i have a weak chest....

[Spoon]

i have been working out for years, i have bulked and have gained quality mass. i have been succesful with my dieting as well. virtually every body part, has increased in size and strength except for my bench press.

my inclines are inching up in weight, as well as my decline. my bench is the one that is frustrating me. i worked it out today iclines, declines went up but my bench is still at the same 1 rep max for 6 months! i have gained at least 30 lbs since feb. bench is my weakest part of my arsenal.

[BOUNCER]

Mmmmm, hard to say whats up really. Its happened to me on various part parts and I've always went back to some power lifting for awhile. Its a nice shock, and builds your confidence greatly. Only thing I don't like which your doing is declines, I know its nothing to do with getting your MAX RM up on your bench, but for growth I'd drop the declines in favour of dips. And for sure if your gym has dipping bars which taper out in a wide V shape.

No doubt Warrior will hit you with some good training advice on getting that chest up.

[Kärnfysikern]

try a pl routine bro. I recommend westside. I was stuck in the bench for a god **** year and no matter what I did it didnt budge. Now this spring while cutting I do westside powerlifting and has put 5 kilo(11ibs) on my bench. Nothing spectacular but Im atleast gaining again

[Spoon]

Mmmmm, hard to say whats up really. Its happened to me on various part parts and I've always went back to some power lifting for awhile. Its a nice shock, and builds your confidence greatly. Only thing I don't like which your doing is declines, I know its nothing to do with getting your MAX RM up on your bench, but for growth I'd drop the declines in favour of dips. And for sure if your gym has dipping bars which taper out in a wide V shape.

No doubt Warrior will hit you with some good training advice on getting that chest up.

thanks bro! in fact i used to do dips in the past but traded em for the declines since i am also trying to improve and develop my lower pecks. my tris and inclines as well as declines are going up, means i am getting stronger. if so why is my bench stagnant? weird

[qccat]

yeah man, check out some westside techiniques to get your bench through the roof, they may seem odd at first but they are great. Also are your tri's getting stronger? Because they play a huge role in grinding through a tough point. May want to prioritize them along w/ your bench for awhile if you really want to get that up. Good luck

[Warrior]

my inclines are inching up in weight, as well as my decline. my bench is the one that is frustrating me. i worked it out today iclines, declines went up but my bench is still at the same 1 rep max for 6 months! i have gained at least 30 lbs since feb. bench is my weakest part of my arsenal.

If you are having problems with the flat bench it could just be your body structure is not ideal for the flat press. Declines will work the Pec Minor and Inclines will work the Pec Major... so you could feasibly stick to those - if you are a bodybuilder. If limit strength on the flat bench press is needed (for competition or otherwise) than you obviously will have to figure out what is keeping you from progressing... since you will need to work in the range of motions you compete (professionally or just with yourself) with...

Could it be your form? Have someone at your gym (a buddy or a personal trainer... I am sure the personal trainer would be happy to watch you in the hopes of finding a new client) watch you next time... through the entire ROM and set.

Could it be a CNS issue? Thinking, "this is a lot of weight" can keep you from really applying yourself. One way to beat this is to work in your strong range at 100 percent of your 1RM... or do static holds at 100-110 percent. This helps you get used to heavier loads for that movement... then when you return to a more traditional way of doing a rep you should feel more confident.

Look up new training theories - the guys here mention Westside already - but there are many, many ways to increase limit strength from very reutable strength coaches... books and online. If you tell me what you have been doing and need ideas I can shoot some out to ya - and/or you can search this forum...

[Warrior]

I found this on MuscleSurf.com. A few points I'll address: I use the shoulder blade tuck and feel a much better pec recruitment in the bench press - and I recommend it for most people. It's not arching your back - its just sticking your chest out a bit. He says to brush the bar on your chest - but that would depend on a few variables - such as your chest size and arm length. Some need to touch, while others can stop a few inches above... just don't go down too far... like where your forearms dip way below parallel to the floor - this will put your shoulders at risk. I also prefer a thumbless, false grip - it's dangerous but if done correctly you can better visualize actual act of pushing... at least I feel that way. Last thing, CONTINOUS TENSION - keep the weight moving and pumping up the chest... don't stop after every rep... keep it moving... if you have to stop after every rep - use less resistance. I see many people doing a set of singels vs a set of reps... when I tell them to keep the tension and don't stop - they can't do the same weight anymore... so if you are having a hard time keeping continous tension - lower the resistance...

One more thing - you can try and get some supporting wraps for your wrists to keep your hands from bowing out - I strongly recommend this for anyone bench pressing over 315 - your muscles grow but those little itty bitty wrist bones do not... IMO, they should be wrapped for advanced lifters. Chalk (Talc and Baby Powder) will help secure your hand placement as well.

I am using you are not a powerlifter but just looking to increase strength for basic progression reasons...

"If you’re looking to maximize the involvement of your pectorals in your bench pressing—and you’re not worried about how much poundage you can "Max"—try using these techniques to develop a full, thick chest.

Remember, this is clearly a muscle-building rather than a powerlifting style bench press technique. It’s aimed at isolating and working the muscle as directly as possible.

When you bench press this way, you won’t be able to lift huge weights, but you will get better pec development. [Note: if you’re interested in both lifting the big weights and developing a full chest, try alternating doing bench pressing with this technique and the more common powerlifting technique from one chest training session to the next].

Here are the key points:

1. Us a three contact point form: feet, butt, shoulders. Your feet should be in contact firmly with the floor at all times. Your butt and shoulders should maintain solid contact with the bench. Arch your back, but do not—I repeat DO NOT—lift your butt into the air . . . we’re working pecs here not quads!

2. Be sure to tuck your shoulder blades underneath your body. Focus on pulling them inward so they touch, then downward as if toward your hips. This should force your chest outward and upward. This is precisely what you want and what will enable you to optimally train your pecs, not your front delts. This should also give you the desired natural arch to your lower back. An added benefit to this part of the technique is that it will also stabilize your rotator cuff more, allowing only one end (the insertion) to move, and the other end (the origin) to remain stable.

3. The next key factor in the technique is hand spacing. This part is easy to demonstrate but a bit difficult to explain. When your upper arm is in line with the body (bar not quite touching the chest) on the way down, your elbow should be at a 90% bend. In other words, when your upper arms are parallel to the floor, your forearms are pointing straight up and down, your wrists form a line with your elbows that points straight into the ground at a 90% angle. To get a sense for this position, hold your arms out to your sides, palms down (like you’re a kid pretending to fly). Now bend your elbows to a 90° angle keeping your upper arms still. Your hands should be about 8 inches or so out in front of your chest. Now pull your hands into your chest by pulling your shoulder blades together. Feel the stretch in your pecs? This is what you’re after.

4. Lower the bar at a steady pace—you’re not in a rush here. Now, touch the bar to your chest lightly; maintain control and don’t bounce the bar off your chest—remember, this is not about how much weight you can lift; it’s about how full and thick you can get those pecs. Keep the tension on your pecs at all times. Touch the bar to your chest about 2/3 of the way up your sternum (breastbone). Finally, return it in virtually a straight line to the lockout position.

With a little practice and focus, you’ll find that this technique will maximize your chest muscle development. It works because it isolates your pecs by cutting out your front delts significantly. It is primarily because of this and the focus on form that your poundages may initially drop.

The technique forces your chest to overcompensate for the lack of deltoid involvement; in doing so, your pecs have no choice but to grow. Do the movement right and you should expect to get a great pump and have some very sore pecs for a few days."

[BOUNCER]

Told you Warrior would hit us up!. Thanks mate, see ya in the chat room.