Why is my chest not getting stronger?

[nappyjim]

Im 22, ~190lbs, just take creatine and protein shakes. Im not a serious BB, but I do try to stay regimented going 4 times a week.

Anyway, I've been lifting for about a year now, and every exercise I have done, I have been gainng strength on, minus my chest. When I started off benching I was doing 25 pounds on each side and the bar weighs like 40-45lbs Im told. I got up to 50 pounds on each side and then I plateued. I thought, "ok, im gonna start light again"

So I went back down to 35 on each side. Started off at 5 reps, and each week I would add a rep till I had 8 reps. Then I would add 5 or 10lbs and start all over at 5 reps again. Well Ive gotten up to 65 on each side, but thats as much as I can do. This is with barbell bench press, btw.

My chest workout I do on Mondays along with legs. I do 3 sets of bench, then leg press, then eagle fly, then leg extension, then dips.

I was doing incline bench with dumbells, but again I could only do 50 pounds in each hand and that was the limit. So I stopped doing that and replaced it with eagle flys.

And now Im basically at the same point again, and its getting frustarted. Does anyone have any tips?

Also do you think I should do dips with my chest, or with my triceps/biceps? Cause when I do triceps/biceps, I do another thing very similiar to dips, its a machine called a tricep pushdown. But rather than sitting down on it, I put like 220 pounds on it face the other way, jump in the air and come down so I can get the weight down, and then Im basically on my knees pushing down 220 pounds, in the same motion as a dip.

So 3 questions to sum it up.
1) Any tips on chest/bench press
2) Do dips with chest or tricep/bicep?
3) Should I do dips AND the tricep pushdown thing or only do one?

[shibby18]

1.Throw incline BB in there. Trust me it works.
2.Do dips for your chest. Lean forward while you do them.
3.Depends on how much tricep work you do.

[A & B]

Possible ways of breaking through a plateau are as follows:

Take a week off.
Take several light days.
Do heavy negatives.
Bench on a Smith Machine for a couple workouts.
Change your routine.
Switch to incline or dumbells for a while.


But to get more specific so we know what your weak point probably is, what is your sticking point in the bench? Do you have a problem getting the weight off your chest, or do you struggle to lock out? In othe words, do you fail/have the most trouble at the beginning of the motion or the end?

If you're sticking right off your chest, the weak point may be chest/back. If you're sticking at the end, shoulders or triceps may be the culprit.

[theredfoxx]

check this **** out bro.. when ever i reach a plateau for chest i always do this.. take exactly one week off from doing chest.. and everynight do atleast 100-150 push ups not all in arrow but tryn set up reps and sets like 3 sets of 35 reps or 4 sets of 25 reps got me.. after that if u can still move.. do sum cable cross overs they work the best for me.. and the next week when you go do your chest work out i garuntee that u will put that first couple up faster then b4 and get that wanted rep that u never could.. hope this helps.. also u can break the pushups up to 2 sets flat 15 reps each 2 sets incline 15 reps each 2 sets decline 15 reps each and finish with another 2 sets flat 15 reps each this will hit upper and lower pec muscles.. but deff do the cables they are awesome for chest.. cable cross overs dont forget it..

good luck
gary

[BreaknWeight]

Im 22, ~190lbs, just take creatine and protein shakes. Im not a serious BB, but I do try to stay regimented going 4 times a week.

Anyway, I've been lifting for about a year now, and every exercise I have done, I have been gainng strength on, minus my chest. When I started off benching I was doing 25 pounds on each side and the bar weighs like 40-45lbs Im told. I got up to 50 pounds on each side and then I plateued. I thought, "ok, im gonna start light again"

So I went back down to 35 on each side. Started off at 5 reps, and each week I would add a rep till I had 8 reps. Then I would add 5 or 10lbs and start all over at 5 reps again. Well Ive gotten up to 65 on each side, but thats as much as I can do. This is with barbell bench press, btw.

My chest workout I do on Mondays along with legs. I do 3 sets of bench, then leg press, then eagle fly, then leg extension, then dips.

I was doing incline bench with dumbells, but again I could only do 50 pounds in each hand and that was the limit. So I stopped doing that and replaced it with eagle flys.

And now Im basically at the same point again, and its getting frustarted. Does anyone have any tips?

Also do you think I should do dips with my chest, or with my triceps/biceps? Cause when I do triceps/biceps, I do another thing very similiar to dips, its a machine called a tricep pushdown. But rather than sitting down on it, I put like 220 pounds on it face the other way, jump in the air and come down so I can get the weight down, and then Im basically on my knees pushing down 220 pounds, in the same motion as a dip.

