ME bench,11-23-03

[jack]

2 board press--1x10x45,1x8x95,1x5x135,185; 1x3x205,225,245,265; 1x2x275(F-3);

Tate press--1x15x40,45,50; 1x12x55,60;1x8x65;

BB rows--1x10x135,155,175,185;

DB side raise--1x12x25,1x10x30,2x8x35;

Face pulls--3x12x80; 1x12x90;

Cuff work(shoulder horn,super slow reps)--3x12x5;

Not much to say today. I hope everyone is OK.

[fish]

I am green on boards, but always interested.

What do you say about those who are using dense foam bricks instead of boards on the theory, or so they say, that they thereby use the “board” to control the ROM, but thereby avoid using the board as a support.

I have an acquaintance who says that it is proper practice to bounce the bar off the boards ?!?

pax

fish

[jack]

Controlling the ROM to work different points in the bench is what the boards are all about. So it doesn't matter what material the boards are composed of as long as they stop you at the desired point. If you're bouncing the bar,you're performing the exercise incorrectly and unsafely,regardless of the composition of the boards. You've got to pause slightly at the bottom and the blast up. By the way,that must be some pretty dense foam,your buddy uses. I'm not sure foam would stand up with the weights the big benchers use.

Sounds to me like he's doing a towel bench press. The advantage of the boards is that they have a lot of flexibility on the depths of the eccentric phase of the lift.