Reverse Hypers 4 sets of 8

Friday - Dynamic Effort Lower Body Day

Box Squat 15 sets of 2 reps
Romanian Deadlifts 4 sets of 15
Pull -down Abs 3-7 sets of 8
Hanging Leg Raises 4 sets to failure
Reverse Hypers 4 sets of 8

week2

Tuesday - Max Effort Lower Body Day

DeadLifts 3 sets of 5 (3-5 warm-up sets)
Zerchers 3 sets of 5 (3-5 warm-up sets)
Pull-Throughs 4-8 sets of 8
Pull-down Abs 3-7 sets of 8
Hanging Leg Raises 4 sets to failure
Reverse Hypers 4 sets of 8

Friday - Dynamic Effort Lower Body Day

Box Squat 15 sets of 2 reps
Stiff Legged Dl's 4 sets of 15
Pull -down Abs 3-7 sets of 8
Hanging Leg Raises 4 sets to failure
Reverse Hypers 4 sets of 8

week3

Tuesday Max effort lower body day

Rack Pulls :: Warmup, 5X3, 3X1
Overhead Squats :: 3X5
Reverse Hypers :: 3X5
GHR :: BWx10x4
Hip Thrusts :: 100lbs x8x3

Friday Dynamic Effort lower body day

Box Squats :: Warmup, 1X8, 1x5, 1x8, 1X2 using Bands or chains
Speed Deads :: All Double mini's, 135x1, 135x1, 155x1, 185x1, 185x1, 185x1, 205x1, 225x1,
Pull Throughs :: 1x8, 1x6, 1x3
Squat thrusts :: 200x6x4
Calves :: Whatever you want to do for them
__________________

[BadBrain]

first of all , thanks !!! that was more them I asked , u r the man !, very important info, and fun to read.
but the link u gave me not working, can u give me a link to a nice belt for me?
and remember I am only 165lbs...
1 more important question, should I combine those 2 programs together (4 days a week) , coz I want to improve my bech, dead and squat...

[phreezer]

first of all , thanks !!! that was more them I asked , u r the man !, very important info, and fun to read.
but the link u gave me not working, can u give me a link to a nice belt for me?
and remember I am only 165lbs...
1 more important question, should I combine those 2 programs together (4 days a week) , coz I want to improve my bech, dead and squat...

http://www.inzernet.com/

Yes, combine them into a four day a week routine

[BigDogRonnieC]

nice post phreezer just remember that technique with compounds lifts is very important if your technique with squat and bench is there it will make a world of diffrence ive told guys a few of the things on that post about bench and seen them put up ten more pounds on the bar just beacuse they were using the right technique. keep working hard and good luck at the comp.