Lacking chest

[MakeItMethylated]

I'm happy with most of my lifts besides my bench press

I've been Doing a 5x5 program

My squat has went from 155x5 to 185x5

Deadlift went up from 225x5 to 245x5
I have a 1 rm of 325

My bench has only gone up 10 pounds. Sadly 135x5 to 145x3

I don't know if it's the fact I used the smith machine for a year or my chest is just weak or my triceps are weak.

I wanna at least be able to bench 185x5

Ive always been a lean guy so not that strong

Only been doing the 5x5 program for a week or two now

Please help build my chest, thanks

 

[bjg]

strength and size are two different thing , although they come most of the time together. so my question is do you have good size on your chest or not? do you want to concentrate on pure strength? or on pure size? and what is your age?

 

[MakeItMethylated]

strength and size are two different thing , although they come most of the time together. so my question is do you have good size on your chest or not? do you want to concentrate on pure strength? or on pure size? and what is your age?

My chest is 37 inches pumped and im 5'6
A 40 inch chest would be nice

I want strength and size more strength would be fine

I'm 21 year old, Been lifting since I was 19

 

[Ezskanken]

You lift solo or with a partner?

Lifting by yourself it will take a bit longer for safety reasons. But don't give up! You switch from DB to BB weekly?

 

[bjg]

ok here you go:
you do chest twice a week once alone and once with shoulders and triceps. and drop the smith machine use the barbell and dumbell
remember lifting should be relatively fast on positive and slow on negative (very important)

Routine A chest alone:
1- warm properly
2- flat bench press : 3 sets 8-12 reps each then rest 2 minutes and two sets heavy heavier than you can use a spotter (3-4 reps)
3- inclined bench press 3 sets (6-8 reps)
4- superset flat bench flies with dumbell press 3 sets
5- dips 2 sets
6- now after you have rested 3 minutes do the following: flat bench with only 115 lbs
or a bit less and do one set as follows: go down slowly BUT ALL THE WAY and push up explosively and have someone stop you midway not letting you go up all the way only few inches above your chest, you should hit his hands trying to push through but he must stop you with some resistance. do this until failure

Routine B after 3 days of rest not doing any push exercise) chest shoulders and triceps:
chest:
1- flat bench 3 sets heavy (4-6 reps)
2- Flies light weight 3 sets (12 reps)
3- Dips 2 sets
shoulders: now ou can use the smith machine
1- 3 sets front military press (light weight
2- 2 sets behind neck military press(light weight)
3- 3 sets horizontal flies
4- 2 sets front raises
triceps:
1- 4 sets heavy close grip bench superset with pull downs
2- 3 sets skull crushers
3- 3 sets rope pull down

do this for 4 weeks then do the chest once a week (the chest alone routine A) with the triceps from routine B ..do that once a week for 3 weeks
then go back to twice a week and so on

 

[MakeItMethylated]

You lift solo or with a partner?

Lifting by yourself it will take a bit longer for safety reasons. But don't give up! You switch from DB to BB weekly?

Most of the time with a partner
I used to switch from bb to db weekly but I've been focusing on getting my barbell bench up since using the smith machine in my old gym
Messed me up

Ive been using free weight since September

 

[Ezskanken]

Sometimes switching up your grip with every set, even if it's a couple inches out from your normal grip, then couple inches in from normal grip, then your normal grip could make a difference...

 

[MakeItMethylated]

ok here you go:
you do chest twice a week once alone and once with shoulders and triceps. and drop the smith machine use the barbell and dumbell
remember lifting should be relatively fast on positive and slow on negative (very important)

Routine A chest alone:
1- warm properly
2- flat bench press : 3 sets 8-12 reps each then rest 2 minutes and two sets heavy heavier than you can use a spotter (3-4 reps)
3- inclined bench press 3 sets (6-8 reps)
4- superset flat bench flies with dumbell press 3 sets
5- dips 2 sets
6- now after you have rested 3 minutes do the following: flat bench with only 115 lbs
or a bit less and do one set as follows: go down slowly BUT ALL THE WAY and push up explosively and have someone stop you midway not letting you go up all the way only few inches above your chest, you should hit his hands trying to push through but he must stop you with some resistance. do this until failure

