Hi everyone, i am 19 years old been weight trainning for about 2 years and am currently bench pressing 165-170. Problem is i feel like i am stuck at this weight, i desperately want to bench 200. I only take a protein powder and eat a lot of fish, salmon cottage cheese and baisically try to take in a lot of protein. I currently weigh 173 pounds.
Can anybody please help me out? How long before i start pumping the two plates? Providing i still train hard like i am doing now.
Maybe you guys could tell me at what age or how long it took you to bench press 200.
If a max bench is important to you, then you’ll be looking to do it powerlifting style. That is, bring the bar down to your lower chest so that your arms are closer to your body. Lower the bar using the lats to resist it, then push up using the triceps and shoulders. So, your lats must be strong enough to lower this weight with ease. Then you must have strong shoulders and triceps, and focus on increasing your poundages on exersizes like close grip bench and military press. If you really looking for a bigger chest (and I know you don’t say you are) then you shouldn’t worry about how much you bench. Bodybuilding style, to maximize mass, requires that you lower the bar to your upper chest so that your arms are in a straight line all the time. I finally learnt the difference and I’ve increased chess mass like crazy! But in this position reps should be like 5 or more because your chest tendons are in a dangerous position.
Three questions: How are you training now? How tall are you? And just to clarify, is 165-170 your max or your workout weight? I’m sure t-mag readers will be able to help you out.
In addition to what Jagin said, you have to remember that benching is heavily dependent on your tri’s lat’s and shoulders, so if those are lagging you need to bring them up to par. If your nutrition is OK and you get enough sleep it’s probably time to change your program around. If you think the rest of your body is OK, you might try Ian King’s 12 week chest and back program. If, however, you think your tri’s or whatever else are lagging, you could try one of the many Poliquin programs in the archives, making sure you work that body part first in the week and first on that day.
In response to your question, I've been lifting for about 1.5 years (20 years old) and I'm up to 240. I'm about to start the last phase of King's program, so hopefully that number will be higher, since the 240 is before I started the 12 weeks. I wouldn't get discouraged or compare yourself to other people though...no matter how strong you are there's always someone stronger.
Thanks guys for all the help, i will definately put more emphasis on trainning my triceps.
Rafael in answer to your questions, 170 is my 1 rep max and i can do 3 reps of 160. I am just under 6 feet tall and i weight train 3 times a week, and train the chest once per week. I also train legs, arms, back, shoulders and abs.
Thanks.
As long as your shoulders and elbows are healthy , I would suggest Dave Tate and Westside Barbell training. I have never seen such a complete comprehensive approach that works. I increased my bp from 225 for 2 normal grip to 285 close grip in 16 weeks with their methods.
Much too vague. I wouldnt get to hung up in numbers as it then leads to breaches in form. Just look to improve, wither weight, reps, or same weiht and reps with a slower tempo. Post your routine. It could very well be a lot of things. Is your back strong?? Are you using a training manual? If your goal is sheer power numbers, avoid time/energy wasters like concentration curls, lateral raises, flyes, kick backs, pulldowns,(chins, rows better choices)
post your routine. document your performance. post it here and we’ll all have a look.
warm up with 3 sets 8 reps of incline dumbell press. (45 pounds in each hand)
Bench press- 10 reps 100 pounds, 8 reps 120 pounds, 6 reps 140 pounds, 4 reps 150 pounds and then i either do 2 reps of 160 or if there is a spotter handy i go onto 170.
Incline Flyes- 3 sets 6 reps, 45 pounds in each hand.
Dumbell press- 3 sets 4 reps, 60 pounds in each hand.
That is my chest routine, maybe its too much sets i dont know.
Wednesday- I start with Deadlifts, 4 sets and get to 180 pounds. Then lat pull down, 4 sets get to 180 pounds. I then move onto millitary presses 4 sets and get to 110 pounds. Next is shrugs, 4 sets 75 pounds in each hand. And finally side lateral raises.
