very weak bench press

[joethebuilder]

ive been lifting for 2 years and my bench is terrible i got my diet down i train consistently and i just dont see any reason why i lift so light, my 5rm is 45 plus 15 on each side, weird thing is that i have decent chest muscles anyone know why i cant lift heavier?

[jsh6487]

I have the same problem, but I figured out for me the main thing was that I have bad wrists and the olympic size bar was very uncomfortable for me. I used a 25 lb skinnier bar and I could lift about 25-30 lbs more. (Yes I accounted for the difference in the bars)

[joethebuilder]

I have the same problem, but I figured out for me the main thing was that I have bad wrists and the olympic size bar was very uncomfortable for me. I used a 25 lb skinnier bar and I could lift about 25-30 lbs more. (Yes I accounted for the difference in the bars)

hm interesting i do find the thick bar is definitely hard to grasp properly but i wonder if thats the only reason i never cared to much about how much i lift more about form but i should increase more than what i have

[TeenMisc]

Stop lifting like a pussy

[cyco85]

75 pounds 5 reps max, really? Have you tried upping the weight 5-10 pounds at a time?

[moneymango]

Tate's so you think you can bench video. Google it.

[jsh6487]

75 pounds 5 reps max, really? Have you tried upping the weight 5-10 pounds at a time?

lol pretty sure he meant his 5 rep max is 165. A 45 and 15 on each side he said. Atleast I hope so.

[jlf]

ive been lifting for 2 years and my bench is terrible i got my diet down i train consistently and i just dont see any reason why i lift so light, my 5rm is 45 plus 15 on each side, weird thing is that i have decent chest muscles anyone know why i cant lift heavier?

making sure you're getting all the protein you need?
making sure you're getting all the carbs you need?
making sure you're getting all the fats you need?
























































making sure you eat?

[daveel]

Buy starting strength.

Keep your eyes fixed to the ceiling. Do some work on your triceps , and have a wider hand stance to cheat a little if numbers are your thing.

[badshaa]

Happening to me as well.

I was told my stabelizer muscles are weak.

[scrubs007]

ive been lifting for 2 years and my bench is terrible i got my diet down i train consistently and i just dont see any reason why i lift so light, my 5rm is 45 plus 15 on each side, weird thing is that i have decent chest muscles anyone know why i cant lift heavier?

im ure height n 156 lb...i found wrkin my triceps (narrow grip flat benching) and shoulders improved my benching...as well as doing some dumbell flat benching...try it out and see if it works for you as well

i went from being stuck on 60kg nw im doing 90kg 5-6reps...n 100kg 2-3 reps

[afflyer]

lol I thought he meant 45lb bar and 15s too

[MultiLiftHeavy]

Train your lats/shoulders

[-TC-]

its more about tricep strength than chest strength. What are your other lifts compared to it?

[Drukqs]

ROTATOR CUFFS... strengthen them.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian1.htm

[BankWalker]

lol pretty sure he meant his 5 rep max is 165. A 45 and 15 on each side he said. Atleast I hope so.

If this is the case ^^ OP, you're 5 repping your body weight. That's not a bad thing. I can only get 8-9 reps pressing my body weight. Experiment with varied grip widths. If you have strong triceps, try a close grip. If your delts are stronger, try with a widened grip and see which movement is stronger.

[Shr3dJunki3]

Guys, if you want a better bench, bench, leave your ego at the door, use a weight you can handle, and try to raise the weight even 2.5 om the sides each. It'd be a good idea to eat in a surplus as well, I only say this because you posted in the fat loss forums about this.

[RussBuss207]

Dont worry man, my max is your 5 rm

[t0mmyb0y]

As long as your using proper form and squeezing that chest on the way up i think your ok. Just try to had a few pounds every week and eat. Also... dont compare yourself to others at the gym. Yea they are able to put up 225+ but these guys only bring the bar down to a foot off their chest which is no good and is not a real bench press. Just make sure your coming all the way down to your chest and really squeeze on the way up. You might be using too much arm.

