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help with bench press?

craze123

New member
my first question is what is a descent bench press for someone who weighs 220and is 5' 10 ?
I bench press 375 for one a couple of weeks ago.
 
craze123 said:
my first question is what is a descent bench press for someone who weighs 220and is 5' 10 ?
I bench press 375 for one a couple of weeks ago.
Click to expand...
Yeah 1.7X Your Bodyweight is a decent bench, at least I think so.
 
yeah i've been stuck at that weight for a little over four months now. I change my rep range through out the month. I try to max out every six weeks or so.

my chest routine looks like this
week 1 8reps on first set
week 2 7reps on first set
week 3 6reps on first set
week 4 5reps on first set
week 5 4reps on first set
week 6 max out

I alternate flat bench and incline bench after each set to get a better push on incline
1st set flat bench one set
2nd 315 on incline i usually get 6 or 7
3rd set flat bench less weight then first set of flat bench one rep less than failure
4th set incline bench 275x 8 to 10

I also do incline dbell presses alternating the incline to hit it from different angles

then do two tricep exercises
245 x 8 close grip bench
225 x 8 to 6

nose crushers
125 x8
120x8

any suggestions on breaking the plateau

another reason i want to get a better bench is everyone looks at me and says i should be benching a lot more than that and I'm just not training right ( but they never have any suggestions on how to train right)
 
I'd throw in a few variants of the bench press, try some static presses,floor presses, bench with chains or bands, throw in a speed day, paused reps, and maybe even some board presses if your triceps are your weak point. Also, something to consider is that your lats play a decent role in getting weight off your chest, you may want to work them more/heavier if that is your weak point.
 
315 x 6-7 on incline? I think your max on incline should be near 375
 
How can you look like you should bench more than you do? thats an odd statement. but then again, "everybody" always has an opinion to share.
My opinion is that you have a pretty strong bench. And also that these things take time and consistency to break barriers.

Maybe one thing for flat bench would be to focus more on just that? You are all over the place with incline, decline and other stuff. Just a thought. You have a well rounded chest routine set there but it maybe not focused on flat bench specifically.
How about a close grip pyramid 12, 10,8,6 with the weights increasing on the way up? That and dips. Heavy tri work to help the top of the bench.

Just my thoughts. Keep up the hard work!
 
I agree that i should do heavy tricep work. do you think i should do it the same day as chest or separate the two
 
craze123 said:
I agree that i should do heavy tricep work. do you think i should do it the same day as chest or separate the two
Click to expand...

Same day, since they are already getting some work in while benching, might as well finish them off. I personally bench twice a week (one heavy, one light/speed day) and do heavy triceps on both days. It has made a big difference in my lockout power.
 
I agree with NickW.
Same day. I used to bench first and then follow that with close grips. But that was in that pyramiding fashion. Complete the reps and add 10lbs to the start of the pyramid the next week. That way you will know when you are gaining strength without having to really think about it. complete the pyramid, you are obviously gaining.
But other exercises are also key. I think dips were one of the movements that helped me the most. 3-4 sets to failure. this is of course after benching and close grips so the last set may be pretty short on the reps. I would also take a more limited rest between sets for these, 30 seconds?
Then heavy pressdowns, ropes or whatever else you wanted to throw in. We have a kneeling rope machine at my gym that is the best thing to blast the tri's. We hit it 8 sets of 8 reps. again, if you make the entire movement you start the next week a plate heavier. It hits the tri's from every angle but really blows up right under your armpit in the fat part of the tri. It's a great pump at the end.

and NickW, 360? Yikes! What are you throwing around, just for curiousity?
 
MATTYO1977 said:
I agree with NickW.
Same day. I used to bench first and then follow that with close grips. But that was in that pyramiding fashion. Complete the reps and add 10lbs to the start of the pyramid the next week. That way you will know when you are gaining strength without having to really think about it. complete the pyramid, you are obviously gaining.
But other exercises are also key. I think dips were one of the movements that helped me the most. 3-4 sets to failure. this is of course after benching and close grips so the last set may be pretty short on the reps. I would also take a more limited rest between sets for these, 30 seconds?
Then heavy pressdowns, ropes or whatever else you wanted to throw in. We have a kneeling rope machine at my gym that is the best thing to blast the tri's. We hit it 8 sets of 8 reps. again, if you make the entire movement you start the next week a plate heavier. It hits the tri's from every angle but really blows up right under your armpit in the fat part of the tri. It's a great pump at the end.

and NickW, 360? Yikes! What are you throwing around, just for curiousity?
Click to expand...

Most I have done is 700 plus a fair amount of chain weight added to it. I plan on going for the raw bench world record at the King of the Bench meet next april at the Coleman Classic.
 
WOW! that is impressive. You are the man to ask for this topic then for sure. Do you follow a West Side type program? That seems to be the rage.

Good luck at the Coleman. What is the raw record?
 
MATTYO1977 said:
WOW! that is impressive. You are the man to ask for this topic then for sure. Do you follow a West Side type program? That seems to be the rage.

Good luck at the Coleman. What is the raw record?
Click to expand...

Yeah, for the most part I follow a WSBB template adjusted for raw lifting, but right now I am using Kaz's program from when he got his 661 bench (also adjusted for my needs and weights). The raw record is 715 right now.
 
Dude, huge.
I'd love to hear some of your tips in a real specific manner. I would guess lots of guys could benefit.

Keep hitting that big iron. Smash that record!
 
biggest tip is to keep your muscles balanced, if you want a strong chest you have to also get a strong back, same with triceps, etc. Muscle balance will keep you from getting injured as often. Next I would just try out a bunch of different training methods, keep a good log, and then go with what works best for you. I do well with lots of weight and moderate reps, guys like Hoornstra and Siders do better with a lot of volume, its all an individualized thing. You also have to look at your weak spots and fix them. A strong back and shoulders will get the weight off your chest, strong triceps lock the weight out, strong chest and shoulders will get it past the midway sticking point. I also recommend taking a deload week every so often to let your body rest and recover, very important. If you have any specific question let me know, be happy to help if I can.
 
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