Bench Press

[Lothario]

Shit guys you see right through me, Moma yes I do work out solo about 80 % of the time and also yes I do notice when someone helps me lift the bar I can lift better and more weight.

Velkrum: I was hoping you would come through and you did, I can already see after watching the video that my technique has some mistakes, I can't wait to do get back to the Gym to Bench press with correct technique (this will have to wait till tomorrow, I already did bench press yesterday)

I do give a muscle group atleast 48 hr rest before working it again....., I alternate my push ( Pecs, Deltoid and Triceps) and pull (Biceps, Lats, Trapezius) work out that is 4-5 days during weekdays with sat and sun off. Squats and Deadlift on pull days and Abs on Push days.

Giovanny: I am going to use your recommendations as well, Thanks

Things I will do differently that I learned from this thread

1. Atleast 3500 Calories a day.

2. My Pre work out supplement is Superpump Max or NO Explode and I will include a protein shake and or a Carb supplement an hr before work out.

3.Use testosterone Supplements.

4. Use proper Technique for Bech Press and have a spotter all the time.

5. Invest time in Push Ups and Elevated Push ups.

4. Incline, Flat and decline Bench press with both barbells and dumbells.

Forgot to mention I do Inject myself with Vit B12 every 4-6 weeks anf also take 600 mg of Fish oil everyday.

Will report back hopefully will be lifting more then 200 # and with more muscle mass .......

 

[ElJefe]

When I was eating like a mofo, I added 2.5-3lbs to my bench each chest workout. Following a progression overload program with good complementary exercises, creatine, loads of water, carbs and protein, I went from 5x5 @ 225lbs to 5x5 at 270bs in 8 weeks. I also put on 10lbs (probably at least half of that was fat).

Some of that was muscle memory (I did 5x240lbs two months prior), but it was also due to good planning and an all-round approach.

I got strong. But I also got a wee bit chubby.

 

[Moma]

velkrum - What's your take on the thumbless grip for the bench press? I used to work out with this South Afrikaan guy and he said biomechanics are at the greatest for this.
I noticed that the big boy in the video you posted, grabs the bar thumbless also.

 

[Jesse33]

Some decent advice given here. I LOVE training, have been an athlete my entire life. Don't have time to answer too much, but I'd advise against decline presses of any variation and try dips instead (weighted if necessary). Also, try push ups on blast straps (TRX, jungle Gym XT, rings, etc) **** NO need to use testosterone supps.

BEST ADVICE for you or anyone on this thread. Can't stress this enough.... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE visit www.jasonferruggia.com and spend some time reading his stuff. Nobody knows packing on mass, and incrreasing your lifts like Jason. He has tons of free content, but you can also purchase his programs if you choose to. Have purchased many, and love them all. He's insanely knowledgable, and has the best content - period.

Good luck to you!

 

[Jesse33]

velkrum - What's your take on the thumbless grip for the bench press? I used to work out with this South Afrikaan guy and he said biomechanics are at the greatest for this.
I noticed that the big boy in the video you posted, grabs the bar thumbless also.

No need to mess with the thumbless grip. More of a power lifters move, and they always have two spotters. Not necessary, nor worth it for a recreational lifter.

 

[Jesse33]

Benchpress 155 #( 5 x 3), 165 # (1-3 reps), 175 # (1 Rep Max) and shit I am stuck here for like 3 months , I have tried takin almost 2-3 weeks off, come back and I had to start at 135 got back to my max and am stuck again.

Don't take 2-3 weeks off completely. Muscles only grow if they are being used. Period. The most of a break I would suggest is one week, which isn't much of a break, simply because you don't want to over work you're muscles, then you start to have problems. After about one week every week you don't lift your muscles lose 5-10 pounds of your bench max. Which as you have already explained makes you start back at 135. The trick is to balance rest with work and find that happy medium of effective growth. I believe that a person's growth is unique. Obviously when you look at children it's not hard to see. So its best that you do what's in your body's best intrest to grow. So, instead of taking extended periods off. Switch up you're routine. Everyone who's lifted a dumbell knows what P90X is and they're selling pitch, muscle confusion. So switch up you're routine a bit and keep you're muscles growing. Do some other lifts to grow your chest other than bench. Try dumbell bench, or jammer press, mix your routine up every time you start to slow down and see what happens.

