World's Strongest Man & The Boss Of Bench Press?

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This former strongman competitor and bodybuilder first became well known by being the first man to bench press 705.5 pounds in 1985. He is probably best known, though, for his short-lived wrestling career in the WWF in 1986. He was brought in because of his monstrous size, an attribute that was one of WWF owner Vince McMahon's biggest requisites with his biggest stars. He was introducted to wrestling audiences as "The World's Strongest Man", and he certainly looked the part. Unfortunately his massive body made him slow and not very maneuverable, hence his short wrestling career. The highlight of his wrestling career was at Wrestlemania 2, where he participated in the NFL/WWF 20 man battle royal, wrestling alonside such mat and gridiron legends as Andre the Giant, Iron Sheik, Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Bret "Hitman" Hart, William "Refrigerator" Perry, Bill Fralic, and Harvey Martin. He also participated in WWF's Big Event at the Toronto CNE Stadium, defeating former WWF Tag Team Champion Tony Garea in front of over 70,000 fans.

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The special Behind the neck press technique of Ted Arcidi.....

www.criticalbench.com

Ted Arcidi Behind The Neck Press Technique

By: Dennis B. Weis "The Yukon Hercules"

"I feel that with all supplementary exercises to choose from, the behind the neck press is the most useful in obtaining upper-torso stability (a must to be a half decent bencher in today's lifting society)."

"My behind the neck press I cherish as being one of the greatest upper body exercises to aid the bench press."

Muscle & Fitness, May 1989

"I have always valued the press behind the neck as one of the greatest upper body exercises to aid the bench press."

The above quotes were Ted Arcidi's exact insights and expressions regarding the behind the neck press. Doing an exercise such as the behind the neck press without giving thought to the muscle groups being worked may only yield 50-70% of ones specific goal. With this in mind I will begin this article by describing in detail the actual execution of the behind the neck press as Ted Arcidi prefers to do it and then conclude the article with some meaningful and productive exercise programs for this exercise.

Starting Point

Ted executes the behind the neck press in either one of two ways, the first way is the standing version (his favorite method by which to execute this lift) or secondly in a seated position. Ted grasps the bar (he likes to use an Olympic bar for this particular exercise rather than a conventional exercise bar) with palms down or pronated grip.

Ted's hand position is approximately 6-10" wider apart than his shoulders or whatever grip is necessary to produce the results of having his massive forearms as nearly parallel as possible. This of course is determined by his existing flexibility in the shoulder region. Ted doesn't clean the bar from the floor to his shoulders at the beginning of each set. This would be a real drain on his existing energy stores, especially when he begins to handle some top poundage's.

As a matter of fact Ted told me that he could never have done 315 plus pounds in this exercise for 10 solid reps or a mind boggling 400 plus pounds for 2 to 3 reps if he had to clean the bar to the shoulders for even one set!!! The best way he has found to begin this exercise is to merely take the bar off the squat rack (adjustable for either the standing or seated version) at the beginning of each set and then replace it on the rack when he has completed his set.

With the bar resting on his herculean upper trapezius muscles the massive Arcidi takes a deep breath, holds it, and begins pressing the ponderous barbell to lockout or until the elbows are fully extended. When bar is extended overhead, he drop his shoulders, contract lats (puts leverage on medial delts not traps) thrusts his chest forward and tightens the abs. At the point of two-thirds of lockout, he expels the air in his lungs. At certain times in his training cycle in the behind the neck press Ted will employ what I term…DOUBLE OXYGEN BREATHING. He will inhale at the beginning of the rep, hold the air, breath out at two-thirds of lockout, breath in again at the completion of the lockout, hold the breath as he lowers the barbell to the starting position, then exhale.

This double oxygen breathing technique stabilizes the chest and associated ribcage areas so that proper action takes place in the shoulder girdle and joint regions.

If you have ever had the opportunity to attend one of Ted Arcidi's power lifting and nutritional seminars in years past you couldn't help but notice that he always did his behind the neck presses standing. More balance is required in this particular lifting style and Ted's tremendous reserve of strength in the legs, back and abdominals serve him well for this endeavour. His body balance is always on the balls of his feet and never over the feet towards the heels. His feet are usually parallel and at least shoulder width apart to each other but one is slightly ahead of the other.

