bench workouts...

[chubbsthedog6]

hey ive been stuck around 210 215 for my max now for a while and im looking for a workout or two to help with my one rep maximum. i usually bench two sometimes three times per week... any advice would be great also wondering about bouncing bar off chest is bad or not?

 

[russy_russ]

hey ive been stuck around 210 215 for my max now for a while and im looking for a workout or two to help with my one rep maximum. i usually bench two sometimes three times per week... any advice would be great also wondering about bouncing bar off chest is bad or not?

Most likely you're overtraining. Secondly, humeral angle should be ~parallel with the ground. Any further and myosin cross bridge cycling is affected, reducing maximal force production. Risk of injury is increased and not much notable benefit from going any lower. By bouncing it off your chest you're also utilizing momentum to overcome the moment of inertia at the bottom of the lift which has no benefit for myohypertrophy.

 

[chubbsthedog6]

Ok sounds good so like wat kind of workout would u do for your two times of benching for the week if u were working on strength?

 

[slacker86]

drop benching to once a week and run 5x5's give it a shot. sounds like your over training

 

[bkoguy07]

Just bench one time a week. Hit it hard. Do you train any other body parts? Your shoulders, tri's, and back also play a big role in your benchpress. Don't neglect legs either.

 

[R1balla]

u wanna increase bench? take a break from barbell, do DB flat, BB incline and hit squats and deads super hard. back plays a major role also. it isnt just chest strength. its shoulders and tris also.

 

[Rosie Chee]

hey ive been stuck around 210 215 for my max now for a while and im looking for a workout or two to help with my one rep maximum. i usually bench two sometimes three times per week... any advice would be great also wondering about bouncing bar off chest is bad or not?

Reiterating that you don't need to bench as often as you are. Yes, bouncing the barbell off your chest is bad and definitely NOT advisable - if you're doing that, then the weight is too heavy for you, your tempo is too fast, or your form is poor and not well controlled.

If you want to increase your bench press, then work on your bench press. Devote ONE day specifically to bench - for example, try doing 10x3 with 3-5 minutes recovery between sets. Use the same weight for EVERY set, but you must be able to handle 10 sets, and each week add 10 pounds to the preceding week's weight. Or you can try something else such as pyramiding, etc.

Don't forget your chest assisted work as well, since it can definitely help with your bench press strength.

~Rosie~

 

[blackcj7]

whats your current routine look like? (not just your chest day)

 

[chubbsthedog6]

well i bench twice a week and one day ill do the 5x5 same weight now on 185 then the secong time i bench ill do this workout where you do 8 reps of 60% of your max 5 reps of 70% 3 reps of 80% 1 rep 90% then 1 rep 90% then 5 reps 70% thats what i do for bench

 

[chubbsthedog6]

ok i just talked to my dad... used to be big into weight lifting squatting 600 and all that good stuff but he says monday back and chest and to do heavy set of rows for back then run over to bench and do a heavy set of bench both with good form and heavy he said to do about four sets of this both equaling one. Then tuesday legs abs calves and very little arms... then take wednesday off start over thursday friday then take both saturday and sunday off...? it sounded really good to me but wanted to hear what u guys would think

 

[MakaveliThaDon]

Try some rack lockouts and board benching. Google around those words and do some reading up on some different powerlifting style strategies if you truly are interested in getting your bench up. Throw in some 3x3 instead of 5x5. Take a break from barbell for a month or so and do nothing but DB chest workouts and then come back to BB, there are A LOT of different things you can do/try.

Also like others said, make sure you aren't just benching too frequently and overtraining it. Almost everyone is guilty of this when they are younger and just learning about this type of lifestyle we live. We all went through it and we all did it, and we all learned

 

[JorDrol]

if you want to increase your bench press i would only train that large muscle group with maybe your triceps or something small versus training back with chest because youll use too much energy and wont be able to give it the full 100%. defintely change up your work outs to increase your max, some days start with incline or start with dumbell bench press rather than doing the same old work outs, muscle confusion equals growth/strength. good luck man

 

[blackcj7]

Bench and Squats together works best more me, working two large muscle groups should (on paper) increases testosterone levels.
Try Rippetoe's Texas Method

 

[R1balla]

floor presses are great as well. also, if u have been doing three reps for a while, u wanna change it up. i like to do 8 to 12 for a few weeks followed by a 3 to 6 rep week followed by a 12 to 15 rep wee

 

[omni]

At 190lbs I benched 515 twice. I made up my own bench routine. This is it...
Warm up 225x5
245x4
275x3
295x2
315x1
225x as many as you can. When I hit 225x30, the next week I did 405 no problem. So my total sets was 6.
After I hit 405, I still started at 225 but when i got to 315 instead of doing 1 rep I did 5.
Then, 335x4
365x3
385x2
405x1
315x as many as possible. When i hit 30 reps I went for 495.
And so on.
For triceps I did skull crushers, tricep push downs, close grip bench. dips.
I train differently now but thats what I did and it worked for me.

