My Bench Press Seriously Sucks

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

Hi guys, I posted in here as I assumed you guys will know the most. I’ve recently focused my training primarily on strength but I’m having a lot of trouble with my bench, my numbers in the lifts are as followed…

Squat - 165kgs (365lbs)
Deadlift - 230kgs (507lbs)

but my bench is…105kgs (230lbs)

I’ve always had a strong back and relatively powerful lower body, but my bench has always sucked ass! Now I’m pretty good at overhead pressing and I can bench well with a lighter weight e.g I can get about 10 reps at 80kgs but then when I add on some more weight I just can’t budge it and I don;t know why.

I’ve tried doing 5/3/1 to increase the weight but it doesn’t seem to be working, which makes me think it might be a physiological problem other than just being weak as piss. So I was wandering has anybody seen this before and what would you recommend?

I had a guy I considered to be pretty good say that I should focus on overhead for my pressing strength and just do bench press to keep my chest development from going to shit, what do you think of this?

Thanks

Ben

2

I’m assuming you want a bigger bench because you want a bigger bench.

Now it could very easily be because your form sucks. Hard to know without seeing your bench. It could be because of muscular weakness. It could be because your too slow and not aggressive enough. It could be psychological. With the information given this is the best I can tell you.

Best thing you can do is show video of your bench with both lighter sets (50-70 or so percent) and heavier sets (90+).

After that, describing your form and where you fail and what it feels like when you fail a bp in as much detail as you can would be a distant second best.

Good luck.

3

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:
I’m assuming you want a bigger bench because you want a bigger bench.

Now it could very easily be because your form sucks. Hard to know without seeing your bench. It could be because of muscular weakness. It could be because your too slow and not aggressive enough. It could be psychological. With the information given this is the best I can tell you.

Best thing you can do is show video of your bench with both lighter sets (50-70 or so percent) and heavier sets (90+).

After that, describing your form and where you fail and what it feels like when you fail a bp in as much detail as you can would be a distant second best.

Good luck. [/quote]

Well the first thing I did was get my form dialled in (Well I think I did)so I don’t think it’s that, speed and aggression could be the reason as I find myself focusing on form maybe a bit too much now and I’m probably not as explosive as I could be.

But I’ll get a couple of vids up soon and helpfully people can see where I’m going wrong then.

Cheers.

4

[quote]BenDonMMA wrote:
Hi guys, I posted in here as I assumed you guys will know the most. I’ve recently focused my training primarily on strength but I’m having a lot of trouble with my bench, my numbers in the lifts are as followed…

Squat - 165kgs (365lbs)
Deadlift - 230kgs (507lbs)

but my bench is…105kgs (230lbs)

I’ve always had a strong back and relatively powerful lower body, but my bench has always sucked ass! Now I’m pretty good at overhead pressing and I can bench well with a lighter weight e.g I can get about 10 reps at 80kgs but then when I add on some more weight I just can’t budge it and I don;t know why.

I’ve tried doing 5/3/1 to increase the weight but it doesn’t seem to be working, which makes me think it might be a physiological problem other than just being weak as piss. So I was wandering has anybody seen this before and what would you recommend?

I had a guy I considered to be pretty good say that I should focus on overhead for my pressing strength and just do bench press to keep my chest development from going to shit, what do you think of this?

Thanks

Ben [/quote]

Hey Ben! There are a host of other factors to take into account as well. First of all, how tall are you? What is your body weight? Do you have long arms and thin torso? All these factors could explain in part why you have a relatively weak bench. Also, though your squat and deadlift numbers are pretty solid, the disparity between them and your bench press is by no means abnormal. Again, it comes down to your body type, weight, etc. If you don’t weigh very much, then these numbers are fairly normal, and you may just need more muscle mass if you are going to bench more.

Strength coach Charles Poliquin has a strength rubric for people with average muscle fiber composition, indicating how many reps the average male can do at a given percentage of his one rep max. This would change with significant training (stronger people are more neurologically efficient and can do a smaller number of reps at a given percentage of their 1RM), but at your level, it is probably fitting…

1 rep = 100%
3 reps = 90%
5 reps = 85%
7 reps = 80%
10 reps = 75%
12 reps = 70 %

Notice that, if you can perform 10 reps with 80 kilos and your one rep max is 105 kilos, that’s about 76%, which means you are essentially where you should be.

