Elastic banded resistance, aka “accommodating resistance,”
is a great variation to incorporate into the bench press. When only using
“straight weight” (only the bar and the weight plates), the body will only
adapt to the heaviest load it can lift. If you are a raw bench presser, your
sticking point will generally be off your chest or a couple inches off it. If
you can get through that sticking point you can lift the weight no problem.
However, you never feel what a heavier weight feels like in your hands, so when
you decide to try and test your max (an extra 5-10 pounds more than what you’d
normally lift) your nervous system goes into shock and makes a few extra pounds
feel like a million.
Using bands that are attached to the bar can help your body
adjust to holding more weight, in addition to overloading the end range of the
bench press. Getting this overload at the end range of the bench press is
important, since otherwise you would only be lifting straight weight, not
giving the end range of motion the stimulus it requires to get stronger. This
is because as you get to the top range of motion, you need to begin to
decelerate the bar in order to keep tension and control through your upper
extremities and upper back. Attaching bands to the bar has been shown to
decrease the range of motion required to decelerate the bar.1 This allows you to try and
accelerate the bar through a greater range of motion and help strengthen the
end ranges. One of the worst feelings is missing a new personal record on the
bench by failing a couple inches from locking it out at the top. Using bands
will also help prevent this from happening.
I personally like to cycle bands into my programming for a
4-week cycle and then transition to another variation for a period of time. I
find that feeling the extra weight in your hands at the top range of motion
helps you get more comfortable with heavier weights and has good carryover into
new bench PR’s.
Ryan Goodell, CSCS
1. García-López
D, Hernández-Sánchez S, Martín E, Marín PJ, Zarzosa F, Herrero AJ. Free-Weight
Augmentation With Elastic Bands Improves Bench Press Kinematics in Professional
Rugby Players. The Journal of Strength
& Conditioning Research. 2016;30(9):2493-2499.
For consultation/personal training/coaching inquiries email:
ryangoodell@weightsandstuff.com
New posts every Sunday!
If you are interested in other content from Weights and Stuff you can find it at:
Website: http://www.weightsandstuff.com/
Instagram: @weights_andstuff
Twitter: @weightsnstuff
No comments:
Post a Comment