[Doubravkody]

hey guys,im a small guy, and ive been working out for bout a year now when i first started to come on this site i weighed 115lbs/135 max bench

im at now 125lbs/175 bench

but im stuck!

ive been stuck at that for the past 2 months! i tried 180 a few days ago and i culdnt get it up.. I dont want my max bench to be only 175, so i was wondering if anyone could give me a 3 day workout just for a more improved bench, no fancy machines tho cuz i do not have any, i just have free weights...

i hope i get some help1

and thanks, this site really does own :P

[OCCFan023]

Check out Bill Starr's 5x5 program and West Side for Skinny Bastards.

[TheAnimalG]

3 day workout? 3 days a week doing bench is too many. You need to let your muscles grow.

Here are my tips:
- Stick with 2 days a week MAX.
- EAT EAT EAT. If you want to increase your bench, eat.

And I second the suggestion for "West Side for Skinny Bastards".

[ShakesAllDay]

I disagree. As long as intensity and total volume is accounted for, he should be fine. As far as maxing out, I agree that is a very BAD idea to do 3x per week.

Check out the 5x5 program, as mentioned above. Also, look into Hypertrophy Specific Training (HST).

Though you seem mainly concerned w/ your bench numbers, I'm going to assume you want to keep gaining muscle as well as a bigger bench? Correct?

You have a long way to go WRT growth... EAT!!!

Originally Posted by TheAnimalG

3 day workout? 3 days a week doing bench is too many. You need to let your muscles grow.

Here are my tips:
- Stick with 2 days a week MAX.
- EAT EAT EAT. If you want to increase your bench, eat.

And I second the suggestion for "West Side for Skinny Bastards".

[bLacKjAck.]

Your 125 lbs dude. Your skinny as hell. Face the fact that your going to have to EAT!!!!! before your bench is gonna go anywhere. Your bench is actually pretty good for your weight.

Why is getting your bench up so important? What about your squat and your dl?

[Doubravkody]

where would I find those programs at?
And i do eat alot, it is very hard for me to gain weight, my mom and dad were broth scrawny and small... but i do need to eat more, altho i am eating alot

and i dunno bench to me is kinda like a marker, for me, i dress to impress, and friends dont ask how much i can squat they ask how much can i bench, that is alwayys the question, none of my friends workout, cept for one...

but where can i find those programs, and they dont involve any special equipment do they?

and do you strongly suggest these, or are they just a thought....

Thanks!

[ShakesAllDay]

You would find them on the Internet.



(yesss... I love using that emoticon)

[Doubravkody]

I looked at the 5x5
if im correct on their is only one 5x5 for what u guys have suggested?
because the main thing is squat! that is the only thing i cannot do because my ceiling to loww

anything can replace that, non machine wise?

[ShakesAllDay]

Originally Posted by Doubravkody

I looked at the 5x5
if im correct on their is only one 5x5 for what u guys have suggested?
because the main thing is squat! that is the only thing i cannot do because my ceiling to loww

anything can replace that, non machine wise?

You can't squat because your ceiling is too low? You cannot stand up straight in the area you train?

[Doubravkody]

lol, im 5'5, my ceiling is 5'6, i can do everything else, besides squat because doesnt squating involve having the bar over your shoulders, which puts it well above 5'6 ive tried...

[ShakesAllDay]

Dang, man... and I though my basement ceiling was low.

I can do squats... I just can't find a rack short enough to fit.

[koi1214]

Originally Posted by ShakesAllDay

Dang, man... and I though my basement ceiling was low.

I can do squats... I just can't find a rack short enough to fit.

I have the same problem.I use 2 wooden chairs and weighted down milk crates as a rack for squats

[TexasLifter89]

Originally Posted by Doubravkody

hey guys,im a small guy, and ive been working out for bout a year now when i first started to come on this site i weighed 115lbs/135 max bench

im at now 125lbs/175 bench

but im stuck!

ive been stuck at that for the past 2 months! i tried 180 a few days ago and i culdnt get it up.. I dont want my max bench to be only 175, so i was wondering if anyone could give me a 3 day workout just for a more improved bench, no fancy machines tho cuz i do not have any, i just have free weights...

i hope i get some help1

and thanks, this site really does own :P

5x5 with core lifts superset 4x12 with curls & skullcrushers...works for me

[DBinMD]

Originally Posted by Doubravkody

hey guys,im a small guy, and i
and thanks, this site really does own :P

Although there’s reason to believe you could bench 3x week I’ve never seen a powerlifter approach it that way. So if you strength is your main concern then I would take a page out of their book. It’s been awhile since I worked out at a gym with those that competed, but I think their strategy was Monday/squats , Thursday/deads and Saturday bench. I know you said there’s not enough room for squats.

You can try 2x week but I think 3 times a week will lead to over training chest and under training everything else. Your bench is mostly chest, but shoulders and arms also come in to play. When I started my weight/strength wasn’t much different from yours.

You didn’t give us much info on what you’re doing now. That would be a good start, but here’s a few parameters I think are important.
1) Keep the umber of sets roughly 10-15, for me 12-13 works, more than that I over train.
2) Mix up the reps, the best range I think is 5-12. Singles and doubles are way too much strain on the tendons. 10 is supposed to be best for hypertrophy. I’ve heard of the 5x5 before, it seems to work. I haven’t maxed in years, I don’t care to, it doesn’t do anything for my strength.
3) If you’re after strength, don’t rush through your flat bench’s. A 3 to 5 minute rest between sets is reasonable. Save the bodybuilding for other movements.
4) Not every set has to be to failure, especially when you’re working up to your heaviest set.
5) If your total workout exceeds much more than 1 hr then you risk low test and high cortisol. At the least keep it under 1.5 hrs.
6) Make sure you eat well within a half hour of your wo. A protein shake right afterward would be best.
7) ONLY BENCH HEAVY ONCE A WEEK. you won't recover from it. So the other day(s) keep the reps high, no less than 8.

This is what I do, it’s not the only way to do it and you can probably find better, but it’s a pretty common approach. Just change the numbers to suit you:
An example:
1) Barbell bench : 135x10, 230x11, 270x7, 310x4, 310x4, 270x7
2) Incline bench:205x12, 225x10, 225x8, 205x10
3) Machine flies 170x12x3
4) Machine Pullovers 1x15x140 (some times I skip this)

There's really a lot that goes into a strong bench or strong anything. I think if you look around this board you'll get an idea of how to split up your body parts. Each one has it's plus' and minus'. You can start with 2x a week but as you get stronger you'll find that you won't recover as fast between wo's so 1x for each bodypart is what most people wind up with.

I gotta go. Hopefully, I don't have any typo's.

good luck

[Doubravkody]

I came up with my months schedule, think its alright, it might sound like over training to you guys, but its not really, i do 6 reps for the following, and my deadlifts, arent much weight, so yea..

Monday-deadlifts,legcurls,calf raises,squats

Tuesday-100 reg pushups,100 diamond pushups,100 wide pushups,20 pounds weighted dips, Ab w/o

Wednesday- 2 hand easy curl,forearms-like curling the bar behind your back,bentrowes,machine butterflies

Thursday- Lat pulldowns,shoulderriases,arm spreads,incline dumbell bench

Friday-Cal raises calf leg curls,dead lifts, Ab w/o

Saturday- Calf raises, leg curls, tricep bench, Ab w/o

Sunday- Make up Day


Takes me roughyl bout 1 hour each day...