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Finally, a fourth high repetition set is included for ten to twelve reps with fifty pounds less than you began with during the first set. The bar, rather than being lowered to the rib cage, is brought to the collarbone in a free flowing loose movement which is meant to loosen up and institute more circulation to the congested area. As well, it will instill a better pliability to the connections of the shoulder girdle. Because bench pressing to the rib cage is not a full range pectoral movement. Power or 'no', flexibility must always be maintained.' Analyzing this phase, heavier weights are continually handled. Therefore the first set will always feel rather light and comfortable. If you cannot add a rep, examine how that rep feels and also have a training partner back you up. The spotter will help you to force that particular rep out by lifting it slightly with their fingers: termed a forced repetition. Next session that rep should be a free rep and if still forced will feel lighter. In either case, you will gain ground. Phase one is your basic bench press tactic and can work indefinitely. To say that a sticking point may occur is to program an expectation of one into your training. Should an actual sticking point stump your forward advance 'you and only you' can determine the truth of its existence, then a new battle strategy of power deployment is necessary. Phase Two . . . When the former 'power groove' grip advance ceases to function to make gains for more than a couple of weeks, a reinforcement manoeuvre is called up on the bench. This is accomplished by change of grip from thirty-two inches between thumbs to a twenty three or twenty-four inch hold, depending on your own personal power groove. (A reduction of ten inches inward will serve the purpose.) With no more than three workouts, a sticking point can be smashed through using this method. First, train the usual power groove with the regular set and rep system just as before, skipping the light fourth set. Instead, marshalling the new grip in the fourth set, work a weight that will allow five to seven reps, adding a fifth set with the same grip and ten pounds more for three to five reps. Finally, finish with the power groove pumping set as your sixth set. The results show up in the third or fourth session employing this new tactic of reinforcement in the following ways: The bar in the power groove seems to take up and down action with a new control, and jumps through the center of the B.P. motion upward. Still regardless, the magic number is seven in the power groove for making gains of weights. Ultimately with time, the weight handled in this grip will climb to the poundage the power groove was stuck at. 'The Groove' action will force forward twenty or thirty pounds in a month or two, based on past performance data using the mind will power link which will be discussed shortly. Phase Three . . . Phase three is an adaptation of two, only this time the grip adjusts further inward to close grip. Hands together for again five to seven in the first close set and three to five in second. That composes a bench press session of seven sets with the pump set (using the wide grip power groove) again shifted to the last position or eighth set. It's extremely important to note if gains are being made in the time space already described, adding extra is not necessary and will not make the gains come up any faster. The result of phase three will be the same as that experienced in the gain of ground from phase two. The bar will become a toylike object in the power groove due to the reinforced packing of the muscle fibers in the medium and close grip grooves, which strengthen the muscle system unit's coordinating and power output action. Phase Four - Plan A Although the bar may fall to your complete control an underlying element can still hold you back. That of fear. Fear of tonnage and the way it feels in your hands. When a weight feels heavy, it is heavy. Phase four (A diversionary tactic.) When you need a ruthless conditioning weapon for a week or two, lockouts will suffice as your offensive weapons. Also known as supports, the bar is loaded to more than one hundred pounds over your best total and ultimate bench press performance. Removing the bar from the bench racks, it is supported and lowered an inch or so for five to seven reps (a training partner must be on hand to back you up) unless you have a specially constructed power rack with catchers that can be pressed up from. This action done on a free standing bench press is dangerous. But in a span of three workout periods, the nerves, ligaments, tendons, and muscle will toughen to such a degree that the ordinary power groove poundage will assume a whimsical lightness. Supports are included only after the third and heaviest power groove set in phase one. They may be added or excluded as necessary, at any time for a two to three week interval, for maximum effectiveness. Phase Four - Plan B No doubt, a weight heavy at arms length will also be heavy at the touchdown area on the rib cage. The 'Plan B' attack on the lower perimeter of your strength groove can and will close up weak gaps in your bench pressing forces. Plan B however, is only for the most serious dedicated B.P. person and needs two assistants or a power rack with adjustable position. The action is similar to an isometric contraction except, unlike isometrics that exert muscle force against stationary objects and surfaces for a timed resistance response. Your resistance will be a 'live weight load', that is pressing down returning pressure to the muscle area. Which neurologically makes this a superior power builder. The very same bench press weight used for supports is placed or lowered to your chest by