Need help improving my dumbbell bench press

[Bobdabuilder1]

Hi,

I spent quite a while using the chest press machine without using dumbbells or barbells before realising that I was kinda wasting my time. A couple of months ago I trained with a friend and tried dumbbell chest press for the first time in a while. I could only get the 37.5kg dumbbells up at the time. Since then I've been trying to improve my dumbbell bench press and worked my way up to 4 or 5 reps at 45kg's with a 1 rep max of 47.5kg.

Last night I was watching videos for tips and found a few that I thought would be helpful.

1. Tighten your grip
2. Arch your back
3. Shoulders together
4. Arms at 8 and 4 o'clock

I gave it a go today and after starting with 40's then 45's I managed to get 3 / 4 (sorta) reps out at 47.5kg so I figured I was on to something so gave it a go at 50kg's which are the heaviest dumbbells in my gym.

I got them up without a problem but coming down I flat out failed, it felt like I wasn't even close to being able to bring them back up. I tried again, same thing. 50's felt so much heavier off the bottom than 47.5's.

After working out how to get the dumbbells up into position, it's always been the bottom part of the lift that I've struggled with and after reading up I understand that this is likely due to weak chest and shoulders, which makes sense as I've always focused on triceps and somewhat neglected chest and particularly shoulders in comparison.

So I guess I've got 3 questions:

1. Any additional tips on top of the 4 above to help with my form?
2. Any good chest and shoulder day workouts / exercises to help me improve my bench?
3. Is training my upper back going to make much difference to my bench?

Any advice on how to get off the bottom with those fiddys would be much appreciated.

[401Delta]

Here's my tip:

Just pick up whatever weight feels comfortable for you and rep them out.

Do a warm up set with some girl weight and then bump up to a weight that you can get ~8 reps out of. Take them to failure if you're trying to get swole.

There are no powerlifiting records for a dumbbell press, only shoulder injuries ahead if you push it too fast.

[air2fakie]

Since then I've been trying to improve my dumbbell bench press and worked my way up to 4 or 5 reps at 45kg's with a 1 rep max of 47.5kg.

I don't think I've ever known anyone who's training for a db press 1 RM.

[Bobdabuilder1]

Here's my tip:

Just pick up whatever weight feels comfortable for you and rep them out.

Do a warm up set with some girl weight and then bump up to a weight that you can get ~8 reps out of. Take them to failure if you're trying to get swole.

There are no powerlifiting records for a dumbbell press, only shoulder injuries ahead if you push it too fast.

Thanks man. For some reason I've been really lucky with injuries. After a couple when I first started due to awful form I think I've had one minor pull in the last couple of years. I appreciate that's not to say that I can just do what I like but I feel fairly comfortable pushing myself and have been enjoying the process of trying to increase my bench press. I always start each day at 35 - 40kg then work my way up so I do at least get a couple of decent sets in at lower weights with OK form before I push myself.
I get that it's generally better not to lift what you can't handle but if I'm apparently already able to do a few reps at 47.5's, I figure I may as well try to get the 50's out the way then I'm at the end of the rack and can work on improving my form at 40 - 50.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm ignoring your advice, I just think that I'm so close that I may as well keep trying.

[Bobdabuilder1]

I don't think I've ever known anyone who's training for a db press 1 RM.

Now you have

Although I wouldn't mind doing more than 1 rep at 50kg, hence why I'm asking for tips on improving my dumbbell bench.

[air2fakie]

Now you have

Although I wouldn't mind doing more than 1 rep at 50kg, hence why I'm asking for tips on improving my dumbbell bench.

Training at a more sensible rep range prob is a start, but good luck!

[Bobdabuilder1]

Training at a more sensible rep range prob is a start, but good luck!

Thanks, I'm trying to get some sensible sets in before I go heavy as well as other chest and shoulder exercises to help with genuine progress, I just kinda like testing myself for ****s and giggles at the same time.

[lsiberian]

Now you have

Although I wouldn't mind doing more than 1 rep at 50kg, hence why I'm asking for tips on improving my dumbbell bench.

Using 50kg dumbbells for bench is pretty good IMO.

[air2fakie]

Using 50kg dumbbells for bench is pretty good IMO.