[joethebuilder]

lol pretty sure he meant his 5 rep max is 165. A 45 and 15 on each side he said. Atleast I hope so.

yes not 75 in total

[joethebuilder]

its more about tricep strength than chest strength. What are your other lifts compared to it?

there actualy quite decent i have strong triceps and shoulders are decent

[andyat11]

I was in the same situation as you couple weeks ago (could only do 45 + 10 a side comfortably for 8rm) until I talked to a few guys at work and they suggested negatives... What I did was take 2 plates each side and got my spotter to let me as slow as I can bring the weight down to my chest, then push as hard as I can while he assisted to bring the weight up and tried for about 8 reps if possible... and believe me it helped... in those couple weeks I am comfortable doing (45+25 each side) and slightly struggle (45+35 each side) for 8 reps... My goal is by the end of summer to do 2 plates each side with comfort. So maybe try some negatives...

[BunkMoreland]

do you have small hands?

[cyco85]

lol pretty sure he meant his 5 rep max is 165. A 45 and 15 on each side he said. Atleast I hope so.

That makes more sense. He didn't say "a 45" though, he said "my 5rm is 45 plus 15 on each side". I don't know why he wouldn't just say 165 5RM, but whatever.

You're benching like 1.1x your BW. You should be aiming for about 1.5, IMO. I would try upping the weight 5 lbs each session as described in the 5x5 Strength Program.

[Electricheadd]

It sounds like you have simply plateaued in your bench press. Change your routine for few months. Here are a few ideas to bust a plateau.

1) Use dumbbells rather than barbells
2) Hit it from different angles
3) Work more on your triceps
4) Partials/Negatives/Drop Sets
5) Technique (Have a buddy video you benching and see where you can improve technique)

That said, these things will only be so effective in a calorie deficit.... at some point to put on muscle you need to be in a surplus.

[JDMorg]

do you have small hands?

Hopefully not as small as the guy in the BK commercials lol.

You say you have weak wrists, have you tried wrist wraps? I had a bad break due to a motorcycle accident and they have helped me out a lot on my lifts.

[Rwlax14]

Hopefully not as small as the guy in the BK commercials lol.

You say you have weak wrists, have you tried wrist wraps? I had a bad break due to a motorcycle accident and they have helped me out a lot on my lifts.

The wrist wraps are going to help alot.. I use them aswell

[ZazenZone]

ive been lifting for 2 years and my bench is terrible i got my diet down i train consistently and i just dont see any reason why i lift so light, my 5rm is 45 plus 15 on each side, weird thing is that i have decent chest muscles anyone know why i cant lift heavier?

First, don't put too much emphasis on your performance on the flat barbell bench press. It's sort of a mythical deal, too many people think it is THE end all beat all for determining strength, the ultimate yardstick of upper body strength, which is rubbish. Reality is, it's just another exercise, and can contribute heavily to shoulder issues for many of us. I fell into the same thing and forced myself to bench heavier and heavier for years until I was diagnosed with ac joint degeneration in my shoulders. I usually kept a max around 285 and maxed 305 on two different occasion- almost got the three wheels on each side, close but no cigar.

Experiment with differing angles, dumbbells, floor presses, push ups, dips, bands, flyes, and pullovers. Not everyone's body responds well to flat barbell presses. Find out what works for YOU and feels "right" for YOU, friend.

I'm not totally dissing the exercise, as it helped me get bigger and stronger, for sure. But knowing what I know now, I would have been doing other moves instead. In general, heavy strate bar lifts should be treated with caution and respect. They are effective, sure, in terms of adding strength and size quickly, but they also lock your hands and limbs onto a quasi fixed path and are very unforgiving regarding anatomical anomalies, eg, one arm slightly longer than the other, wrists being able to rotate, etc. Over the years, the body's slight imperfections can be exploited by using strate bars and manifest in injuries. Not everyone experiences this, but many people do, myself included.

[SideSteal]

I was diagnosed with ac joint degeneration in my shoulders.

^ What do you do for chest development currently? Curious because I have shoulder problems and I recently gave up barbell pressing. DB pressing hurts on and off so I may need to scrap that entirely too.

EDIT: OP--> Sorry for the thread hijack.

[joethebuilder]

I was in the same situation as you couple weeks ago (could only do 45 + 10 a side comfortably for 8rm) until I talked to a few guys at work and they suggested negatives... What I did was take 2 plates each side and got my spotter to let me as slow as I can bring the weight down to my chest, then push as hard as I can while he assisted to bring the weight up and tried for about 8 reps if possible... and believe me it helped... in those couple weeks I am comfortable doing (45+25 each side) and slightly struggle (45+35 each side) for 8 reps... My goal is by the end of summer to do 2 plates each side with comfort. So maybe try some negatives...

yes i have heard of negatives i will try this next monday thanks man