More Personal Records… Bench Press and Hip Thrusts
June 27, 2013 by danny · Leave a Comment
I just got done giving basketball lessons to one of the teams that I’m working with this summer, and I’m about to head up to MVP Training for a couple training sessions. But I have a few minutes of spare time, so I thought I’d share a couple bad ass videos with you…
This first one is of Paityn hip thrusting some serious weight…
Want nice glutes? Do you want to improve your performance on the field/court? Wanna decrease your chances of knee/back injuries? If you answered yes to any of the above, then get good at performing hip thrusts!
Paityn’s goal on that set was 5 reps. She ended up getting 6. Looks like she’ll be going heavier next week! 
Video numero dos…
Last week I mentioned HERE, that Liz had a bench press PR (personal record) of 105 before leaving college for the summer. Well, when she re-tested her bench with me a few weeks back, she set a new PR of 115. And just last week re-broke it with a 120 pound max.
So, props to Paityn and Liz for their hard work! Great work, ladies!!!
Well, this is the last weekend before 4th of July, and if you’re like most people, it may get a little ugly… pizza, beer, cake, snacks, etc. If that is you, make sure you make this weekend a good one in prep for the 4th.
I’ll try to get on here next week for a blogpost, but if I just get too busy, everyone have a fun and safe 4th!
Bench Press PR and My Thoughts On The Bench Press…
June 11, 2013 by danny · Leave a Comment
Liz, who plays basketball at Lehigh, set a bench press PR (Personal Record) of 105 pounds with her team when she tested before school ended back in May. Well, it was time to retest last week. And here’s how it went down…
New PR! Nice job, Liz! Her goals this summer include getting stronger/quicker/more explosive, as well as improving her ball handling and her ability to create space off the dribble. Her hard work at both our strength training sessions and our skill work on the basketball court (as well as all the time she gets to the gym on her own working on her game) has her heading in the right direction!
My Thoughts On The Bench Press
I did a video on my thoughts on the bench press as it pertains to most dudes.
Squat rack? What's a squat rack?
Check it out HERE. Now, get to squatting, deadlifting, and hip thrusting!
Alrighty then, until next time…
Stay Athletic and Bench Press with Proper Form…
March 21, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
In doing my usually weekly reading of all things fitness related, I came across a couple posts that I think the majority of people can benefit from…
5 Ways to Maintain or Improve Your Athleticism By Jason Ferruggia
Yes, the aging process makes it so we are not as athletic (not as fast, powerful, and explosive) as we once were. But another big reason that we lose SOOOO much of our athletic ability as we age, is because we no longer perform athletic movements. So, don’t blame everything on your age. Sitting on your butt and/or not working out like an athlete is just as big of a culprit for not being able to touch the net rim anymore. In THIS article Jason goes over 5 ways to maintain or improve your athleticism.
Bench Press Technique: Should You Keep Your Feet Up? By Eric Cressey
Every guy in the world lives to bench. And I don’t see this changing anytime soon. I have nothing against the bench press, but I DO have a problem with HOW MUCH emphasis the typical dude puts on this exercise. BUT, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right. EC asks the question; “Should You Keep Your Feet Up?” Short answer is, NO! To get the reasons why, check out THIS post.
Elbows Flared + Feet Up = How NOT to Bench Press
And if you are feeling lazy and don’t feel like doing any further reading, check out the video below of me benching along with some cues to ensure you are using proper bench press technique.
If any of your buddies are “Mr. Bench Press,” (you know, the guy that benches 3 times a week, 52 weeks out of the year), be sure to share this post with him. It’ll help save his shoulders in the long run.
That’s it for now. Until next time…
Bench Press – The Greatest Exercise of ALL TIME!
November 1, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
If you I really believe that I think the bench press is the greatest exercise of all time, I have three words for you; YOU SO CRAZY!
I actually think that the bench press is THE most overrated exercise of ALL TIME! Now, I didn’t say the worst exercise. I said the most overrated exercise. How could I say this? This is how… the average male lifter does 1235 reps on the bench press for every 1 rep he does performing a row variation (that fact came out of a study done in Ontario, Canada. Look it up – just go to goooogle.com to find the study – yes four o’s***); the average human being sits in front of the computer all day, and/or drives in their car quite a bit, and/or sits on their butt in front of the tv all day, therefore excessive pressing doesn’t help this imbalance that “life” has created; the average guy thinks the bench press PR is all that really counts in the weight room, but doesn’t even know how to perform an ass-to-grass squat.
