9/13 De Bench Day, Oh Ye I Love Bands

[Cubanito17]

Hey guys today was my DE bench day and the first time I used doubled minis. I got some pics, my g/f has a dig cam and she came into the weight room with me and my bro to take pics(she wants to be a photographer, go figure) well anyway when I find out how to get them on the comp(we're all comp illiterate) then i'll post them DECIEVER GET READY TO HELP ME OUT LIL(BIG)BRO.

I did 135 bar weight + doubled minis 2 sets close 2.57/2.88seconds.(she also timed me) 2 sets pinky touching rings 2.73/2.82 2 sets middle finger on ring 2.95/3.02(can you tell where i'm slow) and then my narrow comp grip 2 sets 2.66/2.71

I believe if I got this tension shit correct I had 185 at bottom and 235 at lockout!?!?!?

After those I did 5boards with doubled minis 4 sets of 4 with 245 bar weight and doubled minis PR FOR ME normally i'd do 245 alone b/c my tris are fatigued (this time I had the minis).
then I did BB skullcrushers 75X3X8
Plate raises 45lb plateX3X10
Incline DB press 70X3X8(I stil believe in working chest for high raw max)
Hammer curls45X3X6
then EAT, EAT, and ATE some more.

[deciever]

good stuff man. Good speed as well. I use really light weight on speed days (2.0-2.5 seconds).

Bands are great arent they??

any way

[email protected] - send a way.. j

[GRIMMER]

Correction on the tension i gave you. They are 80 at the top and 50 at the chest if you are using a DB as an ancor. Anyway nice work.

[Mastermind]

I asked this of PLJ in another thread, but how do you measure the tension accurately?

Grimmer, you mention figures for db anchor...but that will vary by weight of db (determines size, and distance they sit from eachother or the power rack), distance between the db and base of rack, angle of suspension, etc...

Are those numbers just rough estimates? I'd really like to be able to measure mine, but it seems like there are too many veriables. Fill me in?

Thanks Bro.

[musc2002pa]

Well there are couple of different ways to measure it. Some people like to set up scales and stuff...but I found that to be a big pain in the ass. What I do is this.

Say you tie your band to the bottom of a power rack for bench. Set the bands up...get on the bench and press it to lockout. Now have someone measure the distance the bands are stretched. You can do this for all your grips...since the close grips will stretch it more.

Now set your bands up the opposite way (hanging from the top of a bench). Now insert the bar and measure the length that the bands are stretched (be sure to measure in the same spot as before). Lets say this number is 20inches (hypothetical). Then at 20 inches of stretch, you are getting 45lbs of resisitance. Now add some weight to the bar and measure again. Write down the distance stretched/weight.

So lets say your close grip bench is at 32" band stretch. Just keep placing weight on the bar till you get the bands to stretch 32" and you will have determined your tension. you can do this for all your bands, all your training partners and all your grips.

It works

chad
carolinapower.net

[Mastermind]

Won't that depend on the thickness of the bar you're tieing it to? I hate to get nitpicky, but I always thought measuring this was impossible. If the power rack's top bar is a square, about 2 x 2 x 2, and when the band is on the ground it's wrapped around a db's that's round and about 1" in diameter, that will change the overall tension, at any given length.

Do you only use bands for speed? Or max work too?

[GRIMMER]

Using dumbels is really pretty acurate for most DB because the only thing that matters is how far the handle of the DB is off the ground. And for most DB in gyms , that only varies slightly between brands of DB. I'm talking about the heavier DB's where there are usually 3 or 4 plates on a side like 60's or 70's not the 10's and 15's. The distance between brands that i heve seen is negligable. Placement of the DB is right under the bar at the collars so there are no angles to worry about since all the tention is all straight up and down. Yes i have measured this with a scale set-up.
But another easier way but less acurate way is to take a DB put your bands through it the way it is set up on your movement and pull the bands to a height of say at your lockout. If the DB comes off the floor before you get to that height then it is to light. So if i put a 40lb DB on the floor , double my band around it and pull up, right as i get to lockout height the DB will start to come off the floor. THis is how much tension is at that height. If when i get to lockout the DB is still on the floor then i have to much DB weight and need to find a lighter one. So for two doubled minis thats 80lbs at lockout with this method. I have done both the scale method and the DB method is usually a very close estimate of the actual. I brought in my own scale and did a whole day on measurng band tensions using boxes and boards to bring the scale up to the hight i wanted to measure ie. chest and lockout. what a pain in the ass that was. And a dissapointment , i'm not as strong as i thought i was. My suggestion is to not worry about how much band tention there is and just do it.

[Mastermind]

Originally posted by GRIMMER
My suggestion is to not worry about how much band tention there is and just do it.

That's why I asked about speed vs max work. I only use them for speed, and so the weight hasn't been an issue.

[Superman75]

I use the bands every time with speed work. I havent tried them much with max effort work although they work well for that as well. The bands on speed day always seem to get my chest get sore and then grow!

[musc2002pa]

Simple....just tie the band to the saftey bar and measure the same way. The thickness of a saftey bar is very close to that of a dumbbell handle. You may be off +/- 5lbs, but who really gives a shit? You cant be that anal about it. Like Grimmer said, don't get too worried about band tension. As long as you have a very close estimate (which this method will give you), then you are fine. Its actually more accurate than goin through the hoopla of setting up a scale, etc. I spoke to dick hartzell on the phone about it, and he thought this was a great method to estimate band tension.

I use bands for both speed work and max effort work...I use all the bands at some point or another.


chad
carolinapower.net

[Cubanito17]

WOW if anyone wants to know about band tension come to this thread. Well thanks for the clarification GRIMM. At least it's stil 215 at the top, not that bad for speed.

Dec thanks on the speed congrats, I'm really gonna start takin speed serious if it's suppose to help you that much, I found out with the bands it pulls the weight down and that helps you bring it down faster. I know it sounds like I make no sense but I know what i'm trying to say at least.

About the pics I'm stil trying to find out how to get them from the computer on here, and for some reason ALL the pics are blury anyone know why???

[xxxl83]

Mastermind,

The band tension in lbs on ME day matters even less than DE day. As long as you set up the bands the same way every time you do a specific exercise, who cares about the exact numbers? examlpe...3 board press 435 + light band. The next week you know what you have to shoot for to reach a new PR= 440 + light band.


xxxl83

[deciever]

Originally posted by Cubanito17

About the pics I'm stil trying to find out how to get them from the computer on here, and for some reason ALL the pics are blury anyone know why???

probably because you were moving the bar so fast during bench it couldnt capture a clear image.

[Cubanito17]

yea I wish it was that, No see I took 4 pics of my set up and then i took one pic or my g/f took one of my doing 5 boards with doubled minis. So there is a pic of me on there. And then I prob won't be posting these but she wanted me to pose for her to hang them in her room so i got like 3 stil pics. So I don't know I think there's something wrong with the camera i've been trying to read and fix it BUT DAMNIT these things are complicated. And to get them on here is a bitch and a half.

[Cubanito17]

xxxl well i just wanted to know what it was b/c I mean bar weight wise I didn't PR so I wanted to know what it was with the tension. Do you get my drift. I mean I have to worry somewhat about the tension until i've hit the bands on all my ME lifts and then I know what to expect with them but I mean I don't wanna be putting bands on all and then seeing the bar weight go down instead of up.