 

[chubbsthedog6]

ok i like the thought of that 3x3 workout and omni so like what weights for that workout should i do if my max was 215? like if you gave me a layout then i could just add five pounds to it everytime i get better at it thanks for the reps btw

 

[blackcj7]

everyone's body responds differently to different types of stimulus (training), change your workout routine every 4 to 8 weeks. If strength is your main goal try to stick with low rep work (less then reps). Alternating through workouts such as 5x5, 8x3, Texas Method, etc. Work your accessories that will help with bench with heavy weight (shoulders, triceps, back). Add heavy negatives from time to time as well as pin presses.
Also, don't neglect legs as they grow so will the rest of the body.

 

[calidood]

Dude you know what really brought up my bench press strength REAL quick? Deadlifts. Seriously. I only did upper body for a long time and then all I did was add deadlifts. I heard squats help with full body strength too. I'm starting to do them too now, but nothing different since I was already doing the deadlifts. Trust me, get some good form on deadlifts and start adding weight there. Soon your bench will go up, I promise.

 

[MakaveliThaDon]

The mention of floor presses was good. I forgot about floor presses. I haven't done this in a LONG time.

I used to train PL style for a number of years when I was younger, and did a few comps. Obviously it isn't how I train now, but the time I spent training in that PL style taught me A LOT of very helpful tips and tricks that can still be applied to overall strength and BB style lifting. It was very beneficial. Everyone interested in increasing overall strength would benefit from doing some reading about how PL'ers train and incorporating a few of the things they use into their BB routines.

 

[chubbsthedog6]

yea i do squats actually a lot i enjoy them even though there hard as ****. but yeah ive never done floor presses i think ill try that i think i just need to change my workout up and take more rest time in between. but i cant really do deadlifts cause im worried about my lower back... after i do a heavy set on squats of the five by five it bothers it until i pop my lower back then it goes away kinda weird

 

[MakaveliThaDon]

yea i do squats actually a lot i enjoy them even though there hard as ****. but yeah ive never done floor presses i think ill try that i think i just need to change my workout up and take more rest time in between. but i cant really do deadlifts cause im worried about my lower back... after i do a heavy set on squats of the five by five it bothers it until i pop my lower back then it goes away kinda weird

You wear a belt right? You should feel a good pump in your back from squats no doubt, but it should never one of those uncomfortable "something is wrong/out of place" type of pains. Make sure you have your form down.

 

[omni]

Using the method I listed above and your max bench, I would do this
135x5, rest,155x4 rest, 185x3, rest, 205x2, rest, 215 as many times as you can then strip the weight down to 135 and immediately rep out as many as you can. On the last set, when you can do 30reps with the 135, you should be ready to easily do 225. If you do this let me know when you can do 225x5.

The advice above is great. Deadlifts and squats will help you in your lifts.

 

[biggfly]

At 190lbs I benched 515 twice. I made up my own bench routine. This is it...
Warm up 225x5
245x4
275x3
295x2
315x1
225x as many as you can. When I hit 225x30, the next week I did 405 no problem. So my total sets was 6.
After I hit 405, I still started at 225 but when i got to 315 instead of doing 1 rep I did 5.
Then, 335x4
365x3
385x2
405x1
315x as many as possible. When i hit 30 reps I went for 495.
And so on.
For triceps I did skull crushers, tricep push downs, close grip bench. dips.
I train differently now but thats what I did and it worked for me.

You saying you benched 315 for 30 reps at the end of your workout??? Hmmm....

 

[blackcj7]

Dennis Cieri 525 at 198 lbs ..... I kid I kid .... no really I.......

 

[drinkyboy]

HAHA!

 

[omni]

You saying you benched 315 for 30 reps at the end of your workout??? Hmmm....

Yeah, that was when I was 29, over 10 years of training. I started my warm ups with 225. I'm 40 now and avoid barbell flat bench. I do incline, decline and dumbell flat bench.
A couple months ago I did flat bench to see what i could do and I did 365 13 times.
There's a lot of people who can lift like that. At 27, I was one of them. Here's some examples...

