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How can i increase my bench press?

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hey guys here's my problem....i am now currently lifting 70 pound dumbells for flat bench press and 50 pound dumbells for incline...i am very happy with this progress...i am now on my fourth month of training....but what i find amazing and sad is my bench press with the barbell...i can only lift 25 pounds a side for flat and an embarrassing 10 pounds a side for incline?????....what am i doing wrong guys???...i see a lot of smaller guys than me lifting the 45 pounds a side and more with ease for barbell while i struggle with these light ass weights....i am super with my dumbell performance but my barbell lacks seriously...please help out a brother!!!!!!!!!
 
what is your program like.
 
talk to some PT's at your gym, or privately. Someone who benches well, and knows their theory/technical aspects.

spend $20-$50 doing a barbell session to find out what/why and learn as much as you can. Cheap, should learn plenty and get your moneys worth for the results that should follow.

Free diagnosis on the internet without ever watching your movement or doing any analysis vs time in person with a good presser/trainer - which do you think will be more beneficial?
 
Maybe the Bar weighs a lot?

And im not being a dick about it either, some olympic bars are 20KG.

Did you put this into account of what you are lifting?

But apart from that i agree with the other guys, get hands on training. This may assist greatly.
 
cool ok

well i normally grip the bar at the groves...which is fairly wide...most ppl say that grip really focuses on the chest....in response to the weight of the bar it is actually 55 pounds...so it will in some way inhibit my lift but to me if i can easily lift 80 ponds dumbells why can i at leat make 12 easy reps with the barbell with 45 pounds per side????....in response to how my training routine is...on tuesdays and thursdays i STRICTLY do legs....and on the other days i rotate either between chest and back, arms and shoulders, chest and arms, back and shoulders and oh yes of course abdominals....i often switch up those days to shock my muscles for maximum results....in response to the personal training so sorry to say but the trainers in my gym are all messed up...they at first dislike each other and always criticize the other trainers methods...i was gettin personal training but i stopped that upon learning the situation....so thats it there guys...any more thoughts??
 
I was going to eventually make another thread on getting a 1RM max, whether it be bench, deadlift, or squat.

The synopsis Ive gathered, that if you want to get better at a particuliar lift, you do it more often. Ok. But I have had the HARDEST time, figuring out when to do it when mixed with OTHER routines. In other words, benching on a day that I should be doing legs.

I have a hard time balancing the shit out. Anyone have a week example?
 
upper
lower
upper
lower


Getting better at a lift doesn't neccessarily mean do it more often. It usually means do it less often.
 
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Touche

So how would you go about it? Say you have a potential client who wants to train for a strength contest at his local gold's. What would the training program look like? His current stats are...mine.
 
Touche

So how would you go about it? Say you have a potential client who wants to train for a strength contest at his local gold's. What would the training program look like? His current stats are...mine.

i would use an upper/lower training split. i woudln't neccessarily bench on both upper days though. on one day i might do a variation like a lock out, a board press, fat bar, etc....on the other day, i might do DBs, or inclines...I may or may not do speed work depending on how your power levels are....I may have very little to start with during the first block and work more on eccentric strength (to develop deceleration and enhance connective tissue) and then increase the volume with it during another phase of the lifting.
 
well i normally grip the bar at the groves...which is fairly wide...most ppl say that grip really focuses on the chest....in response to the weight of the bar it is actually 55 pounds...so it will in some way inhibit my lift but to me if i can easily lift 80 ponds dumbells why can i at leat make 12 easy reps with the barbell with 45 pounds per side????....in response to how my training routine is...on tuesdays and thursdays i STRICTLY do legs....and on the other days i rotate either between chest and back, arms and shoulders, chest and arms, back and shoulders and oh yes of course abdominals....i often switch up those days to shock my muscles for maximum results....in response to the personal training so sorry to say but the trainers in my gym are all messed up...they at first dislike each other and always criticize the other trainers methods...i was gettin personal training but i stopped that upon learning the situation....so thats it there guys...any more thoughts??

Wide grip shortens range of motion and reduces pectoral involvement. Focuses more on anterior deltoid motion. Also, the reason you are so embarrasingly weak compared to the db press is because of the concept of specificity as it relates to the neurological programming differences between the two exercises.

that said, you clearly need to lower the volume, in my opinion.
 
i would use an upper/lower training split. i woudln't neccessarily bench on both upper days though. on one day i might do a variation like a lock out, a board press, fat bar, etc....on the other day, i might do DBs, or inclines...I may or may not do speed work depending on how your power levels are....I may have very little to start with during the first block and work more on eccentric strength (to develop deceleration and enhance connective tissue) and then increase the volume with it during another phase of the lifting.

Sounds good to me.

Whats lock out? I am picturing the concept being like a rack deadlift, as in focusing on the last part of concentric (locking out.)