However you're already plateaued. So I strongly suggest to do what my coach once told me. Pushups. Easy up on the bench, and focus on pushups. They increase you're core, which alone can increase your max by 20 pounds. They build muscles that are crucial for bench such as tris, delts, and pecs. And if you haven't already been doing so I'd pause the benching, and find a complete 30-45 min pushup workout. Preferably something that incorporates various types like wide, diamond, ect. At the very least 100 a day, but try to raise that number up by 25-50 every week. Then by the 3 weeks that you normally would've taken off to let you're muscles build, your upper body would have started transforming to the new routine (#muscle confusion). And in three week of doing this every day I guarentee those muscles would've have more endurance, more explosion, and be overall more attractive.
I also recommend pullups and chinups, they're a pain in the ass but they're amazing at building you're body.
I think that a serious problem most lifters have today is that they completely underestimate the gains you get from lifting your body weight. I don't know what it is about it. But it works. The strongest upper body lifter I know built his strength on pushups. He got to a point where he does 1000 a day. He weighs 163 pounds and benches 385.

Some good advice here. Not as much a fan of the higher volume push ups...but I do agree with you. A top coach Alwyn Cosgrove once said that he never even thinks about putting a guy on a bench press until he has maximized his push up work. He said nobody gets on the bench until they can do 30 push ups, with their feet elevated on a bench, and a 25 lb plate resting on the top of their back.

You can use a weight vest or chains if you don't have somebody to put the plate on your back.

Has anybody here tried push ups on rings, TRX, or Jungle Gym XT straps? My favorite freakin exercise. OP, or most others....you'll struggle to do 5 reps, and they make you feel bad ass. Two days later, and the feeling of tightness and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and you'll be sold. Gents....please just try them once.

Anyone back me up on this?

 

[OGNorCal707]

Some decent advice given here. I LOVE training, have been an athlete my entire life. Don't have time to answer too much, but I'd advise against decline presses of any variation and try dips instead (weighted if necessary). Also, try push ups on blast straps (TRX, jungle Gym XT, rings, etc) **** NO need to use testosterone supps.

BEST ADVICE for you or anyone on this thread. Can't stress this enough.... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE visit www.jasonferruggia.com and spend some time reading his stuff. Nobody knows packing on mass, and incrreasing your lifts like Jason. He has tons of free content, but you can also purchase his programs if you choose to. Have purchased many, and love them all. He's insanely knowledgable, and has the best content - period.

Good luck to you!

Just curious, what's your reasoning behind not doing decline bench press?

 

[Moma]

Has anybody here tried push ups on rings, TRX, or Jungle Gym XT straps? My favorite freakin exercise. OP, or most others....you'll struggle to do 5 reps, and they make you feel bad ass. Two days later, and the feeling of tightness and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and you'll be sold. Gents....please just try them once.

Anyone back me up on this?

Sounds like a piece of cake.

 

[Jesse33]

Some decent advice given here. I LOVE training, have been an athlete my entire life. Don't have time to answer too much, but I'd advise against decline presses of any variation and try dips instead (weighted if necessary). Also, try push ups on blast straps (TRX, jungle Gym XT, rings, etc) **** NO need to use testosterone supps.

BEST ADVICE for you or anyone on this thread. Can't stress this enough.... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE visit www.jasonferruggia.com and spend some time reading his stuff. Nobody knows packing on mass, and incrreasing your lifts like Jason. He has tons of free content, but you can also purchase his programs if you choose to. Have purchased many, and love them all. He's insanely knowledgable, and has the best content - period.

Good luck to you!

Just curious, what's your reasoning behind not doing decline bench press?

Decline bench has been debated to death, but to be honest - not really by the top strength guys...mostly the "I want my lower pecs to get bigger" crowd. No disrespect here...just my experience. You won't see the top guys endorsing it.

Also, your body ALWAYS responds better to moving through a natural range of motion, and literally through gravity. Always best to move and control your body through gravity, than a bar. Think free weights vs machines, ie - squats vs leg press, or squats vs smith machine, bench press vs push ups, pull ups vs lat pull downs, etc. You will gain much from the all the assisting stabilizing muscles for these movements, and your CNS (central nervous system) will fire more efficiently, and in turn bring greater results.

