Increase my bench press max

[mfarazk]

Hi,

everytime im working out with my buddy i can bench press 225lbs, when i workout alone i can bench approx 190lbs clean lift. My friend says its more in my head because upto 4 reps he barely helps me. I'm not sure if its in my head or my buddy is saying that to boost my confidence, now i want to know what can i do to make sure that i can do 225lbs alone on my own.
i did try to bench 225lbs on my own and i was able to do only 2 reps and i was struggling on the 2nd rep i was struggling.

thanks

[mtownballer20]

Start a strength program.

[braydenosborne9]

5X5 man! Im sure you already know but it works a bunch! You could even try benching in the Squat rack and put u the steal catchers on each side so that even if you cant do it your not going to drop it on yourself! or even try the Smith Machine

[BushcraftAl]

5X5 man! Im sure you already know but it works a bunch! You could even try benching in the Squat rack and put u the steal catchers on each side so that even if you cant do it your not going to drop it on yourself! or even try the Smith Machine

You were giving a good answer until you said Smith machine. I'll let it slide... this time.

[justinvb_657]

Give 5x5 a shot and start off with 185 or so and add 5 lbs a workout. Now if you can't seem to break past a certain number on your 5x5 Try 5/3/1. I could not progress my bench on 5x5 even though my friend was doing incredible on it. I switched to 5/3/1 and I'm still making progress on the program after bein on it for over a year

[Xuaxace]

If your friend is touching the bar, it is game over, you are no longer performing a free weight bench press. Even the most slight touching of the bar changes the mechanics of the lift, not just when it comes to vertical assistance but the degree of stabilization that is taken away from the lift. So as soon as your mate touches the bar, you are performing a pseudo smith bench movement if that makes sense.

The mental aspect of having a spotter in case of a fail is definitely a big factor as well and when you don't have one you will very likely under perform. Best thing is to learn to bench assistance free, use a spotter just to get a weight off your chest when you fail.

[bucsdodgers]

A spotter gives you extra confidence that you can lift more without the fear of crushing your chest. Bench in he rack is a great idea it will help.

[Mdenatale]

Hi,

everytime im working out with my buddy i can bench press 225lbs, when i workout alone i can bench approx 190lbs clean lift. My friend says its more in my head because upto 4 reps he barely helps me. I'm not sure if its in my head or my buddy is saying that to boost my confidence, now i want to know what can i do to make sure that i can do 225lbs alone on my own.
i did try to bench 225lbs on my own and i was able to do only 2 reps and i was struggling on the 2nd rep i was struggling.

thanks

Bold^^^ is why you can lift more with your buddy. It is a team effort.

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

This is really simple broham: if you want your max to go up, build more endurance with submaximal weights.

If you work with 185 pounds until you can hit 15+ straight reps, you will be able to easily bench 225.

[MWheatley]

This is really simple broham: if you want your max to go up, build more endurance with submaximal weights.

If you work with 185 pounds until you can hit 15+ straight reps, you will be able to easily bench 225.

This isnt the best option for building strength.

[Ianatron]

5x5 bro, best way to do it

[Alyion]

IMO My bench went nowhere on 5x5 style schemes, I fared far better training with ~70% 1rm and doing more overall volume (basically just take a 8-12 rep max and do as many sets as possible (would eventually end up hitting triples w/ 60 sec rest) - that's been the only thing to increase my bench and finally get me past the 3 plate barrier.

I find that by using my 5 rep max I would hit a wall with form breakdown much quicker but by sub maximally training I would get far better quality reps - but to each their own.

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

This isnt the best option for building strength.

What should he do instead, and why would it work better?