Thread: chest depleting?

you hit a plateau. I plateaud at that weight for quite some time... really sucked! Just keep at it and it will crumble, I promise.

Go to www.bodybuilding.com -- and search through the Plateau Busting articles.. Alot of good methods for flat bench. Goodluck. A short PH cycle always helps too?

EAT MORE!

thats what i figured but i thought my whole body would plateau.. im looking on Bodybuilding.com right now- thanks

any other ideas

Your whole body will never plateau at once. Its usually one body part at a time. Sometimes it may take a few months to break a pleateau, but once you do you usually start to go up like normal again. Just keep up with your program and keep using the same weight. After a few weeks(3) try and up the weight. If you are still stuck, then change your routine. I personally used a negative pyramid to break mine.
Here is an example as 205 max:
2-3 sets of 135# @8-10 reps(warmup)
1 set of 205# @ 1-3 reps(if you cant get over one have a spotter help force the rep)
1 set of 195# @ 3-5 reps
1 set of 185# @ 3-5 reps
1 set 0f 135# for as many reps as it takes to failure.

I promise after this you wont even be able to push open the gym door lol. Just keep trying, the plateau WILL crumble

don't train chest for a week

he so which is it? pound the shit out of my chest .. or just not train chest for a week, but train everything else? thanks for all the replys

Do whatever you want first. I would do the above workout with those poundages, then do as P-funk said and take a week off. Then go back to your normal routine. If you still havent broke the plateau I would do the above workout every other week untill you have.

thanks

any other workouts to break a flat bench pleatue? im going to lift it again monday so i have a few days to research it some more

unloaded bench presses
negatives
timed bench press (bar speed exercises)

whats unloaded bench presses?

set up a bench in the power rack and place the safety bars in right were your chest is. Un-rack the bar and bring it down and rest it on the safety pins (unloading the weight) pause for a 4 count (about 3-4 sec. to recoil kinetic energy) and then explode up. This will help to increase the fire power of your type IIb mucsle fibers, al most like flipping a light switch on really quickly. You will need to use a weight lighter thn what you normally use because you rae unloading the weight and taking away your momentum but make sure that you use a weight that is heavy enough to only to 2-4 reps with. This is a power exercise, not an endurance exercise so make sure you are using a heavy enough weight to recruit the proper muscle fibers.

thanks - so pfunk how do you think i should break it?

do the routine PreMier suggested or do an entire workout based on heavy negatives and unloadded bench presses?

That type of thing can be mental too. Give your chest a week of rest and eat like crazy for a week. Then next time you train chest try doing a lighter warm up: Bar*10, 135*6, 185*3. You should be able to bust it.

what i think im going to do is the workout PreMier suggested ..

warm up

205x3 (2 forced reps)
195x4 (2 forced reps)
185x5 (2 forced reps)
then 135 to failure
(should i throw in some decline.. possibly smith machine decline press to failure or is the above enough)

then take a week off of chest which will be so hard but it seems necessary to break this damn pleatue

Well, I NEVER ever do decline. I feel that the pec is developed fine with just flat and incline. If you want to do more sets do some incline flys or some cable crossovers. Also if you do 135 to failure and want to keep going, put on 95lbs(total) and go to failure again. Just make sure you have someone spotting you.

Without knowing you and your workout, it is hard to determine whether you're in an overtrained state or not. If you have overtrained then Premier's wo would be about the worst thing you could do. If you're fresh and rested, then Premier's wo should work very well.

I can remember when getting 225 was my biggest goal, now it seems light. The best thing you could do is not worry too much about it. It WILL come. 225, then 235, 250, 275. If you keep working out, and stay with a good diet, it WILL come. Maybe not as quick as you desire, but it will.

