Today's Workout: 040114

Bench Press 10-10-10-10-10
Then:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 strict knees-to-elbows
20 one-legged squats, alternating
30-foot handstand walk (scale to wall walk or wheelbarrow)
The bench press is a terrific strength developer for your jerk or overhead press lockout. When weightlifting in the Olympics was comprised of three events, the strict press created a problem for judges. An athlete wearing baggy clothing could fire their glutes and contract their hamstrings to initiate the movement without visibly cheating. There was no limit on backward lean, which led several competitors to dangerously move from standing to a neck-bridge position with the bar, and then press to lockout from there. If they could make it to the floor without injury, the press was easier. Usually, they couldn’t. Thus was the press removed from competition and relegated to the training gymnasium, where it became a staple ‘gym lift.’ As intra-gym competition became popular with the training lifts-back squat, bench press, and deadlift- they took on life of their own in the new sport of powerlifting.
Today, most bench pressing isn’t done to train for weightlifting or powerlifting: it’s done to “train the chest” for strutting. It’s a useful tool for strength; minimally, for conditioning; and – well, strutting is also pretty great in the springtime.