Does one heavy set of bench press increase subsequent explosive power?
The Study: Ten males threw a 6.6 pound medicine ball as far as they could, rested 4 minutes, performed a set of bench presses to failure at 5 reps, rested 4 minutes, and threw the medicine ball again. The Result: After performing the bench press, the subjects increased their throwing distance by over 5%.(1) Comments: Strength coaches like Ian King have speculated for years that the performance of explosive weight lifting movements directly before competition could improve anaerobic power. This study shows that this may be true. A word of caution, though. I would’ve liked to have seen whether the improvement on the second throw was really a result of the performance of the bench press, the performance of a practice throw, or the combination of the two. The second throw might be improved by simply performing a practice throw or two. So the next time you’re involved in a keg-tossing contest, warm up with a practice throw followed by a 5 rep set of bench. Then chuck that keg halfway across