So 3 questions to sum it up.
1) Any tips on chest/bench press
2) Do dips with chest or tricep/bicep?
3) Should I do dips AND the tricep pushdown thing or only do one?

When your trying to break a plateau u want to change up ur routine to give it something different but at the same time ur still working out the muscle! I dont think that taking a week off helps but it works for some people I guess. Here's an example if your doing barbell flat bench, then move to dumbell flat bench! One thing that I have found is that if your stabilizer muscles are getting any stronger than you wont move up in weight. Dumbell works stabilizer muscles better than anything(The order that works the stabilizers is= dumbell most, barbell second, smith machine third) Smith machine is guided so it doesnt use them hardly! Good Luck breaking the plateau!

[garycoleman996]

more likely than not it's your diet that is the problem, not necessarily your training methods. aside from that, you'll get a bigger bench by having stronger triceps.

[iron619]

Im 22, ~190lbs, just take creatine and protein shakes. Im not a serious BB, but I do try to stay regimented going 4 times a week.

Anyway, I've been lifting for about a year now, and every exercise I have done, I have been gainng strength on, minus my chest. When I started off benching I was doing 25 pounds on each side and the bar weighs like 40-45lbs Im told. I got up to 50 pounds on each side and then I plateued. I thought, "ok, im gonna start light again"

So I went back down to 35 on each side. Started off at 5 reps, and each week I would add a rep till I had 8 reps. Then I would add 5 or 10lbs and start all over at 5 reps again. Well Ive gotten up to 65 on each side, but thats as much as I can do. This is with barbell bench press, btw.

My chest workout I do on Mondays along with legs. I do 3 sets of bench, then leg press, then eagle fly, then leg extension, then dips.

I was doing incline bench with dumbells, but again I could only do 50 pounds in each hand and that was the limit. So I stopped doing that and replaced it with eagle flys.

And now Im basically at the same point again, and its getting frustarted. Does anyone have any tips?

Also do you think I should do dips with my chest, or with my triceps/biceps? Cause when I do triceps/biceps, I do another thing very similiar to dips, its a machine called a tricep pushdown. But rather than sitting down on it, I put like 220 pounds on it face the other way, jump in the air and come down so I can get the weight down, and then Im basically on my knees pushing down 220 pounds, in the same motion as a dip.

So 3 questions to sum it up.
1) Any tips on chest/bench press
2) Do dips with chest or tricep/bicep?
3) Should I do dips AND the tricep pushdown thing or only do one?

You are supplementing yourself with the basics, protein & creatine, which is good. You are also dedicated to working out 4 days a week, which is also sufficient.

I had a similar problem like yours. My bench was always my weak point. I would try numerous tips and methods to increase my bench, however, nothing seemed to really work with any significance. So what I did was I gave my chest it's own workout day. Now I bench 400+ pounds. Remember, your three main muscles groups are your legs, back, and chest. So why workout two main muscles groups in one workout? Maybe for veteran lifters and powerlifters, they can do multiple muscle groups, several times a week, for their lifting protocol may require them to. But with your numbers and your experience, you are still fairly new to lifting. For you, I recommend doing all three on different days.

First, continue working your chest on Monday. Do legs on a different day. If you want to work a smaller muscle group on your chest day, that is fine. Some lifters prefer to work triceps after chest, since the triceps are somewhat preexhausted from benching (press movement). Other lifters may prefer to work our biceps. It's all up to you. Personally, I have my own arm day, so I do not work my triceps or biceps with chest. Find what works best for you.

Second, you need to find a more effective, well-rounded chest routine. 3 sets of bench presses are not enough to build strength and size, especially since you are still trying to build a foundation for your body. I would recommend doing 3 sets of flat, incline, and decline bench presses. Try to complete between 8-12 reps per set. You can use different lifting techniques, such as drop sets, supersets, forced reps, and pyramiding sets. Alternate barbell presses with dumbbell presses. You won't be able to nearly put up the equal weight on dumbbell presses as you would on the barbell, because dumbbells are simply tougher to do. Also, incorporate a fly movement, whether you use dumbbells or cables. You can do dips also on your chest day,if you choose to. The machine presses, like the smith machines, take away the balancing and controlling of the weights. You can do these occasionally as a different stimulus to your chest muscles.

Click on the links below to get advice on benching.

http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/anthony14.htm
http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/ryan2.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dennis12.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/luis20.htm

Hopefully, these tips will help you out. Good luck.

