Tips for bench press increase

Originally Posted by mscomc

Hey guys.....so about 10 months later............


I took yall's advice, went back, and fixed my routine (gymcoach, special shout out to you).

Today I benched 315x3 reps (with a spot of course )

I know its not that much, but it was personal acheivement, i always have had a hard time with chest.

Well. thanks again.

Somebody who finally listened to me and read some of the resources that I suggested. Funny thing - you got some results!!!

I wish you would've known what your triple was 10 months ago.

315 is great.

About a year ago I switched from bench press to dumbell press because of the strain benchpress would put on my shoulders. Recently, I tried going back to bench press and I'm so weak. It seems strange to me because I've consistently gone up with the dumbbells but my regular barbell bench press has declined anyway.

Originally Posted by County Mike

315 is great.

About a year ago I switched from bench press to dumbell press because of the strain benchpress would put on my shoulders. Recently, I tried going back to bench press and I'm so weak. It seems strange to me because I've consistently gone up with the dumbbells but my regular barbell bench press has declined anyway.

Thanks man...

I totally here you on dumbells though. Before I changed my routine, i was always trying to alternate between dumbell bench press and barbell bench press, just to keep things fresh. I always had a hard time transitioning from one to the other. The movement is just reallly different. Barbell being the mass builder, while dumbell is more for accessory muscle and getting definition.

I use to do a lot of dumbell shoulder press, and i always felt crappy after (maybe my form was bad?)

I just stick to barbell now.

here is an update on me. over the spring summer and fall I must have his a growth spert I gained 20 pounds and now I can get 225 4 to 5 times instead of the just one I could do awhile ago

Originally Posted by Jason 16

here is an update on me. over the spring summer and fall I must have his a growth spert I gained 20 pounds and now I can get 225 4 to 5 times instead of the just one I could do awhile ago

Cooolio....getting past 225 is a pretty big deal in my oppinion. At that point you start to separate the amateurs from the elite, and the boys from the men!!!!

[rockdawg21]

Didn't realize this thread was so old, but anyways, it never hurts to have too much information when it comes to training...

I followed this writeup by Nick Nilsson and immediately increased my sets by 20 pounds each on the incline bench press:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/betteru9.htm

One of the things I always do when it comes to bench is not to think about pressing the weight from my chest, but to press my body away from the weight, in other words, to press with my quads and bury my upper back into the bench press and try to smash it, literally, with my back. This gives a tremendous instant blast from the weakest position.

I do the same thing for squats and deadlifts, except that I envision firing my heels through the Earth. It takes the thought of pushing the weight completely out of the mind and enables more focus on the task at hand.

Some other things you can try:

- Take 1-2 weeks away from training and give your body time to recover.
- Don't start the day with barbell bench press, rather, start your day with incline bench press.
- Switch to dumbbells for 4 weeks - they are MUCH more difficult as they require much more stabilizer muscles due to the fact each arm is independently moving, this will make you stronger.
- Switch to rest-pause training for 4 weeks, for more info on rest-pause, here's a snippet from an article I read regarding this (I LOVE this type of training for power!):

One of the most underused strength- and mass-building techniques, it takes advantage of your body's rapid-recovery energy systems. When you start a heavy set, you rely primarily on phosphocreatine (PC), the primary energy source stored in skeletal muscle tha fuels short, powerful bursts of activity. PC depletes rapidly, but fortunately it also replenishes rapidly, usually in 10-20 seconds.

To capitalize on this, select a weight that causes muscle failure at 5-6 reps, but perform only 2-3 reps, then take a 15-second rest. Get right back in and do another 2-3 reps. Repeat this sequence, doing as many good-form heavy reps as you can by taking 3-4 brief rests. The main benefit of employing rest-pause training is that you'll have lifted more total pounds in a give set simply by mixing in these calculated rest periods. Your PC levels never replenish completely after you start a set, so expect some fatigue as you near your target number of reps. After each exercise, allow 2-3 minutes of rest and repeat the same exercise three more times before moving on to the next exercise.

This training basically takes away chemical failure and allows you to really focus on just hitting the fibers themselves.

On another note, great answer by gymcoach. Focusing on a lower rep range (8 reps or less) targets the large Type IIB muscle fibers, which are the fibers utilized when lifting 85% or more of your max. For more info about muscle fibers, here you go:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark20.htm