He looks straight ahead when executing each and every rep and never allows himself to look up or down (creates problems with balance). Occasionally he will hit a sticking point in a particular range of movement in the last couple of reps in a set. When he notices the weight beginning to slow down he will wedge or bow into the weight slightly with his hips which shortens the height of his actual physical structure and by doing so he seem to bypass the sticking point in the rep or reps.

Now that you know the exact execution of the Behind the neck press as Ted prefers it I would like to include a couple of meaningful training schedules which will release your reservoir of untapped strength.

Behind The Neck Press Schedule No. 1

First, do the behind the neck press with a barbell, seated. Perform five slow, strict reps, no cheating, using a poundage that can be handled properly. After you have finished these, stand up and continue with ten moderately fast reps in the behind the neck press, cheating if necessary but try to keep it to the final reps 9 and 10.

Next, sit down again and with the aid of a spotter, to lift the barbell to arms length overhead each rep, lower the barbell in negative fashion under your own power, to your shoulders. Do this for 10 negative reps. Next do 5 half reps in which you press the barbell from your shoulders to the top of the head. Now press the bar from the shoulders to approximately eye level for a big triple. Now grab an unloaded exercise bar and do 5 fast reps to ease the lactic acid burn in the muscle. All of the above procedures constitutes ONE SET, performed continuously without any rest/pauses whatsoever. The number of sets you do will depend on whether you are an intermediate or advanced bodybuilder and your current level of conditioning. Intermediate level bodybuilders and powerlifters can do 5-7 sets while those of the advanced nature can perform 7-10 sets.

Schedule No. 2

Ted usually works the behind the neck press twice per week on Tuesday and Saturdays. Ted recommends the following 3 optional workout cycles for the Behind the neck press.

Week No. 1

Tuesday

Set 1
65% of MAX for 8 reps

Set 2
75% of MAX for 8 reps

Set 3
80% of MAX for 6-8 reps

Set 4
80% of MAX for 6-8 reps

Saturday

Set 1
65% of MAX for 8 reps

Set 2
75% of MAX for 8 reps

Set 3
84% of MAX for 5-6 reps

Set 4
84% of MAX for 5-6 reps

Week No. 2

Tuesday

Set 1
65% of MAX for 8 reps

Set 2
75% of MAX for 8 reps

Set 3
86% of MAX for 4-5 reps

Set 4
86% of MAX for 4-5 reps

Saturday

Cycle with the workout you did on Tuesday in week one.

Week No. 3

Tuesday

Cycle with the workout you did on Saturday in week one.

Saturday

Cycle with the workout you did on Tuesday in week two.

There you have it future champion, all of the elements necessary to increase your behind the neck press the Ted Arcidi way. Adopt the attitude of a future champion. THINK SUCCESS, THINK BIG, SET SPECIFIC GOALS, DEVELOP AN INTENSE DESIRE TO WIN and most of all DEVELOP A POSITIVE SELF IMAGE OF YOURSELF.

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Awesome Interview by Yukon Hercules

