Misunderstood
I misunderstood.
Gaining weight definitely will increase your Bench Press and everything else on a well written/executed strength training program.
Bench Press Off The Chest
In a Paused Bench Press, you have enough strength to drive the weight up. So, you have some strength off the bottom.
Sticking Point
Yes, the Sticking Point occurs just below where the bar stops moving because your acceleration/momentum slows down. It amounts to going up a steep hill and stalling out.
The Sticking Point occurs for a variety or reason. One, you are at a mechanical disadvantage. It is also a transition point a shift in the muscle involvement.
Think of it like a Sprint Relay Race where the baton is handed off from one runner to another. The baton hand off is the transition point, where thing go wrong.
America's Men's Relay Sprinters have lost quite a few races in the past due to problems in passing the baton off from on runner to another.
Limit Strength Paused Bench Pressing
Yes, Paused Bench Pressing off the chest need to be part of a well written Bench Press Training Program.
Chad Wesley Smith (great Powerlifter) stated that his Bench Press increased with Pec Training: the pec are instrumental in driving the bar off the chest.
Heavy Paused Bench Pressing, Heavy Dumbbell Paused Bench Pressing, Functional Partial Isometric Bench Pressing with the bottom pins essentially sitting on your chest and then driving the bar in to pin set up around your Sticking Point, etc.
Paused Explosive Bench Press Training
Paused Power Bench Press Training with loads of 48 - 62% of your 1 Repetition Pause Bench Press increase Explosive Power off the chest.
Dynamic Effort
Dynamic Effort is developed with the Westside Touch and Go Method as well as Paused Explosive/Power Bench Pressing. Each elicits a different training response.
Special Strength Training
Verkhoshansky's book is a brilliant piece of work.
It breaks Explosive Training down into there types.
1) Isometric Ballistic: Isometric in this contest refers to initiating an Explosive Movement from a Dead Stop. The end of the movement going "Ballistic"; a body or an object becoming airborne.
Example: Power Clean from the floor from a Dead Stop.
Paused Bench Press Power Training fall under this umbrella. The "Intent" in driving the weight up is to project it into the air.
However, that isn't going to occur with a moderately heavy load.
2) Explosive Ballistic: The means that a movement is initiated with some momentum prior to going Ballistic.
Example: Shot Putting. Prior to launching the Shot, the thrower glides or spins; generating momentum before the throw.
In the Bench Press this can be achieved in a couple of different ways. One method that Heavy Weight Lifter often do is lift their head off the bench as the bar descends down to the chest.
The pause is synchronized with the lifter then lowering their head, driving it into the Bench, producing the Tonic Neck Reflex, something you do in your Bench Press, as I remember.
What also occurs is as you lower you head and drive it into the bench, the back is arched, driving chest up, initiating bar momentum off the chest.
This method is allowed in a Contest Bench Press, as long as it is not excessive. If excessive is it referred to as "Heaving" and the lift is disqualified.
It is somewhat similar to baseball. In throwing a runner out at at a base, the tie goes to the runner.
The Original Westside Box Squat (Frenn and DeMarco) method employed rocking forward after sitting on box, lifting your heels up and then slamming them into the floor as you ascended; movement prior prior to ascending.
Again, due the load in a Bench Press, the bar isn't going to become airborne. However, the "Intent" needs to be to drive the bar up so that it does go airborne.
3) Explosive-Reactive-Ballistic: This involves the Stretch Reflex prior to diving the the weigh up.
Again, the weight will be too heavy go airborne but the "Intent" needs to be on launching it.
Power Training for Powerlifters
I not sure that I understand this. So, my following reply may not address it. Anyway, her goes.
The Westside Method
Anecdotal data has demonstrated that Power Training is effective for increasing the strength in the Powerlifts.
Dr Michael Zourdos' Research
Zourdos (Powerlfiter) supports Westside. Zourdos found that Conjugate Training that employed Hypertrophy, Power and Limit Strength produced greater Limit Strength than a Traditional Limit Strength only approach.
It's definitely worked for me.
Higher Training Percentages on D.E. Days
Research demonstrates that when moderate loads (Power Training) and light loads (Speed Training) with let's say a Bench Press, Power Output is produced in a very small percentage of the movement. More of the movement is devoted to braking.
To ensure Power Output is displayed through a greater range of the Bench Press one of two methods needs to be employed: Accommodating Resistance or going Ballistic, launching the bar into the air.
When higher percentages are employed in the Bench Press, a greater percentage of the movement is devoted in acceleration, less to braking.
Plyometric bench training for 1rm increases
"Research has shown as much as 75% of a movement can be devoted to slowing the bar down." (Flannagan, 2001). Elliot et al. (1989) revealed that
during 1-RM bench presses,
the bar decelerates for the final 24% of the range of motion.
At 81% of 1-RM,
the bar deceleration occurs during the final 52% of the range of motion. The accompanying
deceleration phases
result in significantly decreased motor unit recruitment,
velocity of movement,
power production and compromises the effectiveness of the exercise." (Berry et. al., 2001)
The
National Strength and Conditioning Association's Basic Guidelines for the Resistance Training of Athletes states that "
performing speed repetitions as fast as possible with light weights (e.g.,
30-45% of 1RM) in exercises
in which the bar is held on to and must be decelerated at the end of the joint's range of motion (e.g.,
bench press) to protect the joint
does not produce power or speed training but rather
teaches the body how to decelerate, or slow down.
If the load can be released into the air (i.e., the bar can be let go at the end of the range of motion),
the negative effects are eliminated. Here is a situation in which the medicine ball became a rediscovered tool for upper-body power and plyometrics." (Pearson et. al., 2000)
Heavy Explosive Bench Press Training
This is an Oxymoron. There is inverse relationship.
As the bar load nears your 1 Repetition Max, Power decreases.
As your bar load of your 1 Repetition Max decreases (48 - 62%), Power increases.
Drop your 1 Repetition even more (10 - 40% of 1 RM) and now you are Speed Training; the bar or your body can and should go airborne to develop Speed.
The percentage for Olympic Movement for Power is 70 - 80%.
The Synergistic Effect
The Westside Method and Zourdos research, along with others, have demonstrated that a well written/executed Conjugate Training Method that employs: Limit Strength, Power, Speed and Hypertrophy elicit a synergistic effect.
One strength enhance another.
Schoenfeld's Hpertrophy Research
Schoenfeld research demonstrated the same occurs when three components are employed with Hypertrophy Training.
1) Mechanical Tension: Limit Strength Training.
2) Metabolic Stress: Hypertrophy Training
3) Muscle Damage: Pushing to failure or near failure at some point in a training cycle and loaded stretching of the muscles.
Loaded Stretching Examples: Dumbbell Bench Press that allows maximal stretching, Full Squat, etc,
Kenny Croxdale