Why does my barbell bench press suck?

[MakeItMethylated]

I have been training two years and I started out real weak I have multiple sclerosis

I can max bench 165x2 on a good day

Last week I could barely get 135x5 3 sets

I'm 140 pounds 5'6

Why does my bench suck?

 

[cube789]

strengthening my upper back helped me tremendously.

 

[SVT03DAL]

Need more information than what you have given bro. First things first...how does your diet look? Are you eating enough calories/protein etc on a daily basis?

 

[harmanrainu]

strenthen your triceps and back muscles this will automatically help you in increasing your bnch press try using How to get huge triceps

 

[Roaddkingg]

As the guys prior mentioned triceps and back are great suggestions along with more protein in you'r diet.
You are a bit on the light side so if you try to bulk up with you'r diet that will certainly help aswell.
One thing I did a while back was to switch up from barbell to dumbbells. Do all you'r pressing with dumbbells, flat, incline, decline, pull overs, dips, and I think you will notice a increase when you go back to barbell benching.
For a long time I didnt worry about flat bench with barbell and when I came back to it I was amazed at the differance.
Besides that I personally feel with dumbells you have to use a lot more stabilizing muscles and that will help in more strength gains.

 

[the_predator]

^These are all great suggestions. If you are stuck, you need to switch up your routine. Along with above statements you could also start doing floor presses, rack presses, and chain work. Just don't keep doing the same routine over and over. You have to change it up! Whether it is sets, reps, weight, exercises, rest between sets, etc, you have to keep the body(muscles) guessing.

 

[vicious 13]

Dumbbells that helped me tremendously I forgot about barbell for 2 or 3 months got up to the 95 lb Dumbbells then went back to barbell I went from 135 12 x to 185 12x I mix both in now and a lot of buddies that can go real heavy on barbell cant go heavy w Dumbbells so I like to rub that in I also worked a lot on form so I was able to explode but keep goo form

 

[MakeItMethylated]

Need more information than what you have given bro. First things first...how does your diet look? Are you eating enough calories/protein etc on a daily basis?

3000-3500 cals a day
Protein at least 1 gram per pound of body weight
Carbs like 300 a day

 

[MakeItMethylated]

As the guys prior mentioned triceps and back are great suggestions along with more protein in you'r diet.
You are a bit on the light side so if you try to bulk up with you'r diet that will certainly help aswell.
One thing I did a while back was to switch up from barbell to dumbbells. Do all you'r pressing with dumbbells, flat, incline, decline, pull overs, dips, and I think you will notice a increase when you go back to barbell benching.
For a long time I didnt worry about flat bench with barbell and when I came back to it I was amazed at the differance.
Besides that I personally feel with dumbells you have to use a lot more stabilizing muscles and that will help in more strength gains.

I like dumbells better anyway
Did 60x12, 70x12, 75x6 today

 

[MakeItMethylated]

Dumbbells that helped me tremendously I forgot about barbell for 2 or 3 months got up to the 95 lb Dumbbells then went back to barbell I went from 135 12 x to 185 12x I mix both in now and a lot of buddies that can go real heavy on barbell cant go heavy w Dumbbells so I like to rub that in I also worked a lot on form so I was able to explode but keep goo form

Yeah I'll stick with the dumbells for a little while or do 1 week db one week bar

 

[Intense]

Switch to dumbells, weighted dips, strengthen your tris, get a spot if you dont have one so you can lift as heavy as possible.

 

[MakeItMethylated]

Switch to dumbells, weighted dips, strengthen your tris, get a spot if you dont have one so you can lift as heavy as possible.

Tris are pretty strong already
Got 90 pound db up for 11 reps
Not saying I'm supe strong but that's strong for a 140 pounder im guessing

Barbell bench press never seems to agree with me

 

[SVT03DAL]

3000-3500 cals a day
Protein at least 1 gram per pound of body weight
Carbs like 300 a day

How are you calculating this? I'm havign a hard time believing that at 140lbs you are consuming this macro content on a consisten/daily basis and not gaining weight, Case in point, your current calories/potein intake (with the exception of the carbs) is what I consume on a daily basis to MAINTAIN my current BW and condition at a 200-205lbs bodyweight. I also rely on almost all whole food sources. What exactly do you consume on a daily basis to hit the numbers you claim? Please be specific because it could be the reason for your lack of strenghth/weight increase.

 

[PushAndPull]

The difference in strength between your DB and BB lifts is probably related to a difference in your ROM between the lifts.

 

[ALBOB]

Tris are pretty strong already
Got 90 pound db up for 11 reps
Not saying I'm supe strong but that's strong for a 140 pounder im guessing

Barbell bench press never seems to agree with me

Then don't do it. Seriously, some guys think they HAVE to do barbell presses or the world will stop spinning. Screw that, if something's not working for you, don't waste your time with it. Find what works and stick with it..............until it stops working.

 

[SVT03DAL]

Then don't do it. Seriously, some guys think they HAVE to do barbell presses or the world will stop spinning. Screw that, if something's not working for you, don't waste your time with it. Find what works and stick with it..............until it stops working.

EXCELLENT ADVICE right here. I can't back squat due to chronic lower back issues and a bone structure not conducive to squatting. I improvise and do hack squats and various leg presses and extensions and my quad/ham development is better than it ever was when I squatted heavily and in pain all the time.

