View Full Version : Bench Press Routines
alkalineman
01-08-07, 1:24 pm
G Diesel moved me over here. I am 19 and have been lifting for about 6-7 years. My max on the bench is around 185-195. I know that technically it doesn't matter how much you lift. I figure if I can lift more I can get bigger. I never have really specifically trained the bench press for a long period of time because I was focused on being a bodybuilder and growing all parts of my body equally. I really would like to have a strong bench press. Any questions for me regarding my normal routine, diet, or anything like that? My max on sqat is around 360 and my dead lift max is around 300-320. I can do those well but I couldn't bench for the life of me.
G Diesel
01-08-07, 1:31 pm
To get you over 200, I would try a chest workout that looks something like this...
Flat Barbell Bench Press
Bar x 15 (warm up)
115 x 10 (warm up)
135 x 5 (warm up)
155 x 2 (warm up)
185 x 1 (with a spotter)
205 x 1 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
195 x 2 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
185 x 3 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
165 to failure
135 to failure
Incline DB Press
3 sets x 12-6 reps (last set to failure)
Flat DB Flyes
3 sets x 12-8 reps (last set to failure)
Training in this fashion helped me make progress on my bench immensely. Remember, when trying to get your bench up, the 2.5 lb plates are your best friends. Some of the powerlifters on the board, like my boy Sgt. Rock will definitely be able to give you further guidance. Peace, G
ill be looking out on this thread. my bench needs to hit my marker as soon as possible.
good luck
D-Bomb.
MELTDOWN
01-08-07, 1:45 pm
When trying to advance my bench, I also pay closer attention during arm day to my tri workout. A former Mr. North Carloina smacked me on the head in the late 80's for letting my tri's lag while trying to up the bnech. My head still hurts...........
Since you've been lifting so long, I'll assume you have great form benching. If not, that's one of the first things to work on. Benching heavy without perfect form is a great way to get injured, especially in regards to your rotator cuffs.
Is form is a problem, check these out for reference:
- http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?ID=110§ion=
- http://exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ChestWt.html
- http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.php?Name=Barbell+Bench+Press+-+Medium+Grip
Otherwise, if your form is solid, I would then look to your diet and your current chest workouts. If your diet isn't giving you enough calories... particularily consisting of quality protein, complex carbs and EFAs then this could also be contributing to your problem. As for your chest workouts, what are you currently doing? Perhaps you need to change your routine a little, or focus on weak points to spark new growth.
hscrugger
01-08-07, 2:57 pm
weighted dips helped me up my bench. anything that works your tris will help. also, front raises and pullovers will strengthen the tie-in between your pecs and your front delts, which will help some.
brennan
Freakshow
01-08-07, 3:02 pm
High weight, low reps. Best method to use if you want to get stronger in any exercise, not just benching. Good Luck, lets us know how it goes bro. FreakShow
G Diesel
01-08-07, 3:06 pm
weighted dips helped me up my bench. anything that works your tris will help. also, front raises and pullovers will strengthen the tie-in between your pecs and your front delts, which will help some.
brennan
Good call bro... Nice exercises for supporting your bench. Peace, G
determined
01-08-07, 3:15 pm
Go heavy on the tri's. Start with close grip bench, then do some skullcrushers on a decline bench. I found this was really effective when I would reach some plateaus.
G Diesel
01-08-07, 3:21 pm
Go heavy on the tri's. Start with close grip bench, then do some skullcrushers on a decline bench. I found this was really effective when I would reach some plateaus.
Word... And make sure you are leaving enough time for full recovery between tris and chest. Peace, G
trustcompany107
01-08-07, 3:22 pm
I have noticed steady progress from day 1 with the following routine:
Incline bench - 5 sets
Flat bench - 4 sets
Incline flies - 3 sets
Flat flies - 3 sets
Dips/Cable crossovers - 2/3 sets
I have been alternating from barbell to dumbbell for the past 6 months with excellent success and haven't once hit a stopping point in terms of strength. Warm up sets are included in the numbers.
Lots of good info here already. I also wanted to "ditto" the tricep work. I managed to break a real sticking point for me recently by working hard\heavy on weighted dips and close grip bench. I kept standard bench work in the 3-5 rep range, going as heavy as possible while burning up the tri's on "off days". It worked, and I put quite a bit on my tri's as well!
TheDeliverator
01-08-07, 3:37 pm
Don't forget your supporting muscle groups, your lats and upper back (traps, rear delts).
Tricep work is a must; close grip work, board presses and paused floor presses are key.
No reason not to train like a powerlifter for parts of the year to bump of strength gains.
alkalineman
01-08-07, 3:55 pm
"To get you over 200, I would try a chest workout that looks something like this...