Routine B after 3 days of rest not doing any push exercise) chest shoulders and triceps:
chest:
1- flat bench 3 sets heavy (4-6 reps)
2- Flies light weight 3 sets (12 reps)
3- Dips 2 sets
shoulders: now ou can use the smith machine
1- 3 sets front military press (light weight
2- 2 sets behind neck military press(light weight)
3- 3 sets horizontal flies
4- 2 sets front raises
triceps:
1- 4 sets heavy close grip bench superset with pull downs
2- 3 sets skull crushers
3- 3 sets rope pull down

do this for 4 weeks then do the chest once a week (the chest alone routine A) with the triceps from routine B ..do that once a week for 3 weeks
then go back to twice a week and so on

Sounds like a great routine I'll use this thank you very much
And I have been using barbell not smith

 

[1chance]

ok here you go:
you do chest twice a week once alone and once with shoulders and triceps. and drop the smith machine use the barbell and dumbell
remember lifting should be relatively fast on positive and slow on negative (very important)

Routine A chest alone:
1- warm properly
2- flat bench press : 3 sets 8-12 reps each then rest 2 minutes and two sets heavy heavier than you can use a spotter (3-4 reps)
3- inclined bench press 3 sets (6-8 reps)
4- superset flat bench flies with dumbell press 3 sets
5- dips 2 sets
6- now after you have rested 3 minutes do the following: flat bench with only 115 lbs
or a bit less and do one set as follows: go down slowly BUT ALL THE WAY and push up explosively and have someone stop you midway not letting you go up all the way only few inches above your chest, you should hit his hands trying to push through but he must stop you with some resistance. do this until failure

Routine B after 3 days of rest not doing any push exercise) chest shoulders and triceps:
chest:
1- flat bench 3 sets heavy (4-6 reps)
2- Flies light weight 3 sets (12 reps)
3- Dips 2 sets
shoulders: now ou can use the smith machine
1- 3 sets front military press (light weight
2- 2 sets behind neck military press(light weight)
3- 3 sets horizontal flies
4- 2 sets front raises
triceps:
1- 4 sets heavy close grip bench superset with pull downs
2- 3 sets skull crushers
3- 3 sets rope pull down

do this for 4 weeks then do the chest once a week (the chest alone routine A) with the triceps from routine B ..do that once a week for 3 weeks
then go back to twice a week and so on

Good Stuff

 

[SloppyJ]

My bench shot up when i started focusing on my back. Try that.

 

[fitnessallday]

More flyes (after bench press) using proper form and medium reps 6-8 worked for me!

 

[Cork]

I've been focusing on getting my barbell bench up since using the smith machine in my old gym

This is kind of just a funny statement to me. If you want to bench big, you have to bench. Ever seen a big squatter using the smith machine to get his squat number up?

If you want strength you have to think about exercises that correlate to benching.

Building a strong upper back like SloppyJ says, yes. Better stability on the bench, better bench.
Do flyes like fitnessallday says, no. Flyes have some merit for hypertrophy, but strength correlation to the bench? I'd say it's minimal.

Do dips, and any other press you can think of while not losing focus on the health of your shoulders. For every press you do to increase your bench, do external rotations and pulls to prevent upper cross syndrome (or fix it, since its present in 99% of casual gym goers*).

Also, let's be honest. You're probably benching wrong anyhow.
So You Think You Can Bench? Get the Whole Series Here!

*Not a real statistic, just my own observation. I am the 1%.

 

[fitnessallday]

I never recommended him to do flyes to help his bench but to make his chest bigger, it could/would and probably will.

If hes concerned with strength then back, shoulder exercises and lots of compounds will help. (plus the usual rest/excess calories)

 

[MakeItMethylated]

This is kind of just a funny statement to me. If you want to bench big, you have to bench. Ever seen a big squatter using the smith machine to get his squat number up?

If you want strength you have to think about exercises that correlate to benching.

Building a strong upper back like SloppyJ says, yes. Better stability on the bench, better bench.
Do flyes like fitnessallday says, no. Flyes have some merit for hypertrophy, but strength correlation to the bench? I'd say it's minimal.

Do dips, and any other press you can think of while not losing focus on the health of your shoulders. For every press you do to increase your bench, do external rotations and pulls to prevent upper cross syndrome (or fix it, since its present in 99% of casual gym goers*).

Also, let's be honest. You're probably benching wrong anyhow.
So You Think You Can Bench? Get the Whole Series Here!

*Not a real statistic, just my own observation. I am the 1%.

My old Gym only offered the smith machine, in my new gym I use free weight

 

[davidjohnston]

Sounds a little like you might have some weak supporting muscles because of the smith machine? Do you feel like you're pushing your chest as well as you can, or do you feel like your triceps, grip, or core are fatiguing first?