But do you really even know what your 1 RM with dbs is? Many people who can do 50 kg dbs even for reps wouldn't be able to get their theoretical 1 RM into position without someone handing them off or at least helping with initial liftoff. And even then training to increase a 1 RM sounds like an elbow/shoulder killer.

Just seems odd to have this as a goal instead of doing it with a barbell.

[Bobdabuilder1]

Using 50kg dumbbells for bench is pretty good IMO.

Thanks pal, although technically it's still 47.5 for now but I'll take that. Planning to do a couple more chest / shoulder days and see if I can get better form on 47.5's then have another crack.

But do you really even know what your 1 RM with dbs is? Many people who can do 50 kg dbs even for reps wouldn't be able to get their theoretical 1 RM into position without someone handing them off or at least helping with initial liftoff. And even then training to increase a 1 RM sounds like an elbow/shoulder killer.

Just seems odd to have this as a goal instead of doing it with a barbell.

I appreciate that this wasn't technically directed at me but, I think if you've got a decent technique of rolling back off your knees and stronger triceps relative to your chest / shoulders then getting them up seems to be the easy part.

I normally train by myself and only recently got out of the habit of using the chest machine so I've avoided the barbell partly because it's normally taken, partly because I don't want to get stuck at the bottom and partly because when I did try it my technique was pretty pathetic but I guess that's probably something that I should work on if I want to progress.

[air2fakie]

I appreciate that this wasn't technically directed at me but, I think if you've got a decent technique of rolling back off your knees and stronger triceps relative to your chest / shoulders then getting them up seems to be the easy part.

I normally train by myself and only recently got out of the habit of using the chest machine so I've avoided the barbell partly because it's normally taken, partly because I don't want to get stuck at the bottom and partly because when I did try it my technique was pretty pathetic but I guess that's probably something that I should work on if I want to progress.

Not sure how your triceps are stronger than your chest + shoulders, but I'll take your word for it. If your goal is to up your 1 RM on db BP, that's honestly fine by me - I just don't get training db BP for that purpose. You should do what you enjoy though.

[lsiberian]

But do you really even know what your 1 RM with dbs is? Many people who can do 50 kg dbs even for reps wouldn't be able to get their theoretical 1 RM into position without someone handing them off or at least helping with initial liftoff. And even then training to increase a 1 RM sounds like an elbow/shoulder killer.

Just seems odd to have this as a goal instead of doing it with a barbell.

Yeah seems like a great way to injure yourself to me too.

[Bobdabuilder1]

Not sure how your triceps are stronger than your chest + shoulders, but I'll take your word for it. If your goal is to up your 1 RM on db BP, that's honestly fine by me - I just don't get training db BP for that purpose. You should do what you enjoy though.

It's just down to volume and consistency really. When I started I used to enjoy training arms and would regularly skip most other exercises, then I realised that I was starting to look a bit like Popeye so I started trying to skip less exercises but at the same time continued to train arms because I enjoy it. I still have a habit of skipping things that I don't enjoy, particularly legs and abs but shoulders have always been skipped more than other parts as well. Whilst I was training chest fairly often I was mainly using just the chest press machine and pec machine so my chest has never felt the strongest.

My goal isn't just to up my 1 rep max but now that I'm getting towards the end of the rack, completing it has become a little side goal. I'm not planning on stopping once I can do 1 rep at 50, I want to carry on improving.

Yeah seems like a great way to injure yourself to me too.

I guess I just haven't experienced enough injuries to put me off yet.

[lsiberian]

It's just down to volume and consistency really. When I started I used to enjoy training arms and would regularly skip most other exercises, then I realised that I was starting to look a bit like Popeye so I started trying to skip less exercises but at the same time continued to train arms because I enjoy it. I still have a habit of skipping things that I don't enjoy, particularly legs and abs but shoulders have always been skipped more than other parts as well. Whilst I was training chest fairly often I was mainly using just the chest press machine and pec machine so my chest has never felt the strongest.

My goal isn't just to up my 1 rep max but now that I'm getting towards the end of the rack, completing it has become a little side goal. I'm not planning on stopping once I can do 1 rep at 50, I want to carry on improving.



I guess I just haven't experienced enough injuries to put me off yet.

That's survivorship bias though. If a million folks played russian roulette with 10k each eventually someone would be a billionaire. He could write books and go to conferences to discuss his strategy. People would think him a genius not realizing that he was just lucky.