Flat Barbell Bench Press
Bar x 15 (warm up)
115 x 10 (warm up)
135 x 5 (warm up)
155 x 2 (warm up)
185 x 1 (with a spotter)
205 x 1 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
195 x 2 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
185 x 3 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
165 to failure
135 to failure
Incline DB Press
3 sets x 12-6 reps (last set to failure)
Flat DB Flyes
3 sets x 12-8 reps (last set to failure)
Training in this fashion helped me make progress on my bench immensely. Remember, when trying to get your bench up, the 2.5 lb plates are your best friends. Some of the powerlifters on the board, like my boy Sgt. Rock will definitely be able to give you further guidance. Peace, G"
I just did this workout. My girlfriend helped me with the spot areas. She is really light, around 112, and I couldn't get the 205 up even with her help. I have the safety beam to block it from reaching my neck so it was fine. I felt pretty embarresed after that, but I finished the workout strong. I got HUGE pumps on the 165 to failure.
Don't forget your supporting muscle groups, your lats and upper back (traps, rear delts).
Tricep work is a must; close grip work, board presses and paused floor presses are key.
No reason not to train like a powerlifter for parts of the year to bump of strength gains.
Good insight TD... When I had some issues with my bench becoming stagnant a few years ago, I made sure to work all of my supporting muscle groups. I hit the tri's hard, brought up traps and delts. As I brought these muscle groups up, my bench followed.
bake.silverback
01-08-07, 4:07 pm
To get you over 200, I would try a chest workout that looks something like this...
Flat Barbell Bench Press
Bar x 15 (warm up)
115 x 10 (warm up)
135 x 5 (warm up)
155 x 2 (warm up)
185 x 1 (with a spotter)
205 x 1 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
195 x 2 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
185 x 3 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
165 to failure
135 to failure
Incline DB Press
3 sets x 12-6 reps (last set to failure)
Flat DB Flyes
3 sets x 12-8 reps (last set to failure)
Training in this fashion helped me make progress on my bench immensely. Remember, when trying to get your bench up, the 2.5 lb plates are your best friends. Some of the powerlifters on the board, like my boy Sgt. Rock will definitely be able to give you further guidance. Peace, G
When I was lifting heavy this is close to the same thing that I did. This works. Just one point to emphasize. "MAKE SURE YOUR SPOTTER PAYS ATTENTION" The 1 rep max was always brutal but worth it. I playd FB in high school and that max lift friday was always fun.
not a bad strength routine.. i would highly suggest looking in P/rr/s training systems. IT is awsome for strength as well as mass gains. With the program ive upped my deadlift over 100 pounds in less than 10 months. and bench went up around 50 with noticable gains everywhere.
Frank_The_Tank
01-08-07, 4:55 pm
Fractional Plates are your best friend when it comes to increasing lifts. Progressive resistance, adding weight to the bar everyworkout, thats what its all about.
G Diesel
01-08-07, 5:06 pm
Fractional Plates are your best friend when it comes to increasing lifts. Progressive resistance, adding weight to the bar everyworkout, thats what its all about.
Tough to find anything much smaller than the 2.5's. Peace, G
i don't know about you guys but for me its dumbells all the way, i did the bench press thing for a while, and i just found dumbells work better for me. But if you hit a plateau with your b.b bench press switch to d.b for a week or 2 and you should see a big improvement with the b.b bench
alkalineman
01-08-07, 11:21 pm
G, I have always been a solo lifter. How would I increase my bench without using a spotter? I assume just use whatever the heaviest weight I can do on the flat bench and do it a certain amount of times?
G Diesel moved me over here. I am 19 and have been lifting for about 6-7 years. My max on the bench is around 185-195. I know that technically it doesn't matter how much you lift. I figure if I can lift more I can get bigger. I never have really specifically trained the bench press for a long period of time because I was focused on being a bodybuilder and growing all parts of my body equally. I really would like to have a strong bench press. Any questions for me regarding my normal routine, diet, or anything like that? My max on sqat is around 360 and my dead lift max is around 300-320. I can do those well but I couldn't bench for the life of me.
Welcome to the club. My working bench is 185 and max is 205 yet I can squat 315. Sometime you have genetics like I do where your lower body is just much stronger than your upper body, but keep working at it. After my cut I'm going to start a strength program to up my bench so I can lift more for my next bulk.
G Diesel
01-09-07, 10:07 am
G, I have always been a solo lifter. How would I increase my bench without using a spotter? I assume just use whatever the heaviest weight I can do on the flat bench and do it a certain amount of times?
