upset about my bench. someone give advice please.

[daSkallywag]

im 6'3, i weigh around 215lbs at the moment, and my bench is somewhere around 230-235 (i hit 5 reps at 225 and then failed at 235 a week later well rested wtf?) i had a goal of 250 before i start cutting but im plateauing here. ive plateaued on bench before but it was when i was working out at home and basically all i did was bench press so once i started going to the gym i pretty much got over it. im pleased at the overall progress i made (when i started lifting about 8 months ago i only benched about 125lbs) but im annoyed at my recent failure. it doesnt help that the guy i lift with all the time is 5'8 160lbs and i look way bigger than him but he still beats me on bench. anyway. any advice on getting out of this plateau. i had been doing full body workouts (abs, chest, biceps, triceps, back, etc.) about 3 times a week and just recently decided to switch it up and go hard on my chest twice a week and do everything else only once. good idea? anyway help me. im sad. i want a bigger chest and its tiny and depressing and it sucks.

[W8sB4dates]

Whats always worked for me when trying to increase poundage is to set a goal of sets and reps. So if I was you since you seem to be set on 5 reps, I would have a goal of 3 sets of 5 with whatever weight before you move up ( i personally dont like working any lower than sets of 6-8 but that individual).

So say this week you hit 3x5 with 225. Next week you move it up to 230. You stay at 230 till you can hit 3x5. So even if it takes you a week of 4,3,2, then a week of 5, 3, 3, then you finally hit 5,5,5 you are always progressing. This progreession will add up. Also be patient increasing weight after getting 225 is a lot harder than getting up to it. The jump from 2 plates to 3 is a lot more difficult than 1 to 2.

also all this assumes you are eating enough^^^

[valkyrxiii]

What's worked for me (so far) is doing bench twice a week. Once on chest day, and once again at the end of my back day.

On my chest day; I warm up (flat bench) with 3 sets of 8 (with 135lb). I do my 2-reps (about 80% 1RM) after that. Following I do 5 sets of 3 incline bench (about 65% 1RM) and 3 sets of 3 (about 75% 1RM). I then do 2 sets of 8 dumbbell rows.

On my back day; I throw in 2 sets of dummbell presses of 10 reps (at about 50% 1RM). On tricep day, I do 2 sets of dips (though I'm probably going to throw some in on chest day too).

Also, make sure your form is solid too. I've had issues with my bench until a buddy of mine gave me a tip:

When laying on the bench, lay to where your eyes are just under the bar. Grab the bar and pull yourself up. Clench your glutes and flex your shoulders back and together. Set yourself down to where just your ass and your shoulder blades are on the bench. Firmly secure your feet back. It should be far enough to where they aren't at a 90-degree angle but not too far back that you can't have your feet flat.

It's kind of silly but making those conscious decisions I added about 25 pounds to my bench. Just make sure you don't lift your ass off that bench! Best of luck, man!

[daSkallywag]

appreciate the input and advice guys. im currently dealing with a tricep tendon issue so im resting for about a week or so. so hopefully ill be able to put this to use in the near future.

[valkyrxiii]

appreciate the input and advice guys. im currently dealing with a tricep tendon issue so im resting for about a week or so. so hopefully ill be able to put this to use in the near future.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

[gbeezy4]

Whats always worked for me when trying to increase poundage is to set a goal of sets and reps. So if I was you since you seem to be set on 5 reps, I would have a goal of 3 sets of 5 with whatever weight before you move up ( i personally dont like working any lower than sets of 6-8 but that individual).

So say this week you hit 3x5 with 225. Next week you move it up to 230. You stay at 230 till you can hit 3x5. So even if it takes you a week of 4,3,2, then a week of 5, 3, 3, then you finally hit 5,5,5 you are always progressing. This progreession will add up. Also be patient increasing weight after getting 225 is a lot harder than getting up to it. The jump from 2 plates to 3 is a lot more difficult than 1 to 2.

also all this assumes you are eating enough^^^

So you're saying that he should try your method each chest day, the first thing, until he gets it? Say I do chest one week and i hit 4,3,2 next week do it and just push it out no matter what? I'm interested in your method so sorry if I'm sounding like an idiot I just like to double check on things.

[big lew]

im 6'3, i weigh around 215lbs at the moment, and my bench is somewhere around 230-235 (i hit 5 reps at 225 and then failed at 235 a week later well rested wtf?) i had a goal of 250 before i start cutting but im plateauing here. ive plateaued on bench before but it was when i was working out at home and basically all i did was bench press so once i started going to the gym i pretty much got over it. im pleased at the overall progress i made (when i started lifting about 8 months ago i only benched about 125lbs) but im annoyed at my recent failure. it doesnt help that the guy i lift with all the time is 5'8 160lbs and i look way bigger than him but he still beats me on bench. anyway. any advice on getting out of this plateau. i had been doing full body workouts (abs, chest, biceps, triceps, back, etc.) about 3 times a week and just recently decided to switch it up and go hard on my chest twice a week and do everything else only once. good idea? anyway help me. im sad. i want a bigger chest and its tiny and depressing and it sucks.

