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Successful In Both Bending And Powerlifting?


Brad Manion

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Well, the subject heading really says it all. I was wondering if any of the elite benders out there are also successful powerlifters as well. Myself, my equipped total is around 1580-1650 lbs (will find out for sure at a meet this weekend). As a SHW, I need a 805 kg (1775 lb) total to qualify for one of my big goals, a national level competition. I figure I'm a year or so away from that mark.

Now, I have found that steel bending affects my shoulders more than anything else. This doesn't really affect my squat, and provided I get plenty of good rest, it doesn't affect my deadlift that much either. Naturally, though, it affects my bench press the most. Specifically, if I've done much heavy bending, I feel a lot of tightness in my neck/collarbone/front-delt area. Not an area that directly pushes the bar, but trying to be stable --- to get quick "start" and "press" commands from the ref --- is tough.

I went for a massage and got stretched out pretty good, this little lady nearly having me in tears after putting my shoulders through what looked and felt like MMA submission holds.

I was wondering if some of the good benders are able to keep up some high level of bending while still training heavy as powerlifters. If so, how does one set up training? Also, as good as I got stretched out this past weekend, I was wondering if there areany flexibility exercises that some of you do daily that help alleviate the neck/shoulder pain. As for my training, I follow a Westside Barbell sort of template, maybe 4-5 exercises tops per workout, and then I train grip (gripper machine/Captains-of-Crush/max double overhand DL holds) or bending (actual bending for endurance or strength/sledgehammer work).

Thanks for all the help.

Brad

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I am only a bench only wannabe, but it can be hard to keep up bending training while doing serious bench training. Flexibility is an issue, and I always bench better when fatter but bend worse. I'm not an elite bender, but can do some okay steel.

Also, my best advice would be to work hard on wrist strength when gearing up for a pl meet, then when you want to get back to serious bending you will have a good base to work with.

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