Hmmm... I'm training solo lately and have a similar problem, so I simply do what you suggested and rep out on a challenging weight that I still feel comfortable with and cut the set short before I get in the danger zone. Looking at your current goals, I'd do something along these lines...
Flat Barbell Bench Press
115 x 12
135 x 10
165 x 6
175 x 6
155 x 10
145 x 12
Then next time you have the opportunity to get a spot, work on your lower reps and do some max singles to assess how far you've progressed. As you begin to man handle these lighter weights you'll notice a dramatic increase on your max single. Peace, G
Punisher
01-09-07, 10:15 am
A lot of it is in your head bro if you think you can only put up a certain weight that will be your limit, get into the mindset that you are getting stronger each week and you eventually will, looking foward to seeing some big numbers from you in the near future bro so push it
Big Wides
01-09-07, 11:34 am
shoulder strength is key to the bench on shoulder days try and hit all three heads, also when benching try and flex your lats on the way down to help with the pushing of the weight
alkalineman
01-11-07, 12:07 am
Thanks for the kind words gentlemen, I'll keep you posted on my strength gains.
ryan o'neal
01-11-07, 2:37 pm
G Diesel moved me over here. I am 19 and have been lifting for about 6-7 years. My max on the bench is around 185-195. I know that technically it doesn't matter how much you lift. I figure if I can lift more I can get bigger. I never have really specifically trained the bench press for a long period of time because I was focused on being a bodybuilder and growing all parts of my body equally. I really would like to have a strong bench press. Any questions for me regarding my normal routine, diet, or anything like that? My max on sqat is around 360 and my dead lift max is around 300-320. I can do those well but I couldn't bench for the life of me.
I'm not a bodybuilder by any means, but I compete in bench press competions @165 weight class. I belive the most effective way to gain strength is to train your 1rep max. This will help adapt your central nervous system to handle heavier weight. Visit elitefts.com and look at the article section, then check the workout logs of some well respected powerlifters. My current best bench press @ 165 is 405, shirted of course.
Ive also been stuck below 200. Since last march my bench has went up maybe 50 lbs (I started seriously training ten months ago but had been screwing around for maybe 2 years). Whereas my deadlift started at 135 (to get the form up) maybe 5 reps, but now i can pull 315 for reps. thats almost 4 times greater gains in pulling than pressing. Ill try g diesels routine, but is this normal?
the routine G mentioned is pretty much similar to what i use when i bench ...and get a good spotter that you can trust because like mention before its alot mental too ...with a good spotter you will feel more comfortable going heavier ...not just on bench but squats and etc...
I love bench press...I am 112 and my max bench is 175 right now. I started with Ronnie Coleman's strength training workout from some mag a couple years ago...
Bench:
warm-up
50% 1RM, 10 reps, 2 min. rest
65% 1RM, 8 reps, 2 min rest
80% 1RM, 5 reps, 2 min. rest
set 1
90% 1RM, 3 reps, 4 min rest
96% 1RM, 2 reps, 4 min rest
100% 1rm, 1 rep, 4 min rest
set 2
91% 1RM, 3 reps, 4 min rest
96% 1RM, 2 reps, 4 min rest
101% 1RM, 1 rep, 4 min rest
set 3
92% 1 RM, 3 reps, 4 min rest
97% 1RM, 2 reps, 4 min rest
102% 1RM, 1 rep, 4 min rest
Incline Bench:
warmup
55% 1RM, 10 reps, 2 min rest
75% 1 RM, 8 reps, 2 min rest
set 1
80% 1 RM, 7 reps, 3 min rest
85% 1RM, 5 reps, 3 min rest
90% 1RM, 3 reps, 3 min rest
set 2
81% 1RM, 7 reps, 3 min rest
86% 1RM, 5 reps, 3 min rest
91% 1 RM, 3 reps, 3 min rest
I did this for 3 weeks and my bench totally improved.
Most people have the impression that bench press is mostly chest. This is not necessarilly true. There are three movements involved in bench retraction (when the bar is lowered) and protraction (when the bar is pressed out). Elbow extension occurs when the bar is being pressed up. Muscles that are involved in retraction are the traps, rhomboids, and some of lats. The muscles involved in protraction are pec minor (not pec major) and the upper traps. Triceps are the main elbow extensors. Delts are stabilizing muscles in the bench press motion
Traps and rhomboid muscles are triggered by doing any type of pulling exercises like rows. Lats are targeted in lat pull downs, pullups, etc. Triceps are utilized in most exercises that involve any type of elbow extension.
One of the biggest misconception of bodybuilding is that bench is primarilly pec major. The pec major does the following motions: shoulder extension, shoulder horizontal adduction, and shoulder adduction. None of these muscles are involved in bench press.