interview done by: Dennis B. Weis
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On March 3, 1985, Ted became the first man in powerlifting history to officially bench-press 700.5 pounds. He made that APF & USPF world-record lift at Gus Rethwisch's Budweiser World Record Breakers in Hawaii. Then, on September 30, 1990, after 5 1/2 years away from competition, he made the comeback of the decade and stormed the APF Bench Press Invitational in Keene, New Hampshire, hoisting a monstrous 718.1 lbs effortlessly for yet another world record. Ted Arcidi then busted heads with another member of the 700 club, Anthony Clark, at Joe Weider's IFBB Mr. Olympia Bench Press Challenge, which took place in Florida on September 14, 1991. At that event Ted benched a gigantic 725 lbs for a sanctioned WPC & APF world record.
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Shortly after that record-shattering performance, however, the 5'11", 295 pound Hercules received a phone call from Powerlifting USA magazine informing him that the sanctioning powers were calling his 725-pound record a three-fourths lift because he couldn't lock out his arms. Ted was devastated. With bench-pressing records in the 700-pound category soaring to heavens, he could have dropped a bomb on the powerlifting community and pulled out of competition forever, but that's not the way he's built...
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As it turned out, Ted Arcidi has been lifting with what he referred to as "dead man's elbows" for some time when the Mr. Olympia event took place. In the following conversation he reveals what he had to do to remain on the bench press bandwagon...
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DW: This is the first time I've heard you make reference to benching with dead man's elbows. What's that all about?
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TA: Training for the Mr. Olympia bench press competition in 1991 was extremely hard because of the stress on my wrists and elbows. At that time I had lost 60 degrees of range of movement in both elbows. I mentioned this to the officials, and they, along with one of Anthony Clark's guys, checked out the extension of my arms by hanging and pulling on them. They found that my arms were not as fully extended as those of most powerlifters.
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DW: So the officials knew before-hand the limitations of your lockout? Obviously, they must have given you the go-ahead!
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TA: That's right. We did our power show during the intermission of the Mr. Olympia. Anthony took a 620 lbs for an opener, but his bench shirt completely blew out & the bar collapsed to his chest. I took 685 lbs for an easy opener. Clark jumped to 700 lbs for an unsuccessful second attempt. I took 725 lbs for a final attempt, but to no avail. I felt strong and in control and went for a big 750 lbs, but I did not achieve the lift.
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DW: What was it like doing those mega bench presses with gimped wrists and very limited range of movement at your elbows?
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TA: With the 725-pound world record I had great explosion off my chest, just as I've always had; however, because of the elbow joint closure, which was due to bone calcification, I had no triceps muscle or ligament lockout. With no lockout there was no luxury of the joints supporting that monstrous poundage, and I had to constantly keep flexing to keep the weight up till I received the judge's signal to rack it, even though it wasn't full lockout. It's a very strange and lone-some feeling to have once had full range and access and the use of a full-length triceps and biceps. But now I had no triceps lockout muscles because the bone spurs had shut me down, so to speak.
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DW: Wow! You really had to over-come quite a physical handicap. Then you got the terrible phone call informing you that your record was only going to be called a three-fourths attempt. How did that make you feel?
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TA: My head was in a sad state when I heard the news. I was very depressed after the Olympia, and I felt as if it was useless to ever go for another world record if I was going to get that type of clamor and criticism from the press and everybody.
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DW: All this must have affected your attitude...
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TA: The bone spurs in my elbows affected me in numerous ways. First, I couldn't get into a comfortable position in bed at night. I'd have nightmares that I was trapped in a box and didn't have full extension of everything, especially my upper body. I dreamed I couldn't yawn or stretch. It was a hell of a scenario...
My elbows were always cramped, and I had tremendous pain in my wrists, especially at night. My whole private life was inhibited - I couldn't play a decent game of tennis, shoot a basketball ot throw a baseball to my nieces and nephews...
I noticed in pictures that my shoulders weren't as broad or thick as they used to be. The muscle bellies of my biceps and my triceps were shortened to the point that I looked like a handicapped person who didn't have full use of his upper extremities...
One of the most pronounced things was my elbows. It always looked as if I were about to pick up something because my arms were bent to extreme extent that they hung like hooks. I felt like a crab!
I was going for custody of my son (at that time), so I was very depressed. Even though I felt it was useless to go for another world record bench press, I wasn't content to leave the lifting world and not try again in the future.
I simply would not accept losing!!! I had to find a doctor who would recognize the problem and correct.
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DW: You've talked about bone spur and pain, which in part contributed to the limit range of movement in your arms. That didn't happen overnight, did it?
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TA: No, actually it was a progressive condition that began around 1983.
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DW: What was the turning point for you?
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TA: In February 1992 Tom Ciola (president of National Health Products) invited me and 12 other world class powerlifters, strength coaches and doctors to participate in the first ever USA Power & Strength Symposium, which was held in Orlando, Florida. Through connections I made there, I was referred to a number of practitioners in New York. I ultimately went with Dr. Steven McLlveen.
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DW:Tell me about the preparations that led to your elbow injury?
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TA: Prior to going under the knife at Columbia Prebyterian Medical Center in New York, I went to see Dr. John Merrick, who is a top-notch physical therapist and chiropractor and conducts seminars on physical therapy protocol, such as rehab and joint manipulation, around the country...
I explained to Dr. Merrick that I wanted to increase the range of movement in my arms. Normal extension and flexion passive limitations are 180 degrees. Upon testing I was found to have only 40 percent of this range at maximum! The doctor then proceeded to take some X-rays, which showed that I was loaded with bone spurs and calcification in my soft tissue and joints.
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DW: Just what exactly causes such problems?
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TA: From what I was told, the bone spurs locked up my elbows not only at the joints but at the actual muscle fascia as well. This was caused by putting my joints and muscles under the heavy stress, weight-bearing traction, as it's called, of benching. My joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons were literally loaded with heavy traction. My body's response to the stress was to protect the joints via the route of calcification and bone spur growth.
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DW: I'd guess that you probably subjected your appendages to the heavy of more 600- and 700-pound bench presses in training and competition than any other power & strength champion in the history of the iron game. Other world-class lifters such as Anthony Clark, Chris Confessore and Ken Lain have also benched under heavy traction, but as far as I know, they haven't experienced these problems.
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TA: It does seam as if some individuals are able to lift in heavy traction with no current ill effects. I suppose it's like smoking cigarettes or cigars. Some people smoke two to three packs a day for 50 years with no ill effects - or so it seams - yet others smoke perhaps half a pack a day for say, 10 years and ultimately lose a lung, develop a heart disease and, worse yet, pass away.........................

