Does this routine for chest look like one that will get me to a 300 pound max bench?!

[samakaballer]

I've been lifting since november, taken maybe 8 weeks off total between then and now due to either the feeling of overtraining or because of shoulder pain.... My max bench press ( according to the max bench press calculator) is 252 pounds lol but i'd be lucky to get 245 i think, only done 225 for 2 reps after my bench workout so iwas tired.... here's my routine for chest ( i have 2 chest workouts , one for monday and a different for friday check them out)

monday ( chest/bi's 1)

**flat bench press ( just started this 3 sets of 8 crap but it has worked alright for the month now that i've done it)

175 1x14
1x13
1x12

jsut this week i could only bench 175 for 13 reps first set so i upped the weight to 195 an only did
1x8
1x6
1x6 but expect to hit 3 sets of 8 this coming monday, just felt like **** during this workout..

**preacher curl dumbells
3 sets of 8 of 40 lb dumbells

**hammer curls
3 sets of ten with 35 lb dumbells with strict form, and 1 set of 8 with 40lb

** dumbell flat bench press
3 sets of 8-10 with 65-70lb dumbells

*** dips using 2 flat benches legs extended ( just added this to workout)

3 sets of 10-15

*** Dumbell tricep extensions ( just added to workout)
3 sets of ten with 60lb

**** push ups with feet elevated on a bench ( just added to workout)

3 sets of 15-20

**** Tricep pulldowns
3 sets of ten with 60lb

I do flys usually, but i alternate one week i'll do dumbell flys, another week i'll use a machine or the pulleys, it just depends how i feel...
and that's my chest 1 routine for monday, shoudl i take away anything or add anything?? i was thinking about adding close grip bench press to this routine

[samakaballer]

friday chest workout ( chest 2) consists of these workouts....


** Incline bench press
3 sets of 12 with 155 lbs upping to 175 3 sets of 8 this friday

** concentration curls
3 sets of 10 wiht 40lb dumbell

** decline bench press ( do this one a machine called the max rack, which is much harder then the smith machine, which i can do 3 plates for 3 reps on lol, and 225 for about 14 reps, smith machines r way too easy)

I'm kind of undecided with what weight to use for each set so i start out with
185 x10
205x10
225x7
265x3 ( i'm probably going to use 210 this friday for 3 sets of ten-12 if possible)

****Incline bench press dumbells

65lbx10 for 2 sets
70lbx8 for 1 set

*** tricep pulldowns
3 sets of ten with 60lb

and that's my chest workout for friday, does it look ok? Should I add or take away any exercises?

[samakaballer]

One other thing I've changed, is my bench press grip. I was using shoulder width grip, now I grip it about a little less then an inch away ( outside) from the rings on the bar, some consider it widegrip.. I seem to control the bar a lot better now and seem to feel it more in my chest instead of tri's so much, and less shoulder pain.. But i have always stopped an inch away from touching chest cuz i knew my arms were parallel to ground, but now i just started touching chest, just hoping to help make better gains from it

[ironwill2008]

If your goal is to bench 300, you need to be benching, and not using machines, and doing pushups. A much better approach for you would be an intermediate strength program, like Starr/Madcow. A structured program, with regular progression is the way to increase basic lifts.

[samakaballer]

If your goal is to bench 300, you need to be benching, and not using machines, and doing pushups. A much better approach for you would be an intermediate strength program, like Starr/Madcow. A structured program, with regular progression is the way to increase basic lifts.

alright, I'm just using the 3 sets of 8-12 thing because i had been using 5x5 on flat bench b4 and kinda got stuck at 210 5x5 then took the month off because of shoulder pain, and this 3 sets of 8-12 is just switching it up so my body doesn't get used to 5x5. and I use free weight bench presses except for decline, because my gym doesn't havea free weight decline bench lol. I just added those pushups to my routine this week so hopefully those will help my bench over time. When I start to notice myself getting stuck on the 3 sets of 8-12 I'm going to go back to 5x5 increasing weight 5 lbs per week as long as the workout was completed

[nick4444]

alright, I'm just using the 3 sets of 8-12 thing because i had been using 5x5 on flat bench b4 and kinda got stuck at 210 5x5 then took the month off because of shoulder pain, and this 3 sets of 8-12 is just switching it up so my body doesn't get used to 5x5. and I use free weight bench presses except for decline, because my gym doesn't havea free weight decline bench lol. I just added those pushups to my routine this week so hopefully those will help my bench over time. When I start to notice myself getting stuck on the 3 sets of 8-12 I'm going to go back to 5x5 increasing weight 5 lbs per week as long as the workout was completed

