My current max is 205 and i would like to get into the school heavy metal club which means i have to have a max of 225. Can you post a bench workout for me that will increase my max in a short period?....the current team bench workout for 205 seems odd to me its 113 x 12 120 x12 130 x 12 thnx
benchpress
- Thread starter marinefootball
- Start date
Hit your chest, shoulders, triceps, and lats (yes, I said lats) hard.
When you bench, make sure you go ~2 reps beyond failure. This will take a spotter to accomplish. And, don't let your spotter so much as touch the bar until you can no longer move it on your own.
Think heavier weight and fewer reps. Try this for a routine on for size:
=Chest=
Incline dumbbell bench (4 sets - 8 reps)
Incline bench press (4 sets - 8 reps)
Flat bench dumbbell flyes (4 sets - 8 reps)
Dips (weighted if you can do more than 8 reps) (4 sets - 8 reps)
=Shoulders=
Dumbbell military press (4 sets - 8 reps)
Barbell military press (4 sets - 8 reps)
Dumbbell lateral raises (4 sets - 8 reps)
Dumbbell front raises (4 sets - 8 reps)
=Triceps=
Skull crushers (4 sets - 8 reps)
Tricep push-down (or close-grip bench press) (4 sets - 8 reps)
Tricep dumbbell kickbacks (4 sets - 8 reps)
=Upper Back (lats)=
Lat pulldown (pull-ups) (4 sets - 8 reps)
Bentover barbell rows (4 sets - 8 reps)
Bentover dumbbell rows (single hand) (4 sets - 8 reps)
Close-grip pulldown (chin-up) (4 sets - 8 reps)
Remember to do a warm-up set for the first exercise of each muscle group. Your warm-up should consist of 12-15 fairly easy reps.
Skip two days after blasting those pecs and get 8+ hours of sleep.
Boost your energy before workouts with carb loading 1 hour before working out. After working out, stretch the muscle groups and then immediately take in some simple sugar based carbs and a bit of protein.
The key is food, rest, hardcore weight lifting (in that order).
Are you taking Creatine? If not, start. This will help your strength improvements.
Good luck,
Rip
When you bench, make sure you go ~2 reps beyond failure. This will take a spotter to accomplish. And, don't let your spotter so much as touch the bar until you can no longer move it on your own.
Think heavier weight and fewer reps. Try this for a routine on for size:
=Chest=
Incline dumbbell bench (4 sets - 8 reps)
Incline bench press (4 sets - 8 reps)
Flat bench dumbbell flyes (4 sets - 8 reps)
Dips (weighted if you can do more than 8 reps) (4 sets - 8 reps)
=Shoulders=
Dumbbell military press (4 sets - 8 reps)
Barbell military press (4 sets - 8 reps)
Dumbbell lateral raises (4 sets - 8 reps)
Dumbbell front raises (4 sets - 8 reps)
=Triceps=
Skull crushers (4 sets - 8 reps)
Tricep push-down (or close-grip bench press) (4 sets - 8 reps)
Tricep dumbbell kickbacks (4 sets - 8 reps)
=Upper Back (lats)=
Lat pulldown (pull-ups) (4 sets - 8 reps)
Bentover barbell rows (4 sets - 8 reps)
Bentover dumbbell rows (single hand) (4 sets - 8 reps)
Close-grip pulldown (chin-up) (4 sets - 8 reps)
Remember to do a warm-up set for the first exercise of each muscle group. Your warm-up should consist of 12-15 fairly easy reps.
Skip two days after blasting those pecs and get 8+ hours of sleep.
Boost your energy before workouts with carb loading 1 hour before working out. After working out, stretch the muscle groups and then immediately take in some simple sugar based carbs and a bit of protein.
The key is food, rest, hardcore weight lifting (in that order).
Are you taking Creatine? If not, start. This will help your strength improvements.
Good luck,
Rip
You could also toy with negative reps - after failure, the spotter helps you get the weight up, then stops assisting, and you lower the bar down as slowly as possible.
You could also look online for some 1 rep max workouts. Really, anyting to shock the muscle into growth, and make sure your food intake and rest time is adequate.
You could also look online for some 1 rep max workouts. Really, anyting to shock the muscle into growth, and make sure your food intake and rest time is adequate.
INTENSITY!
Doing longer sets with lighter weight tends to increase muscle endurance and muscle size -- but short, burst workouts with really high intensity promote muscle STRENGTH more than any other kind of workout.
Really good tip by rip about extending past failure with a spotter. You really can only push yourself so hard -- let someone else help you go the extra distance.
Doing longer sets with lighter weight tends to increase muscle endurance and muscle size -- but short, burst workouts with really high intensity promote muscle STRENGTH more than any other kind of workout.
Really good tip by rip about extending past failure with a spotter. You really can only push yourself so hard -- let someone else help you go the extra distance.