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Tweaking your form can help tremendously. Years ago I was always strong on db presses but barbell bench stunk big time, so I just didn't do it. Three years ago I realized that it was my grip which was slightly too wide. So I adjusted it, read up on proper form, started off light from square one and now my bar bench is good. Not to say this is your issue but doesn't hurt to check.

 

[ashoprep1]

Then don't do it. Seriously, some guys think they HAVE to do barbell presses or the world will stop spinning. Screw that, if something's not working for you, don't waste your time with it. Find what works and stick with it..............until it stops working.

^^^this

 

[dirtbiker666]

Dumbbells..chains...5x5 heavy medium and light days. there are tons of things even the smith machine will help. Try an get a serious buddy in there so you can get on the rack do some heavy negatives. Also heavy inclines will help your bench.

 

[bigbill69]

i would like to say i stoped doing squats and when i did thta my bench went from 275 to 215 so if your not doing squats or heavy squats i would reccomned doing that also if your bench press is to high and your feet cant sit flat that will make you lose a good 15-20 lbs on the bench press

 

[alexinchains]

Im at 155 b.w. (~10% bodyfat because im trying to bulk and add strength) and my bench strength isn't that great either. 1rm is probably 195, I do 185 for 3 reps. I don't think strength in bench really matters that much as opposed to deadlifts and squats. However, I'd also like to improve it just for personal goals. My diet is perfect with 300-400g of carbs in sweet potatoes, brown rice, and dextrose with 300g protein coming from eggs and protein powders, plus i use lots of quality supplements (no garbage blends) but somehow my bench strength will hardly ever go up and i DO switch it up every week. any other tips from those more experienced?

 

[alexinchains]

Also a note, I do heavy negatives every few months and incline bench press always hurts the outer parts of my chest, any tips? Not tryin to hijack your thread, bro, the info is relevant

 

[nby]

You don't need to bench to get a thick chest. I've heard of some bodybuilders who never did a bench press in their life, flys/dips etc and they got pretty big.

 

[Bowden]

The problem may not be diet related, could be genetics.
Let me guess.
You have long arms and your torso is not barrel shaped?
If so you are at an anatomical disadvantage for flat bench pressing.

Flat bench is more of an ego lift anyway.
It is a great way to destroy shoulders if you are not anatomically suited for bench and try and use too much weight over a long period of time.

Check this site out for suitable alternatives.

Exercise & Muscle Directory

 

[CowPimp]

You haven't really laid out your program in full. It's hard to make any suggestions as to why your progress has stalled if I don't know what you're doing. I don't just mean bench, but the program as a whole. If your program as a whole isn't setup properly, then switching to dumbbell pressing or dips isn't going to fix that.

 

[NVRBDR]

The problem may not be diet related, could be genetics.
Let me guess.
You have long arms and your torso is not barrel shaped?
If so you are at an anatomical disadvantage for flat bench pressing.

Flat bench is more of an ego lift anyway.
It is a great way to destroy shoulders if you are not anatomically suited for bench and try and use too much weight over a long period of time.

Check this site out for suitable alternatives.

Exercise & Muscle Directory

This ^^^ is a very cool site, thank you very much.

 

[chesty4]

As the guys prior mentioned triceps and back are great suggestions along with more protein in you'r diet.
You are a bit on the light side so if you try to bulk up with you'r diet that will certainly help aswell.
One thing I did a while back was to switch up from barbell to dumbbells. Do all you'r pressing with dumbbells, flat, incline, decline, pull overs, dips, and I think you will notice a increase when you go back to barbell benching.
For a long time I didnt worry about flat bench with barbell and when I came back to it I was amazed at the differance.
Besides that I personally feel with dumbells you have to use a lot more stabilizing muscles and that will help in more strength gains.

Focusing on dumbbells helped my bench and overall chest development and strength tremendously. Not to mention being easier on the shoulder joints.

 

[pieguy]

Dave Tate Teaching The Bench Press - YouTube

David Tate teaching a PLer bench press form. For a lot of people, bench pressing just isn't all that great. You might have arms that are too long, bad shoulder flexibility, funny insertion points, etc etc. Also, any time you hear about a pro injuring a rotator or tearing a pec, you can guarantee flat bench caused it. Think a lot of people gain a significantly more amount of mass doing weighted dips when compared to flat benching ad nauseum.

 

[MakeItMethylated]

How are you calculating this? I'm havign a hard time believing that at 140lbs you are consuming this macro content on a consisten/daily basis and not gaining weight, Case in point, your current calories/potein intake (with the exception of the carbs) is what I consume on a daily basis to MAINTAIN my current BW and condition at a 200-205lbs bodyweight. I also rely on almost all whole food sources. What exactly do you consume on a daily basis to hit the numbers you claim? Please be specific because it could be the reason for your lack of strenghth/weight increase.

This is what most days look like
Minus the ice cream lol

 

[Curt James]

Yeah I'll stick with the dumbells for a little while or do 1 week db one week bar

My bench sucks, too, so, hey, at least you're not alone.

If you don't mind my asking, how is your MS? When and how were you diagnosed?

The problem may not be diet related, could be genetics.
Let me guess.
You have long arms and your torso is not barrel shaped?
If so you are at an anatomical disadvantage for flat bench pressing.

This.

I have narrow shoulders, tinker toy bones, zero triceps on a pair of super-long arms, the list goes on.

My max is 200.

200 lbs. bench PR - YouTube