What is a fat bar? Is it exactly that, a fat bar? :lol:

Would even bother with doing flies or machines on the second day?
 
Sounds good to me.

Whats lock out? I am picturing the concept being like a rack deadlift, as in focusing on the last part of concentric (locking out.)

What is a fat bar? Is it exactly that, a fat bar? :lol:

Would even bother with doing flies or machines on the second day?

lock out is just as you described.

a fat bar is a think bar, usually >2" in diameter.

machine stuff....why?

flies...maybe at the end of a workout with light weight and high reps as a type of dynamic stretching exercise for the shoulder.
 
Ok, last question..

On the first upper day, I assume this bench work would be done first, but how many exercises should be done? 1 board press exercise then regular upper stuff? Then on light day, 1 DB Press exercise then regular upper? Or do we have 2 exercises?

:doh: make that 2 questions.

The fat bar, is this just a regualr bench press with a fat bar? What does the fat bar do for benching? I thought fat bars were mostly for grip work. :confused:
 
Ok, last question..

On the first upper day, I assume this bench work would be done first, but how many exercises should be done? 1 board press exercise then regular upper stuff? Then on light day, 1 DB Press exercise then regular upper? Or do we have 2 exercises?

:doh: make that 2 questions.

The fat bar, is this just a regualr bench press with a fat bar? What does the fat bar do for benching? I thought fat bars were mostly for grip work. :confused:

the amount of exercises is dependant on some things.....I would do 2 presses, 2 pulls and then some specific shoulder stabilizer work.

fat bar = harder to press = stronger grip = greater control of normal bar with heavy weight.

also

fat bar = different stimulus = sort of the same but not really
 
I figured 2 presses to 2 pulls.
Are the 2 presses specific to benching? Or just one..and the other would be, say, overhead presses?

The fat bar idea is interesting. I see them for sale on PowerSystems for insance prices. I swear, some of their prices are outfuckingragoues.

In any case, I wonder how odd Id look coming INTO the gym with a barbell.
 
please explain all this technical stuff

Wide grip shortens range of motion and reduces pectoral involvement. Focuses more on anterior deltoid motion. Also, the reason you are so embarrasingly weak compared to the db press is because of the concept of specificity as it relates to the neurological programming differences between the two exercises.

that said, you clearly need to lower the volume, in my opinion.

what does all this mean??....u do seem very knowledgable but please break it dowm in normal everyday words if u dont mind
 
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During a bench press the pecs perform shoulder joint adduction - in other words the pecs draw the arm in front of the chest. This means the wider the grip, the less arm adduction takes place and thus the shoulder joint is compensating and taking over a lot of the work. also the wider grip angles the arm from 90 degrees to 50-60 degrees, thus decreasing the range of motion (probably by as much as a foot).

also there is more freedom of motion and freedom of error on a db press, thus severely altering the motor programs that your nervous system generate to effectively perfrom the exercise. this is why some people are efficient at one or the other but not both unless they are actively performing both.
 
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moderate grip is really the choice, although the best pec development i had was using CG bench presses. however my tricep strength was extraordinary at the time.
 
wider grip, less pectoral involvement.
 
During a bench press the pecs perform shoulder joint adduction - in other words the pecs draw the arm in front of the chest. This means the wider the grip, the less arm adduction takes place and thus the shoulder joint is compensating and taking over a lot of the work. also the wider grip angles the arm from 90 degrees to 50-60 degrees, thus decreasing the range of motion (probably by as much as a foot).

also there is more freedom of motion and freedom of error on a db press, thus severely altering the motor programs that your nervous system generate to effectively perfrom the exercise. this is why some people are efficient at one or the other but not both unless they are actively performing both.

At this point, I'm convinced that you're a bot placed on the web by MIT.
 
I messed up the relative and adjusted angles for the bench press. I just wanted to say that. It is not 90 degrees initially.
 
At this point, I'm convinced that you're a bot placed on the web by MIT.

I was programmed with the ability to make people hate me.
:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
 
In addition to what has already been said, have you considered that you might be using a partial range of motion with dumbbells? It's easier to cheat ROM with dumbbells because you don't have the bar to chest contact as a gauge of depth. I see a lot more people stop short with dumbbells relative to a barbell bench press.
 
intense knowledge

During a bench press the pecs perform shoulder joint adduction - in other words the pecs draw the arm in front of the chest. This means the wider the grip, the less arm adduction takes place and thus the shoulder joint is compensating and taking over a lot of the work. also the wider grip angles the arm from 90 degrees to 50-60 degrees, thus decreasing the range of motion (probably by as much as a foot).

also there is more freedom of motion and freedom of error on a db press, thus severely altering the motor programs that your nervous system generate to effectively perfrom the exercise. this is why some people are efficient at one or the other but not both unless they are actively performing both.

hey man thanks alot for this advice i would change up my routine with that in mind...thanks again everyone
 
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