Bench press help

[Hobbitjones]

Hey guys dont flame right away but i need some help. I do my workout split of two days just repeated through the week. #1) Chest,bi's,tri's #2) Shoulder,back, legs. Anyways i've been on this for last 6 months or so and have noticed a lot of strength gain but not as much size. Anyways for stats im Age-20
Height- 5' 8''
Weight- 145ish.

Now i know for my size i dont think my bench is awful but i want to move up a lot higher. Right now i 1 rep max 175. I dont think this is bad but i want it in the 200's. My goal is by the end of the year or this time next year 225 2-3 reps. On #1 days i do Flat bench, then dumbell curls, then tricep pulldowns, then Incline dumbell press, then more curls, more triceps, then incline bench press, then more tri, more bis. I do a lot of different excersises really along with flys, and cables set at top and then bottom as well. Idk just trying to figure out what all to add or improve on. All excersises are 3 sets and i try for 10,8,6 sometimes i do more sometimes less. Last set is always to failure. I know this is a lot to read but just let me know. Thanks guys!!!!

[LiftedDuramax2007]

Well you gotta check a few basics
What are you eating and how much are you eating?

Where do you place your hands compared to where the rings are on the bar? I know the rings vary on some bars but Ive seen some guys have pinkies on the ring and I like to go pointer on the ring.

Can you get a video of you benching? Your form could be off

You could be bringing the bar down alittle too high up on your chest. Make sure it hits around the middle of your rib cage. Thats the sweet spot for me.

Ive seen some guys come down right on top of their nip area and to me thats pretty high and can make it harder to get the bar back up

[Hobbitjones]

i eat around 5-6 meals a day. As much food as i can in variety. Protein and carbs are the main things i look for. I was told by a trainer/ coach one time the the best is a thumb away from where the grip area starts haha. When i do wide grip i put my pointer on the ring. I will try to get a video of me benching and i bring the bar to around the bottoms of my nips or bottom of pecs haha.

[tylerrrman]

Try going to a different setup with your reps.

10,8,6,4... works for a ton of people... with slow twitch fibers being dominant.

You might want to try something like 3 sets on each type of lift plan while doing 12-15 reps on each set. You might just find that your body needs the higher reps and less weight to put on size vs. strength, and that you are fast twitch dominant.

How long have you been lifting total? 6 months on the same plan will have given your body time to get used to this plan. I'm not saying your plan isn't a good one, because i think it will work for you. In variation.

Try throwing in 2 high rep workouts, then one high weight workout and see if you don't put on a few pounds in a month. You will most deffinetly gain strength, size, and quite possibly some solid lean pounds.

Also, try to train muscle groups, not upper/lower body. (back/biceps, chest/triceps, shoulders/traps, legs/core).

With 5-6 meals a day (400+ clean cals each meal) and the right amount of cardio (30-45 minutes of low intensity jogging, bike, hell even some walking), you'll be looking like an animal in no time.

[redz]

Eat more and mix up the working out more. I don`t like your split, 2 different workouts doesn't make sense or give the body adequate time to repair muscle tears and grow.

[Hobbitjones]

yea i figure in all honestly at my weight and size i dont think 175 for a max is awful......however i think it could be a lot better as well. Umm i also dont do much cardio for the simple fact that i dont really need to loose weight at all and i walk enough during the day to make up for it. Anyone else recommend a good split set up? perferably some 5 or 6 day plan kinda thing?

[tylerrrman]

Day 1

Chest/ Triceps

• light db press warmup, 1-2 sets, 10-15 reps of 40-50% of max 1 rm
• flat bench or decline bench, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 75% of max 1 rm
• incline bench, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 75% of max 1 rm
• flat bar tricep pushdowns, 3 sets, 10-12 of 75-80% of max 1 rm
• skullcrushers, 3 sets, 8-10 of 60-75% of max 1 rm

Day 2

Rest

Day 3

Back/ Biceps

• light bent over rows warmup, 1-2 sets, 10 reps of 40-50%
• standing full ROM db curls, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 75%
• reverse grip lat-pulls, 3 sets, 12 reps of 60-70%
• seated hammer curls(across the body, not in front) 3 sets, 10-12 reps of 70-80%
• low rows close grip, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 75-85%
• preacher curls, 3 sets, 10, 7, 4-5 reps of 60, 75, 90%

Day 4

Rest

Day 5

Legs & Core

• deadlifts, 5-6 sets, 3-5 reps, 45-65%
• front squats, 3-4 sets, 6-8 reps, 75-80%
• hack squats, 4 sets, 8-10 reps, 75-85%
• abdominals, 3 sets crunches (as many as possible), 3 sets leg raises (as many as possible), 3 sets side bends/ russian twists (as many as possible)
• hamstring curls, 2-3 sets, 15-20 reps of 35-50%
• leg extensions, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 50-60%

Day 6

Rest

then start all over again. hope this helps.

