Summer Bench Program

[Zin]

Hi all, It is nearing the end of the school year here and I will be heading home soon. I adopted the max-ot program a few months ago and have seen enourmous gains in all my lifts, what I am going to focus on over the summer though is my bench. I am rather weak in the chest for somone my size but have been changing that. I started the program about 2 months ago and was benching 135 for 6 reps. Each week I have added 2.5 pounds to either side for a total of 5 pounds. last week I did 175 for 6 reps. I normally do three sets of flat, three of decline and three of incline plus 3 sets of chest flys with 60 pound dumbells now. I have not hit any kind of plateau yet and was wondering if I continue this routine through the summer is there any way that I will not plateau and be able to continue adding 5 pounds per week? I also have a very good diet and drink one protein shake before and one after my chest routine.

 

[Doublebase]

Hard to answer. What are your stats, height, weight? What are your goals? What does your diet and routine look like? The reason I ask all this is because it looks like you are doing a lot of sets for your chest. You may not need to do so many sets and exercises.

 

[Zin]

I am 21 years old, 6'2" at 220lbs. 18-20%bf. My summer diet will consist of 5 meals a day every three hours. It will be a low carb high protein cutting diet, I know this is not optimal for putting on muscle but that is why I add the whey protein before and after the workouts. Right now I am on a 4 day split that covers all muscle groups but over the summer I will only have access to a bench and barbell weights, this is why I intend to cut back to deadlifts, squats, pullups, dips, and bench. Right now I do 6 rep sets on deads and squats with 275. This is what led me to believe that my 175 bench was severely lacking. If I add 5 pounds a week to my bench for 3 months, I was hoping to be repping 235 by the end.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

I would just keep on going until I couldn't anymore. Just try it and see how far you can take it. Of course, you make herculean gains in the beginning of your training, so after a while you most likely will plateau, but who's to say how long that'll be or at what weight level? No one really can accurately do so. Keep doing exactly what you're doing until your body gets used to it, then change it.

 

[WilliamB]

You should throw some rows in there to hit your back man. Does the bench have an adjustable incline? Gotta love the incline bench, makes my shoulders huge. Why wont you have access to other weights are you going to college or something right now? Good luck with your goals.

 

[Zin]

yeah, im in college now and i am going to buy a bench and weights, I just cant possible outfit myself with everything thats in the school weight room now though. I will incorperate some back in there as well too but I am going to take the bench as far as I can though. I have been lifting for almost 2 years now but just recently started the max-ot program, before I was just doing the same excercises with the same weights over and over again.

 

[Duncans Donuts]

In my experience, overloading on the bench can be difficult because benching heavy uses a lot of energy. If I did 9 sets of bench presses (decline, incline, etc.) I would probably overtrain just by virtue of the effort your CNS and muscles have to put into to move such a volume.

 

[Uzi9]

The only way i could ever do nine sets for chest and not overtrain is to not go to faliure but only on maybe the last set of each exercise, and eat like a horse......or just jack 750mg of test a week.

 

[StevieMac]

Flyes with 60lb dumbells, yet you only bench 175 for 6 reps? I'd check on your form with the dumbell flyes. If you're using 60 in each hand, you probably aren't doing "real" flyes. I've seen some really big dudes using less than that....
If you don't fo flyes corrrectly, don't do them at all.

 

[DimebagDarrell]

Flyes with 60lb dumbells, yet you only bench 175 for 6 reps? I'd check on your form with the dumbell flyes. If you're using 60 in each hand, you probably aren't doing "real" flyes. I've seen some really big dudes using less than that....
If you don't fo flyes corrrectly, don't do them at all.

I was just about to make the same comment... I can bench 225 6 times but use only 40s on my flye exercises...

 

[WilliamB]

I third the motion.

 

[Zin]

Damn, you guys were right about the form on the flys, I just checked exrx, normally what I was doing was like dumbell bench press but with the palms turned towards each other, it looks like you are supposed to keep your elbows almost locked out when they are fully at the bottom of the motion. I will definitly adjust accordingly maby with 25lbs?

 

[Zin]

It also sounds like 9 sets is too much even once a week. I will probably cut out the declines because the bench I have at home is flat and can ajust for inclines but not declines anyway. Thanks for the responses.

 

[BigDyl]

Coleman does flys with like 140's. WTF.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

That is just wrong.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

Is it bad to do flies with a greater ROM? I usually go down as low as my arms will stretch.

 

[DimebagDarrell]

It also sounds like 9 sets is too much even once a week. I will probably cut out the declines because the bench I have at home is flat and can ajust for inclines but not declines anyway. Thanks for the responses.

9 is ok. i do chest once a week, and do:

barbell bench press - 3 sets
incline DB press - 2 sets
flyes - 2 sets
cable x-over - 2 sets

for a total of 9 sets.

when you do flyes, keep your elbows at the same angle (about 160 degrees), and don't let your upper arms go below parallel to the floor or else you risk hurting yourself.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

Thanks.

 

[WilliamB]

Coleman does flys with like 140's. WTF.

Can he even use regular dumbells for bench anymore? Do they make 280's? How the hell is someone going to use 140s for fly thats sick.