I don’t know why you are bringing this up. I didn’t question your bench abilities or anyone else. This is related to sprint training and the day where the majority of elite sprinters have benches >350 and when the majority of even intermediate level sprinters (10.4-10.7) have benches in excess off 300lbs, you’ll have a point here. This isn’t related to what we were discussing AT ALL, but thanks.
As far as intensity, I understand that heavier loads bring about greater intensity, but for smaller athletes who are lifting near the limits of their genetic potential, I think all lifts >85% are higher intensity lifts, even if less than 400lbs. Furthermore, I think if Max Strength is what one is looking for, lifting in the >85% range must be included to optimize training towards that end. I also believe that these days should be considered when programming a very CNS intensive program, and may not belong on a Low CNS/Extensive Tempo day. That’s just my opinion, however, and I respect the opinions of those that disagree.
Yes, but not everyone does the majority of their lifting in excess over 85%. Even Charlie said that his squats never went above 2x6 during the max strength phase. You can imagine the majority of the year being substantially lower. Your arguments about lifting >85% being a must have been rehashed several times and do not need further comment as it has been discussed numerous times. The fact is, many people have run successful programs where weights are just supplemental to their sprinting/jumping and a large portion of their training year was spent training <85% of their max.