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Contd........DW: Did Dr. Merrick suggest that anything might have prevented you from getting the bone spurs and calcifications?
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TA: It was obvious to him that I hadn't been getting enough soft tissue management between workouts, nor had I been icing and stretching my joints properly over the past few years.
Dr. Merrick did some therapy on me, and soon I was on my way to New York City for the first of two operations.
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DW: Tell me about Dr. McLlveen's preoperative diagnosis...
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TA: To begin with, he looked over the X-rays I'd brought with me and said that the preoperative diagnosis for both of my dead man's elbows, as I call them, was osteoarthritis of the elbow joint with spur and osteophyte formation and secondary stiffness. I remember muttering: "Can we go in with a scope and remove the bone spurs?" This brought a grin to the doctor's face. He said it was unusual for a person to have such a severe degree of spur and osteophyte formation - and in both elbows. He also said that this was the worst case he's ever seen! While bone spurs in most individuals can be measured in millimeters, mine were measurable in centimeters.
These were not hollow words, for the doctor had performed countless surgical repairs on auto mechanics and transmission specialists who do a lot of heavy hoisting and holding in there occupations and as a result sometimes develop bone spurs. The doctor went on to say that the absence of any particular significant traumatic event it was quite possible that my years of heavy lifting and the inevitable micro trauma and macro trauma that were delivered to my elbow joints caused the conditions I displayed.
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DW: When you woke up in the recovery room, what was the first thing you said?
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TA: The first thing I remember saying to Dr. McLlveen was: "Did you get the range?" He demonstrated on his left arm what range I would get on mine. Keep in mind that my elbows were in flaccid state during the actual surgical repair, so the doctor could tell in the operating room what range I could get.
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DW: How did you feel when you heard that?
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TA: It was a feeling of euphoria, and I almost started crying because I knew there was a chance of coming back (to competition). I told my brother that I didn't care how much therapy was ahead of me. I was determined to follow the physician-directed physical therapy, and I was going to be extremely dedicated in stretching and performing my own exercises on a regular daily basis.
I was so darned happy, even though I had my work cut out for me, I wanted to get the left elbow operated on the next week...
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DW: After the operation on the right elbow, it was undoubtedly weak for a time, until it healed, with the opposite taking place after the operation on the left elbow. Did it take long for each arm to catch up with the other after surgery?
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TA: It's funny how nature works. The body is so dynamic that one arm caught up with the other in a relatively brief period of time. There is a process called "transverse bilateral effect", in which there is a cross transference of energy, nutrients and nerve impulses from the stronger limb to the weaker one. It seams that the strength in the two arms should be totally lopsided, but it doesn't work out that way.
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DW: You exemplify something the great strongman Paul Anderson said on numerous occasions: "No matter how tough it seams - throw your head back and look up. You won't be defeated!" Tell me about the physical and mechanical means of restoration that Dr. Merrick designed for you.
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TA: First, I did stretching exercises to get a full range of movement in the joint. Second, contrast, or progressuve-thermal therapy of ice, then heat, then ice moderated and controlled blood circulation for the healing of joint and muscle dysfunction. Finally, the third objective was to acquire muscle stabilization and strength.
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DW: You've told me on numerous occasions that optimal nutrition is a primary consideration in successful bodybuilding and in your case - powerlifting. How did nutrition enhance your recovery from surgery?
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TA: Overall my nutritional integrity was sound, but I made sure to take in a liberal 100 grams-plus of branched-chain amino capsules because they account for 33% of muscle repair. I took five grams of vitamin C from rose hips and 1500 units of E every day.
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DW: Thank you for the interview, Ted.
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TA: You're welcome!