[powerlifter70]

If you want your bench to go up then you need to train bench. Dont look at it as training chest...train bench. I only flat bench and I am pretty strong. I dont do any inclines, dumbbells or anything else but flat bench, rack lockouts, pause presses and board presses. They are all done flat. Keep in mind that I am a powerlifter so I train lifts, not body parts.

[Amac8487]

I started lifing about 6 months ago, and all i used to be able to put up was like 140. I can now put up 260, which to me is amazing that i only weigh 150.

I just did incline, flat, hammerstrength wide chest, and cable crossovers. I do a pyramid type workout i start with 12 for warmup then 10 8 8 6 then a dropset. Seemed to work great for me strength wise.

I would do dips with chest routine. I know how it is though, after doing inclines and other chest presses, my tris are often too tired to even pick myself up. just be sure to lean in and keep your head tucked to work that chest

Ive gained alot in strenght, but volume wise, mychest sucks for what i can lift I wish my chest would just grow damnit!

[mt.trapezius]

man surely that's not all of ur chest and legs routine!!!!

if that IS ur routine's i would recommend getting a new one for each of em. not to mention switching up ur training splits....

if if were u (and still wanting to keep it to where u workout 4 days a week) i'd do back and shoulders on one day, legs on one, chest on one, and bi's and tri's on another.

i can't really recommend an actual routine because i don't know what ur goals are...but if u want...tell me ur goals and i could give ya something to work with. cos no offense...but ur current routines kinda suck.

BUT!!!take that in a "but i'm honestly telling u this for ur own good" thing...because like a said...i am trying to help. NOT DIS U!

[Dominik]

Ive gained alot in strenght, but volume wise, mychest sucks for what i can lift I wish my chest would just grow damnit!

That was my dilemma early on. I'd be comfortably incline benching 90lb dumbbells and bigger guys in the gym would give me funny looks because I was stronger than I looked. I was basically training for power and a little size, instead of training for both.

I'm convinced the only way you can have both strength and size is to alternate workouts or somehow strategically combine them. Like powerlifter70 said to be strong at bench you have to train specifically for it but of course the end result will not always be a chest that in terms of size reflects the amount of training you've done. Diet is also a huge part of this but that's another topic.

Anyway, what I do is schedule a heavy day and take the periodization approach by lowering the reps and increasing the weight over a certain period of time while training for strength/size and sometimes mainly size in the other workouts. The whole "heavy day" thing is something I read in Arnold's book way back when I started and it's stuck in my mind ever since. Size + strength. It's a constant balancing act of course but with the right approach you can achieve both objectives.

[ClassicMass]

Don't know where your sticking point is in the bench press but if in the bottom of the movement (bar just above chest,press off) the power rack may be a choice.
Simply rack the pins in the power rack to the level just above where the bar meets your chest.Do these 1st in your workouts since thats when you'll have more energy.The bonus is you don't need a spotter for these.If you fail, drop the weight & the pins will catch the weight.

[bronx_brawla]

nappyjim!!!....first...if you wanna add more weight to ur bench...you gotta make sure that that bar is touchig ur chest when you come down for the negative...but make sure you have a spotter for those sticking points...when you come all the way to ur chest...ur tearing muslcle fibers youve prolly never tore before...so what happens??...you tear it...it heals up...bigger and STRONGER than before...follow that..and ill almost garuntee you...that you can throw at least...10 to 20 lbs on ur bench....and btw...the standard Olympic bar weights about 20 to 30 pounds.

[Amac8487]

That was my dilemma early on. I'd be comfortably incline benching 90lb dumbbells and bigger guys in the gym would give me funny looks because I was stronger than I looked. I was basically training for power and a little size, instead of training for both.

I'm convinced the only way you can have both strength and size is to alternate workouts or somehow strategically combine them. Like powerlifter70 said to be strong at bench you have to train specifically for it but of course the end result will not always be a chest that in terms of size reflects the amount of training you've done. Diet is also a huge part of this but that's another topic.

Anyway, what I do is schedule a heavy day and take the periodization approach by lowering the reps and increasing the weight over a certain period of time while training for strength/size and sometimes mainly size in the other workouts. The whole "heavy day" thing is something I read in Arnold's book way back when I started and it's stuck in my mind ever since. Size + strength. It's a constant balancing act of course but with the right approach you can achieve both objectives.

Yeah, im more focused in trying to gain some mass and some volume opposed to strength. I usuallu do pyramid style as i said.. 15 reps for warm up, then 12 8 6 6 (or a dropset)

should i increase my number of reps then and lower the wight to get mor volume on my chest?