Originally posted by jadakris31
what i think im going to do is the workout PreMier suggested ..

warm up

205x3 (2 forced reps)
195x4 (2 forced reps)
185x5 (2 forced reps)
then 135 to failure
(should i throw in some decline.. possibly smith machine decline press to failure or is the above enough)

then take a week off of chest which will be so hard but it seems necessary to break this damn pleatue

seriously, if you want to increase strength in the bench press, or any exercise for that matter, you need to be working at different intensities (intensity being defined as amount of effort....ie some sort of percentage of your 1 RM). You need to mix it up and do other things like speed drills, explosiveness/power exercises like the unloaded presses and change up the intensity form workout to workout. Also, if it is strength you want why lower the weight and do all those forced reps and go to failure on each set?? You should be focusing on hitting triples and doubles (95% of your 1RM).

Hey P, can those unloaded presses be done on a smith machine?

And are they something that can be incorporated into a weekly w/o, or something best left as an ocassional tactic?

I know some guys that do unloaded presses on a weekly basis, they train chest twice a week though. I wouldn't I would train chest twice a week (watching volume ofcourse) and do something like a powerday where you are working at really high intensity on bench press and maybe do some unloaded presses there every now and again. Then an explosive day working on bar speed etc..

How could you do them on a smith machine? You can't latch the weight in and then expect to un latch it and explode up.

next question (should have know this was coming):

WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING ON THE SMITH MACHINE (AKA COAT HANGER)

Originally posted by P-funk
I know some guys that do unloaded presses on a weekly basis, they train chest twice a week though. I wouldn't I would train chest twice a week (watching volume ofcourse) and do something like a powerday where you are working at really high intensity on bench press and maybe do some unloaded presses there every now and again. Then an explosive day working on bar speed etc..

How could you do them on a smith machine? You can't latch the weight in and then expect to un latch it and explode up.

next question (should have know this was coming):

WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING ON THE SMITH MACHINE (AKA COAT HANGER)

LOL

Only thing i do on the smith is CG and Incline bench on GP's routine. It's the only way i can go to failure (or close to it) without a spotter using a BB. Everything else is done with DB's.

And i think theyd be possible on a smith machine... Lower the weight, lock it in. 4 secs later, get a grip on the bar, and explosively press the weight as youre unlocking the bar.

To much time between the time you need to unlock the bar and press. To much wrist rolling and possibly not being able to get in a good position to push. These need to be done in the rack so that you can just bring it down rest the bar all togther and just eplode as fast as possible up. Only use a weight you can do 2-4 reps on though....this is a power exercise, not an endurance exercise and it has nothing to do with type I fibers and everything to do with type IIb fibers.

Originally posted by P-funk
To much time between the time you need to unlock the bar and press. To much wrist rolling and possibly not being able to get in a good position to push. These need to be done in the rack so that you can just bring it down rest the bar all togther and just eplode as fast as possible up. Only use a weight you can do 2-4 reps on though....this is a power exercise, not an endurance exercise and it has nothing to do with type I fibers and everything to do with type IIb fibers.

Eh... a weight i can only do 2-4 reps with... ive never pressed with reps that low. I'm certainly going to add them to my chest w/o soon, though. I'm actually reaching a plateau myself. Forcing myself to take next week off. It's so hard.

well depends on you goals.....strength?? Gotta do doubles and triples.......hypertrophy I would go up to 12 reps (maybe the occasional 15) and down to 6 (but sometimes as low as 4).

so pfunk .. what would suggest i do over the next 2 weeks? im guessing a workout on monday then take a monday off from chest ... just tell me what you think i should do for this monday - ill try aanything to break this pleatue.... my goal usually always hypertrophy- but I MUST break this pleatue or i think i am become less enthuised

Okay, fisrt things first....You say your goal is hypertrophy but then you also want to break a strength plateau. So you want the best of both worlds...lol

Honestly, I don't know what you should do? Training is far more complicated than people give it credit for and there is a lot those goes into a program. My workouts are all pretty thought out with reasoing behind them. I can't tell you what you should do because I don't know what you did last week? the week before? what have you been doing for the last month? what does your current routine look like? how long have you been doing that? what are your rep ranges and sets?? see what I mean? I need more info before I say....."here, do this."...No what I mean, man?

yea i get it -- ive been doing gopros routine witth just some minor adjustments over the past 5 weeks.. (coming up is week 6 "shock week") but must of been at this bench pleutue for twice that ..... what else?