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3648×2736 1.94 MB

Hey Ben! There are a host of other factors to take into account as well. First of all, how tall are you? What is your body weight? Do you have long arms and thin torso? All these factors could explain in part why you have a relatively weak bench.

Also, though your squat and deadlift numbers are pretty solid, the disparity between them and your bench press is by no means abnormal. Again, it comes down to your body type, weight, etc. If you don’t weigh very much, then these numbers are fairly normal, and you may just need more muscle mass if you are going to bench more.

Strength coach Charles Poliquin has a strength rubric for people with average muscle fiber composition, indicating how many reps the average male can do at a given percentage of his one rep max. This would change with significant training (stronger people are more neurologically efficient and can do a smaller number of reps at a given percentage of their 1RM), but at your level, it is probably fitting…

1 rep = 100%
3 reps = 90%
5 reps = 85%
7 reps = 80%
10 reps = 75%
12 reps = 70 %

Notice that, if you can perform 10 reps with 80 kilos and your one rep max is 105 kilos, that’s about 76%, which means you are essentially where you should be. [/quote]

I do have pretty long arms and legs relative to my torso, ere bare some photos of me so you can see whether or not there is anything that you think may be contributing to it. As for the % numbers I guess it’s not as bad as I thought, however it’s just frustrating.

As for height and weight I’m 5’ 10" and 195lbs.

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3648×2736 1.94 MB

[quote]KingKai25 wrote:

[quote]BenDonMMA wrote:
Hi guys, I posted in here as I assumed you guys will know the most. I’ve recently focused my training primarily on strength but I’m having a lot of trouble with my bench, my numbers in the lifts are as followed…

Squat - 165kgs (365lbs)
Deadlift - 230kgs (507lbs)

but my bench is…105kgs (230lbs)

I’ve always had a strong back and relatively powerful lower body, but my bench has always sucked ass! Now I’m pretty good at overhead pressing and I can bench well with a lighter weight e.g I can get about 10 reps at 80kgs but then when I add on some more weight I just can’t budge it and I don;t know why.

I’ve tried doing 5/3/1 to increase the weight but it doesn’t seem to be working, which makes me think it might be a physiological problem other than just being weak as piss. So I was wandering has anybody seen this before and what would you recommend?

I had a guy I considered to be pretty good say that I should focus on overhead for my pressing strength and just do bench press to keep my chest development from going to shit, what do you think of this?

Thanks

Ben [/quote]

Hey Ben! There are a host of other factors to take into account as well. First of all, how tall are you? What is your body weight? Do you have long arms and thin torso? All these factors could explain in part why you have a relatively weak bench. Also, though your squat and deadlift numbers are pretty solid, the disparity between them and your bench press is by no means abnormal. Again, it comes down to your body type, weight, etc. If you don’t weigh very much, then these numbers are fairly normal, and you may just need more muscle mass if you are going to bench more.

Strength coach Charles Poliquin has a strength rubric for people with average muscle fiber composition, indicating how many reps the average male can do at a given percentage of his one rep max. This would change with significant training (stronger people are more neurologically efficient and can do a smaller number of reps at a given percentage of their 1RM), but at your level, it is probably fitting…

1 rep = 100%
3 reps = 90%
5 reps = 85%
7 reps = 80%
10 reps = 75%
12 reps = 70 %

Notice that, if you can perform 10 reps with 80 kilos and your one rep max is 105 kilos, that’s about 76%, which means you are essentially where you should be. [/quote]

I do have long limbs relative to my torso and I also have quite thin limbs which is frustrating from a purely aesthetic point of view but would this also have an effect on push strength?

As for height and weight I’m 5’ 10" and 195lbs

Here are some photos so you can gauge whether or not my physique is a problem.

Thanks

7

How old are you? I found with age my bench would just “magically” increase as I got up into my 20’s.