The world record holder scott mendelson in both raw bench 800+lbs and in assisted bench 1003lbs says that triceps and delts should be trained to increase bench. The program that I am on (westside powerlifting) says to train lats,delts,and triceps for bench.
Powerfreak
01-14-07, 9:29 pm
G Diesel moved me over here. I am 19 and have been lifting for about 6-7 years. My max on the bench is around 185-195. I know that technically it doesn't matter how much you lift. I figure if I can lift more I can get bigger. I never have really specifically trained the bench press for a long period of time because I was focused on being a bodybuilder and growing all parts of my body equally. I really would like to have a strong bench press. Any questions for me regarding my normal routine, diet, or anything like that? My max on sqat is around 360 and my dead lift max is around 300-320. I can do those well but I couldn't bench for the life of me.
Forgive me for being lazy at the moment, but right now I don't feel like reading this whole thread.
One thing that might help,is to understand that if you just want to increase your bench, the pecs,are a minimal factor at best. A power bench uses primarily,Tris,lats and hips. Strengthen these areas and your bench will go up.
To get you over 200, I would try a chest workout that looks something like this...
Flat Barbell Bench Press
Bar x 15 (warm up)
115 x 10 (warm up)
135 x 5 (warm up)
155 x 2 (warm up)
185 x 1 (with a spotter)
205 x 1 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
195 x 2 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
185 x 3 (with a spotter, + forced reps)
165 to failure
135 to failure
Incline DB Press
3 sets x 12-6 reps (last set to failure)
Flat DB Flyes
3 sets x 12-8 reps (last set to failure)
Training in this fashion helped me make progress on my bench immensely. Remember, when trying to get your bench up, the 2.5 lb plates are your best friends. Some of the powerlifters on the board, like my boy Sgt. Rock will definitely be able to give you further guidance. Peace, G
Thanks for the chest routine. I used to bench 235 max before i broke my foot and took 4 months off and after being back in the gym for 4 months i've been having trouble getting my bench back up. I haven't actually maxed but im not doing as much for reps as before.
Just benched today but looking forward to trying this next week.
I see all of the suggestions on the workout side, but don't forget one of the most important factors in seeing any lifting weight gain and that is proper diet. If you want to get big and see massive weight gains don't forget your Animal pak's and stak's. If you don't feed the muscles the muscles won't grow which means your gains will be stagnant. Get your diet right and follow the suggestions of the forums and getting over 200 on the bench will be a distant fond memory.
OSUrookie
01-15-07, 3:02 pm
For me, getting my bench up was all about putting on size. i weighed about 160lbs and couldnt get my bench past 240. Now, after taking advice from animalpak.com about eating, i put on some quality mass to about 185 and now put up about 285.
Hellreaver
01-15-07, 3:54 pm
Alkalineman, one thing that you shouldn't neglect, and I haven't seen a lot mentioned, is the incline. I still can't forget an article tagged "Inclined to Grow" by G Diesel himself. http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?section=training&ID=230
As far as going solo, you might want to think about using machines. Peace out.
Yea foyer is right. I did not take this into consideration at first. Diet is definitly paramount to any increase in the powerlifts. I can now recall when I first went to college and did not eat enough because of the meal plan budget and my lifts went to shit.
Don't feel bad dude, I have the same problem. I weigh about 195 and can only bench a little under 300. But I have a 425ish lb squat and a 505lb dead. I think the problem you have might be the same problem I have. Not so much a physical block but more of a mental block. Do you ever phyche yourself up before a bench? Sometimes reaching a higher level really only depends on wether your brain will tell your muscles to shut the fuck up and do this shit.
theghazfactor
03-10-08, 7:45 pm
Hi there, I'm new to this site! I was just looking for a good bench press routine, including sets, reps, # of weeks etc... I've been bench pressing for a few months... can only bench like 95% of my body weight but I feel that I'm getting stronger... but I've just been making up my own routines without much knowledge of it and don't feel that I'm maximizing efficiency and am looking for a workout from someone with more information than me
I hope that post didn't sound too vague, seemed that way as I was typing it!
but help would be appreciated, etc
need2getBIG
03-10-08, 7:47 pm
first off welcome to the forvm bro! theres tons of dudes here that can help you,ive learned so much already and ive only been on here for a few weeks,make sure to read the twelve rules tho bro
theghazfactor
03-10-08, 9:33 pm
thanks just read em... my bad looks like I violated #10, won't happen again. sorry!
need2getBIG
03-11-08, 3:39 pm
its okay bro,as for for your bench routine,id ask some of the pros on here,ive gotten great advice,just wait and see if anyone comments on this log,theres plenty of great advice givers on this forvm
that only thing that will improve your bench press is bench press