It seems like only yesterday I was benching 500 pounds raw with ease and benching over 800 pounds in a shirt with ease as well, but times have changed. Age, millage, injuries and a litany of other things have caught up with me on the bench press. The lift that I used to be able to hang my hat on anytime I wanted to seems to be fading away from me.
I have been fighting father time for 4 or 5 years on the bench press but it looks like he is winning right now. It's a frustrating thing that something that you love so much is being taken from you without you having any choice in the matter.
My left labrum has been torn for almost 5 years and it is getting worse week by week, month by month and year by year. Now a new problem has arose, both of my elbows feel like I have screwdrivers lodged in them anytime I am benching now. No matter how much recovery work, ice, heat, tens unit, elbow sleeves, cuffs, or any other aparatice is helping right now. I have even tried resting and not benching for a few weeks now, and that hasn't helped either. I know, poor old Joey is falling apart, cry me a river....
So for this meet my strategy is changing. I have a much bigger shirt that I am testing out that I can get down with lighter weight in. Unfortunately it has come to pass that I have to be conservative on the bench press. So her is me being conservative and learning how to bench again in a much bigger shirt, lighter weight and pushing my ego aside so that I can still try to obtain some goals.
So on my "off" weeks I will train with this bigger shirt and work on taking much lighter weight than I am used to in hopes that I can have a better chance at hitting an opener on bench and giving myself at least a shot at going after my total.
Here it goes....
Bench Press
1 x bar - 1 1 x 135 - 1 1 x 225 - 1 1 x 315 - 1
Added 2board Added MADDOG SLING SHOT
1 x 405 - 1 1 x 500 - 1
Added METAL PRO BENCH SHIRT
1 x 500 x 2board - 1 1 x 600 x 1board - 1
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns with MAG Bar
4 x 10
Long Rope Tri Pressdowns
5 x 20
Seated Cable Rows with V Bar Attachment
5 x 10
DB Incline Press
4 x 12
Abs