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www.geocities.com/Pipeline/R.../front_page.htm

STRENGTHEN THOSE SINEWS!
toughen up your tendons and ligaments for power lifting proficiency!
article written by: Ted Arcidi

It was back in 1978, during my first year of college in Salem, Massachusetts. I had little or no knowledge of the human body at that time, but I did have an all-absorbing interest in developing power & muscle mass. There was nothing I wanted more than to be powerful. I didn't care how I looked; how much I could lift was much more important to me than putting an extra 16th of an inch on my biceps. So I found a good book on anatomy and kinesiology at the college library and immediately started to incorporate what I learned about body mechanics and metabolic functions into my daily routine. I consider that day to be one of the most important in my weightlifting life...
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There's no doubt that arm size contributes somewhat to a lifter's progress on the bench press. Powerlifters and bodybuilders alike depend on personal feedback to monitor gains and inspire them to keep moving. Everyone has his or her unique system. For me it's important to pack on not only muscle size but also super-power! I knew my program was working because I made gains of as much as 100 pounds on the bench press alone...
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When I started out in the iron game, I used to gobble up stories about Canadian colossus Doug Hepburn, who was a pioneer in the bench press, along with, of course, guys like Marvin Eder, Pat Casey, Chuck Sipes and Jim Williams. Hepburn was benching 560 lbs back in 1952 and '53 at the body weight of around 255, while Eder at 197 could knock out 510 lbs. Casey crashed the 600 lbs barrier with an astounding 619.5 lbs in the early '60's; Sipes, a top pro bodybuilder, did 570 and nearly 600 at a body weight of around 220; and if that wasn't enough, around '68 or '69 Williams almost did a 700 bench at the weight of 350...
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Some of the above lifts may not seem like much compared to today's standards, but remember that those power lifting pioneers performed without using anabolic substances or bench shirts. What, then, was their secret? They all believed in developing tendon and ligament strength through the use of power assistance exercises...
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The Truth about Tendons and Ligaments
A tendon is sort of a tough cord, a strap like tissue that connects, through an adhesive quality, the ends or belly of the muscle base to bone tissue. Tendons are quite strong and capable of great power, and, when properly developed, they're somewhat elastic in nature. Tendons transmit the tensile load produced by the muscles to the bone, causing the body to move. In many cases tendon strength maybe twice that of the muscle belly itself. That's why muscle ruptures are more common than tendon ruptures; however, when tendons do rupture, they generally take 40 to 50 weeks to regain previous strength levels.
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Ligaments, on the other hand, are tough but flexible cord like bands of fibers that connect, by tying or binding, one bone to another at the joints. Ligaments help keep bones and joints firmly in place while still allowing movement - but not at the expense of dislocation; that is, bending the joint the wrong way.
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Tendons and ligaments have a relatively poor blood supply compared to skeletal muscles. There are a few self-proclaimed muscle experts who recommend high-volume training of 5 to 10 sets for 10 to 20 reps on two or three exercises per muscle group. They theorize that the constant repetitive action of performing what adds up to 20 to 30 sets per body part stimulates tendon and ligament strength and growth due to the greater workload and increased blood flow to the target body part. Some of those armchair trainers, as I like to call them, carry this philosophy to the ultimate extreme by suggesting that tendon and ligament strength is actually increased when you perform 50-70 reps that is 30% of a maximum single effort in the chosen exercise!!! Baloney! Those guys are on Pluto! About the only thing that type of training will do is develop what I call a "suck pump" and it only lasts a few hours. Sure, the muscles might swell to a seemingly huge size from such high-volume training, but they'll usually do so without a corresponding increase in strength. Big muscles do not always indicate great strength. Granted, a muscle can be a real power dynamo, and the bigger the muscle, the greater the strength potential. The critical factor in terms of developing that strength potential, however, is the tendon attachments of the muscles to the bones. Remember, a muscles potential strength is transmitted through the tendons to the joints, where pressure is directly applied to create movement. A seemingly massive muscle is largely ineffective unless it's tendons and ligaments have been equally strengthened....
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Tendon and Ligament Strengthening Program