Sounds like you want to build up a bit using compound exercises - the bench press, and something like a bent over row for the back to train opposite muscles (this stops the muscles 'freezing' - you can train a little longer) Then the next day, perhaps an incline bench press. You should also be able to get some pretty decent growth from doing 4-6 sets of pressups to failure, then the following day, 4-6 with your feet on a platform - this will get your muscles functionally stronger, then you should be able to make more progress with your bench press?

 

[Noheawaiian]

Some people just genetically have lacking chests. I suggest that you switch things up from the smith with some dumbell presses/bench press/incline/etc. plus, DO NOT gauge your gains on just strength. If you see your chest improving, then you shouldn't care about how much more weight you can push.
For strength purposes, i'd make sure I put extra emphasis on triceps/delts, simply because the stronger/more developed they get, the better support your chest will have when pressing.
Best of luck on your journey.



Noheawaiian

 

[MakeItMethylated]

The program I'm on Is helping my bench tremendously up 15 pounds from 3 days I go up 5 pounds every workout day and 10 with squats and deads 5x5

 

[DecaConstruction]

This is kind of just a funny statement to me. If you want to bench big, you have to bench. Ever seen a big squatter using the smith machine to get his squat number up?

If you want strength you have to think about exercises that correlate to benching.

Building a strong upper back like SloppyJ says, yes. Better stability on the bench, better bench.
Do flyes like fitnessallday says, no. Flyes have some merit for hypertrophy, but strength correlation to the bench? I'd say it's minimal.

Do dips, and any other press you can think of while not losing focus on the health of your shoulders. For every press you do to increase your bench, do external rotations and pulls to prevent upper cross syndrome (or fix it, since its present in 99% of casual gym goers*).

Also, let's be honest. You're probably benching wrong anyhow.
So You Think You Can Bench? Get the Whole Series Here!

*Not a real statistic, just my own observation. I am the 1%.

Wow, "Cork" - the OP is asking for some advice, but in turn you throw him some sarcastic bullshit??? You look like a twig in your avi, so any advice you give should go in one ear and out the other.......but that's "just my own oberservation"

 

[gearin up]

the 2x chest a week is great for adding strength if nothing else than the pure shock of your CNS but at your current lifting stats I would say its a little advanced for you at the present. I like the 5x5 its a good middle ground for your #1 and#2 fibers. Heres what I would do and have done with fair success. Stick with 1x a week with the 5x5 and every 4th week do a high rep like 8-12 free weight. Keep developing all suport groups, after all bb bench is a compund. Keep the 2x a week in your pocket for a while. Of couse proper nutrition and rest are a must. Best of luck!!

 

[ct67_72]

Ive always been a lean guy so not that strong

Only been doing the 5x5 program for a week or two now

These 2 things stand out to me. how much are you eating? any suppliments?
and what were you doing before the 5x5 program?
Your progression on different lifts will always be much different. your deadlift (in the beginning) should go up faster than your bench. You should be deadlifting more than your bench.
Sounds like you have only been on a good program for a short time.
it will come. Keep working on the 5x5, its a good program. make sure you eat enough and get enough protein. It will do a lot in terms of gains, and recovery.

 

[stewy101]

There is one strength exercise I learned along time ago when I first started working out and it worked like a charm with every exercise I did. But you are going to need a partner to do these. There are different exercise and routines for different things. Some are to stay lean and ripped with low weight and high reps and some are to get big and strong with heavy weights and low reps. to build strength you gotta lift heavy in variation.

Example for chest: Flat bench.

Lets say your max bench is 200lbs

This routine will start at 10 reps, then 8, then 6, then 4, then 3, 2 and 1.

first, whatever is your max bench your gonna have to play with this routine first to figure out what weight you can do for each set. Trust me by the time you get through the last set your gonna be numb.

Example: Lets say you can do 135 10 times, then that will be your first set. Then drop down to 8 reps and add 5 to 10 pounds onto that set. Then work your way all the way down through every set till you get to the last one adding 5 to 10 pounds if you can lol to each set. Make sure to rest in between each set for at least 60 seconds to assure you can build up your strength to do the next one.

Example for chest: Flat bench. you can also use this routine for your incline too.

Lets say your max bench is 200lbs:

First set: 115lbs > 10 reps
Second set: 125lbs > 8 reps
Third set: 135lbs > 6 reps
fourth set: 145lbs > 4 reps
Fifth set: 155lbs > 3 reps
sixth set: 165 > reps
Seventh set: 175 > 1 rep

Your last set is always going to be less than your overall max weight for certain reasons.
After you do the first six you would never be able to do your max anyway because your gonna be wiped out lol.

