Incorrect muscle training can lead to bench press difficulties

I think I've reached a sticking point with my bench. The bottom half of the motion feels strong when I am going heavy, but I just can't get to the top and complete more than a few solid reps. Any suggestions?

This is a common problem for people who have arms that are disproportionately weaker than their chest or back. It can also happen to people who neglect to train the smaller muscle groups in favor of the bigger ones. Here is how to overcome your sticking point:

If you aren't training your triceps separately from your chest, do so. This will allow you to really focus on the muscle when it is fresh, and not pre-fatigued from the chest exercises. Therefore, the intensity of the triceps workout will be greater and more beneficial.

Another technique that is used to blast through sticking points is the partial-rep method.

Load the bar with about 110 percent or your working weight. Bring the weight about halfway down (through the first half of the full range of motion for the exercise). Return it to the starting position explosively, doing between 10-14 reps. This partial movement will help you break the sticking point by focusing solely on the part of the exercise where you are weaker. Use this technique for a few weeks, and when you come back you should have a more powerful bench press. Note that the partial reps technique can be applied to virtually any exercise.



My workouts generally include a combination of weights and cardio. Is there a specific order in which I should do each part of my workout? Does it even matter?

It is generally always recommended to do a light five to ten minute cardiovascular warm up before engaging in any sort of exercise, be it resistance training (weightlifting), aerobic exercise, or anything else for that matter.

Studies have shown that doing a cardio workout before a weight training session effectively reduces muscular strength; this decreases the workload the muscles can handle, and therefore reduces the benefit of your lifting session. In the opposite case, lifting weights before doing cardio does affect the capacity to perform (this is obvious-the muscles are tired), but does not reduce the fat-burning properties or the cardiovascular benefit gained by way of aerobic exercise.

In other words, whichever workout is done first affects performance in the next one. However, for most people, the goal of weight training is to lift the heaviest weight possible with the strictest form possible. The goal of aerobic exercise, however, is usually either for fat loss or cardiovascular benefit. In that light, I recommend that you should consider your fitness goals and perform whichever workout you deem most important. If you are looking for strength gains, lift first and do cardio afterwards. If you are looking primarily to increase cardiovascular capacity, reduce fat, etc., and not specifically to increase strength or muscle mass, do the cardio first.



I saw a guy in the gym the other day doing squats with the bar in front of his neck. Is this a real exercise, or did he just not know what he was doing?

He was doing front squats, which are a variation of the traditional, bar-behind-the-neck kind of squats. Front squats are an advanced squatting exercise that places more emphasis on the quadriceps by placing the weight more forward on the body. This exercise is relatively difficult to do with free weights, so I recommended you start out by experimenting and getting the motion down on a self-spotting machine before you attempt to do them with a barbell.

Cross your arms, with each hand grasping the opposite bicep. Hold your arms out in front of you, so that they are perpendicular to your chest (this exercise can also be performed with your fists under your chin, thumbs grasping the bar; some feel this adds more stability to the bar-do whatever feels best for you). The weight rests on the front of your shoulders, right under your chin. Follow the same motion you would if you were to do regular squats, keeping your head up, back straight, and heels on the ground. Exhale forcefully during the concentric part of the exercise.