Chuck Sipes observed on many occasions that "tendon and ligament strength is more important than just plain body weight for strength and power". It was his experience that tendons and ligaments strength is developed in 3 phases:
1) with strengthening movements
2) with isometric concentrated sustained drives
3) with heavy supports
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Chuck was right on, and I realized some time ago that to obtain real power, I had to specialize on exercises that build greater tendon and ligament strength. The way to accomplish this is to use exercises that give the muscle groups like THIGHS, BACK, PECS & SHOULDERS plenty of action. Powerlifters seeking to develop great power, especially in the tendons and ligaments, should work those muscle groups more than others.
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The basic idea is to train muscles over a short range of movement, doing half and quarter squats and deadlifts, lockout presses and heavy negative curls from the finish position. This type of training, using what I call short-range and limited-motion principles, will give you rugged tendons and ligaments.
It has been my experience that the human body cannot fail to respond to the stimulus of the short-range and limited-motion principles. Even so, lifters who train at home don't have the right equipment for that. The solution is the Arcidi Heavy Duty Power Rack. With this apparatus you can perform any of the power exercises described below and travel swiftly toward greater tendon and ligament power and mightier all-around strength.
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In the accompanying routine, the instructions for the bench press also apply to the standing behind-the-neck barbell press. I found that as my power improved in the bench press, it became much easier to perform behind-the-neck barbell presses and with greatly increased weight. That's because, when I'm lying on my back, only my arms and shoulders can move, which means the resistance is concentrated on the arms and shoulders and can be extremely intense.
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When I perform standing behind-the-neck barbell presses, on the other hand, my entire body is supported basically on my ankles. That makes it more difficult - and slower - to build dynamic shoulder power with the behind-the-neck barbell press alone than when you use the bench press. Years ago when I was in York, Pennsylvania, for a bench press exhibition, I had the pleasure of talking with the great John C. Grimek about that very point. he said that at one point in his progress on over-head pressing movements he'd come to a standstill and only by intensive concentration on the bench press was he able to increase the weight on overhead presses.
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Final Notes
The key to fantastic sinew power in the tendons and ligaments is to use the partial and support movements in your day-to-day workouts with the rep schemes I've listed. I advocate keeping the reps at around six. Sixes are great because you build endurance and strength. Although you're not using extremely heavy poundages on this routine, you still have to throw considerable weight around.
Low reps and heavy poundages are the keys to a fool proof system of building greater tendon and ligament strength and, ultimately, great power...

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The Ted Arcidi Routine:

Monday
light flat bench presses 4 x 5
use a poundage you could probably do 9 reps with - but do only 5!
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partial movement:
bench presses 3 x 6
use a power rack. To determine how many inches you should lower the bar, lie on the bench with your arms completely extended and measure from the highest point of your chest to the wrist. Every 2 weeks or so lower the starting point for the partial bench press by one-sixth of your total arm length. If your arms are 24 inches long, divide that figure by six, which equals four inches. For the example, during the first two weeks lower the bar four inches from lockout, and the next two weeks lower it another four inches, for a total of eight.
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lying triceps extensions 4 x 6
using an EZ-curl bar, lower it to your nose and extend. You might want to use elbow ace supports for this exercise, maybe even two on each elbow, because there's a lot of stress on the elbow joint.
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partial lying triceps extensions 3 x 6
Again working within the confines of the power rack, adjust the flanged steel rods safety catches so you only have two or three inches to extend, or press, the bar to lockout. You can add variety to the movement by turning your palms either up or down and by alternating your grip width on each set so you work all three aspects of the triceps.
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behind-the-neck barbell presses 4 x 6
work up to two good sets with a heavy weight.
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barbell curls 3 x 6
use an EZ-curl bar and maximum weight.

