Bench Press

korenkojesse · Post by **korenkojesse** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 8:09 pm

I've been stuck at 300lbs bench for 4months now. new chest workout looks like:

-bb bench-12 10 8 6 12
185, 205, 225, 235/245, 185

-incline db-10 10 6 10
65, 75, 95, 70

-Super set cable flys w/ hammer machine chest press 12 10 8 10 12
weight varies on which set of cable machines i use. many in gym

Then at the end do as many pushups as i can

Any suggestions?

rynuku · Post by **rynuku** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 10:21 pm

id say thats a little more than you need to do for one muscle group (chest)

i prefer 10-8-6-6-6-10 (at 300 would be)
225-240-255-255-255-225

got that from a buddy that used to play college ball...hes benchin 450 raw

up in the 6-12 range your going muscle for size between 1-6 is for strength

if your trying to break your plateau...i would probably stay closer to the 2-5 rep range...i dont rly care for hammer str machines...for str...free weights are where its at =)...make sure your workin your triceps...CG bench is awesome...also if you got a sticky point...try doing lockouts...and....work on your speed like maybe trying bands or chains...plus work stabilizers and synergist muscles

i was just talking to one of the power lifters at gym today...michigan "dave forstner" benches 755 (drug free) his brother jamie shell put up 810 so they know what they are talkin about...next time i see them ill ask whats the best thing for breaking a plateu

mzaruba423 · Post by **mzaruba423** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:22 am

how many times / week are you lifting your chest

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:33 pm

you don't spend enough time on heavy enough wts...piss the sets of 12, 10 and 8 off as they are getting you tied before you even start...move to 3 x 6 scheme using the same wt for all sets and increasing once all sets/reps are reached and build back up again

get rid of the flyes and hammer press they're rubbish and don't help with increasing bench press at all...follow with a incline db press 3 x 8 and a row exercise paired with each of these too

do this once a week then in another session that week do heavy chin ups, rows and floor press or board presses

korenkojesse · Post by **korenkojesse** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:15 pm

mzaruba423 wrote:how many times / week are you lifting your chest

I do it once a week on Tuesdays

korenkojesse · Post by **korenkojesse** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:19 pm

swanso5 wrote:you don't spend enough time on heavy enough wts...piss the sets of 12, 10 and 8 off as they are getting you tied before you even start...move to 3 x 6 scheme using the same wt for all sets and increasing once all sets/reps are reached and build back up again

get rid of the flyes and hammer press they're rubbish and don't help with increasing bench press at all...follow with a incline db press 3 x 8 and a row exercise paired with each of these too

do this once a week then in another session that week do heavy chin ups, rows and floor press or board presses

I got complacent on the 12 10 8 since its given me nice gains in size. I usually do chin ups/rows on back day. Got to try the floor press/board press though. What ever gets me past this 300

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Tue Nov 25, 2008 3:18 am

actually search the 90% rule by tony gentilcore...the best way to train for strength

korenkojesse · Post by **korenkojesse** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 12:24 am

Thanks for the help guys. Its all i needed to break past stuck point. I jumped bench up quick. Doing 245 10x's and repping 225 15x's easy. Did 300 2x's THANKS FOR HELP AGAIN.

Packard · Post by **Packard** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 4:53 pm

From experience if you are stuck at one weight on training for a while it usually means that you are not giving your body sufficient time to recover between training sessions.

I would drop the push-ups as they will tire you and will not add to your ability to bench heavy.

You don't say when you work your shoulders or your triceps and they might be residually tired.

Are you having more problems with the initial lift off your chest or with your lockout? If it is your lockout you are probably overworking (or under resting) your triceps.

When I was benching heavy I worked benches and incline benches only for chest.

I warmed up with a set of 10 reps with a light weight, then went to 6 reps for the intermediate weights and I used triples (3 reps) for the rest. I finished with a single set of 10 reps with a lighter weight.

I don't think flies help much in benching and they may be adding to your recovery needs.

You might want to consider one week heavy and the following week light. This will give you additional recovery time and will probably help.

Also examine your workout and see if you are working your triceps and shoulders before your benches (on previous days). Rearrange your workout so that your triceps and shoulders are on the same day as your benches (but later in the workout). This will allow for more time to rest those muscles too.

I believe that most people that train hard and don't make good progress later on are suffering from some muscle fatigue. They generally are training hard enough to get results. Pay attention to your sleep requirements and your recovery requirements (nutrition too) and you should get additional results.