how long did it take you to bench your weight?

[headsprung22]

How long did it take you to bench your weight? Its weird because at work I easily lift boxes that are 200 pounds but cant' bench my weight.

[iHaveNoIdea86]

thats cause at work you are mainly using your legs and back to carry the weight (But i know you lift from your legs) so yeah thats why bench is totally different.In bench you use your chest and tri-ceps so you work those 2 out you will have a good bench going on

[bubba1984]

I'm 230 5'8 it took me 8 and a half months because when I first started going to the gym{For the first 3 months} I was doing machines ,then when I started doing free weights my strength exploded and I quit using isolation machines but I also use a lot of bodyweight exercises like push ups, and dips and they have helped a whole lot

[iHaveNoIdea86]

i honestly wouldnt cut out the machines (im studying to be a trainer) so i would say switch back and forth cause your body will get used to one thing and you have a greater chance of a plateu (thats really just comon scence to me also)...............just my 2 cent's

[headsprung22]

what about this protocol to boost your bench?
Forget high repetitions with low weight. "If you don't train with heavy loads, your maximum strength is not going to increase," says Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S., owner of workoutmanuals.com.



But don't just start stacking the barbell willy-nilly; instead, follow Ballantyne's 4-week plan for hitting 100 percent. Do each week's three-set plan twice, with a few days between your workouts.

Week 1--Three sets of eight repetitions at 60 to 70 percent of your body weight

Week 2--Three sets of six repetitions at 75 to 80 percent

Week 3--Three sets of four repetitions at 84 percent (yes, 84)

Week 4--You're ready to bench your weight in iron.



Do a couple of reps at 100 percent of your body weight. Note: If you gain weight during the 4 weeks, use your new body weight (not your original body weight) to calculate your next press. If you lose weight, use your original body weight.


I just want to get my bench up because I can do roughly 30-40 pushups with elbows close to the body. And thats 60-70% of your bodyweight right?

[heavylifter954]

3-4 months with a 175 lb bw

[mhschiefs97]

3-4 months at 135 lbs. my bench max though when i started was 95 lbs. and that was in september. tomorow im gonna max out for the first time in months if i feel good during my workout and i wanna try and get 205

[Gibblets]

I benched my weight when I first started. My first time benching was when I was a freshman in high school, and I could do 170 x 2. Too bad I havn't jumped very far from that first time...I can only do 225 x 2 right now, and I weigh 177.

[headsprung22]

Would it be smart to use the program outlined above because I know I can do it for atleast a rep or two, I just spend so much energy in m warmups in the past that I get wiped out. I was also wondering if it would be smart to use the above routine philosophy every workout for the main lifts, like with my squat, deadlift, military press, and my bench.* indicates which lift I would use the protocol for.

day 1 bench* incline bench 2x8 lying extensions 2x8
day2 deadlift * bent over row 2x8 pullover 2x8 barbell curl 3x8
rest
day 3 squat* lunge 2x8 sldl 2x8 calf raises 3x8
day4 military press* shrug 2x8 bent over And/or laterals 2x8 side laterals 2x8

in the past I've tried breaking in with reps in between 10-15, but I guess with all the pushups and stuff they made us do in gym that it didnt do nothing for me. I actually felt really good by lifting between 5-8 rep range and only gained muscle with that.