Even after 4+ years of BenchPressing

[damlurker]

I can't say I can do more than 150lb...
granted I've only been lifting "seriously" for little over 2years.. but its still pathetic however u look at it..

And when I did bench 150x5 it was with horrible form (wasn't touching my chest).. I read Starting Strength and fixed up my form and went down to 100lbx5x3 and now I'm actually up to 135lbx5 with good form.. But my strength gains seem to be getting stuck again and probably won't be able to progress on that work out for long..

Any ideas on what's wrong? I know even an untrained male at 200lb can put up 135lb bench.. i figure there's something pretty screwed up with me..

[Ironbrah]

indian = bad genetics = FYL

[damlurker]

indian = bad genetics = FYL

well i'm not exactly indian but close enough.. And I do hear you.. Gym back home where I first started out had a grand total of 4 45lb plates.. lol!

But back here even brown ppl put up pretty decent numbers.. One of the strongest guys i knw personally is from my country (although he's been training forever and is a rugby player so that probably doesnt count)

[punxnotdead309]

What about your diet? That can play significantly into strength gains as well as muscle gains. Carbohydrates are a good source of fuel for your muscle to lift heavier, so make sure you get a slow digesting carb and protein before you hit the weights, followed by a fast digesting carb and protein. Also, if bench is the only chest workout you're doing, then I'm not surprised you're not gaining strength. Vary your chest routine, keep the triceps strong and look at gaining overall strength as opposed to just one area. It will significantly improve your strength during the bench.

[shaneee]

Check your diet, make sure you're getting enough cals, although you can still make strength just not size gains on a caloric deficit, so it's prolly not that.
Check the rest you get, how much do you sleep at night? How many days a week do you lift, etc
Make sure you're forcing progress...like every week you bench add at least 5 lbs OR an extra rep or 2 even if it has to be forced reps with a spotter

[DaveBriggs]

i have trouble benching over a 100kg's, some of us just are'nt built to be benchers.

forget about the numbers and just concentrate on feeling the muscle, read a few articles on visualisation aswell. it is very important to beleive you can lift the weight. if you do not think you can press more than 160lbs then you will automatically accept failure.

[bigla2004]

As those two said diet and patience. It isn't going to happen overnight. Also make sure your training program is balanced (ie you train everything) and at this point in your training career everything should be trained evenly as I highly doubt you have any serious deficiencies or anything yet.

[cable3333]

you gotta do more than just flat bench do different chest exercises... and get protein right after working out...a couple years ago i used to be one of those people that would go into the gym with a set number of reps,weight,sets i was going to do and just do that many...like DAVEBRIGGS said you've gotta feel it while your working out and when you leave the gym... if you cant tell that you just worked out when you walk out of the gym your probably doing something wrong...

[Salad_Dodger]

take a week off, and do what everyone else above me said.

[MWheatley]

Like others have said, carbs are very important. If you goal is to become stronger you should have a clean balanced meal before working out (not immediately before) and be sure to be hydrated.

This does not mean stuff down a big meal and 2 glasses of water 30 min before lifting.

Aside from that, a 5x5 routine should get the job done.

[boostedjosh]

Doing DB bench helped me a lot when my barbell bench stalled.

Also doing pushups with varying hand widths and feet elevations can help, particularly at the weight you are pushing.

[cable3333]

Doing DB bench helped me a lot when my barbell bench stalled.

Also doing pushups with varying hand widths and feet elevations can help, particularly at the weight you are pushing.

DB helped me improve my form alot/keep my form good on benchs... i like the perfect push-up's it felt like i was gaininig reps/strength 3X faster than regular push-ups

[DuLac]

do you have any pre-workout nutrition at all?

what is your diet like? as everyone else has said, it is key. You need to be drinking a gallon of milk per week on Rippetoes, at least.

[Bboy85]

has to be diet

[Karaim]

I can't say I can do more than 150lb...
granted I've only been lifting "seriously" for little over 2years.. but its still pathetic however u look at it..

And when I did bench 150x5 it was with horrible form (wasn't touching my chest).. I read Starting Strength and fixed up my form and went down to 100lbx5x3 and now I'm actually up to 135lbx5 with good form.. But my strength gains seem to be getting stuck again and probably won't be able to progress on that work out for long..

Any ideas on what's wrong? I know even an untrained male at 200lb can put up 135lb bench.. i figure there's something pretty screwed up with me..

1) When in the routine do you bench? If it's not the first exercise of the day, make it so.

2) As mentioned above, DIET.

3) How many times a week do you bench? Could try benching twice a week to break through the plateau.

[BlitzKrag]

I really doubt you've been lifting "seriously" for two years if you cant bench 150lbs. Maybe you just need to stop whining and looking for excuses and apply yourself.