Friday- i start with seated barbell arm curls, i get upto 100 pounds. Then its seated dumbell curls, 35 pounds in each hand. Next is Tricep pulldowd, 80-90 pounds. Las arm exercise i do is Overhead Tricep extension.
I then do legs, which is leg presses, leg extensions and Squats.
My 2 cents? Do more tricep work. They’re right at the end of the week and there’s only two excercises.
Maybe you should cut back on bench for a couple of weeks, put triceps first in the week and do close grip bench and dips (two best tricep excercises, IMO). Also do some rotator cuff work before your chest day.
This is something Polinquin recommended a while back. I stopped benching, did some rotator cuff work, some tricep and shoulder work and was able to bench 25 pounds more when I went back. Granted, this was in the early days when I used to be a couple of pecs with legs - I’m now much more even.
And to answer your original question, though I would ignore it since, like I said, my chest is huge - I won a bench competition with a mate on 220 pounds the first day I walked into a gym.
First of all you need to work your chest more than one time a week. I work my chest out atleast 2 times per week and if i feel strong then 3 but i work out on an athletic basis i play college football. I think I was 15 when i could do 225 and at your same weight, so you just need to work out harder and take some good supplements like methoxy-7. Hope you get it soon.
OK, I tried to reply before, but then I fucked up and lost the page, and couldn’t get back to it…it seems that always happens to me…anyway, your training looks a lot like mine did before I really started researching at this and many other websites.
I'd say the volume for your chest is way too high. Your tricep exercises are very lacking. In short, you need to read some articles at t-mag...read up on all of Poliquin's workouts, check out the exercises of the month (that they for some reason stopped writing), Poliquin's article on the top 10 tricep exercises. Also check out TC's guide to the Poliquin Principles. From there you'll have a great point jump off from and really get started training smarter.
i was 17 and did 240 at 135 lbs. I think the other responses have led you in the wrong direction. The question you asked: how can I bench 225 and the question that many people were answering was: how can I get my chest and shoulders big and strong.
Knock off all the other work for chest. Bench first in the week, first in the workout.
Westside has produced a number of powerlifting champions. However, their methods are complicated, and I think a beginner, without a westside coach would be better served with a simpler workout.
Poliquin and King are great coaches who could help your bench tremendously in person. But I have seen limited articles here about increasing bench press, and the 12 week chest/back program was geared more for bodybuilders.
Grip the bar with a narrower grip than you are probably used to. When the bar is touching your chest, your upper arms should make a 45 degree angle with your trunk.
Squeeze the bar hard and explode off your chest. The weight will be too heavy to explode anywhere, but press on it like you’re trying to shove it through the ceiling.
Eat more steak, whole milk, eggs, ice cream etc. You’ll be stronger on a diet like this, and you’ll gain weight too, hey it’s easier to press 225 when you weigh 225.
Take creatine. 10 grams a day before bed. With juice or tea and a glass of water afterwards.
Try this program. Workout 2 x every five days. So monday will be pressing day, tuesday off, wednesday pulling, legs day, thursday friday off,start over on saturday.
Monday Bench 5 x 5, whenever you get five on a set, bump up the weight 5 pounds. Rest 5 minutes between sets. Should look like: 135 x 5, 140 x 5, 145 x 4 145 x 4 145 x 3. Now next workout you would start with 145 and it will be easier because you aren’t doing all your other sets first.
Dips with weight 1 x 8, 1 x 6
Front BB Raise 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Skullcrushers 1 x 6, 1 x 4 (at conclusion of your set, do another set, 4 sec up, 6 sec down of close grip bench with the same weight)
Wednesday, do your squats, deadlifts, chinups, rows, curls etc. I like including work for the rear deltoid like bent over laterals to counter all your pressing. Do whatever you like, focusing on the exercises I’ve mentioned, but no more than 15 sets.
before you start this, take a full week off.
When you have done this routine for four weeks, post another message in this forum.
Make sure you warm up right. I won’t go into it here except to say 5 min cardio, warm up sets, stretching between sets.