[Dominik]

Yeah, im more focused in trying to gain some mass and some volume opposed to strength. I usuallu do pyramid style as i said.. 15 reps for warm up, then 12 8 6 6 (or a dropset)

should i increase my number of reps then and lower the wight to get mor volume on my chest?

Well, the way I look at it, what you've done so far with strength has built a solid platform for you, considering some guys would like to handle heavier weights for both strength and mass building but aren't able to yet. Handling heavier weight also gives you more confidence in the gym. So I have no regrets about the way I trained early on because it's given me more training options.

re: building mass, I think what you should try is reducing the rest times to 60-90 seconds (max. of 2 minutes) between sets and working somewhere in the 6-10 rep range (pyramid sets or regular sets, your choice) with around 3-4 sets per exercise. On the last set of each exercise, especially in the 2nd half of your workout, try some different intensity techniques like dropsetting, supersetting, or slow negatives.

[Amac8487]

Well, the way I look at it, what you've done so far with strength has built a solid platform for you, considering some guys would like to handle heavier weights for both strength and mass building but aren't able to yet. Handling heavier weight also gives you more confidence in the gym. So I have no regrets about the way I trained early on because it's given me more training options.

re: building mass, I think what you should try is reducing the rest times to 60-90 seconds (max. of 2 minutes) between sets and working somewhere in the 6-10 rep range (pyramid sets or regular sets, your choice) with around 3-4 sets per exercise. On the last set of each exercise, especially in the 2nd half of your workout, try some different intensity techniques like dropsetting, supersetting, or slow negatives.

Alright that sounds good. What exacly is supersetting?

[VTBaZ]

Post your diet. Chances are you're not eating like a horse (which is what you should be doing anyway).

[Dominik]

Alright that sounds good. What exacly is supersetting?

Doing two exercises in a row without taking a rest. They can target the same muscle group (ideally from different angles), or two different muscle groups (all push, all pull, or a push/pull combination). For example I'll often do a superset of skullcrushers followed by close-grip bench press. Or bench press followed by some chins. The list goes on.

[Amac8487]

Post your diet. Chances are you're not eating like a horse (which is what you should be doing anyway).

Well, i dont have a stict diet that i stick too im still in school and work 2 jobs so sometimes its hard to get all my meals in.

Breakfast i usually eat a bowl of cereal or oatmeal, orange juice, protein shake

few hours later ill usually eat a bagel and an apple

lunch time either chicken breast,hamburger, 2 peanut butter jellies, or tuna sandwich

few hours later i usually take another protein shake with milk, ice cream and 2 tbl peanutbutter with tbl spoon of olive oil

work out after a hour or so

Post workout i drink a shake in water

Dinner is always different. I always get some type of vegtable and meat in there though, otherwords its pasta


It seems like im eating enough. I mean i am gaining fat in my mid section and my stomach pretty fast, but it doesnt seem like its going anywhere else

I always see that people are eating oatmeal multiple times a day. How is this so? Do you guys make it with water and microwave and all that everytime? There has to be easier ways...

[Amac8487]

Doing two exercises in a row without taking a rest. They can target the same muscle group (ideally from different angles), or two different muscle groups (all push, all pull, or a push/pull combination). For example I'll often do a superset of skullcrushers followed by close-grip bench press. Or bench press followed by some chins. The list goes on.

Ahh i get it. Thanks for the info

yeah on monday i started a chest/bi routine and today (thursday) my chest and tris are still a little sore from jsut benching .

Now today is my back/tri day, should i train tris still even though they are a little bit sore?

[_Lifter4Life_]

nappyjim!!!....first...if you wanna add more weight to ur bench...you gotta make sure that that bar is touchig ur chest when you come down for the negative...but make sure you have a spotter for those sticking points...when you come all the way to ur chest...ur tearing muslcle fibers youve prolly never tore before...so what happens??...you tear it...it heals up...bigger and STRONGER than before...follow that..and ill almost garuntee you...that you can throw at least...10 to 20 lbs on ur bench....and btw...the standard Olympic bar weights about 20 to 30 pounds.

olympic bar being 20-30lbs? try 40-45 buddy

[Dominik]

Ahh i get it. Thanks for the info

yeah on monday i started a chest/bi routine and today (thursday) my chest and tris are still a little sore from jsut benching .

Now today is my back/tri day, should i train tris still even though they are a little bit sore?

It's your call (I usually space out my chest/shoulders/triceps workouts by at least 2 days and I recover in time) but if they're sore just do an extended back workout. Back is a large muscle group and really deserves its own day so every now and then do an extended back workout. Today might be a good opportunity for you to do just that and try out some different back exercises.