[Bobdabuilder1]

That's survivorship bias though. If a million folks played russian roulette with 10k each eventually someone would be a billionaire. He could write books and go to conferences to discuss his strategy. People would think him a genius not realizing that he was just lucky.

Yeah, I get that. I've never been injury prone so I'm hoping it's not all luck but I appreciate that luck has a lot to do with it. I'll try to be careful with it, thanks for the advice.

[air2fakie]

Yeah, I get that. I've never been injury prone so I'm hoping it's not all luck but I appreciate that luck has a lot to do with it. I'll try to be careful with it, thanks for the advice.

If you're relatively new to lifting you might not need to worry for a while since you'll usually get warning signs ahead of time esp with things like elbows/shoulder girdle. What people think is an injury event often is overuse/wear & tear, so if you listen to your body & adjust when necessary may not be an issue.

[paulinkansas]

Using 50kg dumbbells for bench is pretty good IMO.

If you are benching a pair of 50kg dumb bells, you don't need any advice from most of the people on here.

[Bobdabuilder1]

If you're relatively new to lifting you might not need to worry for a while since you'll usually get warning signs ahead of time esp with things like elbows/shoulder girdle. What people think is an injury event often is overuse/wear & tear, so if you listen to your body & adjust when necessary may not be an issue.

OK cheers for the heads up, I've been lifting for 3 years whilst skipping shoulders a fair bit so I guess that's not a long time in the big scheme of things. I'll take it on board and try to take a bit more care with certain body parts to avoid problems later on. I just checked and the most common body parts to injure are ankles, knees, lower back and shoulders, all of which I've skipped a lot of which probably helps explain why I haven't had many injuries.

If you are benching a pair of 50kg dumb bells, you don't need any advice from most of the people on here.

I honestly wasn't aware that would be considered so heavy around here but I guess the fact that they're the heaviest weights in a lot of gyms around here says something. I guess I should probably be happy doing decent sets of 40 - 45's for now and working on strengthening my chest and shoulders but I'll have to have another go at 50's at some point otherwise it'll just annoy me being stuck at 47.5 max.

[air2fakie]

OK cheers for the heads up, I've been lifting for 3 years whilst skipping shoulders a fair bit so I guess that's not a long time in the big scheme of things. I'll take it on board and try to take a bit more care with certain body parts to avoid problems later on. I just checked and the most common body parts to injure are ankles, knees, lower back and shoulders, all of which I've skipped a lot of which probably helps explain why I haven't had many injuries.

No need to ask yourself why, if you're not prone to injury that's a good thing. Aside from your own exercise choices, sometimes it's just dependent on your individual body/joints/tendons, age, mileage, etc.

I honestly wasn't aware that would be considered so heavy around here but I guess the fact that they're the heaviest weights in a lot of gyms around here says something. I guess I should probably be happy doing decent sets of 40 - 45's for now and working on strengthening my chest and shoulders but I'll have to have another go at 50's at some point otherwise it'll just annoy me being stuck at 47.5 max.

It's not considered that heavy amongst serious lifters but it's definitely not light. Most people who lift that will be doing rep work not 1 RMs, but more likely will be doing more bb & machine chest work either based on preference but also because setup & progression is easier to deal with.

You should really start benching at some point. No one's really going to ever care what your db 1 RM is.

[jaxqen]

Firstly, I never thought doing 1RM for my db bench press.
Or 3 RM. Or 5 RM.
Since you use dumbbells, I would have thought that dumbbell require more stability and maybe higher reps would be better, so that you can stop due to muscular failure, not due to lack of stability and joint problems.
But what the hell do I know, I don't bench 50 kg dbs.



A year ago, OP presented his push workout {see bellow}, where he started with 6 tricep isolation sets to failure, all double dropsets, and then do chest
.
My questions for the others and OP are:

a) how did OP got to 45 kg db press?

b) if 25 kg on the tricep pushdown is so easy for me that I don't even bother to use it as warmup, how much should my 1 RM db bench press should be?

c) why doesn't Paul db bench press 50 kg? Is it because he is a frail/feeble old man or because he doesn't do 6 sets, all dropsets, tricep pushdowns before chest?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For example on Chest / Tricep day I'll start with the rope pushdown and start at 20kg and do as many reps as possible until failure then drop to 15kg and repeat then drop to 10kg and repeat. I'll do 3 sets like this then move on to the Tricep bar pushdown, start at 25kg, move to 20kg then to 15kg and repeat for 3 sets.

