9/9 ME BENCH DAY HUGE PR for me

[Cubanito17]

Hey guys well today was my ME bench day and I was doing 4 boards. I just recieved my mini bands today so like a lil kid I wanted to play with my new toys. So I went in the gym well after doing warms ups up to 225 straight bar I decided to go back down to 185 with the bands what I did was since I don't have a power rack in my gym just a bench I put 100lb DB on the floor and doulbed the minis and wrapped the bottom around the DB's and the other side to the bar I believe this put s 25lbs of tension on bottom and 50lbs on top(correct me if I'm wrong so I don't keep bragging). Well I normally do my board presses NO BULLSHIT with like a 2 second pause. So I went ALL the way up to 305 bar weight and the doubled minis. If I'm correct with the tension that's the FIRST TIME I EVER!!!! Lock out 355. I can't wait to get in a shirt and get in a meet on OCT 26 I KNOW FOR SURE that my 375 is gonna go up. BANDS ARE AWESOME in my gym it's full of BB's including my brother but EVERYONE in the free weights area was watching me some guy in their(happens to be my brothers teacher) had a friend when he lived in main that was REAL BIG in PL and he knew what I was doing he's the one that told me about the tension on the minis. It's my first time using bands.

400 by the end of this year in a shirt WILL FLY.(hopefully in DEC daytona)

SOLID If you read this WATCHOUT I got that 350 in me soon raw.

[Superman75]

Wow! Keep it up dude you are onto some big numbers!

[musc2002pa]

The way I am understanding this is that you layed a DB on the floor and looped the band underneath the handle...bring both ends of the band up and placing it on the bar like this video. If thats the case, then your tension will be higher than what you stated. CLoser to 40 at the chest and 75lb at the top. So you may have locked out more than you think!!!

chad
carolinapower.net

[xxxl83]

Cuban,

Congrats on the PR. Sounds like the work is paying off.


xxxl83

[Screwball]

Congrats on the PR, Cubanito. Musc2002pa is right about the tension. It was probably 30-40 at the bottom and 75-85 at the top. Considering your close grip benching style it may have been as much as 90 at the top. Damn good numbers. Aren't you glad you finally caved in and decided to put some body weight on. Weight moves weight! There are no two ways about it.

[deciever]

YUP, if you set it up the correct way(doubled) it was more like 80 at the top...

pretty much it shuld be a "U" with the tops of the "U" on the bar and the bottom under the dumbells

great job man.

[powerlifterjay]

Good job bro! There right , you had more tension then you thought.

[BigArnie]

Cubanito, that's huge, man! I'm getting worried here; you're catching up to me fast!

[k1401]

Great Job Cubanito17!

What ya weighing now?

[solidj55]

Good job bro, I bet you will hit that 350 raw a lot sooner than me!!!

[Cubanito17]

WHOA SHIT. HELLL FUCK YEA

ok musc I can't see vids when I DL them on my comp my bro is a comp expert but the thing is we have had some virus probs so until we get a better comp I can't see the video.

What I did was got the minis one on each side I got a 100lb DB and set it on the floor next to the bench under the bar then I double the mini so it looks like they're two of them from the same one and brought it to the bar and I had 305 bar weight and then the tension from the bands. SO this means if you guys are right about 40lbs bottom and 75 on top I LOCKED OUT 375 from a 4 BOARD (HOLY SHIT).

screwball I was using 1 inch away from pinky on power rings for grip remember i'm trying to widen up my grip so I can hit bigger numbers.

MY weight is 203 but i've found something that really works for me on lifting days eat about 250g/protein and more than 700g/carbs. that's how i'm putting on weight I don't even watch the fat intake as long as I get that much food. I had my g/f come over for dinner last night (my mom is cuban my dad is italian, that = a shit load of good home cookin every meal, so we had lasagna and pizza. I had 3 huge chunks of lasagna and 5 slices of home made pizza. when she ate 1 piece of lasagna and 2 slices of pizza. She said tomm night when she has me over for dinner her mom has to cook for 4 people for me alone:-) I love food)

Hey guys I know this might be BB stuff or even myths BUT yesterday right before liftin i had the king supreme from BK it's two patties cheese on one burger and its 2 for $2 that was the best part and I've read that bad choelesterol like that raises your test so I figure right before liftin it's good. NOW this might be a myth but if I think it's worked for me i'ma keep doing it. I'll prob see MORE weight gain with this but it's all good I don't care I plan on doing BOBs meet at 220 if i'm closer to that then 198 BUT FOR SURE in DEC 198 I don't wanna get my ASS BEAT in 220.

