DO NOT BENCH! (Olympic Lifting)

[Gladiola]

AARGGGG! Losing my mind here.

Got the lecture weeks ago that if you are going to do Olympic Lifting, do not bench b/c the hypertrophy (as well as potential tightness & inflexibility) can inhibit your ability to do the snatch.

Fine! Coach said dumbell presses & push-ups were acceptable. Having difficulty again last night with the overhead squat, he mentions that as the likely culprit & asks when the last time I benched was. "Weeks ago! I've only done DB presses & push-ups."

"OK, but how heavy?"

"Oh, to failure in 8 reps, 3 sets."

NO! Don't even go to failure, too much volume for pecs, too much intensity.

So the only thing I can rip up & go to failure in my workouts outside of the OL is my abs. Great. Can't even do that too often b/c I teach the yoga-pilates class too frequently & don't want to over-train my abs. Already strained them 3 years ago & have a bizarre lump of scar tissue in the center of my 6-PK.

The LAST thing I expected with OL was to have to stop being so intense with weights.

 

[b fold the truth]

You must find a training method which makes YOU happy. If you are not happy with the way that you are training or being trained...then change it/them. I train the way that makes me happy...till it gets serious contest time...then I go through a lot of pain.

If you are not planning to do any Olympic Lifting contests...why are you training like this? There would be nothing wrong with learning the OL lifts and adding them to a routine that makes YOU happy....

B True

 

[p03t1c]

it's tough to train UNDER someone if that someone isn't someone you totally agree with. it's tough to train yourself, but if you could find a partner maybe that is what you need. maybe a coach isnt the right answer. i remember reading about your situation in another post. it seems like you're in a catch22.

 

[Gladiola]

Well, I was training myself BB style for quite a while - working with a partner who was happy to follow my lead. I set the routine, read up on new techniques & moves, we tried new things, etc.

It was a few months ago that I decided to pursue OL. I'm just going through growing pains. It's not so much that I hate the new stuff as that I REALLY miss the old stuff I used to do (BB workouts). The workouts were my biggest source of stress relief, & now that I've lost that release, I'm just a lil stressed out! But I do expect it to get better in time. I do trust my coach & will follow his lead, because I'm confident he's steering me in the right direction - but that doesn't mean I have to LIKE every step I take!

 

[endpoint]

hmmmmmm why not just stretch the pecs more often?

I have seen dozens of OL programs with bench press in them.

I hate when coaches get so set in their ways they cant let anything change their views.

I had one coach who let me bench my ass off just as long as it wouldnt detract energy and effort from my other movements and as long as i stretched. (i didnt bench at this time though)

he said though you cant bench 500lbs and expect to break records with your snatch

 

[Nico Cujo]

I'm an olympic lifter and include some form of bench work in my routine. I either do flat bench or incline bench or close grip bench. Whatever I feel like doing. And I go to a failure on these movements. And I've hang snatched 270 weighing 220 at 40+ years of age. Just make sure you keep the shoulders flexible.