Board Press

I think that Board Presses have been outstanding additions to our strength training programs. While it is great to include full ROM exercise, the fact of the matter is that many athletes are limited by their weakest link in major muscle building movements such as the bench press, where the triceps often are not strong enough to move the barbell through the "sticking" point.

Board Presses are a GREAT solution because they allow the lifter to target heavier loads when training, and to really develop the triceps during this range of motion. By increasing your Board Press, you are own your way to a bigger bench, and we all know what that means; a bigger, more powerful chest and deltoid region.

There is a huge mental component of training that I feel often gets overlooked. By training on the Board Press for 3-5 weeks, you will become used to handling heavier loads, particularly on the eccentric portion of the lift. This will make for big gains when you return to the Bench Press because what you used to "think" was/felt heavy will now be light!

Shawn Lattimer has an outstanding article on the Board Press, including excellent directions on how to make your own:

http://www.criticalbench.com/board-press.htm

For putting the boards together, I would reccomend using "Gorilla Glue" Wood Glue. It is quick, easy, and very effective.

Athletes are NOT powerlifters, but many would benefit from incorporating more of their training techniques. One thing I have learned is that it is very, very naive to assume that all lifters are perfectly proportioned through the entire ROM of every exercise. Every lifter has his own "weak points" or sticking points, and those need to be addressed.

I would recommend starting with a 3 Board Press. It is 6 inches off of the chest, and represents the bottom third-bottom half of the lift for most guys, the "Bermuda Triangle" or sticking point of most Bench Presses.

Please check out PTS client Nick Ranali on the 3 Board Press. When I started working with Nick, he could Bench Press 205 X3. 3 Months and 10 pounds later, Nick crushes 255X4.5 on the 3 Board Press!