Hi guise long time no post, been hard at it in the gym for a few years, anyways I’m looking for bench tips. I know all the fundamentals but wondering what accessory work I can incorporate into my routine to hit 300. I would post it in the powerlifting section but I’m on maintenance calories and eating more isn’t an option as I don’t want to ruin my conditioning. I’ve hit 315 for reps before but I was about 10 lbs heavier… Currently maxing at 285…
What are you doing now? Do you have any sticking points and/or weaknesses that you are aware of?
Based on the info given, I would say lift more. Give a breakdown of lifting frequency, and what your current routine is.
[quote]Bunny Bench wrote:
Hi guise long time no post, been hard at it in the gym for a few years, anyways I’m looking for bench tips. I know all the fundamentals but wondering what accessory work I can incorporate into my routine to hit 300. I would post it in the powerlifting section but I’m on maintenance calories and eating more isn’t an option as I don’t want to ruin my conditioning. I’ve hit 315 for reps before but I was about 10 lbs heavier… Currently maxing at 285…[/quote]
There’s a lot to unpack in this lol.
You “know all the fundamentals” of the bench press. Make sure you’re certain of that! Even guys who learned all the fundamentals can start to slack off on certain things or lose focus or forget a valuable cue over time. Make sure you’ve got your scapulae pulled back as hard as you possibly can; row that bar into your chest. Make sure you’re using your legs.
You are “wondering what accessory work I can incorporate into my routine”. Well there’s another touchy one. What does your programming look like currently? How much bench are you doing? What accessory lifts are you already doing? Often times there is no “magical” accessory lift for people, but just making some positive changes to their programming of the lift itself will add the extra pounds. You may just need more bench volume.
Not to write accessory lifts off though, for raw benching, you should definitely incorporate paused bench pressing into your routine. “Spoto presses” are also good, where you do a long pause only about an inch or so off your chest. And of course there’s always hammering the triceps. For raw benching though, I would always prioritize your strength off your chest (as per Josh Bryant and his athletes), and plan accessory lifting accordingly.
As for this, “I’ve hit 315 for reps before but I was about 10 lbs heavier… Currently maxing at 285”, hitting 315 for reps (how many? 2? 5?), and dropping all the way down to 285 for 1 is a massive decrease in strength. Ten pounds of bodyweight doesn’t account for a loss of 50+ pounds on your bench. Were you cycling at the time? Have you taken a long break in training since then? What was it that got you to 315 for reps in the first place, because you could always just try that to get back to 300; it obviously worked for you.
And lastly, the powerlifting section wouldn’t have told you to get fat and stop conditioning. We haven’t been doing things that way in like… two years at least.
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/hub/Bunny%20Bench#myForums/thread/4900290/
Came across this. Did you end up running that? If you plan on getting back to 300+ without bonus test, then I guess you will need to look more seriously at your programming this time around, because it’ll obviously be a little tougher.
[quote]csulli wrote:
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/hub/Bunny%20Bench#myForums/thread/4900290/
Came across this. Did you end up running that? If you plan on getting back to 300+ without bonus test, then I guess you will need to look more seriously at your programming this time around, because it’ll obviously be a little tougher.[/quote]
Csulli doing his best Chris Colucci impression 
Lots of good advice from Matt Kroc here…