So I’ve been lifting seriously and consistently for a couple years now and my bench press progress is slowing down majorly. I finally hit 225 x 1 but it took a while and now I know it will only be slower from here on out. My deadlift and squat are pretty good for my weight (165 lbs) but I’ve always just had a hard time with bench, probably because I have long ass arms.
Anyway, this “100 day squat challenge” caught my eye here and I was wondering if the same thing would work for the bench press? Benching every single day regardless of lack of volume and accessory movements seems very taxing. What do you guys think?
I’ve found the problem with a solid blast of high frequency, is that ther body responds, weight goes up, but then goes back down with normal training.
Why not give a smolov jnr run a go for bench. I did it years ago and it worked a treat to peak my 1rm.
Well that’s what im worried of. If I’m gonna be beating my ass benching every day for 100 days straight then I sure as hell want to keep the strength I gain.
I just looked into Smolov JR. Pretty interesting looking. Overall low amount of volume (Only 30-35 reps total for each bench day) but it has you benching 4 times a week, so I guess that makes up for it. I guess I could probably give this a try before something more extreme.
I did smolov junior for my front squat and it was pretty effective. I went from 385 to about 445 I kept all of it. If I where to run it for bench I would get pretty heavy with the shoulder health stuff from the get go. A lot of bar hangs, band pull aparts, and rotator cuff work
I’m about 5’9. I know it’s pretty light but I’m overall pretty thin too, body fat wise. And benching that many days a week is indeed a ton, but it’s not something I’d do indefinitely.
I’ll try. My main focus is powerlifting, but I also want to look good, so I’m pretty careful about trying to keep fat off while I bulk. I’ll start slow bulking
It sounds like the objective here is to bench every day rather than a more sustainable approach that will give you results over the long term. There are very few programs that have you benching 3-4 times a week, that is more than enough frequency. If you are 165 and 5’9 then adding some muscle mass will make a big difference.
EDIT: I meant to say “There are very few programs that have you benching MORE THAN 3-4 times a week”
Well I guess it’s time to bulk again then. I’m gonna try to keep my calories like 350ish over maintenance for now because I really don’t wanna put on a lot of fat.
Go with Smolov Jr, I’m finishing it and it was great, you have to have perfect form though, you can also run the intense phase for smolov for bench if you want something more extreme, not recomended but still…
Man, I get it, I need to gain some weight but come on lol, feeling skinny at 5’9 215 lbs? That’s excessive. My brother is 5’10 198 lbs and jacked as well as very very strong.
As others alluded your basically just a beginner in terms of serious lifting and bodyweight no need for anything fancy -best do a proven strategy like Texas method or a Dan John program.
If reeealy want to do a short term blast try this…
(not always bench but doing some kind of pressing work each session)
BMI over 30, yes, but actual clinical obesity (as in 30%+ body fat) is something you definitely want to avoid. Lots of SHWs are over that, but they usually don’t live too long either. Hard to say it’s a worthwhile trade off.