This routine should assist you in gaining overall strength on your bench or whatever other exercise your doing. This is a routine that is primarily for boosting your overall strength. you should see your self going up on your bench in no time. And remember to NEVER do this routine without a workout partner and NEVER work a particular body part more than 1 day a week to assure enough rest in between for your muscles to properly repair and heal themselves. I workout a 4 day a week split routine.

This routine is for building overall muscle size and strength.

My workout regimen is bast on a 4 day a week split routine.

My workout days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

I switch All these exercises for every body part every other week to insure proper muscle growth. I also do a 5-10 minute warm-up on the treadmill before each workout day and 45 minutes after each workout.

1. Mondays= Back, Abs, Cardio.

Back routine consist of 2 primary and 2 secondary exercises with one warm up set before:

(Sets) = 4 (Reps) = 8 to 10 heavy

Abs routine consist of 2 primary exercises.

Cardio consist of 45 minuets treadmill and or Bike.


A. Primary examples for back:

: Bent over barbell or dumbbell row.
: Dead lift-barbell
: Row-cable with v-handle
: Row-Machine
: Row-T-Bar
: Chin Ups
: Dumbbell Pullovers



B. Secondary examples for back:

: Good morning Barbell.
: Lat Pull-down Front Or Back.
: Stiff-Arm Lat Pull-Down
: Reverse-Grip Row-Cable With Strait Bar.
: Hyperextension-Machine
: Shrugs-Barbell and or Dumbbell.


Abs Exercise routine :

: I do 4 sets of 20 reps each of machine ab crunches And 4 sets of 15 reps hanging leg Or Weighted Knee Raises.




2. Tuesday= Shoulders, Triceps, Abs, Cardio.

Shoulders consist of 2 primary and 2 secondary exercises with 1 warm-up set before:

(Sets) = 4 (Reps) = 8 to 10 heavy

Triceps Consist Of One Primary And One Secondary
Exercise:

(Sets) = 4 (Reps) = 10 to 12 heavy

Abs routine consist of 2 primary exercises.

Cardio consist of 45 minuets treadmill and or Bike.


A. Primary Examples for shoulders:

: Front Military Press-Barbell
: Rear Military Press-Barbell
: Shoulder Press -Dumbbell
: Shoulder Press- Machine (Variation)
: Arnold Press-Dumbbell
: Upright row barbell or cable.

B. secondary examples for shoulders:

: Front raises- dumbbell or cable.
: side raises- dumbbell,cable or machine.
: standing or seated bent-over raises-dumbbell
: reverse fly-pec deck

C. Primary examples for Triceps:

: Narrow-Grip Bench Press-Barbell
: Triceps Dip Machine
: Scullcrushers-Barbell
: Overhead Triceps Extension-Dumbbell, Cable Or Machine
: Two-Arm Cable Push-Down-Strait Bar
: One-Arm Cable Push-Down

D. Secondary Examples For Triceps:

: Kickback-Dumbbell Or Cable
: Bent-Over Cable Triceps Extension-Strait Bar
: Reverse Grip Cable Pull-Down-Strait Bar
: Triceps Push-Down-Rope

Abs routine consist of 2 primary exercises.

: I do 4 sets of 20 reps each machine ab crunches And 4 sets of 15 reps hanging leg Or Weighted Knee Raises.




3. Thursday= Full leg workout and cardio.

Upper legs consist of 2 primary and 2 secondary. Also 2 primary for calves.

(Sets) = 3 to 4 (Reps) = 10 to 12 heavy

Calves consist of 2 primary

(Sets) = 3 (Reps) = 10 to 12 heavy

Cardio consist of 45 minuets treadmill and or Bike.


A. Primary-Upper leg examples:

: Squat-Barbell And Or Dumbbell
: Squat-Machine
: Front Squat-Barbell
: Hack Squat-Machine
: Leg Press-Machine
: Lunge-Barbell
: Step-Up-Barbell

B. Secondary-Upper Leg examples:

: Leg Extension-Machine
: Braced Squat
: Lying Hamstring Curl-Machine
: Seated Hamstring Curl-Machine
: Prone Hamstring Curl-Dumbbell
: Standing Hamstring Curl-Machine
: Stiff-Legged Dead Lift-Barbell

C. Calves Examples:

: Standing Calf Raise-Barbell
: Standing Calf Raise-Machine
: Seated Calf Raise-Machine
: Donkey Calf Raise-Machine
: Toe Raise-Machine



4. Friday= Chest, Biceps, Abs and cardio

Chest Consist Of Two Primary And Two Secondary Exercises.