How much rest are you getting? if you going for strength, make sure you fully recover from each set. How was your nutrition on that day? I have bombed out in strength when I haven't fueled up properly. back in the day, I gained a lot of strength doing chest twice a week. Just be mindful of your volume, as over training will put a damper on strength gains as well. Also, try to focus on a couple sets of eccentric movements(negatives) with heavier than normal weights. use a spotter. It has worked well for me. I weighed in at 163 this am and still pushing 375( down 15 lbs from cut).

[ectobruh]

smith machine or rack lockout benches. definitely forces the contractions in the muscle to force the weight.

and are you increasing the weight 5 pounds or so every other week?

[daSkallywag]

How much rest are you getting? if you going for strength, make sure you fully recover from each set. How was your nutrition on that day? I have bombed out in strength when I haven't fueled up properly. back in the day, I gained a lot of strength doing chest twice a week. Just be mindful of your volume, as over training will put a damper on strength gains as well. Also, try to focus on a couple sets of eccentric movements(negatives) with heavier than normal weights. use a spotter. It has worked well for me. I weighed in at 163 this am and still pushing 375( down 15 lbs from cut).

i normally rest at least a minute between sets. as for nutrition i get 200g of protein most days about half through supplements. i dont really know that much about advanced nutrition yet, i just try to eat as much as i can.

[daSkallywag]

oh and big lew you are a beast. props.

[tlipp]

EATT EATT EATTT steaks lift heavy as **** even if u cnt get it all the way up just lift tht bitch and eventually you will get to that u gotta put some more muscle on brother eat more and lift

[daSkallywag]

EATT EATT EATTT steaks lift heavy as **** even if u cnt get it all the way up just lift tht bitch and eventually you will get to that u gotta put some more muscle on brother eat more and lift

i eat a lot. i shoot for 4500 calories and 200g of protein. some days im over, some a little under. basically i eat all that i can physically stomach.

[eric017]

Try switching to DB Bench for a little while. It's better for you anyway. Do as much weight as you can on DB bench for 4x5-6. If you can do 225lbs barbell 5 times, then I'd say start off with 70s or 75s for DBs and assess how much weight you can do from there.

[foxbody351w]

Geez you people and your advice!

I'll chime in OP doesnt sound like you REALLY have a plan, just kindof increasing each week, or "progressing" each session..sounds kindof like you just wing it, you know what you lifted the week before and just try and beat it. Thats not going to work in the long run you cant just continually beating maxes every week, if it was that easy everyone would have a great bench. If you have tricep issues as well means you arent properly doing assistance work and things like foam rolling, stretching. You have probably burned out your CNS and you need a TRUE deload not just hey I took a week off

If you have tendon issues, etc a week off isnt going to fix those issues, you jump right back on the weights and your right back to where you were. I suggest 5/3/1, a PLAN that WORKS.. you follow it and it tells you exactly what percentage to lift, you get to "max out" each week, more bench pressing is NOT what you need. You need smarter benching.

You didnt say what your assitance/supplementary work looked like, so you probably dont have a real plan, just throwing this out there but get a PLAN, For bench you need strong triceps, lats, and traps, are you working these to help your bench?? Your ratio of pushing to pulling should be 1:2, you are probably not strong enough in your lats and your triceps are taking over in the lift giving you the tendon issues.

You need to check out elitefts.com they have PLENTY of articles on benching and supplementary work and prehab/rehab. Where did you fail in the lift? At the bottom, half way up? Locking out?? That is important to know as well as if you have a weak lockout that means weak triceps, weak at the bottom means you need stronger lats and probably need to keep things tight when bringing the weight down. You can work the part of the lift you are having trouble with, more overall benching is not the answer, if you need lockout help then do board presses or floor presses. Where do you set your fingers on the bar? If you have a less than optimal grip width you wont be lifting as much as you should.

You probably need help with form and basic setup of assistance work, I would definitely check out elitefts.com. It is easy for anyone to make beginner progress but if you want to be great you have to have a structured plan with percentages and deloads accounted for.

[Geneticz]

Hey man, heres what worked for me. Im around 6'1 / 6'1 1/2 , 180. My max is currently around 290 or so.

I was STUCK at around 275 for the longest time. Saw some guy benching 300 + for reps and he was around the same weight as me. Told me he has been working out for 20 + some odd years. I asked how to break through my plateau...

You need to load up about 15-20% MORE THAN your 1 rep max. Mine was 275 so I put 315 on the bar. Take it off the rack (with a spot) and HOLD IT THERE for a long as you can. MAKE IT BURN. Your shoulders will feel RIDICULOUS. Im serious man... dont rerack it when your about to drop it. Give it 5 more seconds. Give it the most possible time so your shoulders "feel" the weight. Just hold it there. Dont move it.

Combine that with HEAVY WEIGHTED DIPS. 6-8 Reps. NO MORE. If your doing over 8 you dont have enough weight on there.

Combine those 2 things and I guarantee your bench will skyrocket. Most people have a weak point with their tris or shoulders which is why their not breaking through.



