Benchpress problems

[AnotherBigGuy]

I have been working out for a month now, and have seen increases in weight in all the other excersizes I do, besides the bench press. I do chest every friday, and I can only rep 160 max ( same weight I started at when I started training) and i'm 179 ibs. and 15 years old. I work all my other muscles, and I don't see why I can't increase not even a bit in benchpress?

[Alpharma]

Check your form. Check to make sure your grip is wide enough to engage your pecs and not depending on your triceps to do the majority of the lift. Take the weight all the way down, smooth and slow, don't bounce it off your chest. Make sure you are bringing the bar down around your diaphram, alot of people try to bring it too high up on their chest.

Also, make sure your tri's are rested before chest day so they don't fail before your chest does.

If your form is impeccible and your getting good work out of the lift and your still not gaining, try doing dumbell benchpress, and get a good wide strech and take the weight deep, that should break you out of a slump.

Also, you're 15 and have been working out for only a month, it's not going to just happen automatically. Give it some hard work and time.

[jedyzb]

I weigh just a few pounds more than you and I am 3 inches shorter. I can just managed 145lbs and i'm a BAD bench presser. My recommendation would be to eat like a champ the day before and the day of your next bench session and kill it.

[kusok]

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/tra...technique.html

Do BB shoulder press, close grip bench, dips, they improve your bench.

Get on full body or 4-day lower/upper/off/lower/upper/off/off split until you bench 300 lbs. Those 1x per week splits are not for you.

[H1t_V3r4c]

Just eat and microload the bar (adding small increments of weight every workout)

[Caged_Rav3n]

Check your form, make sure you are benching properly first of all.

Eat like a king and slowly increase the weight on the bar, you may need to do a de-load.

Make sure you are doing your squats and deadlifts really working your legs, if you don;t work your legs your upper body won't grow, if you don;t work your legs your upper body progress will be limited and you will stall and won;t be able to move on.

[AnotherBigGuy]

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/tra...technique.html

Do BB shoulder press, close grip bench, dips, they improve your bench.

Get on full body or 4-day lower/upper/off/lower/upper/off/off split until you bench 300 lbs. Those 1x per week splits are not for you.

Real helpful advice, thanks man.

[jb4476]

I have been working out for a month now, and have seen increases in weight in all the other excersizes I do, besides the bench press. I do chest every friday, and I can only rep 160 max ( same weight I started at when I started training) and i'm 179 ibs. and 15 years old. I work all my other muscles, and I don't see why I can't increase not even a bit in benchpress?

Welcome to the shitty bench press crew, bro. Deadlift is >400, OHP>135 and bench is <200.

Feelsbadman.jpg.

[kusok]

Welcome to the shitty bench press crew, bro. Deadlift is >400, OHP>135 and bench is <200.

Feelsbadman.jpg.

Damn ^^^ I'm the other way around, my dead is humiliatingly weak (I have an excuse thou, I had a very bad lower back injury many years ago from falling on ice, still getting back from it), I'm kinda humiliated to even post it here, it's pathetic... about 320 lbs... I WILL get it to 400 in a few months. But my bench is solid 300+ and I'm not even bulking or trying to increase it.

[Farley1324]

I have been working out for a month now, and have seen increases in weight in all the other excersizes I do, besides the bench press. I do chest every friday, and I can only rep 160 max ( same weight I started at when I started training) and i'm 179 ibs. and 15 years old. I work all my other muscles, and I don't see why I can't increase not even a bit in benchpress?

You probably need a better routine.

You possibly need to eat more food and more protein.

Without knowing anything about these variables it is impossible to say.

[abg]

Like most here said, make sure form is good. With chest on Friday, I'm pretty curious what you do on Thursdays. Tris or shoulders could be killing chest day. You can also play with rep ranges to get your weight up slowly (ie: 165x3, add a rep a week til at target range) or micro-adjustments (get some way of adding 2.5lbs/workout).

If form and split aren't an issue, then like kusok said, add in support work, or better yet, hit a full body 2x or 3x/week split that is going to push your strength up better.

[dushira]

Make sure you are doing your squats and deadlifts really working your legs, if you don;t work your legs your upper body won't grow, if you don;t work your legs your upper body progress will be limited and you will stall and won;t be able to move on.

[Farley1324]

Got steroids?