Tuesday
lat pulldowns 4 x 10
this is a great movement for developing a thick back and a strong base for benching big. Alternate formats, performing one rep in front of your neck and one rep behind, etc.
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Wednesday
Complete rest and recuperation!
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Thursday
heavy flat bench presses
weeks 1-3: 4 x 5
weeks 4-5: 4 x 5
weeks 6-8: 3 x 3
week 9: 2 x 3
week 10: go for a max attempt
heavy flat bench supports 4 x 20 seconds
*Maximum poundages!
Begin with 20 to 40 % more than your best maximum single effort in the bench press. The idea is to support the massive poundage at arms length with a very slight - at most - elbow bend for 5 to 20 seconds. When you can hold the weight for four sets of 20 seconds, it's time to add more weight.
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lying triceps extensions 4 x 6
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behind-the-neck barbell press 3 x 7
This is a light shoulder day. Use a weight that you can get 11 reps with but only do 7
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partial behind-the-neck barbell press 3 x 6
This is a fine tendon and ligament movement for the triceps and the shoulder girdle. Use a weight that's 10 to 20 lbs under you best full range single on this movement. Adjust the height of the bar within the power rack so that it clears the top of your head. I do all my overhead presses while standing.
On the 1st set use your normal grip width, press the weight out to arm's length, then lower and repeat for the required reps. On the 2nd set use a grip that is 2 inches wider than what you used on the previous set, and on the final set use one that's 2 inches narrower than what you used on the 1st set. If you find it difficult to get the required reps with the suggested hand spacing, take some weight off the bar rather the changing the grip.
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barbell curls 3 x 6
Use 20 lbs less weight that you used on Monday.
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partial power curls 2 x 6-10
use a straight bar. Adjust the heights of the bar in the power rack to a fixed position just an inch or so above the horizontal position of your forearms. Do the partial power curls in this area. Vary the exercise by using different grip widths. Hold the partial contraction at the top of the movement for 2 seconds or more. Within a few workouts you should see at least a 5 to 10 lbs improvement on your full range curls!
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Friday
Repeat Tuesday workout
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Saturday
squats 3 x 6
jump 40 lbs over the weight you'd use for 3x10 and go for 3x6. You might want to put on some knee wraps because the stress squats put on knee joints.
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quarter squats 3 x 6
do these every other week, alternating with heavy squat supports! Use about 50 lbs more than you use on your regular squats to begin with and only go 1/4 of the way down. Don't lock your knees.
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heavy squat supports 4 x 10
do these every other week, alternating with quarter squats. Keep your legs straight and locked.
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deadlifts 2 x 5


Sunday
Complete rest and recuperation!

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Wrestling Highlights
Ted Arcidi made the jump from powerlifting to wrestling..
Wrestlemania II: Ted Arcidi competed in the Battle Royal, which was won by Andre The Giant..
Ted Arcidi was known as the "World's Strongest Man"
Ted Arcidi also made his way through Stampede Wrestling in Calgary and World Class in Dallas..
Ted Arcidi is a proud member of the Wrestlecrap Hall of Shame..
Ted Arcidi runs a Women's gym and sells cardio equipment in a business he owns in Manchester, New Hampshire..
Ted Arcidi also sells and resells used fitness equipment..
Ted Arcidi had been selling his own line of sublingual liquid supplements for powerlifters and bodybuilders..
Ted Arcidi occassionally does commentary on "World's Strongest Man" competitions seen on ESPN..
Ted Arcidi has appeared in several independent films, more on that can be learned from the Internet Movie Data Base..

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No thread is complete without a pictorial.............

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