Lift and Learn Part II: Stuck under the bar
On Monday, I had a humbling experience - I got stuck under the bar on the bench press. I workout in the early morning so there aren’t usually a lot of people around, but fortunately one of the other pre-dawn regulars jumped in and helped out.
I got off lightly; my pride is the only thing that was injured.
I am currently working through a version of The Texas Method which involves varying volume and intensity throughout the week, with a personal record (PR) attempt on Friday. I had decided that I’d go for 5 rep max’s rather than 1RM but I got into trouble on the 3rd rep. A part of me thinks I shouldn’t have attempted the 3rd rep, but on the other hand I know that the only way to progress is to relentlessly push forward.
The failure has really got me thinking about how to safely increase my bench press. My bench is my weakest lift, and the one that progresses the slowest and, to be honest, increasing the weight scares me. That thought alone has probably held me back.
The only factor that seems to be consistent over the years is that my bench is best when my bodyweight is the highest. For example, I was able to bench 180lb when my bodyweight was at 165lb, whereas this morning I got stuck under 175lb at a bodyweight of 155lb. I guess if you’re measuring in terms of bodyweight then it was actually a PR - 109% (180/165) vs 113% (175/155).
Perhaps that’s how I should be measuring my progress across all lifts - as a percentage of bodyweight. If I’d done that on Monday then I would probably only have attempted 170lb and may have avoided the whole incident.
From now on I’ll follow the StrongLifts guide to bench pressing safely when you’re training alone. I’ll get a spotter if there’s someone around, otherwise I’ll bench in the power rack.
Lift and learn, I guess.
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