Day Two, Week Three: (Even Worse) Bench Presses

A week ago I had a bad bench press day, and this morning I'm left even more discouraged, having seemingly weakened still further. (It's a good thing my weight was what it was this morning or I'd be left seriously disheartened.)

The problem is, whereas last week the cause of my failure seemed quite evident (I had fatigued my pressing muscles the day before), I have no such clear mistake from which to learn today. I haven't exercised my arms in days, and didn't lift at all yesterday. I ate breakfast before lifting, and I think I got enough sleep. Why, then, did I do even more poorly today than last week?

I suspect my form is faltering. In particular, I think I've been unintentionally reverting to the way I used to bench, with my elbows flaring out to the sides instead of staying tucked in to my sides. Take a look at this video for an example of what I think is good form:

You can see in this video that his elbows remain tightly tucked in throughout the movement. When I started doing this back in December, I was immediately able to lift more weight. I think, however, that in recent weeks my elbows have been making their way increasingly back out to the sides again. That may explain a decrease in the weight I can lift last week and a further decrease today.

Perhaps for my 4th workout day this week, instead of doing the supplemental presses I've done for two weeks, I'll practice proper bench press form with lighter weights so that it will come more naturally in competition. In any case, the difficulty now is determining what my three attempts will look like.

Two weeks ago I successfully lifted 315 for three repetitions, including the second-long pause on my chest, and did so for two repetitions last week. Since I managed one repetition at 315 this morning, across multiple sets, I think I will open with 142.5 kg., or 313.5 lbs. If, having improved my form by then, my opener goes well, I'll attempt 150 kg., or 330 lbs. Finally, though I had hoped to break the Washington State RAW bench record for my weight class in my second lift, I think it's wiser to reserve that for my third lift if successful in my first and second, in which case I'll go for 155 kg., or 341 lbs.

Heavy Bench Day
Exercise	6/1 2010	6/8 2010	6/16 2010	Week Four
Bench	135x10	135x10	135x10
	185x8	185x8	185x8
	225x4	225x4	225x4
	275x3	285x2	285x2
	290x3	300x2	300x2
	305x3	315x2	315x1
	315x3	330x1	325x1
	325x3	325x1	315x1
	325x2	325x1	315x1
	325x2	325x1