I have been benching for a while, and I am very happy with my results. Unfortunately, I have been at a sticking point this past month. I just can't break the 225lb barrier. Any advice on how to get through this plateau? - Jessamyn in South Hall
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.
Try training triceps on a day separate from chest. If you already are, try adding another training day for triceps (maybe just two extra exercises, so as not to over train).
Another technique that is used to blast through sticking points is the partial-rep method.
Load the bar with about 60% or your working weight.
Bring the weight down a little bit past the point where your elbows break and return it to the starting position explosively, doing between 10-14 reps. This partial movement will help you break the sticking point and have a more powerful bench press. It can also be applied to virtually any exercise.
You can also do negatives. Instead of going lighter with the weight, load the bar with close to your one rep max. Have a spotter help you, and lower the weight as slowly as you can to your chest. On the concentric phase, have the spotter pull the weight up, and repeat the movement, resisting the weight on the way down.
Doing negatives is an intense way to bring up lagging body parts, and to blast through plateaus. However, you should use this technique sparingly, as it is extremely taxing on your muscles.
How can I bring out the separation between my posterior delt and my triceps? I do reverse flyes twice a week, But I have gotten bored with them. I need to add some spice to my shoulder workout to impress the fly honeys on the beach. - Paddy McFlynn, Stanford University
There are a number of great variations of reverse flyes that can add variety to your posterior delt training, and help hit the muscles from different angles. I will describe a couple of them below:
Lying cable reverse flyes: Pull a flat bench in the middle of the cable stack in the gym. Raise the pulleys to the highest point. Lie on the bench, grabbing each D-Bar grip in the opposite hand (grab the right handle with your left hand, and vice-versa). Slowly and deliberately, pull your hands down towards the floor, keeping your arms slightly bent and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement for a stronger contraction.
Exhale as you let your arms come up until they are just past each other (your wrists cross), then repeat the movement. The continuous tension of the cables should produce a good burn in your rear delts. If the cable stack and a bench are not available for this exercise (which is often the case), try the following:
Lying External Rotation: Lie on a flat bench, on your side (I will assume you are lying on your right side for ease of explanation). If you have trouble balancing, slide up the bench until the top of it is under your armpit. You can use the palm of your right hand on the floor for added stability.
Take a light dumbbell in your left hand and let it hang down over your stomach. Try to keep the arm perpendicular to your torso, as this helps isolate and emphasize the rear delt more. Slowly, without swinging the weight, bring your arm up until it is pointing at the ceiling. Going past this point is not recommended, as it puts your shoulder joint in an anatomically precarious position.
Slowly lower the weight until just before you arm rests across your stomach, and repeat. This exercise is a major isolation movement, so it is best done with light weight and using a slow, controlled motion.
These exercises should help your rear delt separation, if done correctly. If you have any questions, feel free to ask one of the TPPP trainers for a demonstration on how to perform these exercises.
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