New Routine to make my Chest Grow and get stronger

[fattymcbutterpants]

Ive been working out for a decent amount of time now but i just recently turned 18. I feel as if I have done pretty good strength wise on my chest, i am at about 275lbs on bench which is close to 100lbs more than I weigh. However, lately my chest strength has kinda hit a plateau. Awhile back I added heavy incline dumbell presses into my routine instead of barbell incline and that helped my chest develop some but my gains have somewhat dropped off.

So basically I am looking for some suggestions on a new chest routine to really help me make some good gains on size and strength. I recently started working out with a friend who benches about the same as me currently but has been as high as 305lbs. So he has muscle memory on his side lol, but we basically compete everytime we workout together so I am trying to do my best to keep up with him. He has genetics and a solid 30lbs more bodyweight on his side.

Any advice to help me keep up lol? This is just for fun pretty much, just trying to get as big and strong as possible by the time summer and graduation get here.

currently:
warm up shoulders with lateral and front raises

Flat BB Bench
135x5
185x5
205x5(sometimes we will burnout on this set and I go as high as 11)
225x4
245x3
275x1 (sometimes)
those weights change sometimes during each workout just depending on what i'm feeling and all and if i wanna go really heavy.

Then I will go to dumbbell incline
65's x 8-10
70's x 8-10
80's x 8-10
85-90's x 6-8

and after that I will do pec flyes or every now and then attempt some plyometric pushups.

I used to do triceps on the same day as chest but i have done that my entire weightlifting career lol so this past week i decided to switch it up and do chest and biceps together


thanks for the help,

fatty(im not really fat)

[fattymcbutterpants]

oh and I forgot to add, I normally do chest 2 times a week. One day I will tend to go a little heavier than the other but basically i always go heavier

[fattymcbutterpants]

nothing?

[ranging1]

okay well if i were you id try a powerlifting stlye of bench training


USE A RACK

place the bar on the rack

put the bench press underneath the bar

lay on the bench and make sure the bar is at a height about HALF way through your bench press movement

brab the bar the same way you would a bench press

and now bench

you should be performing the TOP half of a bench press movement

aim for rep ranges between 4-8, each rep make sure the bar just touches the rack (the same way you would let a bar touch the ground when you deadlift, its just slight but enough to leviate a minor amount of weight)

do 3-4 sets, itll hit your triceps and shoulder more then it will chest,

however like most people the hardest part of the bench press movement is getting the last half portion of the press movement up

this exercise will will make this portion so much easier,

itll also allow your body to get use to feeling heavy weight during a bench press

its up to you when you choose to do this exercise, i personaly always do it at the start of my chest workout and then use my normal bench routine

i also personaly wouldnt train chest twice a week,

[terraj]

Are your other lifts increasing?

Your chest routine is the same as my, less the pec deck ( bad for shoulders), try flyes....

I like higher reps, my heavy set would be 5 reps, then I drop 20% off and get what ever I can get, and then drop another bit of weight, this pumps a lot of blood to the muscle. This will help with growth.

As for strengh...we have a bunch of ways to improve it on bench.

Start by focusing on the Tris, they are a necessity for heavy bench, close grip bench...nothing beat it!


and....drop that burnout set at 205, don't tax the muscle before you get to the work sets.



BTW, 275 is good lifting at your weight and age, well done bro!

[Teufel_Hunden]

Try switching between barbell and dumb bell every week or every other week, for instance...

Week 1=Flat BB Press, Incline DB Press, Decline BB Press
Week 2=Flat DB Press, Incline BB Press, Decline DB Press

Sometimes I will even use some of those chest machines. Free weights IMO are usually better, but it is good to switch things up. Plus it keeps things changing so mentally you don't get sick of doing the same excercise. Try recording all of your lifts, and every workout add either a rep or 5lbs. to your heavy lift.

[energizer bunny]

floor presses!.....the best IMO for getting the triceps stronger..

[theryano]

275...is awesome and very much above average for your age and weight....great job...try this....155 lbs...flatbench...10 regular reps...now while in the extended position do 10 reps but only go half way from full extension to chest....now do 10 reps but only go from chest to half way .....works great and has helped me an several of my friends with mass and especially strength

[fattymcbutterpants]

thanks for the compliments and help guys, i am starting the Mstak from animal too so im gonna see if that, cellmass, and a heavily laden protein diet can get me to 300 soon.

But so as a recap, you all really are recommending alot of the power rack bench press and heavy tricep work mainly? I had read about the powerrack bench in a M&F magazine but only tried it a couple times. I also had heard strengthening your shoulders really could help on your bench. I worked them hard for the past 5 months or so and after i warm up do 135x8, 155x8, and 165x8 before I switch to dumbbell so they are fairly strong too. I just need to work on my triceps alot im guessing

I'm about to go to the gym in just a little while, ill let you know how it goes

[fattymcbutterpants]

Ok guys,
I took the Mstack before I went in and the caffeine in there kinda got me pumped up a little. But so i started off warming my shoulders up some (ive had some shoulder problems awhile back so i am extra careful now)
I started with regular flat BB bench
135x5
205x5
225x5
245x4
265x3
The 265 set i got the first two on my own but the last rep i had to get a little help i was burnt for the set.

Then I hit up incline db did
65's x 8
75's x 8
80's x 8

Then moved on to some decline because I havent done it in quite some time. I didnt go too heavy but just did about 3 sets of 6-8 with 185

After that I decided to do the power rack bench, i should probably do it a little sooner in the routine, but I did 225x6 for 2 or 3 sets i think then 275x5 for two sets.

I was kinda in a hurry for a date so I did some close grip 3 sets of 135x8
then topped it off with some heavy tricep pressdowns and a couple sets of dips

[fattymcbutterpants]

Oh and I had some huge dude spotting me and he was like damn man your strong as hell lol, i surprise people because my arms make me look like a little 5 year old its just because i'm 6'5 i guess and everything is really stretched out

[amcon]

ever one grow dif - but i only do 12 - 14 sets in a week and keep reps 80% of the time 8 to 12 reps...

so you are doing 20 plus sets in a week and alway staying low reps... try changing things up but be consistant

read up on sling shot training

[fattymcbutterpants]

yea i train chest 2 times a week at the first and end of the week normally but one of those days tends to be less sets. And I mainly only go lower reps on flat bench. The main reason I am not doing higher reps is I am really after strength more than anything right now. I mean I want my chest to get bigger for sure, but I really want to get 300+ its kind of a goal for highschool.

[Big Horsepower]

What is your diet like? Don't say in check, sounds like your build you need to eat like a horse.

[peteroy01]

Time your breaks. Try 3min since you are going for strength. Would also work chest once a week. More is not better. Try it fir a few weeks and see if you get stronger. Also have plenty of complex carbs and protein 30-60min before workout and the same thing after. I agree with the above post that u should alternate between bars and dumbs weekly. Have fun and let us know how it goes and what you decide to do.

[fattymcbutterpants]

Big Horsepower who cares about diet?! Lol jk I dont get as much as I need to or have in the past when attempting to bulk some. However right now i'm on roughly 250g of protein coming from mainly tuna, eggs, and salmon before bed(I bought some big packs for cheap) And one-two Monster Mass shakes a day. Im also getting around 350g of carbs roughly. Im not to sure about calories really I just never pay as much attention to them. Oh and I carry a gallon jug with me everyday to school and finish it by the end of school normally. But thats the gist of it, i try to eat every 2-3 hours if not i feel like im starving lol.