Bench Press Slump

[TyroneMoreGains]

I've been able to hit 335lbs.

For one good rep but been stuck at this Max for a bit.

My routine for chest goes as follows:

Flat Bench- 275x5, 285x5,295x4,305x4,315x3,225x10-15
Incline Bench-205x5,215x5,225x5,230x4,235x3
Dumbbell Bench press-
90x5,100x5,105x5,110x5,115x5
(My gym only has DBs up to 115)

Any Routine tweaks would be helpful. I'm not the strongest but I'm looking to one day hit the holy grail of a 4 plate Bench.

 

[Maxlass]

I'm definitely no expert but maybe try going for some higher volume for a while ie. 285x8 x 4sets on bench and increase by 5lbs each time your able to get the full reps out. I did this for about 6wks but with 12reps and switched back to 5rep sets and found I was able to lift more even though it was only 5kg more.
Do you do any decline work or weighted dips? I find heavy declines help with my flat but once again I have to shift my rep ranges as I tend to stall after a couple of months. I can also lift a lot more on decline so it makes me feel a little more alpha. I can't bench the weight you can but this may help.
Also I've been using valsalva with my breathing and that helps. @weighted chinup may be a little more help than myself in this department though.

 

[jaymaximus]

If yourr going for a max you should change your flat bench routine. Do a good warm up set then go in for the max. Youre tiring yourself out with all those sets.
I do 135 to get blood flowing
225 a couple reps to get some weight on
Then whatever my max is im going for

 

[brutus79]

I've been able to hit 335lbs.

For one good rep but been stuck at this Max for a bit.

My routine for chest goes as follows:

Flat Bench- 275x5, 285x5,295x4,305x4,315x3,225x10-15
Incline Bench-205x5,215x5,225x5,230x4,235x3
Dumbbell Bench press-
90x5,100x5,105x5,110x5,115x5
(My gym only has DBs up to 115)

Any Routine tweaks would be helpful. I'm not the strongest but I'm looking to one day hit the holy grail of a 4 plate Bench.

Do you have any pain when you bench anywhere in your upper body?
How many times a week do you bench?
Where do you fail (at what point in the rise) when you miss a lift over 335?
How long have you been doing that bench routine?
How long have you been stuck at 335?
What has your body weight and body fat done in that time? Any marked changes to diet?

 

[rubisean]

I've been able to hit 335lbs.

For one good rep but been stuck at this Max for a bit.

My routine for chest goes as follows:

Flat Bench- 275x5, 285x5,295x4,305x4,315x3,225x10-15
Incline Bench-205x5,215x5,225x5,230x4,235x3
Dumbbell Bench press-
90x5,100x5,105x5,110x5,115x5
(My gym only has DBs up to 115)

Any Routine tweaks would be helpful. I'm not the strongest but I'm looking to one day hit the holy grail of a 4 plate Bench.

Dbol will get you over the hump. Lol

 

[insertnamehere]

I've been able to hit 335lbs.

For one good rep but been stuck at this Max for a bit.

My routine for chest goes as follows:

Flat Bench- 275x5, 285x5,295x4,305x4,315x3,225x10-15
Incline Bench-205x5,215x5,225x5,230x4,235x3
Dumbbell Bench press-
90x5,100x5,105x5,110x5,115x5
(My gym only has DBs up to 115)

Any Routine tweaks would be helpful. I'm not the strongest but I'm looking to one day hit the holy grail of a 4 plate Bench.

Whats your technique like? As we become more advanced (stronger) technique and execution will play a heavier (pun intended) role.

Do your feet dance around at anytime during a set? Or are they firmly planted throughout?

Are you taking a deep breath when nearing your max lift?

Do you receive a hand off (thats hand off, not hand job, tyrone) or are you unracking the weight yourself?

Do you do paused reps or touch and goes? Do you touch your chest on every rep?

If you would, please answer these questions and the questions that brutus asked.

Also, I agree with jmax about too many warm ups on max day.