Also, how is your tricep strength? I have found many people’s bench numbers are limited by their triceps or lack-there-of. Honestly your numbers are not really all that off from looking at the limited picture available in my opinion. More info might help too, like your chest routine, diet, etc.

8

[quote]Bauber wrote:
How old are you? I found with age my bench would just “magically” increase as I got up into my 20’s.

Also, how is your tricep strength? I have found many people’s bench numbers are limited by their triceps or lack-there-of. Honestly your numbers are not really all that off from looking at the limited picture available in my opinion. More info might help too, like your chest routine, diet, etc.[/quote]

Definitely this. I’ve always found that tricep strength impacts my bench a lot. But as others have said, it’s hard to say without seeing you bench or knowing what your routine is. How often do you bench? My husband’s bench has always been his weak point as well but it seems like the less he actually benches and the more he does accessory work that will influence his bench, the more it goes up.

9

[quote]Beebopalooa wrote:

[quote]Bauber wrote:
How old are you? I found with age my bench would just “magically” increase as I got up into my 20’s.

Also, how is your tricep strength? I have found many people’s bench numbers are limited by their triceps or lack-there-of. Honestly your numbers are not really all that off from looking at the limited picture available in my opinion. More info might help too, like your chest routine, diet, etc.[/quote]

Definitely this. I’ve always found that tricep strength impacts my bench a lot. But as others have said, it’s hard to say without seeing you bench or knowing what your routine is. How often do you bench? My husband’s bench has always been his weak point as well but it seems like the less he actually benches and the more he does accessory work that will influence his bench, the more it goes up.[/quote]

First of all let me say this photo really doesn’t do me justice haha.

I’ve just turned 19 so I’ve still got plenty of time to improve. I stupidly did the whole ‘i’m not good at it so I’ll ignore it and hope it goes away’ approach which obviously hasn’t helped so I’m going to spend the next couple of months addressing all aspects of it e.g Tricep strength, sticking points, bar speed.

As for my training, I’m currently on this split. (I know it’s not a powerflifting routine but you guys know the most about getting bench up)

Mon - C&J, Front Squats (5x5), Military press/push press 5/3/1, Assistance (Usually hit my triceps hard here)

Tues - Deadlfts 5/3/1, Power Shrugs, Farmers Walks, Tyre Flips

Wed - Rest

Thurs - Power snatch/snatch, Back squat 5/3/1 followed by hypertrophy sets, GHR/RDL’s, Calf work

Fri - Bench 5/3/1, Bench Hypertrophy SS with Barbell row, Gymnast ring fly’s

Sat - Prowler Sprints/Heavy Bag and battle ropes

Sun - Rest

As for diet, it’s roughly.

-Eggs + Oats + Whole milk
-Train (BCAA’s and PWO shake)
-Sweet potato/Brown rice + Tuna/chicken + veg (40 mins or so after training)
-Sweet potato/Brown rice + Tuna/Chicken + veg
-Family meal (Usually healthy with plebty of protein and veg)
-Cottage cheese + PB on rice cakes

I also snack on a lot of cold meat throughout the day and I drink a lot of milk.

Thanks guys, Like I said I’ll get some vids this week and get them up.

10

I didn’t bother reading other replies, cuz Im lazy, but a few things:

A: Your ratios between bench squat and dead isn’t that crazy. Bench is definitely a little low comparatively but not super horrible. In fact in my opinion your deadlift is outpacing your squat just as much as your squat is outpacing your bench.

B: Some people swear by overhead pressing having great carryover to bench. Some not so much. If you are already good at overhead pressing as you say, maybe its not a good carryover for you (It isn’t for me either, if I get my flat bench up, my overhead goes up, but not vice versa)

C: Im a huge fan of frequency for bench in particular. Find a program you like that benches 2+ times a week, be it Sheiko, 5/3/1 with bench one day, and OHP and bench BBB another, Westside with ME and DE, etc. You wanna be good at benching? Bench more.

D: Upper back strength is huge. Im pretty sure my 1RM shot up 60 pounds only adding heavy back work. (pull ups/rows/etc)

11

Here are my insights, since I used to have a pretty similar problem to you.

