Width wise it looks like 3, but I only see it split once right down the middle. It looks like the old style wide grip plates to me. I don't care one way or another, just always like seeing equipment being used My gym has the more modern narrow plates with 3 'hole' grip spots, whatever those are called. Exactly! When I put the 335 up today I was kind of pissed, I had it 98% of the way up. Fully up on my right side, just had to finish the left side. The guy tapped the bar up with a finger, not enough to cause the lift to be a bogus lift but enough for me to feel it. I know I'd of gotten it up anyways, in a week or 2 I'll try to max on an actual 'fresh' day. I have to use one every bench day. Damn gym does not have a decline or incline standard station. Can only free press standard, or use dumb bells on a utility, or use the smith.
Man that is Hard core to do heavy dumbbells for chest - I feel too much tension in the acr. space in my shoulder, makes me figure a deltoid or rotator rip's coming so I've backed off anything more than 60 lb dumbbells for that. You are much braver/tougher than I it seems! P.S. that sucks to have a max lift 'stolen' from you by someone with good intent...
Tell me about it, I already am nursing a torn shoulder I've had for months. However I need bigger dumb bells, only goes up to 100 at my gym! I've talked them into letting me get info so they can buy an olympic dumb bell set so I can add my own weights. Yeah if it was my chest day and I was trully going for a max I would be, it however was just a quick 'lets see if I can do this today' thing I know I can get it fresh
Yea, just a crappy copy of the picture. It's not a lot of weight even counting the third plate. I never really did put a lot of weight onto my back like that, I was always over cautious. Kind of ironic in a way, my back is still solid after all these years being careful, then I went out for the college rugby team now I have a messed up knee and shoulder. lol
Apparently benching lying on the floor can help prevent rotator cuff problems. A lot of maximum weight lifts have to do with your style of training. Training fast twitch vs slow twitch. (Volume and failure = Slow Twitch) This guy Christian Cullen, a famous New Zealand Rugby All Black player could bench 380 pounds at 185 pounds. He was one of the fastest most powerful elusive guys around. Similar to Reggie Bush.
Here's a picture of a dude deadlifting 505 pounds at 167 pounds. http://www.bearpowered.com/hof/default.aspx?ID=48
Weightlifting anymore is a misnomer term. Weightlifting actually refers to olympic style weightlifting. Powerlifting training came from eastern european weightlifting training methods. Benching is fine but people do it way to much and in turn develop shoulder problems because the internal rotators get worked too much and the external rotators never get touched. But a majority of the power generated from the human body comes from the hips. I myself am an olympic weightlifter, I dabbled in bodybuilding and powerlifting but they were not for me. The greatest thing I think from olympic lifting is the athletic ability that is developed and performing the lifts themselves.
Form as well, just because one person can lift more than another in a movement also does not make that person stronger Especially when it comes to compound movements like the benchpress, you're only as strong as your weakest link, be it your chest, your shoulders, your tri's or even your form.
That is all I use now... I stay away from the bi-lateral chest press. I messed up my shoulder twice on that damn thing, this last time was a torn acl. After 6 weeks, my shoulder still hurts. I think the problem with the machine in this case are you have no way to properly adjust for every size person. I have the machine set so I get the full range of motion. I have the seat set so my shoulders are in line with the press bars, but the problem as I as I see it is, while you can adjust the angle of the back rest, you cannot move it back --- away from the bars. So at my height and position I find my elbows and shoulders buckled in a cramped position prior to pushing out. At least with the dumbells I can completely control the range of motion and keep my shoulders and elbows perpendicular instead of cocked back. I doubt I will ever use that machine again... Personally I don't think it every did me any good. Two serious injuries in two years, thats all I got out of it.
My back hurts just looking at those! I do dead lifts, but only for sets not maxing. Most I've ever done is in the mid 200's maybe 250 or so for 10 reps. That just looks purely painful.
I can just imagine the pain my back would feel. Yikes.... I stay away from dead lifts as I am not properly trained to do them and dont want to get hurt.
Behold and God gave us heavy ass shit....(copy it in) http://www.owresource.com/multimedia/images/chigishev/chigishev210.jpg
There is this guy at the Y me and my lifting buddy call "DL". He's probably mid to late 40's, over weight, mainly in the gut.. Not super fat, but probably pushing 50 - 80LBs over weight. He comes in every weekend and does nothing but dead lifts. Makes a hell of a lot of noise, droping and banging weights. So much so, I swear the concrete under the mats where he dead lifts must be cracked. I never see him work out. All he does are a series of dead lifts. He comes in with a bottle of blue gatoraide and a coke. Sometimes he is eating MnM's, drinking coke, and contemplating his lifts. He's a hell of a nice guy. We talk about the Packers and other crap on the weekends in between sets. I guess I do not see where the dead lift on its own is doing any "work".
They are great for your lower back, somewhat in the legs, hand grip. It is a 'decent' move that hits a wide range of muscle groups, it however by itself I agree is pretty much worthless. That's why I do squats first w/o a belt which kills the lower back, I then move into my dead lifts. With an already worn out lower back from my squats the deads are pure pain!