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWvFQcD1PEw&NR=1"]YouTube - D O repping 225 pounds 30 times on 4-28-08[/nomedia]


[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0IzxMuck_0&feature=related"]YouTube - Repping 225 for 49 like it was easy[/nomedia]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW9yrIQmvRY&feature=related"]YouTube - Bench Press 315 x 20 reps Strongest Soldier in the ARMY!!![/nomedia]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO6buEbEvQo&feature=related"]YouTube - Allen Baria - Bench Press 405 lbs X 25 reps 500 lbs X 10 reps (RAW)[/nomedia]

 

[biggfly]

Impressive...i still do flat bench. But nowhere near those numbers. I can do a workout after warmups set of 225 @ 20 then 275 @ 12 then doing 315 @ 10, 10, 365@ 5,2 then 295 @ 15. But those lifts of yours are serious. Nice work.

 

[drudixon]

Bill Starr 5x5 /thread

 

[chubbsthedog6]

geez those are all crazy numbers i need to get up there

 

[biggfly]

Bill Starr 5x5 /thread

Not the end all be all....explore DC

 

[drudixon]

Not the end all be all....explore DC

It certainly isn't. But given the weights are in beginner / intermediate range, hard to imagine this being a true plateau. Likely it's solved simply with a good progression scheme and proper diet and rest.

 

[Pipes]

Yeah, that was when I was 29, over 10 years of training. I started my warm ups with 225. I'm 40 now and avoid barbell flat bench. I do incline, decline and dumbell flat bench.
A couple months ago I did flat bench to see what i could do and I did 365 13 times.
There's a lot of people who can lift like that. At 27, I was one of them. Here's some examples...

YouTube - D O repping 225 pounds 30 times on 4-28-08


YouTube - Repping 225 for 49 like it was easy

YouTube - Bench Press 315 x 20 reps Strongest Soldier in the ARMY!!!

YouTube - Allen Baria - Bench Press 405 lbs X 25 reps 500 lbs X 10 reps (RAW)

Video 2 and 4 are a joke. Video 2 is teh worst form I can imagine. Video 4 his range of motion is retardedly small. Given Im sure both of these individuals are strong, and stronger than me by far. But not as strong as they appear. If either of them did correct form, they would not put up those numbers. Here is a video for yall to see...

fast forward to 3.58

YouTube - Dana White 315 Pound Bench Press

 

[Pipes]

Also op, I agree with the others, try reducing the amount of training on the bench per week. With you benching 3 times per week, I would think you might be lacking some other muscle groups. Dunno, maybe you spend a whole lot of time in the gym. Whats your routine look like?

 

[omni]

Video 2 and 4 are a joke. Video 2 is teh worst form I can imagine. Video 4 his range of motion is retardedly small. Given Im sure both of these individuals are strong, and stronger than me by far. But not as strong as they appear. If either of them did correct form, they would not put up those numbers. Here is a video for yall to see...

fast forward to 3.58

YouTube - Dana White 315 Pound Bench Press

Video 4 is Allen Baria (USPF record holder) as far as powerlifting goes, his form is correct.
check out this YouTube - bench press training III

 

[blackcj7]

Yeah, Baria is the only one not bouncing the bar off his chest. No one that lifts that kind of weight will lockout unless its competition. If they did their elbows would be destroyed.
He's a beast it doesn't even look to be using much of an arch.

 

[omni]

This is bad form
YouTube - Can't Bench
and the end of this is funny
YouTube - Weightlifting With A Surprise Ending - PRICELESS

 

[Torobestia]

Not the worst if all he's doing is decline haha

 

[Pipes]

I was gonna say, yea that looks like a good decline workout

 

[chrisrob05]

Incline press can help with bench but your chest will only grow as big as your back will allow. Cut the chest to 1-2 times weekly and go heavy-Work your back and triceps too

 

[rojasdave]

i have a question on the grips. where is the proper place to put ur hands? outside your shoulders or a little farther? also, elbow wise should they be in or out? i just started benching 7 months ago, and up to 225 for max but need some tips to increase the weight. i eat ~4k cals a day. im currently on a pyramid plan, chest 6,8,10,14. incline or decline 6,8,10,14. pec dec or cable crossovers 8,10,14. im shot at the end and last week i did for both flat and incline 205, 185, 165, 145. pretty sure my numbers will go up, im going to keep the weight down to bang out more reps then try my 1rm at the end of the routine but consistantly add 5lbs every week

 

[biggfly]

Video 2 and 4 are a joke. Video 2 is teh worst form I can imagine. Video 4 his range of motion is retardedly small. Given Im sure both of these individuals are strong, and stronger than me by far. But not as strong as they appear. If either of them did correct form, they would not put up those numbers. Here is a video for yall to see...

fast forward to 3.58

YouTube - Dana White 315 Pound Bench Press

So form or not, that weight doesnt lift itself in those vids, but yet am I supposed to be impressed by Dana White benching 315 ONCE that you posted? Not so much. I'll take the other 2 vids, they are impressive.

 

[omni]

This is correct

YouTube - Dave Tate's Six-Week Bench Press Cure