Hey. I've literally only just started benching. im 17, 165lbs, and benching 3 sets of 120lbs fairly comfortably. I know this may not sound like much but im not the best build person in the world anyway, and i've never done any upper body work (except a few bicep curls every now and again). I can really feel my pecs being worked, and have notced them firming up and the wieght getting easier to list each time (only done it 3 pr 4 tims. my target is to be benching between 145 and 155 by the summer. I have just bought myself a bench press bench wich can obv. incline, and 100kgs (roughly 220lbs) of freeweights. Do you think that this is a reasonable target as i can already see results after only a few goes...?
sam
sam
Sam,
Definitely! You could actually be well beyond that weight by this Summer. You should be doing 3 or 4 exercises for your chest alone. And, make sure you hit your shoulders and triceps as well. Also the antagonist and supportive muscles (i.e. lats, biceps, traps, serratus, and core muscles need to be strengthened.
Post your current workout schedule and we will pick it apart and try to help you reach your goal bro!
Also, the number one mistake that beginners make is overtraining... Don't forget to take a couple of days off after tearing your pecs.
Cheers,
Rip
Definitely! You could actually be well beyond that weight by this Summer. You should be doing 3 or 4 exercises for your chest alone. And, make sure you hit your shoulders and triceps as well. Also the antagonist and supportive muscles (i.e. lats, biceps, traps, serratus, and core muscles need to be strengthened.
Post your current workout schedule and we will pick it apart and try to help you reach your goal bro!
Also, the number one mistake that beginners make is overtraining... Don't forget to take a couple of days off after tearing your pecs.
Cheers,
Rip
I agree, reasonable goal. Right now I"m only benching 135lbs, but I have not been in the gym on a normal routine in (sigh) a couple of years. I can tell I could do more, but its embarassing to be so sore your wife has to help you get dressed for 3 days after training.
I do recommend dumbbell presses to. I have long arms, and it can make barbell press awkward...dumbells have a nicer range of motion, and incorporate those stabilizer muscles. All that is only going to help with your max bench press.
I do recommend dumbbell presses to. I have long arms, and it can make barbell press awkward...dumbells have a nicer range of motion, and incorporate those stabilizer muscles. All that is only going to help with your max bench press.
mreik said:
What weight should i use for the heavier sets? like 185?
rip said:
I havent really got a propper routine. At the moment, I'm doing three sets of eight, and possibly a fourth, slightly heavier set, 3 or four times a week, to allow recovery. I can already see an improvement, i raised the weight by 10lbs this week and seem to be ok doing it. my main problem is I havent always got a spotter so I can't usually go for a heavier weight which I think I may actually be albe to do. I'm not sure what other chest excersises would help my benching, I do pushups, usually 3 sets to failure 3 or four times a week. Other than that I only have a bench, dumbells and a spare barbell, any suggestions?
Sam
* Update *
WEll two days ago i got 225!!!!! I took your guys advice so thanks a lot, i still have another month to increase my max!!!
WEll two days ago i got 225!!!!! I took your guys advice so thanks a lot, i still have another month to increase my max!!!
has a good reputation for bringing up your bench.
Marinefootball,
I just finished a bench program that it's My Training Thread in the weight lifting section that increased my bench max 35 pounds in 6 weeks. I got kinda out of kilter in the middle of it and I think it took away 5-10 pounds extra I could have head. It was working the chest twice a week, completely different parameters, no failure, and using a variety of tricks-board presses, floor db presses, etc. Worked triceps, shoulders, and pulling in the same workout.
My parameters usually consisted of 8 sets of 3 reps, 12 sets of 2 reps, or 10 sets of 3 reps. For increasing that absolute strength for your bench, keep the reps light and the weight heavy (1-4 reps), (85-100% 1RM). If you want a bigger bench-bench more. Also, increasing the arch will help the bar in traveling a shorter distance, help with hip drive (however, hips don't leave the bench), and you will push up more weight than remaining flat-backed.
I just finished a bench program that it's My Training Thread in the weight lifting section that increased my bench max 35 pounds in 6 weeks. I got kinda out of kilter in the middle of it and I think it took away 5-10 pounds extra I could have head. It was working the chest twice a week, completely different parameters, no failure, and using a variety of tricks-board presses, floor db presses, etc. Worked triceps, shoulders, and pulling in the same workout.
My parameters usually consisted of 8 sets of 3 reps, 12 sets of 2 reps, or 10 sets of 3 reps. For increasing that absolute strength for your bench, keep the reps light and the weight heavy (1-4 reps), (85-100% 1RM). If you want a bigger bench-bench more. Also, increasing the arch will help the bar in traveling a shorter distance, help with hip drive (however, hips don't leave the bench), and you will push up more weight than remaining flat-backed.