[Hobbitjones]

tylerrrrman got anything in mind for 5 days of lifting only 2 days off and thats only stuff i should do no more?

[tylerrrman]

You don't want to over train. You can always add different workouts in and take some out, I was just giving you somne guidelines for gaining some strength and solid lean mass. Possibly throw in a day for shoulders and upper back. I know i posted a schedule that would have you doing 18-20 sets altogether per working day... if you want to, add in 3-4 sets of a exercise that you would normally do on a day where you are working that muscle group. all in all, try to stay below 30 sets total. 30 being the MOST.

[lexruger]

Theres no reason you cant do a five day training split.

Mon- Chest
Tue- Back
Wed- Legs
Thur- Arms
Fri - Abs
Sat n Sun - Rest

Never had a problem overtraining and have put on good size and strenth. Mix up your routines and see what works best for you but make sure your eating adequately and getting good amount of sleep at night.

[Hobbitjones]

Im doing a split something like
Mon-Back
Tues-Chest
Wed-Legs
Thurs-Arms
Fri-Shoulders
Sat-rest
Sun-rest

Due to the extra rest compared to previous split i have been moving up well on everything although bench seems around same. Im hoping to be doing 225 for 1RM by June or so. Gotta keep hitting it hard so we'll see!!

[ray0414]

Day 1

Chest/ Triceps

• light db press warmup, 1-2 sets, 10-15 reps of 40-50% of max 1 rm
• flat bench or decline bench, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 75% of max 1 rm
• incline bench, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 75% of max 1 rm
• flat bar tricep pushdowns, 3 sets, 10-12 of 75-80% of max 1 rm
• skullcrushers, 3 sets, 8-10 of 60-75% of max 1 rm

Day 2

Rest

Day 3

Back/ Biceps

• light bent over rows warmup, 1-2 sets, 10 reps of 40-50%
• standing full ROM db curls, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 75%
• reverse grip lat-pulls, 3 sets, 12 reps of 60-70%
• seated hammer curls(across the body, not in front) 3 sets, 10-12 reps of 70-80%
• low rows close grip, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 75-85%
• preacher curls, 3 sets, 10, 7, 4-5 reps of 60, 75, 90%

Day 4

Rest

Day 5

Legs & Core

• deadlifts, 5-6 sets, 3-5 reps, 45-65%
• front squats, 3-4 sets, 6-8 reps, 75-80%
• hack squats, 4 sets, 8-10 reps, 75-85%
• abdominals, 3 sets crunches (as many as possible), 3 sets leg raises (as many as possible), 3 sets side bends/ russian twists (as many as possible)
• hamstring curls, 2-3 sets, 15-20 reps of 35-50%
• leg extensions, 3 sets, 12-15 reps of 50-60%

Day 6

Rest

then start all over again. hope this helps.

IMO horrible ruetine. theres no shoulder exersizes. good way to have a lagging shoulder and tear something, and by training an arm muscle with a major muscle group, the arm muscles are each being greatly sacrificed.

[ray0414]

Theres no reason you cant do a five day training split.

Mon- Chest
Tue- Back
Wed- Legs
Thur- Arms
Fri - Abs
Sat n Sun - Rest

Never had a problem overtraining and have put on good size and strenth. Mix up your routines and see what works best for you but make sure your eating adequately and getting good amount of sleep at night.

again no shoulders? if you want your bench to go up YOU MUST DO SHOULDERS!! your shoulders stabilize the weight when you lift. i do this same rutiene, except do shoulders on friday, and ad aabs to any day of hte week.

[JasonT]

Chest routine:

- Flat bench (4 sets increasing)
- Incline DB's (3 sets increasing)
- Dips (3 sets...weighted if possible)
- Incline DB Fly's (3 sets increasing)
- DB pullovers (3 sets increasing)


try to stay in the 8-12 rep range