I'll then use the chest press machine, pectoral machine and incline chest press machine and repeat a similar format to the above.

I'm planning to finish off with 3 sets of pressups at the end of this day going forward as well.

Sometimes I'll lower the weights a bit on the 2nd or 3rd set.

I'll also follow a similar format for Bicep curls and hammer curls when working the biceps.


https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=180267193



-----------------

Also, in this thread people recommended OP Fierce 5

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=178603881

d) OP, did you do Fierce 5? If not, how much do you think you could have db bench pressed if doing Fierce 5?

[Bobdabuilder1]

Firstly, I never thought doing 1RM for my db bench press.
Or 3 RM. Or 5 RM.
Since you use dumbbells, I would have thought that dumbbell require more stability and maybe higher reps would be better, so that you can stop due to muscular failure, not due to lack of stability and joint problems.
But what the hell do I know, I don't bench 50 kg dbs.



A year ago, OP presented his push workout {see bellow}, where he started with 6 tricep isolation sets to failure, all double dropsets, and then do chest
.
My questions for the others and OP are:

a) how did OP got to 45 kg db press?

b) if 25 kg on the tricep pushdown is so easy for me that I don't even bother to use it as warmup, how much should my 1 RM db bench press should be?

c) why doesn't Paul db bench press 50 kg? Is it because he is a frail/feeble old man or because he doesn't do 6 sets, all dropsets, tricep pushdowns before chest?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For example on Chest / Tricep day I'll start with the rope pushdown and start at 20kg and do as many reps as possible until failure then drop to 15kg and repeat then drop to 10kg and repeat. I'll do 3 sets like this then move on to the Tricep bar pushdown, start at 25kg, move to 20kg then to 15kg and repeat for 3 sets.

I'll then use the chest press machine, pectoral machine and incline chest press machine and repeat a similar format to the above.

I'm planning to finish off with 3 sets of pressups at the end of this day going forward as well.

Sometimes I'll lower the weights a bit on the 2nd or 3rd set.

I'll also follow a similar format for Bicep curls and hammer curls when working the biceps.


https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=180267193



-----------------

Also, in this thread people recommended OP Fierce 5

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=178603881

d) OP, did you do Fierce 5? If not, how much do you think you could have db bench pressed if doing Fierce 5?

Hey man, I notice you had replied to both of those, did you actually remember those threads? If so, your memory is very impressive.

I'm sure that you are right that it is better to do sets at lower weights on the bench to progress and I generally do, I just add a couple of low rep / high weight sets in after I've done a few sets at lower weights to practice getting them up and test what I can do.

I never tried Fierce 5 or any other standard workout, I just didn't fancy all the leg work and exercises that I didn't particularly like. I have always been happy deciding for myself what exercises I like and which ones I don't particularly enjoy but will push myself to do because they are meant to be effective. I might be wrong but I don't think I would be able to bench as much now if I had being doing fierce 5 instead as I would be doing a lot more work on legs and abs and a lot less on chest, shoulders and triceps.

To try to answer your first question as best I can, I made some changes at the time of that last thread based on what people were saying. I did switch from doing triceps first and chest after to chest first and triceps last, I continued doing 3 sets of tricep bar pull downs and 3 sets of tricep rope pulldowns but mostly stuck to doing dropsets on the last set of each.

I just read back through and noticed that you asked me to do an experiment by switching from triceps first to chest first. My memory is terrible but I'm pretty sure switching over helped quite a bit. I moved up through the weights fairly quickly on the chest machine, at one point I think I was only doing less than 50kg then after not too long I was doing 100kg, I kinda maxed out at 110kg for a few reps before switching to dumbbell bench press where due to poor starting technique I couldn't lift more than 37.5kg

A while back (possibly around the time I made that post) I was progressing slowly so I started eating a lot healthier, adding lots of chicken, fish, eggs, rice and potatoes into my diet. I noticed at that time that my progress immediately shot up, the weights I was using became very easy and my body quickly changed shape.

I've generally been alternating between 2 days.