Since I went on about alot of things someone please remember to answer if the tension is correct.

[Cubanito17]

You know how they say if you think about the weight that's on the bar you might be afraid to lift it, well if bands put the same amount of tension that the weight would I think that's been my problem A BIG MENTAL PROBLEM. hell I remember when I use to use 55lb DB for tate presses and everyone said accordin to westside I should be benching 350+ well maybe it's all in my head about the weight if the tension part is correct. I used 65lb DB's for 4X8 tate presses yesterday after my 4 boards.

[Ermantroudt]

Someone is going to have a hell of a next meet! Nice job on the PR! You are right about not thinking about the load on the bar, have your training partner load for you on ME day, and tell you afterwords what the load was, you will suprise yourself.

Ermantroudt

[Cubanito17]

See I used to do that, BUT only on like maxing out days when I first started westside back in NOV 2001 I did mini cycles then ever 8 weeks I'd go for a raw max before I entered my first meet. My coach, back then, called it 'blind spot bench' so we wouldn't know what was on the bar we'd go outside he'd load the bar you came in all pumped with eyes closed layed on the bench he'd take the towels that he had on the weights off and you'd bench it. if you got it easy back outside for more weight. what I found out he'd do was your old max for your first rep he'd go 10lbs under i.e. old max 200 he'd put 190 on the bar for your first attempt.

Hey ermandtroudt you wouldn't happen to know the answer to my question about the bands would ya???

oh and about the next meet thing I CANT WAIT I was gonna start doing cardio now since I talked to PLJAY about it so I can start losing weight but I think just for the bench meet i'm gonna compete in whatever i weight that day not worry about the weight so I don't lose the strength.

[GRIMMER]

Shit!!.....i need to stop giving yoiu advice and start training for myself. Nice Work!! I'm gonna have to step it up a notch to keep you at bay. Next time when you set it up put one 60 or 70 lb DB on each side of the bar and double one band on each db and onto the bar. This way you will know that the tension is 100 at the top and about 50 at the chest. This just makes estimating weight a little easier. Keep up the good work and we will have a race for 400.

[Cubanito17]

Hey man aigh i'll race ya to the 400 once I pass solid to the 350 raw. Is this 400 raw or shirted?. well about the DB does it really make a diff which DB I use like weight wise. I figured with a heavier DB FOR SURE the bands were gonna stay. Once again thanks for the advice man but stil I mean if I can't get that weight off my chest or if I don't have a good shirt it does me no use for DEC. so from 50lbs of tension on the boards(chest) it goes to 100lbs of tension at top(lockout) meaning that in b/w there as many inches as I have the tension goes up each inch???

I'm trying to get a hang of this band stuff. I've trained westside for a year now just never really used bands. so all my progress from before was as a beginner westside now i'm training intermediate. (the way I see it).

Can't wait til DE day with the bands on friday I'm gonna try and use 115 bar weight and doubled minis. I normally use 145lbs bar weight no bands or chains(don't have them, yet) and my sets are well under 3 seconds. I tried using 155 and I got it in 3.1 seconds so I stuck with under 3 seconds for my sets since I know once I get to set 5 i'm a lil slower. BUT i'm thinking with 115 bar weight it should be good, for me.

[GRIMMER]

Na , it doesn't matter what db you use as long as it is heavy enough to keep the db from sliding around and i have found 70's to be my preference. I'm working on getting a shirt for you. I used a single poly last week with Florida crew and am gonna try and find another one like it for you.

115 maybe 135 would even be good for your band day just go by feel. It is a lot different. Set the bands up like i said for this day and yoiu will notice that the bar is going to come down a lot faster.

[Cubanito17]

Aigh man I'll try with 115 for my first set see how speed goes there if it's all good go back up to 135 and have my bro time me to make sure i'm under 3.0. I can't wait til fri to see sup with my lifts. And then after DE bench I can't wait til I do 5 boards with like 275+doubled minis. In MY POWER RACK!!!!