Why do you do chest and bis in one day, that doesn't make much sense to me, but dont know how much you usually go to the gym and all that. Why dont you try to do more sets, up it to 4 sets instead of three, take a little more time in between sets so you can lift at a higher intensity with more weight. I always have, and always will do chest and tris on the same day, every pressing movement you do is doing your tris there is no reason to not to them on that day. you have to realize bench press isnt just a chess exercise it does your shoulders and tris alot too. Work hard, stay focused, and push yourself to do better dont get complacent and stay at one wait because you dont want to work hard, hard work= results

[samakaballer]

Why do you do chest and bis in one day, that doesn't make much sense to me, but dont know how much you usually go to the gym and all that. Why dont you try to do more sets, up it to 4 sets instead of three, take a little more time in between sets so you can lift at a higher intensity with more weight. I always have, and always will do chest and tris on the same day, every pressing movement you do is doing your tris there is no reason to not to them on that day. you have to realize bench press isnt just a chess exercise it does your shoulders and tris alot too. Work hard, stay focused, and push yourself to do better dont get complacent and stay at one wait because you dont want to work hard, hard work= results

I accidentally labeled it chest/bis, but it' really chest/bis/tri's, a friend of mine made that routine for me, and my friend has a real big bench around 430 but he's been lifting since 15 years old, an now he's 22, and he had me doing pyramids on bench press and most all resistance workouts, for bench it would be 10,8,6,4,2 and add 5lbs if finished but pyramids didn't work well for me at all.. I've taken away and changed a few workouts he had me doing, like tricep kickbacks ( didn't feel anything with them), and a few others workouts that hurt my shoulder too much to do. I do chest/bi's tri's on monday and friday,s i do my back and shoulders on wednesday and saturday, and i add legs on my back workout on saturdays since my back workout on saturday is sort of short and brief. Im lifting 4 days a week.. My biggest goal is the bench press though, I want to be in the 300lb plus club. I'm sick of saying " dont worry about it" when people ask me what I bench press lol

[d218]

legs and back on the same day =/ sighs

[Chesticles2]

On every barbell in the world there are the little smooth gaps on the grip called power rings.
You wanna have your pinky covering the ring for your max press.
A max bench isnt just from your chest. I dont know why you just want a strong bench, but going for 300 will come sooner if you go hard on your front delts as well as your triceps.
Add close grip bench with a superset of skullcrushers to your routine for a month or so. It'll get you there faster. Not saying to neglect your chest. But once your up at that weight, your chest will definatly be calling more muscle fibers than its used to make that lift. If your getting stronger from the extra delt and tri training and your bench is improving but your worried your chest is lagging, fatigue your delts one day before blasting your chest, and your tris for the next chest day.
Thats what I think about that

[silkysniper]

do ballistic push ups- alot of them- in order to help you blast through your sticky point, or the point where you get stuck

[silkysniper]

And another thing, by strengthening your rotator cuff, you can add an extra fifteen lbs to ur bench

[elcapitano]

I think you should incoporate some more tricep exercises like french presses with a EZ curl bar along with a dumbell.
And when you are doing your flat bench presses are you wasting alot of energy on the downward movement to your chest? Maybe you should practice on explosive chest movements on one of your chest days and see if any of your numbers move up.

[centoshred]

CGBP start doing it if you're not already

[Malkira]

I've been lifting since november, taken maybe 8 weeks off total between then and now due to either the feeling of overtraining or because of shoulder pain.... My max bench press ( according to the max bench press calculator) is 252 pounds lol but i'd be lucky to get 245 i think, only done 225 for 2 reps after my bench workout so iwas tired.... here's my routine for chest ( i have 2 chest workouts , one for monday and a different for friday check them out)

monday ( chest/bi's 1)

**flat bench press ( just started this 3 sets of 8 crap but it has worked alright for the month now that i've done it)

175 1x14
1x13
1x12

My experience is that pause benching and rack presses add a great deal once your 1RM is over 225.

This site has a calculator that I use for my bench program.

http://theswole.com/swole/bench-calculator/

HOWEVER, be forewarned that the program it gives you forgets to include the pause benches.

You add pause benches the first time you do your first set of 8, which is week 2 day b.

So on the day you do Barbell flat bench: 185lb x 8 x 3, then then do a set of pauses at whichever weight would have you failing at 10 reps. You unrack the weight, bring it to your check, count 2 missippi, then lift it back up and that's one rep. My 1RM is about 245 as well, and I can barely finish 155lbsx10 with the 2 missippi pause

Your pauses are always 2 reps more than your flat barbell bench.


I'm on week 3, day B so my workout tonight is

Barbell flat bench: 190lb x 8
Barbell flat pause bench: 155x10
Dumbbell flat bench: 60 x 6 x 3
Dumbbell incline: 60 x 6 x 3
Dumbbell incline flies: 30 x 8-12 x 3
Skull crushers: 65 x 8-12 x 3
Heavy pushdowns x 3
Reverse pushdowns supersetted w/ rope pushdowns x 2

[samakaballer]

thanks a lot guys, I'm gonna atake all this into consideration and try getting my bench press up!