(Sets) = 4 (Reps) = 8 to 10 heavy

Biceps Consist Of One Primary And One Secondary Exercise

(Sets) = 4 (Reps) = 10 to 12 heavy

Abs routine consist of 2 primary exercises.

Cardio consist of 45 minuets treadmill and or Bike.


A. Primary Chest Exercise Examples:

: Bench Press-Barbell,Dumbbell Or Machine
: Incline Press-Barbell,Dumbbell Or Machine
: Decline Press-Barbell,Dumbbell Or Machine
: Dip-Parallel Bars

B. Secondary Chest Exercise Examples:

: Fly-Dumbbell Flat, Incline Or Decline
: Fly-Cables Standing,Lying-Flat Or Incline
: Fly-Peck Deck Lying Or Seated
: Cable Crossovers

C. Primary Biceps Exercise Examples:

: Biceps Curl-Barbell
: Biceps Curl-Cable With Strait Bar
: Biceps Curl-Dumbbell Standing Or Seated-(Incline)
: One-Arm Biceps Curl-Cable

D. Secondary Biceps Exercise Examples:

: Concentration Curl-Dumbbell Or Cable
: Preacher Curl Barbell-Dumbbell-Machine
: Standing Hammer Curl-Dumbbell
: Lying Biceps Curl-Cable
: Standing Two-Hand Overhead Cable Curl


Abs Exercise routine :

: I do 4 sets of 20 reps each machine ab crunches And 4 sets of 15 reps hanging leg Or Weighted Knee Raises.

 

[MakeItMethylated]

the 2x chest a week is great for adding strength if nothing else than the pure shock of your CNS but at your current lifting stats I would say its a little advanced for you at the present. I like the 5x5 its a good middle ground for your #1 and#2 fibers. Heres what I would do and have done with fair success. Stick with 1x a week with the 5x5 and every 4th week do a high rep like 8-12 free weight. Keep developing all suport groups, after all bb bench is a compund. Keep the 2x a week in your pocket for a while. Of couse proper nutrition and rest are a must. Best of luck!!

Sounds like a good idea man thanks a lot!

 

[MakeItMethylated]

These 2 things stand out to me. how much are you eating? any suppliments?
and what were you doing before the 5x5 program?
Your progression on different lifts will always be much different. your deadlift (in the beginning) should go up faster than your bench. You should be deadlifting more than your bench.
Sounds like you have only been on a good program for a short time.
it will come. Keep working on the 5x5, its a good program. make sure you eat enough and get enough protein. It will do a lot in terms of gains, and recovery.

I eat around 3500-4000 calories a day, not all clean

I have a very fast metabolism

I use protein supplements and creatine right now, creatine on trainin days

Before the 5x5 program I was doing a 4 day split and never flat bench pressed much, only did DB presses

Deadlift is over twice the amount of my bench

I've been on the 5x5 for two weeks now and my lifts have been going up pretty well, squat is up 50 pounds, deadlift is up 30 pounds, bench is only up 15 pounds

 

[gearin up]

15 lbs. in two weeks is great Ive only added 40 lbs all year.

 

[ct67_72]

Your deadlift is up double your bench, and you can pull double what you can bench. What seems off?
Are you tracking your calories? Do you eat that EVERY day?
15 lbs in that time is great though. Your making great gains for the time you have been on the program. On your 4 day split did you squat and deadlift?

 

[MakeItMethylated]

Your deadlift is up double your bench, and you can pull double what you can bench. What seems off?
Are you tracking your calories? Do you eat that EVERY day?
15 lbs in that time is great though. Your making great gains for the time you have been on the program. On your 4 day split did you squat and deadlift?

Yes I am tracking my calories extensively
And yes I eat close to that every day

I didn't really push my self to free weight squat but I did always dead lift on my split

 

[ct67_72]

That's good. Sounds like this program is just what you needed. Keep it up and I'm sure a lot more will come. The bench is tough.
Make sure you are hitting good upper back, lats and triceps and it will keep getting better.

 

[aminoman74]

The upper chest is the most important to hit.A flat upper chest will ruin the look.A full upper chest will give the chest a full complete lok .The loewr chest is the last thing you will worry about