Dips have historically given the strength gains and returns people are looking for when doing decline presses. If dips are too easy, certainly add weigh via a dip belt, vest, chains, or if you have to a dumbbell between your legs, although that's a pain in the ass. That said...you don't really want to go too heavy (under 6 reps) as it be hard on your shoulders.

The ULTIMATE progression would be doing them on blast straps, rings, TRX, etc. These are very challenging, and even more stabilization/strength is required. Ring training is outstanding for strength gains. I have two sets in my garage. Look at the physique of male gymnasts! Nuff said... Can't wait to watch those guys in the Olympics next month now that I train with rings. Have such a respect for their strength abilities.

I know training quite well. Played division one athletics in college. Used to be a personal trainer, and am very well read on training. Happy to help anybody if they have any questions.

 

[Jesse33]

Has anybody here tried push ups on rings, TRX, or Jungle Gym XT straps? My favorite freakin exercise. OP, or most others....you'll struggle to do 5 reps, and they make you feel bad ass. Two days later, and the feeling of tightness and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and you'll be sold. Gents....please just try them once.

Anyone back me up on this?

Sounds like a piece of cake.

May sound like it, but I assure you they're not. Have you tried them Moma? Outstanding exercise!

 

[Jesse33]

Some decent advice given here. I LOVE training, have been an athlete my entire life. Don't have time to answer too much, but I'd advise against decline presses of any variation and try dips instead (weighted if necessary). Also, try push ups on blast straps (TRX, jungle Gym XT, rings, etc) **** NO need to use testosterone supps.

BEST ADVICE for you or anyone on this thread. Can't stress this enough.... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE visit www.jasonferruggia.com and spend some time reading his stuff. Nobody knows packing on mass, and incrreasing your lifts like Jason. He has tons of free content, but you can also purchase his programs if you choose to. Have purchased many, and love them all. He's insanely knowledgable, and has the best content - period.

Good luck to you!

Just curious, what's your reasoning behind not doing decline bench press?

Decline bench has been debated to death, but to be honest - not really by the top strength guys...mostly the "I want my lower pecs to get bigger" crowd. No disrespect here...just my experience. You won't see the top guys endorsing it.

Also, your body ALWAYS responds better to moving through a natural range of motion, and literally through gravity. Always best to move and control your body through gravity, than a bar. Think free weights vs machines, ie - squats vs leg press, or squats vs smith machine, bench press vs push ups, pull ups vs lat pull downs, etc. You will gain much from the all the assisting stabilizing muscles for these movements, and your CNS (central nervous system) will fire more efficiently, and in turn bring greater results.

Dips have historically given the strength gains and returns people are looking for when doing decline presses. If dips are too easy, certainly add weigh via a dip belt, vest, chains, or if you have to a dumbbell between your legs, although that's a pain in the ass. That said...you don't really want to go too heavy (under 6 reps) as it be hard on your shoulders.

The ULTIMATE progression would be doing them on blast straps, rings, TRX, etc. These are very challenging, and even more stabilization/strength is required. Ring training is outstanding for strength gains. I have two sets in my garage. Look at the physique of male gymnasts! Nuff said... Can't wait to watch those guys in the Olympics next month now that I train with rings. Have such a respect for their strength abilities.

I know training quite well. Played division one athletics in college. Used to be a personal trainer, and am very well read on training. Happy to help anybody if they have any questions.

 

[Divorco]

My old workout partner was a skinny Indian guy who had trouble on bench. But he spent time on the damned stairmaster before lifting, and didn't eat.

You are doing a lot of things right: Stronglifts, creatine, etc. But I worry that you will get bad results if you try to do all the recommendations in this thread (push ups, dips, decline, etc.). You need some regularity to grease the neural groove, make strength gains, and monitor progress. Keep it simple: Eat big, lift big, rest big. That means you should only bench heavy once per week, with one or two additional lighter chest or shoulder pressing workouts. This will help your recovery and central nervous system. An easy workout would be 70% of your normal weight on chest exercises (with the same reps), or 75% of an equivalent weight on shoulder presses. You must do the easy workouts to recover and maintain strength between hard workouts.

