🚨#Personalbest Bench Press 220lb 🚨

The bench press is a technical lift, and lifters often encounter "sticky points" where their progress stalls. These weak points can be linked to muscles lacking strength or mobility.

🔥 Common Weak Points & Solution

Sticky Point	Weak Muscles	Impact on Performance
From Chest	Lats's Infraspinatus/Teres Minor Traps overactive/weak	Reduces initial drive off the chest. Causes uneven bar path and shoulder strain Lacks upper back tension
Lower 1/3	Glute Max/Medius Pectorals Major/Minor  Core Rec, Oblique, Spine	Unstable base, more challenging to press. Weak press off the chest and bar stalling. Reduces lower body stability and power.
Mid Range	Posterior Deltoid Rotator Cuff Muscles Biceps Brachii	Midway sticking point, muscle fatigue. Inconsistent bar speed and shoulder instability. Difficulty maintaining control and momentum
Lockout	Forearm Muscle Anterior Deltoid Tricep brachii, Longhead	Challenges completing the lift, failed attempts. Slow, grinding finish. Limits weight lockout.

Training Goals and Set/Rep Schemes

Training Goal	Set	Reps	Rest	Weight	Intensity
General Fitness	1-2	8-15	30-90 sec	Varies	Varies
Muscular Endurance	2-3	>12	<30	60-70& of 1Rm	1-3 RIR
Muscular Hypertrophy	3-6	6-12	30-90 Sec	70-80% of 1Rm	1-2 RIR
Muscular Strength	2-6	<6	2-5 min	80-90% of 1Rm	0-2 RIR
Power: Single-effort Multiple-effort	3-5 3-5	1-2 3-5	2-5 min 2-5 min	>90% 1-rm >90% 1-rm	0-2 RIR 0-2 RIR

RIR (Reps in Reserve) indicates how many more reps you could have performed at the end of a set

1-RM is the maximum percentage of your one repetition.

Once you’ve identified your weak points, aligning your training goals with appropriate set and rep schemes to target and strengthen these areas is essential. Focusing on these muscles can improve your bench press performance, ensuring that each lift phase is executed with power and stability.

Building Muscle and Strength

Muscles can be built across a variety of loads and rep ranges. Your weekly training volume is the most important factor in building muscle mass (hypertrophy), besides your daily calories and protein intake.

To maintain muscle mass (general fitness/muscular endurance): Perform at least 1-3 sets per muscle group.

For meaningful strength gains (hypertrophy): Perform 3-6 sets per muscle group, aiming to keep intensity  80% of 1 rep max

Power = Force X Velocity

When training for power, velocity is king. The goal is to move the weight as quickly (velocity) and explosively (force) as possible.

You can measure the intensity of your sets by estimating your reps in reserve, which is how many more reps you could have done after finishing the set.

You don't need to take your sets to muscular failure to optimize muscle hypertrophy. Staying a few reps shy of failure (1-2 reps in reserve) can yield similar gains.

Training Effects by Load and Reps

Low weight & High Reps: Increase type 1 muscle fibres (endurance), improve connective tissue and enhance capillary density.

Moderate load & Moderate Reps: This exercise increases bone density, burns fat (due to increased HGH), and aids weight loss.

Heavy Weight & Low Reps: Increases type 2 muscle fibres (power), neurological adaptation, and acute hormonal response.

Adaptation Principle

Our body needs a reason to change. Stressing the system (challenging the comfort zone) is essential for muscle growth and strength gains.

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