block

[bryan182]

i'm 182lbs and my bench has seemed to stop at a max of 160. i'm just not sure how i can get stonger at this. i do 3 sets of 5 reps at 130lbs twice a week and that does seem to go up either. i cant do another after i'm done. what should i do differently to keep my weights going up?

same thing is happening with my curls

[Cort]

A few things.

Make sure you are getting enough food and sleep.

Alter your routine. Doing the same exact thing all the time is a good way to run yourself into a wall.

[tim_mcf]

Bryan - I had this same problem a short while ago. Klinger gave me this advice, and it's working well for me. (I was stuck at 165 and am now up to 175 and hopefully still going).

Once a week, do 6 sets of 3 reps on the flat bench. Then do 2 sets of 4-8 DB presses, also on the flat bench. Finish up with some medium-rep delt work (side and front raises, 1-2 sets of each, 6-10 reps each set) and one or two sets for triceps (pushdowns, French press, etc.)

Start with a weight you know you'll get your 6x3 on, say 140. Add 5 pounds every week for the next 5 weeks. You should finish the 6 weeks hitting 165x3 for 6 sets.

[threenorns]

another thing to consider is that, if you're doing conventional flat-back bench press form, you may have reached the maximum your shoulders can handle. with the elbows flared (sticking straight out at the sides), a large part of the load is borne by your shoulder joints and front delts. these are very very weak compared to the larger muscles of your chest.

consider switching to metal militia format - the elbows are tucked in, which calls in the stronger muscles of triceps and lats as auxiliary support.

i had the same problem when i stalled out at 120 - always, always, always, i would get stuck about a quarter of the way up on the third rep. i switched to MM format and i'm doing much better. my triceps have also gotten a heckuva lot bigger since then, too.