Day 1) Chest, shoulders and triceps day
Day 2) back, traps and biceps day

Sometimes if I've had a few days out after day 1 I'll just skip day 2 and go back to day 1 and maybe switch shoulders for biceps so I guess the fact that chest and triceps have been my favoured exercise and I skip a lot of **** that has nothing to do with my bench has probably helped a lot with my progress on the bench press.

I'm not sure how to answer your question b) myself but for comparison in case it helps I now do 35 - 40kg on the tricep pushdowns, 25 - 27.5kg on the tricep rope pulldowns and 47.5kg is the max I can bench with dumbbells (although probably not full reps). Obviously your weight, chest, shoulders, bench technique etc will play a big part as well. Back when I was doing 25kg tricep pushdowns I could probably bench 30-35kg at a guess.

Just for clarity because I don't want to give the wrong impression, when I'm doing dumbbell bench with 45 - 47.5kg I'm pretty sure that my form isn't great and I doubt I get down low enough to what people here would consider full reps. I'm not even 100% sure I do at 42.5 either TBH. Up until I did a bit of research a couple of days ago I was lying flat on my back, not gripping my fists tightly and not pulling my shoulders together so my form would always have been pretty poor.

[Bobdabuilder1]

No need to ask yourself why, if you're not prone to injury that's a good thing. Aside from your own exercise choices, sometimes it's just dependent on your individual body/joints/tendons, age, mileage, etc.



It's not considered that heavy amongst serious lifters but it's definitely not light. Most people who lift that will be doing rep work not 1 RMs, but more likely will be doing more bb & machine chest work either based on preference but also because setup & progression is easier to deal with.

You should really start benching at some point. No one's really going to ever care what your db 1 RM is.

Yeah, I get that serious lifters will be doing much more, I'm not trying to big myself up but was just pleasantly surprised that what I'm doing seems to be considered pretty heavy even on a forum like this. I do make sure I get the reps in as well. I do a couple of 6 - 8 rep sets before pushing up to however many reps I can manage at the heavier weights then sometimes do another set at lower weights at the end to make sure.

Barbell bench is definitely on the cards. When I realised that the chest machine wasn't all that useful I was planning to switch between BB bench and DB bench but struggled getting the barbell to my chest so just ended up just skipping barbell day. I'll try to factor it back in soon.

[JustinP72]

As far as 1 goes, I think your 4 points are a good start. You also want your heels down and try to think about/focus on your core when pressing.

For 2, I do BB bench and have added DB floor presses as an accessory, which have seemed to help with BB bench. I program the BB bench early (currently my first lift) and floor press later (currently my last lift) to allow some recovery between the two.

[Bobdabuilder1]

As far as 1 goes, I think your 4 points are a good start. You also want your heels down and try to think about/focus on your core when pressing.

For 2, I do BB bench and have added DB floor presses as an accessory, which have seemed to help with BB bench. I program the BB bench early (currently my first lift) and floor press later (currently my last lift) to allow some recovery between the two.

Thank you, I'll give that a go as well!

[jaxqen]

Hey man, I notice you had replied to both of those, did you actually remember those threads? If so, your memory is very impressive.

I'm not sure how to answer your question b) myself but for comparison in case it helps I now do 35 - 40kg on the tricep pushdowns, 25 - 27.5kg on the tricep rope pulldowns and 47.5kg is the max I can bench with dumbbells (although probably not full reps). Obviously your weight, chest, shoulders, bench technique etc will play a big part as well. Back when I was doing 25kg tricep pushdowns I could probably bench 30-35kg at a guess.

Yes, I remembered your username and one of your threads, probably it just stucked in my mind.

Got it! I was surprised because it seemed a low weight for pulldowns, but thinking about it, there are several types of pulleys, ones higher than the others, so it makes sense.

Anyway, good luck!

[Bobdabuilder1]

I thought I'd document some progress for myself and just in case it's of interest for anybody else.

I now know that I can do about 3 or 4 half reps at 50kg. About 5 3/4 reps at 47.5kg and about 6 fairly decent reps at 45kg. The moment I try to go horizontal on either 47.5kg or 50kg random girls on the next bench get their ankles checked.

I'm not ready for 50kg yet but I guess I only know that because I tried.

So my plan is to be able to do 5 / 6 fairly decent reps at 47.5kg before attempting 50kg again. That way, all being the same I should in theory be able to do about 5 3/4 reps at 50kg. That's my theory and I'm sticking with it.