your training partners. Here you attempt to bench press. Naturally, with over a hundred pounds more than you are capable of pressing, the bar is not going to go up. And that's the point. Push against it, fight it, feel it, for 6 over stress reps. This builds explosive power that goes off like an atomic bomb when you return to normal exercising poundages. The result: A bar blasting away from your chest like a heat-seeking missile racing to its target. Now there are some problems with this single set. When the bar is released and lifted away by the spotters, a sharp ache flashes across the chest and shoulder girdle. Plan B is a brutal assault on these torso points, but a vital link-up for an explosively vicious power groove. The insertion of Plan B takes place after supports in phase one, and is a last resort when all else fails to produce major weight breakthroughs of a steadily increasing amount. One set with six hard slugs at the bar is all that's required. (Final note): Make sure your selected platoon spotters aren't a pair of jokers. They can seriously cripple you by playing around. Here are the stats for an effective spotter or spotter squad... 1. A good spotter (not only for your safety) is a partner who can recognize the amount of lift you need to complete the reps you're forcing. This is not done with the hands but with his finger tips keeping the bar ascending smoothly during the force rep. 2. Doing more than 3 forced reps (in my opinion) is too much strain on the shoulder joint. 3. The purpose of a forced rep is an adaptation response in strength causing you to perform a clean extra rep next time you train with that weight. 4. Forced reps in every bench workout potentially can cause overtraining...or not. You have to be the judge of this depending on your personal strength and gaining patterns. Meaning you have to keep track of your repping performance and not just blindly 'bomb and blitz'. 5. As to the negative part of the bench bar laydown (and finding your power groove). You probably know already the negative action is 40% higher in strength potential that the positive. And it's negative actions in any resistance move that create muscle strength compensation for building density and fiber strength. But forced negatives on a move like the bench can be very abusive of the acromialclavicular shoulder joint attachments and the rotator cuff. Doing a negative forced rep, means to me having to have someone (potentially 2 partners) totally lift that bar off your chest after you lower a weight 40% more than you can handle in a full rep. I see this as a very damaging principle on the joints as a consequence...if not now...in the future due to possible bursa lubrication sack impingement. Time Keying for Optimizing Goals . . . During the entire presentation of these training tactics not once have weights in numbers been mentioned. Only in passing near the end of this B.P. combat plan will a figure indeed by referred to. How much you want to lift is your personal goa. You must create the goals, and expend the energy to victoriously fight up to them and onward. To accomplish that, time must be structured to approach this in steps. No trainer can jump up 100 pounds in a month. Your strategy: Select a major poundage and time limit to work toward mastering this goal. At the same time, create a minor number of smaller weight positions. Now, break these goals into a series of battle grounds using the tactics presented here. In effect, this is your bench press campaign. (An example): In one month try to gain twenty pounds on your bench. Because in either a few months or up to a year, your goal is 100 pounds more than your personal record of today. Only in doing this can you make clear to your mind and physical being what is expected of it. You must be simple, ruthless and direct with yourself. Mind force is the next area of discussion and will make that clear. Mind and Mood Sequence for a Constant Muscle Force . . . If you see yourself as weak or uninterested in hard training. Or if you have your mind on other things when you start your bench press session. Then your muscles will not perform, because they need a complete mind energizing focus to activate them to their ultimate contracting potential. Similarly, if you categorize yourself as a person who cannot achieve a goal set by yourself, then that goal will remain unchallenged and unbreached. Your conscious and hidden expectations determine exactly how far you will go on any path you choose to travel or any battle you accept or are forced to fight. The answer is to think power if you want power. A philosopher named Shoepenhauer once said, "Life is my idea". Do you know what that means? It means to think and act as one, and believe a goal can be reached. Believing it and acting upon it will take you there. On the bench press, before you even touch the bar, picture yourself as strong and always believe it on every rep. Don't be discouraged by a few possible low energy mood failures, because they are making you stronger since you learn from them. That is the purpose of this system with THE IRON CONNECTION. NUTRITIONAL MISSION REINFORCEMENTS PART THREE All human beings eat to live. An army travels on its stomach. A champion, any champion must nourish properly to build and perform. In our frame of reference 'each' needs food to produce energy and repair the energy producing system that uses it. A primary rule of thumb here is . . . "You cannot expend more energy than you replace if you expect to gain strength and power". A well balanced diet, rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fiber from natural sources combined with liquid intake fills the needs of any intelligent athlete. But super power training as this technique makes explicit has a special nutritional concern. Here we consume our meals with an eye toward protective recuperative nutrition. Some would immediately argue that there is no such thing, and the body will respond automatically due to the demands and workload put upon it. |
