Should training for RAW be different than training for a shirt?

[Grantsdu]

As of right now I bench RAW. Its not that I don't like the bench shirts but I have just never been exposed to them. I hate to jump into them and have problems. I'm new to powerlifting and I feel like I'm doing fairly good without it. My question is I have been training mainly flat bench ME and Speed. Very little speed work though. Should I be training differently since I'm not using a shirt or is flat bench the way to go?

 

[brianmincher]

Except for Jay, and maybe a couple others on here, very few focus a great deal on flat bench whether shirted or raw. Make sure you are changing up your max effort movement every week or two. Try floor press for two weeks, 3 board press for 2 weeks, declines for two weeks, 2 board press, reverse band press, heavy dumbells for a rep max, raw flat bench to a max, then back to floor presses. Max out every week, changing exercises at least every couple of weeks, and your bench will go up. Your shirt press will not go up, in general unless your raw bench goes up, and your raw bench will not go up, generally unless your shirt bench goes up. Either shirt or raw, to get more weight off your chest, you have to get stronger.

B.

 

[Grantsdu]

All that I have been doing is 5 setsof flat bench.
set 1 12 reps
set 2 8
set 3 5
set 4 3
set 5 3 I generally work up to my pause max or right at it.

I guess I will have to try to talk the guys I workout with to try floor presses and board presses. If they won't I will just have to get them to spot me. I can see I still have a hell of alot to learn about this sport if I want to be good.

 

[brianmincher]

Just realize that you can't build a big bench press by just going in and benching every week, gradually adding on weight in the hopes that you will someday put up monster numbers. Not likely to happen. Now I am not saying that you will never bench 300 by doing what you are doing, but honestly a lot of guys on this board warm up with 300+ and some 400+ and even close to 500 before they even bother putting on a bench shirt for competition.

To bench, or squat or deadlift the most you can possibly do, IMHO, look at what other people have done to get the most possible out of their potential. Not everyone has the raw materials to bench 700 or squat 1,000. But I will guarantee you that everyone who is reading this has the raw materials necessary to bench more than what they currently bench, and squat more than what they currently squat.

B.

 

[The mann]

the training is the same regardless of shirted or raw.i would make sure to use exercises like d/b presses,wide grip benches, to your program as a regular part........you will still have benefit of the tri work,etc,.......i would also do the speed work.it will help bigtime!and i agree with brianmincher 100% with the fact that benching alone will not do the trick.work the muscles that make a big bench and it will go up........hope that helps alittle

 

[Grantsdu]

So what other muscles should I be working besides chest and tris. Should I be doing flys? I do some speed work with bands. I do 8 sets of 3 as fast as I can.

 

[The mann]

delts,back,rear delts and as you said tri's....i would do some fly work since you say you'll be raw for awhile........... as for the speed work..wav the bands 4 weeks then go chains if you have em',if not go straight weight.then go for 4 weeks also.

 

[powerlifterjay]

I raw bench and love it. I do my raw flat benching on mondays then move to tris's, usually a Jm press, or elbow outs kinda of movement. Then on thurs i hit boards. And another tri movement. If you do speed thurs is wheni would speed bench. But i feel if you raw bench you do not need speed work. They do speed work cuase if all they did was floors and boards and jm imagine how weak they would be off the bottom. Both ways work 100% but yu can DO too much. Its better to do not enough.

As far as my workout being the same its is except i shave about 2 reps per set to warm up. then shirt. But i will hti 500 for a double before i ever even touch the shirt in the same workout. If i didnt shirt i woudl go for 4. See the difference?

Try one way for a few months then try the other for the same. Only your experience can speak for you. Not what everyones elses is.

I agree with brian everyone does not have the capabilities to bench 700lbs but everyone can get a hell of alot stronger then they are now.

 

[Prometheus]

... Not everyone has the raw materials to bench 700 or squat 1,000. But I will guarantee you that everyone who is reading this has the raw materials necessary to bench more than what they currently bench, and squat more than what they currently squat.

that's a great quote.

 

[Arioch]

I would only worry about the full rom bench if you are weak off of the chest. Not too many guys are, but many women are weak in this area. If you are weak in this area, you will not have the shirt for that initial push.