[KrushR]

I hit plateaus on my chest every 6 or so months. I've broken every single one of them the same way.

First, my regular chest workout:

Flat Bench BB
*warmupset
*4 sets, 6 reps: 185,225,275,305
Incline Bench BB
*4 sets, 6 reps: 135, 185, 225, 245 (depending on how I feel)
Incline DB
*4 sets , 6-8 reps 80, 90, 100, 110
Decline BB
*4 sets, 6 reps 135, 185, 225, 265
PecDec/DB Flyes
*whatever

I'll take a week break from chest, triceps and shoulders, then start the next workout:

My secondary chest workout:
For this workout I drop all BB work and solely go with DBs. DBs help my stabilizers out and increase my balance, etc.

Bunch of pushups to warm up - two sets of 30-40
Flat Bench DB
*5 sets, 6-8 reps: 80, 90, 100, 110, 120
Incline DB
Same
Decline DB - these feel weird at first, but are powerful
Same
DB Flyes
Whatever feels right - usually 4 sets of 8, super-controlled at 30-35 pounds.

I do this workout for two months and try to increase my poundages, but never touch a BB. Each time I come back stronger. After I start using BBs again, I still make gains, but this gets me past my sticking point.

[Amac8487]

It's your call (I usually space out my chest/shoulders/triceps workouts by at least 2 days and I recover in time) but if they're sore just do an extended back workout. Back is a large muscle group and really deserves its own day so every now and then do an extended back workout. Today might be a good opportunity for you to do just that and try out some different back exercises.

Alright thats what ill do then. Im going to do some deadlifts also, i never really did them, but from what i hear they are amazing for back. I gotta start doing something diferent im getting discouraged here

here is a transformation pic i jsut found. first one is before..2nd pic was taken last month... 5 months after lifting.... should i be expecting more?

[bronx_brawla]

olympic bar being 20-30lbs? try 40-45 buddy

hold a 45 lb plate in one hand ...and the bar in the other...the bars not even close...i mean...how many types of olympic bars are there...im talkin about ur standard O bar.

[bronx_brawla]

Alright thats what ill do then. Im going to do some deadlifts also, i never really did them, but from what i hear they are amazing for back. I gotta start doing something diferent im getting discouraged here

here is a transformation pic i jsut found. first one is before..2nd pic was taken last month... 5 months after lifting.... should i be expecting more?

do em'....i used to hate on deadlifts...cuz i thought id pull my back...but ever since i started them...i look fuller....and they really add thickness to ur traps,,,,,ur workin alotta muscles(shoulders too)

[Amac8487]

do em'....i used to hate on deadlifts...cuz i thought id pull my back...but ever since i started them...i look fuller....and they really add thickness to ur traps,,,,,ur workin alotta muscles(shoulders too)

well i did some deadlifts yesterday, but i really didnt feel it too much in the upper back. A little, but nothing like i felt on my lower back and legs. SHould i be feeling it all over as im actually doing it? Maybe its jsut because my lower back is weaker than upper?

[MaSS_IL]

try pec dec it gived me the best results, u can also try pec dec with free weights

[Dominik]

Alright thats what ill do then. Im going to do some deadlifts also, i never really did them, but from what i hear they are amazing for back. I gotta start doing something diferent im getting discouraged here

here is a transformation pic i jsut found. first one is before..2nd pic was taken last month... 5 months after lifting.... should i be expecting more?

Sorry, forgot to respond yesterday... too many new threads.

There's an obvious difference between the two photos so you know you've made a fair amount of progress since you started out as a stringbean (just like I did) but as to whether you should expect more or less in 5 months, unless you had a twin brother to compare yourself to, how would you know? Everyone is different. I gained a little more weight in my first 5 months so I probably looked a little bigger by comparison but what's to say I gained more muscle? I think the strength platform you built is the most important aspect. Once you've got a decent amount of strength you have a lot more training options at your disposal than a guy who's struggling to balance light dumbbells.

As for future gains, I think you've got an important decision to make. Do you want to take it slow and try and keep your bf % low, or do you want to chase faster muscle gains by letting it rise a few % and then go through a cutting process to lower your bf % a few times a year? Let's face it, bodybuilders and most athletes are hardly expected to be in peak condition all year round. It's obviously your call.

[KrushR]

hold a 45 lb plate in one hand ...and the bar in the other...the bars not even close...i mean...how many types of olympic bars are there...im talkin about ur standard O bar.

or just weigh it on the scale. most I've lifted with are 45 lbs.