[kusok]

Got steroids?

No, just bad squat form. Kyle can fix it in 3 minutes if they were his clients!

[Caged_Rav3n]

Don't shoot the messenger, i'm just stating a fact, and maybe it doesn't apply to everyone, and maybe they're on steroids?


Why you need to work legs to get a stronger upper body

By working legs I mean strength training with the basic weight based exercises. Squats, deadlifts, leg press. Performing these compound exercises also stimulates growth of the upper body muscles. The upper body muscles are activated to handle the weight during these exercises.


Another reason to strength train legs is that the entire body gets used to handling heavy weights. You can handle a lot of weight on the compound leg exercises you because all the muscle of the body are activated, not just legs. As you increase the weight on movements like squat and deadlift, upper body strength goes up as well.


More upper body strength= more weight to be used during the exercise (overload)= more muscle.

Heavy compound movements also cause a natural release of testosterone and growth hormone, which help stimulate the entire body grow. Remember that after a workout, protein synthesis is raised for several days.


Because you worked chest on Monday, doesn't mean Tuesday's and Wednesday's nutrient intake is irrelevant. In fact, it's the opposite. Working chest on Monday, and then doing a heavy leg workout on Wednesday, benefits chest because chest is not yet fully repaired and can take advantage of the increased hormonal profile along with the extra nutrients.


This effect isn't limited to chest. All body parts are effected. Biceps, triceps, back etc..


With all this benefit to be had from hitting legs hard, why would you avoid doing them? You wouldn't, not that you know better!


It's a common fact, ask anyone, if you don;t work your legs, your upper body will be limited to what it can achieve, you will eventually stall.

[Farley1324]

No, just bad squat form. Kyle can fix it in 3 minutes if they were his clients!

Seriously, you are afraid to say this to his "face" on the internet? This is a new low.


I'm still waiting to hear what my squat combines with that totals under 450 pounds , BTW.

[IronRooster2]

I am wholly unconvinced about any relevant "spillover" effect, or some kind of "hormonal nirvana" that'll save us all. It's just too much like brah science. If there is a benefit, it's not enough to consider worthwhile. Squats should be done because they're a cool exercise worth doing.

OP needs to eat more and/or increment less.

[Farley1324]

.........

It's a common fact, ask anyone, if you don;t work your legs, your upper body will be limited to what it can achieve, you will eventually stall.

You are putting WAAAAY too much emphasis on this.

And no, it is not a "common fact"

[916stang]

dont forget to workout the shoulders,pecs,triceps,lats

[H1t_V3r4c]

Don't shoot the messenger, i'm just stating a fact, and maybe it doesn't apply to everyone, and maybe they're on steroids?


Why you need to work legs to get a stronger upper body

By working legs I mean strength training with the basic weight based exercises. Squats, deadlifts, leg press. Performing these compound exercises also stimulates growth of the upper body muscles. The upper body muscles are activated to handle the weight during these exercises.


Another reason to strength train legs is that the entire body gets used to handling heavy weights. You can handle a lot of weight on the compound leg exercises you because all the muscle of the body are activated, not just legs. As you increase the weight on movements like squat and deadlift, upper body strength goes up as well.


More upper body strength= more weight to be used during the exercise (overload)= more muscle.

Heavy compound movements also cause a natural release of testosterone and growth hormone, which help stimulate the entire body grow. Remember that after a workout, protein synthesis is raised for several days.


Because you worked chest on Monday, doesn't mean Tuesday's and Wednesday's nutrient intake is irrelevant. In fact, it's the opposite. Working chest on Monday, and then doing a heavy leg workout on Wednesday, benefits chest because chest is not yet fully repaired and can take advantage of the increased hormonal profile along with the extra nutrients.


This effect isn't limited to chest. All body parts are effected. Biceps, triceps, back etc..


With all this benefit to be had from hitting legs hard, why would you avoid doing them? You wouldn't, not that you know better!


It's a common fact, ask anyone, if you don;t work your legs, your upper body will be limited to what it can achieve, you will eventually stall.

You're overcomplicating things...

Cliffs:

It is NOT necessary to exercise your legs to assist your upper body growth.
You CAN build an upper body without leg exercises.
You CAN workout however you like.

Your upper body adapts to the heavy load it handles in a squat.
Deadlift works everything above the feet indirectly.

