Excerpt f rom Josh Bryants eBook Bench Press: T he Science (http://www.elitef ts.com/view/?

sp=6249)

I have been reading about the bench press since 1983 and have been coached by many of the best Powerlifting coaches in the world. I have spent the better part of my life living, learning and Passing on what I know about the Bench Press. I even wrote an eBook on training the bench press and more articles than I can remember. Josh has put together an EXCELLENT book! It reminded me of MANY things I have forgotten and also taught me things I didnt know. There is no doubt in my mind this is the best book ever complied on the bench press, its science and how to train it. Dave Tate founder Elitefts.com Inc

Compensatory Acceleration Training (CAT) Reigns Supreme

Okay, so this CAT idea sounds great, but what does science say? Glad you asked. T his study examined the ef f ects on strength af ter training f or three weeks of the bench press with maximal speed (CAT ) and a self selected slower pushing speed. T here were 20 total subjects, 10 trained in a CAT style on the bench press, the other half with a self -selected speed. Both groups trained with 85 percent of their one repetition max twice a week. Prior to the commencement of training and af ter cessation of the three weeks of training, pushing speed and one repetition max were measured. T he group that trained in a CAT style increased their bench press speed by 2.2 percent and strength by 10.2 percent, the self -selected group showed no improvements in either category. Padulo, J. J., Mignogna, P. P., Mignardi, S. S., Tonni, F. F., & DOttavio, S. S. (2012). Effect of different pushing speeds on bench press. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 33(5), 376-380.

Practical Application
T his again is one more study conf irming the importance of explosive power in the raw bench press. CAT style is required to continually ellicit gains in the bench press in trained subjects. I have seen this happen many times. Once an athlete, regardless of experience, learns to truly bench press with max f orce, strength goes through the roof . To reach your maximum strength levels in the bench press, you have to train in a compensatory acceleration style. Lif ting Maximal Weight Increase Force Production in Subsequent Sets Post Activation Potentiation (PAP) is a strategy used to improve perf ormance in power activities and ref ers to the enhancement of muscle f unction f ollowing a high f orce activity. Legendary Russian Sports Scientist Yuri Verhoshansky explained PAP in laymans terms as f ollows, When you perf orm a 3-5 Rep Max f ollowed by a light explosive setto your nervous system its like lif ting a can of water when you think its f ull. T he weight f eels lighter and moves f aster. T his study set out to determine if power during bench press exercise was increased when preceded by one repetition maximum (1RM) in the bench press prior to lif ting submaximal weights with maximal f orce, and it also aimed to determine the optimal rest interval to optimize PAP response. T he f our experimental sessions were composed of a one repetition max f ollowed by Compensatory Acceleration Training (CAT ) sets with rest intervals consisting of 1, 3, 5, and 7 minutes, perf ormed on dif f erent

days, and determined randomly. Power was measured via peak power equipment (Cef ise, Nova Odessa, So Paulo, Brazil). T he study determined there was a signif icant increase in PAP in concentric muscle contractions af ter seven minutes of recovery af ter a max weight was used. T he results suggest that seven minutes of recovery has generated an increase in PAP in bench. Ferreira, S., Panissa, V., Miarka, B., & Franchini, E. (2012). Postactivation Potentiation: Effect of Various Recovery Intervals on Bench Press Power Performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins), 26(3), 739-744.

Practical Application
I wrote about reverse pyramiding in Muscle Mag International a couple years ago. T he idea is to start of f with your heaviest sets, and then perf orm submaximal sets. T his takes advantage of the PAP ef f ect. If a f ootball player is getting ready f or a combine with a 225pound rep bench press rep max, I will have him bench press 275-315 pounds f irst, the end result is he always perf orms more reps. You f eel like you are lif ting half of a can like its f ull, in Dr. Verhoshansky words. T his allows you to build strength very ef f ectively because the most important strength building set is the f irst set in this rep scheme. You are 100 percent f resh! What most people dont look at is the f act that you will produce greater f orces on your CAT sets f ollowing your heavy sets. Many studies on PAP are generally done on things like heavy squats f ollowed by an explosive activity like a vertical jump. Countless studies show the ef f ectiveness of PAP, but its cool to see what Ive known and advocated f or years to be validated by science. We have learned the same ef f ect holds true when moving f rom a maximal weight to a sub maximal weight. In laymans terms, bench 500 f irst then 400 f eels lighter and it will move more explosively.

