Bench press strength question

[Mantisz]

I haven't taken the PA test yet, I'm scheduled for March. But from what I've gathered, they are all done in about 1-2 hours. So there's not too much recovery time, but it definately will seperate the people who have trained from those who haven't.

[Mikis]

6"3, 190lbs..too small? Have you seen most of the cops out there? You have an excellent base. Focus on pull-ups, push-ups, dips, sit-ups, run and there will be very few people out on the street who will mess with you.

I used to think I was too small and I'm 5"11, 165 lbs. When your in a fight (on the street), it's mostly about who is in better shape (hence the running).

There are plenty of officers in my department who are smaller than I and they can pack quite a punch

[ateamer]

Here's my advice on how to get strong and big:
Workout 1:
Bench
Close Grip Bench
Military Press
Situps

Workout 2:
Squat
Deadlift (every other workout)
Pullups or Rows
Hanging Leg Raises

Work out on Monday-Wednesday-Friday with alternating workouts. The first workout, such as Workout 1 on Monday, do three sets of three to five reps on each exercise; ab work can be done for higher reps, but try doing situps with enough weight so you can only do no more than eight reps. The second workout, such as Workout 1 done on Friday of that same week, do three sets of six to eight on each exercise. In each workout, use enough weight so that you can only get the prescribed reps. It is a good idea to not work to failure, but leave one rep in the rack. (The rep you fail on will be the one with bad form and get you hurt.)

Deadlifts are only done every other time you do workout 2, on the low-rep day.

Begin the workout with warmups (and they are just that - warmups, not work sets). Don't do any more warmups than are necessary to get ready for the work sets. Once you have done the work sets on the first exercise, no warmups are necessary with the other exercises. Go right to the work weight. Rest as short a time as possible between sets. Each workout should take no longer than 30-35 minutes.

Every six or eight weeks, on the heavy day, work up to a heavy single. If you have competent spotters, don't be afraid to max out and test your strength, as long as you can do it with proper form.

Drink a gallon of milk a day, along with good meals. Mix in some protein powder with a few of those glasses of milk and you won't help but get significantly stronger and bigger.

This comes from 26 years of weight training experience (11 years of powerlifting). It doesn't involve big bouncy beach balls or wobbly skateboards, and you don't need spandex clothing or an iPod, and it won't be in the glossy magazines like Joe Weider's Mostly Fiction. It's just a good, basic old-school workout like those that have worked for many decades.

Keep it simple, lift heavy, never make excuses, don't accept anything less than 100% from yourself and your training partners, and eat everything in sight.

[cruzmisl]

First, I work with some really small guys and women so ultimate strength is not what's important. You'll have tools on your belt and training to back you up so use them. The LAST thing you want is to be rolling around on the ground with someone.

Second, I can't say I agree with the above post. While Olympic lifts are important, they have a learning curve. You need to do them properly to achieve the desired result. To suggest you jump in doing squats and deads with no previous experience is a recipe for a trip to the chiropractor. Secondly, deadlifts every other day are not a good idea either. You need time to heal. Warming up by doing light sets of the intended exercise is "old school" and increase the risk of injury. You need to do mobility drills to warm up properly. Working out 100% all the time is not good either. You can't train to failure on every set and expect to recover within 48-72 hours. Also your CNS needs to recover too.

The gallon of milk/day, assuming 1%, will add 1600 calories to your diet. It's mostly carbs and added with the rest of your meals will surely get you bigger...... but not muscle.

I will agree that bosu balls, swiss balls and all the other gimmicks gyms use to sell memberships are junk. A training plan that works for one person may be horrible for you. You just have to know your body and try different things.

Stick with basic exercises and change your program every month. Diet is key.

My 2 cents.

[ateamer]

I didn't mean deadlift literally every other workout. Deadlift every other squat workout. Bench Monday, Squat Wednesday, Bench Friday, Deadlift Monday, Bench Wednesday, Squat Friday, etc. You won't DL more than once a week.

Those are not Olympic lifts. The Olympic lifts are the snatch and clean-and-jerk. This is a powerlifting-based workout. The squat and deadlift are actually not difficult to learn.

Funny, I have been lifting weights for over 26 years and have never needed mobility drills to warm up. The only gym injury I have had was a hamstring tendon rupture at a powerlifting meet - squatting 727 with an ultrawide stance, deep below parallel. Other than that, I haven't been hurt.

Nowhere do I suggest training to failure. In fact I wrote "It is a good idea to not work to failure, but leave one rep in the rack. (The rep you fail on will be the one with bad form and get you hurt.)" Alternate a heavy workout with a moderate workout the next time the same exercises are done.