I found that 5/3/1 on its own didn’t do much for my bench. I’d tend to always go all-out on the “+” sets and end up hitting six or seven reps on the “1+” days, which was great since the numbers kept on increasing, but I’d ultimately lose confidence under the bar when it came to actual max effort attempts. For this reason, I like to use a five-week 5/3/1 pattern with a ME day between third week and the deload week. Otherwise I also do lighter pause bench work (using a typical DE loading pattern) on another day in the week, it’s seemed to work for me. Essentially, it’s a hybrid between 5/3/1 and Westside.

12

I thought I posted earlier with my diet and training but it obviously didn’t work so I’ll post that again in abit.

@ mkral55 with regards to my numbers my deadlift is only outpacing my squat because I had to take a break from lower body due to an ankle injury, I definitely feel I can seriously improve my squat in the coming months. My deadlift wasn’t effected too badly because my back is naturally a strong point.

This is what made me wonder if it was something other than just being weak, as everybody swears by overhead pressing and the carry over into bench, I haven’t tested a 1RM but I know I can do 70kg for 5 very comfortably and I can Jerk 110+ .

As with frequency I would be the first to admit that I don’t bench enough, which now as I’m writing this I know is a stupid thing to do when I want to increase bench haha. When I re-post my training split it would be helpful if you or somebody else could help me re-jig it intelligently to accommodate more benching. With regards to upper back strength I eclipse guys in my gym with pullup/row strength and also deadlifts but they smash me when it comes to bench which is another aspect that confuses me.

@kgildner I’m not too clued up with westside so don’t know the methods you’ve mentioned but I’ll have a read up.

13

Ah, sorry – ME (max effort) means working up to a maximum for that day (doesn’t necessarily have to be your actual 1RM). The typical DE (dynamic effort) loading pattern is 50-60% of 1RM for 9 sets of 3 speed reps with alternating grips (close, medium and wide/competition grip) and rather little rest. I find that doing all-out speed work just tears up my elbow joints, but incorporating a slow eccentric and a two-count pause at the chest avoids this.

14

[quote]BenDonMMA wrote:

As with frequency I would be the first to admit that I don’t bench enough, which now as I’m writing this I know is a stupid thing to do when I want to increase bench haha. When I re-post my training split it would be helpful if you or somebody else could help me re-jig it intelligently to accommodate more benching. With regards to upper back strength I eclipse guys in my gym with pullup/row strength and also deadlifts but they smash me when it comes to bench which is another aspect that confuses me.
[/quote]

Triceps strength really is EVERYTHING in the bench press. That being said, the best way to build your triceps is… MORE BENCHING (and other bench press variants). And I really wouldn’t recommend using high frequency training yet - what its proponents always fail to tell you is that high frequency benching (more than twice per week, ME/DE Westside style) leads to great gains that, for the majority of people, cannot be sustained once they reduce the frequency. So unless you want to HAVE to bench press 3x per week permanently, I would save that technique for later when you have a more series sticking point in your training.

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Thread is useless without a video

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[quote]detazathoth wrote:
Thread is useless without a video[/quote]

Exactly! Well put.

17

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
Thread is useless without a video[/quote]

Exactly! Well put. [/quote]

I know I know haha, I’ll get one up asap!

18

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
Thread is useless without a video[/quote]

Exactly! Well put. [/quote]

Also what should I film? Me trying a heavy attempt, me doing 70% or so with higher reps?

and what would be the best angle for you guys to see where I’m going wrong?

19

[quote]BenDonMMA wrote:

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
Thread is useless without a video[/quote]

Exactly! Well put. [/quote]

Also what should I film? Me trying a heavy attempt, me doing 70% or so with higher reps?

and what would be the best angle for you guys to see where I’m going wrong?
[/quote]

Both a light attempt and a heavy one. The light one is to see if you know what good form is and the heavy one is to see what muscles fatigue first and it amplifies any form errors that might be harder to see at light weights.

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The problem is obvious.
Your bench…

lacks soul