(http ://www.fle xc art.c o m/me mb e rs /e lite fts /d e fault.as p ?m=PD&c id =114&p id =6249) Te am Elite fts Pro Po we rlifte r Sc o tt Yard

CAT Training Continually Reigns Supreme

Division 1 f ootball players training in a compensatory acceleration style (CAT ) upper body strength regimen

were compared to a traditional regimen in their of f -season. T he CAT group was instructed to perf orm the positive rep as explosively as possible. T he traditional group perf ormed repetitions at a traditional tempo. At the end of both of f -season training programs, both power and strength were assessed. Power was tested with a seated medicine ball throw and a f orce platf orm plyometric push-up test. Strength was assessed by a one rep max in the bench press. Both groups increased strength and power. T he group that trained in a Compensatory Acceleration Training (CAT ) style improved their bench press by nearly double the amount of the traditional group. Average power, as expected, increased signif icantly more in the group that trained explosively. Jones, K. K., Hunter, G. G., Fleisig, G. G., Escamilla, R. R., & Lemak, L. L. (1999). The effects of compensatory acceleration on upper-body strength and power in collegiate football players. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (Allen Press Publishing Services Inc.), 13(2), 99-105.

Practical Application
Fred Hatf ield was ahead of his time advocating Compensatory Acceleration Training. It is simply superior! Training adaptations are not just a result of weight on the bar. Adaptations f rom training are a byproduct of tension and duration. You respond to how much f orce produced, how f ast the f orce was produced, how long you produced it, and how many times you produced it. Force=mass x acceleration. More tension is result of greater bar speed. Maximal strength training and power adaptations can result f rom lif ting weights with maximal f orce; one more reason to compensatorily accelerate weights.

(http://www.elitef ts.com/view/?sp=6249) Retail Price$15.00 Our Price$11.95 (http://www.f lexcart.com/members/elitef ts/def ault.asp? cid=114&m=CT &aid=6249)

Table of Contents
About the Author T he Bench Press Compensatory Acceleration Training (CAT ) Elimination of Sticking Points: A Scientif ic Approach T he Power of Positive Benching Explosive Bench Pressing: Plyometrics and T hrows Sound Science or Bro Science? Partials f or Raw Bench Pressers Bands and Chains f or the Raw Bench Presser Bench Press: Muscle Activation, Technique, and Volume Science and the Sling Shot Miscellaneous Bench Press Science Building Bottom End Power Take Home Points Link to Full Table of Contents - View the table of contents here (http://www.elitefts.net/ebooks/bpssample.pdf)

About Josh Bryant

Along with ISSA certif ications in f itness training, nutrition, and conditioning, Josh has been awarded the prestigious title of Master of Fitness Sciences (MFS). He was also recently named the ISSA Director of Applied Strength and Power Development. In addition to being certif ied by the NSCA as a Certif ied Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and by NASM as a Perf ormance Enhancement Specialist (PES), Josh completed his Masters degree in Exercise Science, with an emphasis in Perf ormance Enhancement and Injury Prevention at Calif ornia University of Pennsylvania. He is the co-author of the elitef ts best-selling eBook, Metrof lex Gym Powerbuilding Basics. As an athlete, Josh won many national and world titles in both powerlif ting and strongman. At 22 years of age, he was the youngest person in powerlif ting history to bench press 600 pounds raw. He squatted 909 pounds in the USPF, of f icially bench-pressed 620 pounds raw, and of f icially deadlif ted 810 pounds raw. In 2005, he won the Atlantis Strongest Man in America competition. Josh has been f ocusing on providing outstanding personal training in person as well as via the Internet. He has combined his education along with his in-the-trenches experience to develop T he JoshStrength Method. T his method has provided countless clients the road map to success.

Josh on Elitefts

() Over 40 Josh Bryant Art icles on Elit ef t s (ht t p://art icles.elit ef t s.com/aut hor/josh-bryant /) Josh Bryant s Training Log (ht t p://asp.elit ef t s.net /qa/t raining-logs.asp? t id=188&__N=Josh%20Bryant ) Met rof lex Gym Powerbuilding Basics (EBook) (ht t p://www.elit ef t s.com/view/?sp=3886) Bench Press: The Science (e-Book) (ht t p://www.elit ef t s.com/view/?sp=6249) Josh Bryant s Elit ef t s.com Search Result s over 7000! (ht t p://www.elit ef t s.net /searchresult s/def ault .asp? cx=004814220091500397253%3Ajc9v3uuh3sg&cof =FORID%3A9&ie=UTF8&q=Josh+Bryant &sit eurl=www.elit ef t s.net %2Fsearch%2F&ref =asp.elit ef t s.net %2Fqa%2Fd ef ault .asp%3Ft id%3D164%26__N%3DPrograms&ss=3248j1275952j13) Josh answers 80 quest ions (average) per mont h on t he elit ef t s Q and A (ht t p://asp.elit ef t s.net /qa/)