As you can see, the bench press IS overrated, when it comes to the average gym-goer (don’t be average, people!). As I mentioned above, I do NOT think it is the worst exercise however. I don’t even think it is a bad exercise… when performed properly. That’s the other problem, most people don’t perform the bench with proper form to, 1) get the most out of the lift, and 2) keep the shoulders healthy. With all that said, I know just about every guy out there will perform the bench press no matter what I say. So, you might as well do it with proper form. Lets get to form…
First, here’s the wrong way to bench…
Bench Press Dont’s (as mentioned in the video):
-Don’t let your shoulder blades protract (keep them RETRACTED throughout the set)
-Don’t put your feet out in front of your knees, as this flattens the back. You should arch your low back and PUFF up your chest to reduce the distance that the bar has to travel. If the elbows travel too far down below your torso (like when your low back is flat), it puts undue stress on the shoulders. And I’m not saying that the average lifter needs an excessive arch like you see in the set up of a powerlifter …
-Don’t flare your elbows. ”Tuck” them so that they are about 45 degrees relative to your torso.
And here, you’ll see what a proper bench press looks like…
The cues that I gave in the video (the words flashing across your screen) are the basics for a proper bench press. There are more little subtleties that we could go over, but if you follow these basics you’ll be well on your way to a bigger bench and healthier shoulders.
If your interpretation of this blog post is; “Danny McLarty doesn’t like the bench press. He thinks it is a bad exercise,” you’re wrong. I like the bench press. I just do not like the volume that most people use with it. I also don’t like the overemphasis most people place on the bench press. I don’t like the shotty technique that most people have when benching. And I don’t like the fact that most people (dudes) are more likely to perform a 13th set of bench pressing RATHER THAN include deadlifts, squats, and rows (to name a few great choices).
In the end, if you are going to bench press, make sure to; be careful with the volume, use proper technique, and make sure that you are getting in plenty of rowing and other great BIG-boy movements.
***Ok, I lied about that Ontario, Canada study. But you get the point! And you didn’t really go look up goooogle.com did you!?! Did you?
Are any of you “bench press freaks” that just can’t get enough? Or former (recovering 
) bench press freaks? If so, how did you modify your training?
Make sure to hit me up on twitter. I’ll see you next time…
Exercise of the Week
May 10, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
I usually tell trainees to make sure they use a full range of motion (ROM) with every rep of every set. But, just like with most things in life, there is a time and place to “break the rules.” Planning to do an exercise with a reduced ROM can be very smart to increase overall strength and/or hypertrophy (grow bigger). Just to be clear, I do not like the idea of reducing ROM mid-set because you are too tired to finish the set the way your started it. If form starts to break down during the set, or you can’t keep as much ROM as you did on rep #1, stop the set. But, if you go into the set with a plan to perform the entire set with partial ROM, then I’m cool with it (as long as you do this OCCASIONALLY, and NOT all the time Mr. 1/4 depth squatter).
Every guy that has ever lifted a weight has bench pressed before. Us strength coaches often joke that Monday is “National Bench Press Day” because if you walk into just about any gym in America you’ll see guys waiting in line to get their bench press in.
I’m not against the bench press per se. But I do believe the world be a better place if guys put just a touch less emphasis into their bench, and a bit more emphasis in bringing up their chicken legs. And when I say, “just a touch less emphasis into their bench,” what I really mean to say, is that I wish most guys would cut their bench work in 1/2 – AT LEAST! If you are bench pressing every week, the chances of developing a shoulder injury will increase. And this leads us to the exercise of the week. The pin press.
Pin Press
The pin press is a great variation of the bench press. The reduced ROM will help to keep your shoulders healthy. It is also a great exercise for the triceps. Your pecs and anterior delts will come into play as well. Another benefit of temporarily reducing your ROM with lifts, is that you can use more weight. This will allow your nervous system to get used to the bigger load, allowing you to use more weight when you return to full ROM pressing. In the video below I set up the pins so they put my arm at about a 90 degree angle. You can also set the pins a little higher or lower.
Now, I’m not going to ask you to stop benching forever. That would be like me asking Hubie Brown to go more than 3 minutes without making reference to a “high percentage shooter,” – just aint gonna happen. I am going to ask you however, to reduce the amount of time you spend bench pressing, and to start incorporating the pin press. Please? Now go get some horseshoe triceps…