Try this for three weeks. Use creatine, peanut butter, and whole (if necessary) milk to gain 1 pound per week. Be rested and prepared for your quality workout. If you are not making gains (at least 1 extra rep in your weekly heavy workout), then you have plateaued. You should then switch exercises or rep schemes. For example, you could switch from 5 reps to 10 reps, or barbell to dumbell, or flat press to incline press. If you start the new exercise at an easy weight then you should ensure 4-6 weeks of gains before stalling again.

 

[Divorco]

RE: Bench Press (Decline)

Theoretically it seems like a good idea to work the fan-shaped pectoralis by doing incline, flat, and decline barbell bench presses. But decline bench press sucks because of the short range of motion. The barbell starts at your bellybutton and ends at your sternum. You can't go lower without having the barbell going unbalanced and choking you to death. If you must do them, then use dumbells. Better yet, do dips.

 

[el mechanico]

Divorco has the potential to become a powerhouse poster here.

 

[velkrum]

velkrum - What's your take on the thumbless grip for the bench press?

It's similar to using a thick bar when benching. Some guys find the grip to be more comfortable and places greater emphasis on shoulders and chest. Guys with short arms have the most to benefit from a thumbless grip (greater chest fiber recruitment without the limiting aspect of grip strength).

I personally don't recommend them for guys with long arms or for max lifting.

If you are using it for lighter weight and high reps I think it's a welcomed variation, just be aware that there is a risk of the bar slipping out of your hands.

But decline bench press sucks because of the short range of motion. The barbell starts at your bellybutton and ends at your sternum. You can't go lower

Actually, the short range of motion is why the decline bench press is the BEST form of benching. Lowering the bar past your sternum puts negative stress on your shoulders. You hit a few extra fibers in your chest but you risk damaging your rotator muscles.

Decline may not create that Hyperextension that hits the muscle at its weakest point but it allows you to pile tons of weight on the chest at its sturdiest and safest position.

Incline bench is the most useless of pressing movements when it comes to chest development. Flat benching is not very optimal since the strongest function of the pec major is pulling the arm downwards not horizontally extending the hands.

 

[Jesse33]

But decline bench press sucks because of the short range of motion. The barbell starts at your bellybutton and ends at your sternum. You can't go lower

Actually, the short range of motion is why the decline bench press is the BEST form of benching. Lowering the bar past your sternum puts negative stress on your shoulders. You hit a few extra fibers in your chest but you risk damaging your rotator muscles.

Decline may not create that Hyperextension that hits the muscle at its weakest point but it allows you to pile tons of weight on the chest at its sturdiest and safest position.

Incline bench is the most useless of pressing movements when it comes to chest development. Flat benching is not very optimal since the strongest function of the pec major is pulling the arm downwards not horizontally.
[/quote]

Respectfully...I completely disagree with this! Don't want to get into a pissing contest, as it would be just you versus I on a random forum, and nobody knows us from Jack. But, I spend a ton of time training, and reading about strength and conditioning. Was borderline pro athlete. Played D1 college ball, was a trainer etc. that said... Can you cite any top strength coaches who advocate decline bench? Me either. Simply not a practical, nor functional movement pattern.

FYI - I completely was in line with your thinking 10 or so years ago, but now....not a believer in decline at all.

 

[Jesse33]

My bad...double post

 

[velkrum]

Respectfully...I completely disagree with this! Can you cite any top strength coaches who advocate decline bench? Me either. Simply not a practical, nor functional movement pattern.

I don't use commercials and online celebrity coaches to validate what I have learned, tested and proven for years.

Online articles from websites like T-Nation and bodybuilding.com are not designed for training optimally. They are designed to have NEW fitness articles every week (and sell supplements).

Sometimes the articles are interesting and effective other times they are merely fluff and filler for entertainment purposes.

 

[alecks]

the only reason i use decline bench is to put less stress on the delts/rotators as one of them is fucked

 

[WesternCancer]

velkrum - What's your take on the thumbless grip for the bench press? I used to work out with this South Afrikaan guy and he said biomechanics are at the greatest for this.
I noticed that the big boy in the video you posted, grabs the bar thumbless also.

I think the thumbless grip takes the forearms out of the equation, but its less safe as the bar can just roll off and crush yo shit.