Like someone else mentioned I bet it is 100% an attitude problem. Quit thinking things like I cant and I dont want to.

[fireisland]

I can't say I can do more than 150lb...
granted I've only been lifting "seriously" for little over 2years.. but its still pathetic however u look at it..

And when I did bench 150x5 it was with horrible form (wasn't touching my chest).. I read Starting Strength and fixed up my form and went down to 100lbx5x3 and now I'm actually up to 135lbx5 with good form.. But my strength gains seem to be getting stuck again and probably won't be able to progress on that work out for long..

Any ideas on what's wrong? I know even an untrained male at 200lb can put up 135lb bench.. i figure there's something pretty screwed up with me..

eat more, stop benching

[-Lucifer]

1. Focus hard on benching
2. Maintain a journal

[boathead]

i give you credit on going back to the drawing board, reading ss, and getting your form down.

but where to go from here? i suppose you could be one of those that ss is not appropriate for...maybe your recovery abilities are lax.

if i were you, once you stall on ss, i would do one of two things. instead of sets of 5, maybe try sets of 3. and see if that doesn't permit you to keep adding weight. or, option two, would be to try madcow. it will provide a "ramping" scheme as opposed to sets across, and perhaps that is an issue. and, it would provide a bit extra recovery.

anyway, i'd try one of the two, and see how it goes.

[allan882]

Is there a specific part of the motion you have harder trouble at? Maybe strengthening your arms using other exercises as a whole will help you get thru the hurdle. I also used some DB presses when i was hitting plateaus. Strengthening my shoulders helped stabilize my benching.

[Defiant1]

[Anaar]

desi genetics ftl

[shadowspar]

"maybe you just dont know how to f****** bench" DAVE TATE. search up dave tate bench on youtube, WATCH IT DOIT. have some1 that knows what they are doing come watch your form and i guarantee you youll move up 10lbs the first session.

[FryDude]

I really don't mean to insult you but after 4 years of training you've yet to break the 200 lb mark? More power to you and continuing to work out, most people would have threw the towel in ages ago.

[Buick55]

Keep up on nutrition just like everyone else has said. Keep a workout journal and make sure to push yourself past your last lift each time you workout. Start slow and do more than just bench. Train all the other muscles that work together with bench. Good Luck.

[Xtian]

If all you care about is lifting heavy weight then... Eat Big = Lift heavy.


If I were you I would eat lots and deload for ALL your lifts for a couple a couple of weeks.

[musicianman]

do you have any pre-workout nutrition at all?

what is your diet like? as everyone else has said, it is key. You need to be drinking a gallon of milk per week on Rippetoes, at least.

Per week? GOMAD is a gallon of milk a day.

[krott5333]

Follow a routine. Try All Pro's Simple Beginner workout. I just started working out a couple months ago, and my bench went from about 1x125 to 5x150 already, and I don't do any other chest exercises.

[damlurker]

Thanks for all the replies guys.. Looks like the #1 suggestion is getting in more calories + protein.. although i'm pretty sure im getting 3000cal + 200g of proteins per day..

"maybe you just dont know how to f****** bench" DAVE TATE. search up dave tate bench on youtube, WATCH IT DOIT. have some1 that knows what they are doing come watch your form and i guarantee you youll move up 10lbs the first session.

looks solid brah.. I'll check it out.. (i think i've seen other vids of this guy before)

I really don't mean to insult you but after 4 years of training you've yet to break the 200 lb mark? More power to you and continuing to work out, most people would have threw the towel in ages ago.

Bit different with brown ppl brah.. personally I don't know of any brown kid who can put up more than 200lb (srs) except one guy.

In that context 135lb bench with solid form is not so bad.. of course it could be much better..
lol when I first started I couldn't even bench the fukin 45lb BAR for 10reps x 3.. Completely serious!

I'm much better with lower body lifts like squats, deadlifts ect..

[Karaim]

Bit different with brown ppl brah.. personally I don't know of any brown kid who can put up more than 200lb (srs) except one guy.

In that context 135lb bench with solid form is not so bad.. of course it could be much better..
lol when I first started I couldn't even bench the fukin 45lb BAR for 10reps x 3.. Completely serious!

I'm much better with lower body lifts like squats, deadlifts ect..

No offense, but that's the wrost excuse I've ever heard. I'm not trying to be politically correct, but why would it be different with brown people? I understand that genetics play a huge role in bodybuilding and powerlifting, but I know a lot of white people that struggle to progress in certain lifts, but they don't blame their skin color.

Besides, not to get completely off topic, but Indians have Aryan blood too (serious). That's why Sanskrit is an Indo-European language.