My weak point is at the bottom (Chest and shoulders), my strong point is at the top (Triceps) so I'm going to work on my chest and shoulders mainly mixing bench press, incline bench press, shoulder press and chest cable shizzles.

I think 2 sets of 42.5kg going as low as possible followed by a set of 47.5kg is a good way to improve my drive from the bottom.

My checklist has now grown to 10 points:

1. Tighten your grip
2. Heels rooted to the floor
3. Arch your back
4. Slide down the bench
5. Shoulders together
6. Arms at 8 and 4 o'clock
7. Tighten glutes and core
8. Bring your arms into your lats a bit
9. Drive off from your feet
10. Breathe out at the drive

Here's a progress pic with a silly face on it.... OK maybe not, had to add it to my profile instead.

[Bobdabuilder1]

As far as 1 goes, I think your 4 points are a good start. You also want your heels down and try to think about/focus on your core when pressing.

For 2, I do BB bench and have added DB floor presses as an accessory, which have seemed to help with BB bench. I program the BB bench early (currently my first lift) and floor press later (currently my last lift) to allow some recovery between the two.

Thanks man, the focus on your core suggestion was really helpful.

[air2fakie]

I thought I'd document some progress for myself and just in case it's of interest for anybody else.

I now know that I can do about 3 or 4 half reps at 50kg. About 5 3/4 reps at 47.5kg and about 6 fairly decent reps at 45kg. The moment I try to go horizontal on either 47.5kg or 50kg random girls on the next bench get their ankles checked.

I'm not ready for 50kg yet but I guess I only know that because I tried.

So my plan is to be able to do 5 / 6 fairly decent reps at 47.5kg before attempting 50kg again. That way, all being the same I should in theory be able to do about 5 3/4 reps at 50kg. That's my theory and I'm sticking with it.

My weak point is at the bottom (Chest and shoulders), my strong point is at the top (Triceps) so I'm going to work on my chest and shoulders mainly mixing bench press, incline bench press, shoulder press and chest cable shizzles.

I think 2 sets of 42.5kg going as low as possible followed by a set of 47.5kg is a good way to improve my drive from the bottom.

My checklist has now grown to 10 points:

1. Tighten your grip
2. Heels rooted to the floor
3. Arch your back
4. Slide down the bench
5. Shoulders together
6. Arms at 8 and 4 o'clock
7. Tighten glutes and core
8. Bring your arms into your lats a bit
9. Drive off from your feet
10. Breathe out at the drive

Here's a progress pic with a silly face on it.... OK maybe not, had to add it to my profile instead.

I still don’t get this obsession with increasing your 1RM on db bench press and building your other exercises around that goal. It’s like designing your entire leg day around increasing your 1RM on the lying hamstring curl, which would be an odd goal and use of that exercise to begin with.

[jaxqen]

I still don’t get this obsession with increasing your 1RM on db bench press and building your other exercises around that goal. It’s like designing your entire leg day around increasing your 1RM on the lying hamstring curl, which would be an odd goal and use of that exercise to begin with.

Well, I beg to differ.
It would be a dumbbell rdl or a db goblet squat.
A lying ham curl = pec deck
We should open a thread about this and see who is right and who is wrong.

From what I've seen in public gyms, there's something with women going crazy when they see a guy pressing two 50 kg dbs on a bench press... even for one rep.
They go wild, they drag him to the women locker room, undress him and do all kinds of dirty stuff to him... he shouldn't be able to walk straight or do legs for one month.

[Bobdabuilder1]

I still don’t get this obsession with increasing your 1RM on db bench press and building your other exercises around that goal. It’s like designing your entire leg day around increasing your 1RM on the lying hamstring curl, which would be an odd goal and use of that exercise to begin with.

Honestly, it's nothing to do with a 1RM, what I want to do is improve and progress. I want to better myself. Without reading back, if I mentioned that I wanted to do 1 rep at 50kg earlier, that was just a goal that I had in mind to lead me on to hopefully bigger and better things, eg doing a full, well executed set at 50kg. I guess my goal now is to be able to do a full set of 6+ horizontal reps of 50KG and then if possible carry on improving from there.

1 full rep of 50kg with good technique is just a benchmark that I'd like to achieve, it's not an end goal and never was.