My bench Press sucks, what can I do ??

[Punisher]

I am so frustrated with my bench, no matter what i do I cannot seem to be able to bench more then 175lbs @ 3x6

That is pretty crappy considering i leg press 680 lbs and squat 380 lbs.

I am happy with the development i am getting on the rest of my muscles, every week I find my self adding weight to my training, but when it comes to my chest i just can't seem to get any stronger.

I see guys relatively smaller then me pumping 2x45s and it just puzzles me..

Any ideas?

Read this article which appeared in the DiscussFitness Fall 2007 e-newsletter:

http://www.discussfitness.com/index....&Itemid=6&ed=3

[Punisher]

Thanx pierini, i am thinking maybe my grip should be refined. I usually have my forefinger past the ring on the bar. Going to bring the grip closer by putting my index finger on the ring. I thought the closer the grip the more you are using the triceps instead of the pecks ??

The idea behind Bostrom article and routine seems interesting, I just don't know where I would fit that into my routine as it seems that whole routine could/would take up a big chunk of my whole workout time.

I go to the gym Mon-Fri and try to get in on Sat for some cardio. Unless i replace that Sat cardio and try this routine to build some bench strength.

Any other input is appreciated.

To bench bigger weights you need to push harder!

Do you bench elbows out or closer to your sides? Do you bench for power or chest size? A big bench will take power from every muscle in your body.

[Punisher]

Thanx for chiming in IronMan. I find my elbows are out more on my bench.. Should they be closer??? When i lie down on the bench i usually line up my eyes with the bar. So if i look straight up while lying down, the bar is right in middle of my face. I remember reading that was the right spot for a bench in a article a while back...

Essentially i would like to get a bigger chest, I find it compared to the rest of my body, my chest is not up to par... Of course i am making the assumption that the more i can bench in lowe reps, the bigger my chest will get..

I would like to be able to do 225 at least 5 times in the future, but it just seems like I will never achieve it..

[Gooseneck]

Try doing negatives with a spotter. This helped me a lot back when I used to bench. Put on more weight than your max is and do slow and controlled negatives, and allow your spotter to pull the weight back up each rep. This gets you accustomed to the heavier weights quicker. Worked for and some others that have tried it.

[LiftGirl]

Originally Posted by Punisher

I find my elbows are out more on my bench.. Should they be closer???

You should try a more powerlifting type set up. Closer grip, elbows tucked in, heels off the ground. Look it up.

Benching with the elbows out limits your weight to what your front delts can handle. Keeping the elbows in allows the lats to take some stress off the delts.

[westside24]

Originally Posted by Punisher

. I find my elbows are out more on my bench.. Should they be closer???.

these guys arent thorough enough usually man.... look with your elbows flared out, theres nothing wrong with that, other than it can cause more stress to the front delts and stuff like that, and it only makes sense it will be harder to push any kind of weight up. but these is the body builder way of benching, and it can build a nice chest.

the form these guys are speaking of is a more is for heavier lifting. Will you use muscles like the triceps and traps and back and shoulders, yes, but you will not take the pecs out of the picture, if you keep your shoulders pulled back and you know how to squeeze your chest at the top of the motion your still making your chest the primary target. and since building size requires building strength, I can imagine this is the best approach to building a bigger bench press and bigger chest.

[bodyshop20]

If yr pushing the max you can then all you can do is wait for pecs to gain strength.
Try benching so that yr arms never ger totally straight as the tricep kicks in and rests the chest when locked out.
Dont bounce the bar on chest, and do 5x5 flat bench only at 80% of yr best lift
If yr max press for 1 rep is 100lb do 80lb 5 reps for 5 sets, yr grow strenght and size

[Disturbed]

never lose faith man, if u feel your not gonna make it just train harder man. How bad do you want it, thats what it comes down too. Seriously next time your laying under that barbell think of what i just said "How Bad Do You Want It". Everytime i sit under that weight its what i am thinking. Yes i am new to the whole gym idea, but small things motivate me and make me push harder to get results at the end of the day.

[AARS]

You've been given a lot of good advice. What bodyshop20 suggested worked for me. It seems that you will always come to a sticking point and then you will have to back off a little and do alot of work with slightly lighter weight before you can move on. I would suggest doing like bodyshop said and work with a weight that you can only press 5 or 6 times. Do that for about 5 sets. When you get to the point that you can press that same weight for 8 reps and 5 sets, then you should be ready to move past your sticking point.
If you have already tried that then I would give the negatives a try, just take it easy with those. If your body is not used to moving that much weight you could tear something. You should build up your negatives slowly also.

[Punisher]

I appreciate all the feedback. On saturdays i go to the gym and do some lower weight reps has suggested, I am hoping this will help in gaining more strength.

I have also changed my grip , brought my hands in closer and notice a big difference... I will keep at it and see how it goes...

[JMike]

Um I kind of disagree with some of the stuff said, so I'll offer my slightly alternative pov. Don't benchpress.

The flat barbell press is made up of a bunch of different muscle groups but it's mainly chest and tricep. So attack those areas. Dips for the tricep will give them faster growth than just continuing to struggle with a bench weight they can handle easy.

Chest wise, I say kick that bar to the kerb and grab some dumbells. They'll give you greater stability and let you focus on the chest contraction a bit more. Also don't go flat. Put the bench on a slight incline. And do some close grip pullups to really bring it all together.

When you come back to the flat bench (after a month or so) you'll be refreshed mentally, and physically all the individual components will be much stronger, thus the whole lift should be.

Mike

[westside24]

I also agree with the inclines and DBs, but you cant just stick with those always, you should prolly switch it up every now n then, to incline barbell, and I would definately at least alternate with flats... but inclines are definately where its at.

[Disturbed]

i think, flat bench press and leaning dips do the trick. Leaning dips are different to normal dips, how tuck ur head down and push shoulders slightly forward produces more pressure on your pecks when doing dips. Since i've started gym these seem to work went from nothing to something