I BENCHED 225lbs!!!

[White_lightning]

Congrats Dave, you're as strong as me now!

I'm glad you're able to get back after it, keep it up. Your next goal is to match my speed.

shit i'm impressed that you can bench 225

[SVT Lurch]

shit impressed that you can bench 225

We can't all be rockstars like you

[slow99]

Lolz @ tag.

[Sleeper]

Man if i could bench 225 id be a happy mofo.

[stangin4lyfe]

My goal is to be able to CONTROL the 150lb dumbbells...I could care less how much I straight bar bench.
I have gotten up to narrow gripping 315 for reps with proper form on tricep days.
Ever since I had my elbow surgery about a year ago I have made a TON of progress on my tri's and they used to be what I call my weak point.

[White_lightning]

My goal is to be able to CONTROL the 150lb dumbbells...I could care less how much I straight bar bench.
I have gotten up to narrow gripping 315 for reps with proper form on tricep days.
Ever since I had my elbow surgery about a year ago I have made a TON of progress on my tri's and they used to be what I call my weak point.

Dumbells never did it for me on flat bench.. i liked them for incline when i was going heavy and the lewisville gym had 165s... which made good for 3-4 sets of 10-12 on incline.. but on flat bench it just wasnt enough weight..

you know what you are doing.. but i can tell you one thing.. the best movement i have found to help stablize a big dumbell for flat or incline was Skull crushers.. the stronger my tris got the easeir it was to controll the dumbell.. now i also have had elbow injuries so i dont take it to my fore head but instead would lower the eZ bar to behind my head so that my bicep to forearm is never compressed.. it made a HUGE difference in my controll and max weight on bench..

[stangin4lyfe]

Dumbells never did it for me on flat bench.. i liked them for incline when i was going heavy and the lewisville gym had 165s... which made good for 3-4 sets of 10-12 on incline.. but on flat bench it just wasnt enough weight..

you know what you are doing.. but i can tell you one thing.. the best movement i have found to help stablize a big dumbell for flat or incline was Skull crushers.. the stronger my tris got the easeir it was to controll the dumbell.. now i also have had elbow injuries so i dont take it to my fore head but instead would lower the eZ bar to behind my head so that my bicep to forearm is never compressed.. it made a HUGE difference in my controll and max weight on bench..

LOL at 165lb dumbbells not being enough weight!
Incline has always been my strong suit and I really try to focus on it to bring my chest up and out.
I can do the 140's on incline right now, but I am also up to 248lbs now too.
Right now I am consuming 6,000-7,000 calories a day, trying to get past the 250 mark without putting on too much excess fat.
You are correct about SK's, only problem is any time I hit the long head, I get elbow/forearm tendon problems(as in it tightens/hardens up and I have to deep tissue massage it out and take a healthy dose of ibuprofen). I am no pansy, so I still do them, I just have to go lighter(135lbs) and really concentrate on the form. I do plan on trying SK's behind the head to alleviate the pressure on the joint and I also appreciate your insight.

[White_lightning]

LOL at 165lb dumbbells not being enough weight!
Incline has always been my strong suit and I really try to focus on it to bring my chest up and out.
I can do the 140's on incline right now, but I am also up to 248lbs now too.
Right now I am consuming 6,000-7,000 calories a day, trying to get past the 250 mark without putting on too much excess fat.
You are correct about SK's, only problem is any time I hit the long head, I get elbow/forearm tendon problems(as in it tightens/hardens up and I have to deep tissue massage it out and take a healthy dose of ibuprofen). I am no pansy, so I still do them, I just have to go lighter(135lbs) and really concentrate on the form. I do plan on trying SK's behind the head to alleviate the pressure on the joint and I also appreciate your insight.

Super set SK with close grip bench on the EZ Bar.. or.. normally i do 3 sets of close grip bench low ( to about my solar plexes) before doing Skull crushers.. this gets them to where i can bust out some skulls..

[SS Junk]

I'm just happy to show up at the gym, pick things up and put them down. Any young cork soakers want to guffaw at that, let's see where you are after 40 with your greying comb over, paunch, plaid shirt and weed infested lawn.

[R1psycho]

<------has the weakest flat bench ever! 185 kicked my ass last night

[Z06killinsbf]

Lol at cork soakers. "I lika to soaka da corks"

[SS Junk]

<------has the weakest flat bench ever! 185 kicked my ass last night

If you're stuck on a certain weight what has always helped me is adding 10lbs and trying to go for the same amount of reps. It has worked very well into tricking my mind into doing more weight.

[White_lightning]

<------has the weakest flat bench ever! 185 kicked my ass last night

If you have a spotter... Forced reps and negative = help a bunch... As long as your form is perfect. On bench form > weight..

[R1psycho]

If you have a spotter... Forced reps and negative = help a bunch... As long as your form is perfect. On bench form > weight..

I keep my form as clean as I can. I've always been a puss upper body, but I can throw 185 up for 10 which is a far cry from barely being able to lift just the bar 7 months ago.....lol. On the chest press machine I can push 260 for 8....it's a mental thing of not wanting to have my arms buckle and have the weight fall where everyone points and laughs. The last month I've been doing the incline and decline with dumbells to get my arms more stable and it's slowly coming around. Triceps are coming around finally

[R1psycho]

If you're stuck on a certain weight what has always helped me is adding 10lbs and trying to go for the same amount of reps. It has worked very well into tricking my mind into doing more weight.

I'll try that. Thanks