 

[Oregongearhead]

Dbol will get you over the hump. Lol

Tren will get you over the hump too , but not naturally . Good luck , subbed .

 

[Oregongearhead]

If yourr going for a max you should change your flat bench routine. Do a good warm up set then go in for the max. Youre tiring yourself out with all those sets.
I do 135 to get blood flowing
225 a couple reps to get some weight on
Then whatever my max is im going for

I agree with Jay , too many warm up sets saps your max lift . I started benching more when I cut out most of the lighter sets .

 

[TyroneMoreGains]

Do you have any pain when you bench anywhere in your upper body?
How many times a week do you bench?
Where do you fail (at what point in the rise) when you miss a lift over 335?
How long have you been doing that bench routine?
How long have you been stuck at 335?
What has your body weight and body fat done in that time? Any marked changes to diet?

No pain.
Once.
Lock out.
A year or so.
3 months I think.
Right now around 235 according to some little piece of shit body fat machine I'm at 17.8% so basically 18%.

Been eating less frequently and shittier food due to my job.
I some times train fasted because of that.

 

[brutus79]

No pain.
Once.
Lock out.
A year or so.
3 months I think.
Right now around 235 according to some little piece of shit body fat machine I'm at 17.8% so basically 18%.

Been eating less frequently and shittier food due to my job.
I some times train fasted because of that.

Eat better.
NEVER bench fasted.
Try some work with bands- lighter weights and they will help you with lock our as they get harder the higher you go.
Focus on speed off your chest- the faster it it is moving the easier the lock out.
Deload for a bit- give it three weeks without trying a max. Do some band work for two of the weeks. Work with five sets of five for a week, up weights and do 7 or 8 sets of 3, do a week of five one reps at 320 or 325. The Next week carb up, cut your warm up volume to do 135 x 5, 225 x 5 285 x 1 315 x 1 and 345 x 1. Enjoy your pr.

 

[TyroneMoreGains]

Whats your technique like? As we become more advanced (stronger) technique and execution will play a heavier (pun intended) role.

Do your feet dance around at anytime during a set? Or are they firmly planted throughout?

Are you taking a deep breath when nearing your max lift?

Do you receive a hand off (thats hand off, not hand job, tyrone) or are you unracking the weight yourself?

Do you do paused reps or touch and goes? Do you touch your chest on every rep?

If you would, please answer these questions and the questions that brutus asked.

Also, I agree with jmax about too many warm ups on max day.

I think the bench is the one lift I've truly mastered (a bit) from all the years I've been doing it.
Granted I'm fresh been lifting since I was 15 so around 5 years.

My feet are firmly planted with 335.

Anything above I start seeing my feet dance and my back arch a tiny bit.

No, I just breath normally. Well, I haven't really paid much attention to my breathing while benching.

I never have a spotter so I unrack it myself usually the uracking is the hardest part of the bench at least for me because I tend to lose a lot of balance.

Touch in go for my heavier sets and pause for my lighter sets.
I touch my chest on every rep I feel like the rep is a failure if I don't or if I arch my back also.

 

[TyroneMoreGains]

Eat better.
NEVER bench fasted.
Try some work with bands- lighter weights and they will help you with lock our as they get harder the higher you go.
Focus on speed off your chest- the faster it it is moving the easier the lock out.
Deload for a bit- give it three weeks without trying a max. Do some band work for two of the weeks. Work with five sets of five for a week, up weights and do 7 or 8 sets of 3, do a week of five one reps at 320 or 325. The Next week carb up, cut your warm up volume to do 135 x 5, 225 x 5 285 x 1 315 x 1 and 345 x 1. Enjoy your pr.

Help, much appreciated

 

[DestinedForGreatness]

Brutus, what do you suggest for improving the bottom half of the bench movement? I do an ass load of pause reps and my lock out is that of the gods but I have problems getting the heavier weights off my chest.

OP, if you struggle with lock out, bands are great but my favorite exercise is bench lockouts where I set a bench in a squat rack and set the stops to where I'm only doing the top half of the movement. Make sense?