Last thing, you probably dont already.. but dont ever cheat yourself on bench. Hit your chest on every single rep. DON't DO HALF REPS. They don't help one bit. Let me know if you need anything else. Just lift heavy and do alot of power movements on bench. I.E. (bring it down slowly then POWER IT UP)

[JPlevell]

This is super intense, but I think it helped me out. Start with bench, warm up, and than whatever weight you can do for 5 reps, do as many sets as you can with 5 reps. When you cannot do 5 reps with that weight, lower the weight 5 lbs, and do as many sets as you can with 5 reps, keep going till you can't go anymore.

Also, forced reps feel pretty good. Do like 5 reps with as much weight as you can, and when you can't do any more reps, than have someone help you with like 2 reps. Have them help you lift the weight up, than you lower it as slow as you can, and press as hard as you can, but they will have to help some.

Have fun and train hard man.

[daSkallywag]

This is super intense, but I think it helped me out. Start with bench, warm up, and than whatever weight you can do for 5 reps, do as many sets as you can with 5 reps. When you cannot do 5 reps with that weight, lower the weight 5 lbs, and do as many sets as you can with 5 reps, keep going till you can't go anymore.

Also, forced reps feel pretty good. Do like 5 reps with as much weight as you can, and when you can't do any more reps, than have someone help you with like 2 reps. Have them help you lift the weight up, than you lower it as slow as you can, and press as hard as you can, but they will have to help some.

Have fun and train hard man.

i've basically been doing that the last couple times i've lifted. only thing that sucks is i haven't been doing barbell bench ive been doing it on the machine because im still iffy about my left tricep tendon and i definitely don't want to drop 200+ lbs on my face. and when i do barbell bench press i always do forced reps if I have a spotter. when i put 225 up 5 times I actually put it up 7 but 2 were with help. i'm starting a cut tomorrow for summer time so I don't really see my bench going up but i plan on bulking up huge starting in october and going through february hopefully adding another 20 lbs or so before i cut again. My goal for that bulk is 300lbs on bench so im def going to slay my chest in the gym. im sure all this advice will come in handy. thanks guys. much appreciated.

[daSkallywag]

Put up 230 7 times today after about a week off of upper body. Surprised myself honestly. Thanks for the advice guys and gal.

[daSkallywag]

Hey man, heres what worked for me. Im around 6'1 / 6'1 1/2 , 180. My max is currently around 290 or so.

I was STUCK at around 275 for the longest time. Saw some guy benching 300 + for reps and he was around the same weight as me. Told me he has been working out for 20 + some odd years. I asked how to break through my plateau...

You need to load up about 15-20% MORE THAN your 1 rep max. Mine was 275 so I put 315 on the bar. Take it off the rack (with a spot) and HOLD IT THERE for a long as you can. MAKE IT BURN. Your shoulders will feel RIDICULOUS. Im serious man... dont rerack it when your about to drop it. Give it 5 more seconds. Give it the most possible time so your shoulders "feel" the weight. Just hold it there. Dont move it.

Combine that with HEAVY WEIGHTED DIPS. 6-8 Reps. NO MORE. If your doing over 8 you dont have enough weight on there.

Combine those 2 things and I guarantee your bench will skyrocket. Most people have a weak point with their tris or shoulders which is why their not breaking through.



Last thing, you probably dont already.. but dont ever cheat yourself on bench. Hit your chest on every single rep. DON't DO HALF REPS. They don't help one bit. Let me know if you need anything else. Just lift heavy and do alot of power movements on bench. I.E. (bring it down slowly then POWER IT UP)

That sounds terrifying.

[WalidHouli]

Hey Buddy,

i injured my shoulder a few months back and before i had injured my shoulder i was barely benching 100kgs 3 reps..

The injury put a stop to all flat bench exercises and i began replacing all my flat bench exercises with incline..
i did incline exercise for 3 months and got up to 110lbs db incline press..

when my shoulder healed... first day back i benched 120 kilos 3 reps!! now ive decided to strengthen my lower chest because i hadnt trained it for so long.. Maybe give that a go.. IT MAY HELP! i was shocked at the result since the 'increasing bench regimes' are nothing like that..

NOTE: during this period i began using a pre-workout stack... 2 pills of Kre-alkalyn all american efx and 2 tablespoons of assault.. this may have played a role in my increase in strength.. although even on my non-preworkout cycles.. my bench strength remains the same =)

[benchjock]

Take a page out of a powerlifter's book, eat heavy. Carb up. Warm up. Check your form (Dave Tate's 6 week bench cure on YouTube.) and get to work. Could also start doing some negatives, or board benches. As for dealing with your tricep tendon. Before each set on bench, do a set of moderate weight hammer curls. 10 reps. Should help stretch it out. But another thing to remember, bench isn't just about chest...make sure you're working the whole upper body properly if you want a big bench. Good luck dude. Keep at it, you'll get over it.

[KarmicEffects]

Was stuck at 220-230 range for long time a while ago. Switched to dumbbell incline/flat/decline presses for a few months then came back and after about a 2-3 week transition period I broke out 260.