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Our additional answer to ergogenic and specialized nutrient non-believers is: In a hospital after surgery they now give Vitamin C and Zinc supplements which have been found to play a role in the healing process. Stress ridden businessmen are given B-Complex vitamins to counteract the dynamic effects of the competitive mental struggle they face daily, with their nervous and cardiovascular systems also augmented with Vitamin E. The question is why? When you exert a peculiar demand on the human metabolic process compensating chemical reactions take place varying from individual to individual. But certain factors always remain the same. The need of various nutritional elements for each above the norm peculiar demand. In strength building the words protective and anabolic enter the metabolic flow. This means paying special attention not only to the balanced diet for maintaining health standards, but to nutrients that correlate with the extreme expenditure of energy that must be replaced with priority above 'that norm'. In this physical circumstance an anaerobic 'super stressed' norm. That directly requires the use of elements that constitute the composition of connective and bonding substances (collagen) in the body and those involved in the release of energy. Certain vitamins and minerals fit this group of nutrients and can be acquired for insurance from a strong multi-vitamin and mineral tablet taken with meals. However, special thought should be given to 3 important supplements as well. That of (lead free) bone meal tablets, Vitamin C with bioflavonoids and an Amino Acid liquid blend formula (such as Twinlabs' Amino Fuel) and than there's the anabolic atomic weapon.... THE GLUT VINDICATOR Additionallly the training supplement (anabolic ergogenic) Glutamine is a major repair and anabolic promoting amino, this is changed into Proline and Hydroxyproline the two base aminos of collagen which supports bone and muscle composition. While there are many reasons to take glutamine from neurotranmitter synthesis, immune system boosting, increase of insulin sensitivity, to connective tissue synthesis...and many more. We trainers use it at 5-7 grams to give a growth hormone release which makes the muscle fibers more sensitive to protein synthesis. At that potency GH may be raised (meaning circulating GH) 3-5 times the usual level, GH internal environment related sensitively release decreases as you age. Taking capsules is not economical. Glutamine has no taste so the straight powder by a teaspoon or a teaspoon and half (heaping) should give you the necessary 5-7 grams. You can mix it in your mouth using water. Or stir it into the water. It's also super to take after a workout as well, than have protein drink within 45 minutes later for a major anabolic reaction caused by the training and glut in tandem metabolically. This amount is necessary because the intestines which also use it pick up a lot...since they also use it in the transport system of nutritients absorption process into the blood. Research in anabolic nutrition and ergogenics has proven the 5-7 grams works effectively. That's a good mean to work from seeing how good you feel in performance. Meaning how well you recup with sets, training alertness etc. Try glutamine as a power up weapong, you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you find as a response. Last thing, try to get it on a fairly empty stomach. Glutamine creates the GH release in about 30-45 minutes. So when you train you can (also) sip a light protein and carb drink between sets and do yourself a lot of good, as just another example of possible ergogenic applications using pre-workout glutamine. 5 grams taken twice a day can have a dramatic effect on safe strength building and joint integrity. Here's why: 'The bones are the depository of most minerals. Minerals, not available to body energy in the blood stream via food, will be extracted from the bones. Heavy consumption of refined foods as is the practice today, causes imbalances in the calcium- phosphorus ratio. These two are primarily involved, along with other minerals, in the process of contraction and relaxation in the muscle fiber. Heavy stress loads placed upon the bone structure create a need for more calcium in the bones and they become denser, just as muscle fibers using protein, and carbohydrates get stronger and thicker. Here, a special need beyond the normal use of the body takes place. Bone meal tablets(lead free), or a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement and less refined foods are a protective insurance step when energized with Vitamin D. A cheaper way to go would be a simple two glasses of skim milk...which contains almost the intire calcium daily requirement with Vitamin D to make it bone incorporation friendly, and 16 grams of complete protein. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids, or C as it is chemically known, ascorbic acid, is the major bonding substance of all tissue in the human organism and combines with certain proteins and minerals to allow our mobilizing tissues (muscles) and their connections (collagen)to have elasticity and durability. Without 'C', blood vessel walls easily rupture under heavily exercising stress. Evidence seems to indicate that both vitamin C and calcium are difficult to absorb in the presence of refined foods. But work with each other synergistically when not blocked from interacting. Minerals play a dominant role in all electrical activity in the body from rudimentary nervous system function to muscle reaction and liquid hydration balances. Specifically potassium and sodium are involved here. Addition of bone meal tablets (or powder) are roughly that of consuming physical formulas resembling your own chemical composition for use in the body's skeletal and supporting tissue. When using heavy weights on the bench, research four to six bone meal tablets combined with1000 mgs of a Vitamin C supplement from natural sources, (30 gms of an Amino Acid liquid blend taken immediately after the workout within a 1/2 hour along with a carbohydrate) to enhance enzyme production for collagen repair and development, during the period of a day at meals, with a multi-vitamin mineral tablet high in the B-Complex side of the formulation.' Now lets examine this suggested nutritional behavior and its reasons: Not acquiring the proper rest and recuperation with compensating nutritional energy restorage has profound effects on the nervous system in particular. Elements destroyed or changed in the tissues during energy use must be replaced, otherwise the physical chemistry process will recognize this situation as a deficit or overload technically termed 'negative catabolism'. On the conscious level, you will feel nervous and irritable. Progress in accumulating strength will cease. On a more advanced level, this will manifest itself as personal depression and a lethargy toward even wanting to train. To coin a phrase, you'll be suffering from 'battle fatigue' or going stale. Mental depression of this sort induced by advanced organic system fatigue can only be cured by 'not working out'. So a consistency based on balance in training, nutrition and rest periods is a must to prevent this, not continually searching for new strength routines. When the weight always feels heavy and doesn't increase, every session forced on yourself will be a so-called downer, ultimately leaving you lost with no hope. Time, rest and re-evaluation of your physical positions and the recognition of this symptom will renew your forward thrust. But why let that happen at all? No one ever won a battle by giving up. The world battle itself points to the concept of the human organism trying to conquer or equalize the forces that surround it. Therefore, the goal in your case, is to equalize the goal of your mind with the strength of your muscles, put there by adequate concentrated nutrition and R and R (rest and relaxation). Understand the reconnaissance or messages your body's systems send back to your mind. And it will be you who controls the 'win and lose struggles'. ANY QUESTIONS? Question: How can I use this system and train other bodyparts? Answer: Use it as your chest routine being careful not to overtax shoulders with pressing exercises as described earlier. If you train every day, upper body work should be done all in one day, so you may rest on the alternate day devoted to leg training. And the leg work itself should be not particularly brutal. The best way to handle that is two days on, one day off, as a sequence. But the ideal is three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday on a whole body schedule. Bench first. The Powerlifting system which includes deadlifts and squats is included on that day as well. For Bodybuilding? You must choose how to expend the limited amount of energy you have. It takes energy to train and energy to recuperate. How well you gain is an individual result you must gear to. If you want excess bench pressing power and want to exercise every single day you can only stump your progress. Because the elemental structure of the muscle fibers takes from 48 to 72 hours to regroup. That, is related to energy and recuperatives supplied by the blood stream, which is also subject to the laws of rebuilding its own stores. The inevitable answer to this puzzle is simple, direct, and ruthless (you've heard those words before). If you're not making gains, then check the battle plan. Regroup and move 'em out. Question: Is there anything else that can protect my joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists, and spinal column) during extra heavy training. Answer: Yes, read the next section to find out what hurt them. But first consider massage, warm showers while you knead the area with your fingers. Or a dry hand held vibrator application to the areas for five minutes after the workout. A good nutriceutical product for joint lubrication and cartilage protection is Glucosamine Sulfate which makes synovial joint fluids thicker thereby cushioning bones that lock and support touching each other from surface abrasion and wearing. Training 'extra' heavy makes Glucosamine a protective ergogenics aid. But that still does not mean you can abuse the joint with improper performance and leverage explosions. Question: Why do I feel a snap in my neck when I bench press ? Answer: Bench Pressing, and especially Bench Pressing to and from the collarbone or neck can exert a counter press force to neutralize and release subluxations and minor fixations in the lower cervical and upper thoracic spinal column areas. Bench Pressing potentially operates off the spinal vertebrae outlets (C-5), (C-6), (C-7), (C-8), (T-1). . . supplying a pressure that influences their position or malalignment. If you bow the spine during the Bench Press, the intire spine is than stressed. Secondarily, lifting the buttocks off the bench and arching is not a good and safe performance maneuver, although it can add up to 50 pounds to any Bench Press. Official competitions disqualify the lifter who body arches lifting the butt off the bench. Question: How can I be sure the information contained here will work? Answer: 'Success is 99% belief bonded to action. Make it work!' |
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