 

[theprodgicalson]

Brutus, what do you suggest for improving the bottom half of the bench movement? I do an ass load of pause reps and my lock out is that of the gods but I have problems getting the heavier weights off my chest.

I would get a slingshot and start using that. My name's not Brutus, but that's my advice.

 

[brutus79]

Brutus, what do you suggest for improving the bottom half of the bench movement? I do an ass load of pause reps and my lock out is that of the gods but I have problems getting the heavier weights off my chest.

OP, if you struggle with lock out, bands are great but my favorite exercise is bench lockouts where I set a bench in a squat rack and set the stops to where I'm only doing the top half of the movement. Make sense?

Keep your elbows in and forcefully retract your scapular area... this allows your triceps to rest on your Lats and gives you a more explosive movement. Exploding lighter weight off your chest- every time, as hard and fast as you can is good practice. Elbows in, scapula and traps retracted, shoulders back and body tight. I'm just learning this setup for the last month- huge fucking difference off the chest.

 

[TyroneMoreGains]

I would get a slingshot and start using that. My name's not Brutus, but that's my advice.

Yeah, I've seen those before.

Aren't they some what like bench shirts?

 

[DestinedForGreatness]

Keep your elbows in and forcefully retract your scapular area... this allows your triceps to rest on your Lats and gives you a more explosive movement. Exploding lighter weight off your chest- every time, as hard and fast as you can is good practice. Elbows in, scapula and traps retracted, shoulders back and body tight. I'm just learning this setup for the last month- huge fucking difference off the chest.

I've actually been doing a lot of reading about really activating the lats to store energy to get the weight off your chest. Doing this by "bending the bar." I've heard this before but I struggle to do this. Similar to what you're saying? I just can't imagine activating my lats and retracting my traps at the same time. I've read that shrugged traps is reserved for higher rep sets to protect the shoulder while max effort is more retracted shoulders and flexed lats. I'm stuck right now hitting 375 for doubles but I just can't get past that. And how do you feel about the slingshot?

And OP, I apologize for hijacking your thread but I figured this could benefit you as well.

 

[weighted chinup]

My suggestions

• Bench more (frequently)

• Don't alternate intensities so much in one training session, pick a certain percentage of your 1RM, use that for your whole session until you complete a total tonnage goal.

• Retract the scapula, get uncomfortably tight, and don't aggressively flare out your elbows, keep them in. Spend time working on setup, it might take some time getting used to a proper setup, but it's worth it.

• Have someone give you a liftoff to maintain your stability.

• Lift the weight as fast and explosively as you possibly can.

• Make sure you are not going backwards in scale weight, ideally you should be going up in scale weight to get the most strength gains on bench. Even maintaining weight will likely make bench progress slow, and losing weight will almost always cause an involution in bench strength.

 

[brutus79]

I've actually been doing a lot of reading about really activating the lats to store energy to get the weight off your chest. Doing this by "bending the bar." I've heard this before but I struggle to do this. Similar to what you're saying? I just can't imagine activating my lats and retracting my traps at the same time. I've read that shrugged traps is reserved for higher rep sets to protect the shoulder while max effort is more retracted shoulders and flexed lats. I'm stuck right now hitting 375 for doubles but I just can't get past that. And how do you feel about the slingshot?

And OP, I apologize for hijacking your thread but I figured this could benefit you as well.

If you have a truly tight set up and you have a retracted scale and are be ding the bar- AND someone hands off the weight so you can stay tight your Lats will activate and be in the way airomatically. You don't even have to think about it. Just happens.

 

[theprodgicalson]

Yeah, I've seen those before.

Aren't they some what like bench shirts?

Yes, somewhat.
They allow you to over load the bar and work with weights you normally wouldn't be able to work with. It also helps keep for elbows tucked( helping to use the lats as has been talked about). My buddy swears by it. Helped him break through his plateau. I recently ordered one and am going to work into into my training cycle I'm creating.