Strong everywhere but bench press

[grubbogoppoly]

Just to playDevils' Advocate..... what do you mean by "if trained right it will give you the kind of explosive power you need in sports." ?

There were a couple of strategies I had in mind with that statement. First off is the powerlifting strat. low reps big weights. If you do this you train your CNS which enables you to recruit more muscle and generate more force. The other strat was speed training. Benching with a lower weight. But, concentrating on moving the bar with as much speed as possible. This strat doesn't really improve your strength. But, it increases the speed of contraction, which is vital in any sport.

However if you do the 8-10 rep training like the bodybuilder you will likely gain mass(which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But, it is generally better for sports purposes to add strength/speed as opposed to mass. Strength will also increase speed, while mass COULD slow you down).

[Biker]

Thanks. That helps.

I think I may have missed your meaning the first time around. Sorry about that. The idea is to mix up your routine every once in a while. If you keep doing the same movements with the same equipment your body gets used to it and stops adapting. Go to free weights for a while, then go back to machines. Free weights will help build the stabilizing muscles because you aren't locked into a preset range of motion. Instead of the machine keeping the weight steady, it's up to you to keep it from wobbling all over the place. The effect is even greater using dumbells because you no longer have both sides tied together. Each side has to stabilize itself.

[EnlightenedOne]

Ok thanks. It is a good thing I glanced and saw that because I was about ready to skip it and not read it at all. Yeah I did understood you wrong earlier. I know what you meant now though.

[EnlightenedOne]

So like switch every two or three weeks or something?

[Biker]

Try every two or three weeks, see how you do. Some people can go longer, others need to change their routines earlier. The problem with weight training is that there isn't any set way to do things for everybody. Sometimes it takes a while to see what works.

[Thai Bri]

Every two to three weeks? Come on! You have to give your body some time to adapt!

Every 3-6 MONTHS would be more like it. Maybe longer!