Thread: MonStar's Journal: Strong & Lean

Originally Posted by MonStar

JerseyDevil: I am honestly not sure why, I think just because speed bench isn't effective, but I am not 100% positive. Most people who have done Westside for an extended period of time feel that speed deadlifts are worth it, and even speed squats, but speed bench is just a waste.

I'm glad you said that. I tried speed bench in two workouts, and I didn't feel I got anything out of it. That's why I asked. Speed box squats on the other hand seem to work well for me.

So Mike and Jersey Devil, you think I'm wasting my time with Speed Benches? What else should I do on DE Bench day then?

Speed bench is certainly NOT a waste of time. It is a critical part of powerlifting for newcomers to this training style. You have to set aside the old mentality of feeling like you worked something when you talk about speed work. Speed work is all about speed. The ability to get the bar from the bottom of the ROM to lockout in 1 second or less, no matter how much weight you have to sacrifice.

Here's why. Speed work trains your ability to be explosive. You get the bar off your chest on your ME day because you're exploding upwards through your sticking point.

Everyone try this. Load 85% of your 1RM on the bar. Lower it slowly to your chest and raise it slowly to lockout. Make it a good 7-10 second count from chest to lockout. Its going to feel a LOT heavier than usual. Now do a normal rep with it, exploding up as fast as you can. It will feel like 85% this time.

Fast twitch fibers hold more explosive strength than slow twitch. Exploit that. Be explosive.