Cliffs Cliffs:

Squat and Deadlift to develop an overall stronger frame.

[Caged_Rav3n]

You're overcomplicating things...

Cliffs:

It is NOT necessary to exercise your legs to assist your upper body growth.
You CAN build an upper body without leg exercises.
You CAN workout however you like.

Your upper body adapts to the heavy load it handles in a squat.
Deadlift works everything above the feet indirectly.

Cliffs Cliffs:

Squat and Deadlift to develop an overall stronger frame.

Lol, ok look i never said you HAD to work legs in order to grow your upper body,
i said that if you didn't then in the long run it would effect you, you would stall.

And if you don't wanna work your legs then fine i don;t care,
but having stick thin weak legs with a bigger stronger upper body? is that your thing? then go for it.

If you’re trying to grow a naturally defined upper body, you cannot neglect working the other areas of your body, such as your legs and a core muscles. As a matter of fact, most people tend to hit a plateau and they work for many months just for minor gains whenever they could be gaining every week if they were just working out their lower body regularly. This is a weight lifting secret that most people do not understand and it is one of the best ways for you to grow unnaturally strong and defined body. Why is that the case?

The body loves to be in balance and if you’re working on your upper body and not working any other part of your body, you are not hardly fostering any balance within it, are you? In order for your upper body to grow, it expects your lower body to be worked out and just as hard. I’m not saying that you cannot see gains in your upper body without working out your lower body muscles but I am saying that you will not see as much in the way of muscle growth if you neglect the larger muscles of your body.

Much of the strength that we have comes from the core of the body and if we are neglecting these muscles, we are going to be neglecting a lot of strength that we could be gaining. That is why it is important to work the core as well as the lower legs and upper body.

Make sure that you maintain a balance regardless of what it is that you are doing. If you keep your body in balance, you will give it the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This will, in turn, give you the chance to put on some additional muscle mass.

Originally Posted by Farley1324

You are putting WAAAAY too much emphasis on this.

And no, it is not a "common fact"

So you've never heard about this? you have never been told this?
It is common knowledge, it may not be 100% fact like i stated, but anyone who has any experience in
bodybuilding/weight lifting or fitness does or should know this.

[Farley1324]

So you've never heard about this? you have never been told this?
It is common knowledge, it may not be 100% fact like i stated, but anyone who has any experience in
bodybuilding/weight lifting or fitness does or should know this.

I have heard and been told many things. I have had many people tell me things were "common sense". I know of many things that are "common knowledge".

Do you know what a lot of those things have in common?

They are wrong.




I squat. A lot. And I tell just about everybody else that they should do. You don't have to convince me of the benefits to squatting heavy with a full ROM. Frequently.

But like I said above, you are putting way too much emphasis on this

[Caged_Rav3n]

I have heard and been told many things. I have had many people tell me things were "common sense". I know of many things that are "common knowledge".

Do you know what a lot of those things have in common?

They are wrong.




I squat. A lot. And I tell just about everybody else that they should do. You don't have to convince me of the benefits to squatting heavy with a full ROM. Frequently.

But like I said above, you are putting way too much emphasis on this.

Okay, i'll agree with you on that, BUT, would you rather me put a bit to much emphasis on it, or none at all? i think telling people that they should work their lower body and that they need to work their lower body for maximum gains in overall size and strenght is good advice, people who don;t work their legs will never reach their full potential, and they're just crazy.

[H1t_V3r4c]

Okay, i'll agree with you on that, BUT, would you rather me put a bit to much emphasis on it, or none at all? i think telling people that they should work their lower body and that they need to work their lower body for maximum gains in overall size and strenght is good advice, people who don;t work their legs will never reach their full potential, and they're just crazy.

Personally, I wouldn't have wasted my time typing for hours and just typed "Squat and Deadlift idiot".

[AnotherBigGuy]

Okay, i'll agree with you on that, BUT, would you rather me put a bit to much emphasis on it, or none at all? i think telling people that they should work their lower body and that they need to work their lower body for maximum gains in overall size and strenght is good advice, people who don;t work their legs will never reach their full potential, and they're just crazy.

I work every part in my body.. including legs 2x a week.

[Fuddrucker23]

I work every part in my body.. including legs 2x a week.

Buddump Pshhhh! Previous postings entirely negated. Hahaha.