How the Sling Shot Saved My Bench Press

In this post I am going to try and convince even the most natty, so RAW you capitalize it, so raw you’ve got salmonella poisoning, lifters that they should spend the $50 or whatever it costs for one of Mark Bell’s Slingshots.

Calling themselves raw like it's a fashion statement.

Before we get to all that, no, Mark isn’t paying me to write this. No I haven’t been sent any free shit from HowMuchYaBench.Net. Hell, the closest interaction I’ve had to the man himself is following him on twitter.

I’m also not one to shill products. Especially those I don’t believe in.

Now to the testimonial.

Like many lifters I experienced a plateau on my bench. For a long, long time. My plateau was at 275 pounds. And for three years or so it would hover around the 275-to-290-pound range. Some months it would be 290, the next month 275. “What the hell am I doing wrong?” I thought to myself.

After growing frustrated I tried many things. Benching from pins (bottom-up press), bands, reverse bands, close grip only cycles, more overhead and incline work… damn near everything. And none of it really broke me through that plateau. Again, and again my bench would get stuck in that shit-tier range.

My best bench pre–Slingshot era. 295 pounds, touch and go. 

295 on the bench will barely turn heads in a YMCA. I can’t be having that.

Biker bro can definitely rep 315. 

Then I bought myself a Slingshot. I played with it a bit. But never took it seriously. I bought it cause I had the extra money and I figured, why not give it a shot? Well, after a few training sessions I put it away in my bag and reverted back to my retarded super natty, raw RAW, zealot status.

That was one of the stupidest mistakes I’ve ever made in my lifting career. For little did I know the one thing that would save my bench was collecting chalk dust in my gym bag.

Stupid.

Then in the fall of 2013 I was sick of my plateau. Granted, my bench had now at least reached the consistent level of 285 or so, but 300 was only happening on a day when all the planets were aligned, I had eaten my Wheaties, and found $20 on the gym floor. So out of frustration I started using my Slingshot. I pulled it out of early retirement, because I was sick and tired of having my bench press be on vacation in Florida. 

My bench had moved so far south it was getting

weak & tan on Daytona Beach.

I trained it weekly. Mandatory one day per week Slingshot work. At first it was just some overload sets after my raw bench work. That then turned into its own day- A day dedicated to training overload work with the Slingshot.

And my bench began to move.

First I got 290 with an ok pause. 

Then about a month later I got 295x2, paused. 

And the progress just kept coming. Along with using my Slingshot every week I also moved to flat footed benching which greatly improved my ability to recruit leg drive. My Slingshot mirrored exactly my raw bench programming, only differing in one way- the intensities were about 20-30 pounds greater.

Soon after incorporating it on a once per week basis my raw bench climbed to 300 with a clean pause. Then 305. Then that coveted 315 goal was achieved. Mission accomplished. Go home people. Show’s over.

Then I came out to Afghanistan. Training got harder. More focused. The Slingshot was getting used like a Greek slave circa 480 BC. I’d train with it on Tuesdays and then raw bench on Saturdays.

Greek BDSM.

Much like powerlifting.

And my bench began to move so fast it was like I had morphed into Goro from Mortal Kombat. Throwing that bar with my four arms like I was an Italian pizza man.

305, 315, 325 for reps… raw, without the Slingshot.

Meanwhile my Slingshot bench was climbing just as fast. Hitting into the mid 300’s for reps. Nothing felt better or built more confidence under the bar as holding 365 in my hands and repping it with my Slingshot.

An actual photo of me after using the Sling Shot

consistently for a few months.

After months and months of avoiding testing my true bench max and just building it through repetition, both raw and with my Slingshot, I decided it was time to test my max.

And just like that, I had benched 365 pounds. Just three or so pounds away from a two times bodyweight bench press. 

Plateau destroyed.

Mind you, I compete raw. I typically had trained raw. And like many raw lifters I saw using gear outside of the usual knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and belt, as abhorrent. I once was a raw dogmatist. Then I pulled my head out of my ass and realized that with the proper use and implementation, something like the Slingshot can be a raw powerlifter’s secret weapon. It is my opinion that for the money there is no better piece of equipment a raw lifter can purchase in pursuit of improving their bench press. 

I don't know who this guy is, but he's got a Slingshot

so he can probably bench more than you.

Thank you, Slingshot. You’re my best friend. 

Second installment here.