Breaking Bench Plateau

[M.iracle]

Been stuck at 245 x 3 reps for a while now heres my routine

Flat bench 4 sets x 6-8 reps
Incline bench 4 sets x 6-8 reps
Machine press 2 sets x 8-10 reps
Weighted dips superset with pushups 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Cable flies 3 sets x 10 reps

I alternate barbell with dumbell every other week.

Im thinking of using the slingshot training method.

Although I care more about getting muscle mass and aesthetics, I want to increase my bench...

any tips/help is greatly appreciated

[songdog]

Work your back and your tris.The 5x5 maybe of use to you.

[M.iracle]

terrible ****ing day at the gym...i started the slingshot training program combined it with mentzer's lifting concepts and it was one of the my worst chest days...

could only push 225 on flat bench 5 times
only 85lbs on dumbell incline 2reps
my wrist is still hurt from last week

i mean im cutting so i can expect to lose strength but this is retarded and is pissing me off, beacuse in the lst three months i have lowered bodyfat but weigh more.

Why am i week?

I ended up finishing up the slingshot program for chest using much lighter weight...anyone have one of these kind of chest days?

tips needed

[HawaiianPride.]

consider all variables that could potentially be the culprit
rep range
volume
rep speed
contraction
nutrition
recovery duration
sleep habits
supplementation
excessively changing movements/routine habits
your form, ect....
i see you don't utilize very many pushing machines like the hammer strength chest machines.

take a long at some of these and see if you can pin point what's wrong. this may take time but you've find something eventually.

[TOkidd]

terrible ****ing day at the gym...i started the slingshot training program combined it with mentzer's lifting concepts and it was one of the my worst chest days...

Everyone has weak days when they can't quite match their usual output or max lift. My first question wouold be if you're getting enough rest time between chest workouts. Sometimes when we really want to see a particular body part develop we end up overtraining it, thinking that by working the hell out of it, it will grow faster. I've been there myself with bench press and pecs - it's certainly my weakest muscle group. When I was in my first couple years of lifting, I would hit chest twice a week heavy, and sometimes even three times a week. Of course, my progress stalled and I couldn't figure out why. It got to the point where I wouldn't even be sore the day after a workout. I got discouraged and eventually ended up quitting BB for a while. When I started up again a year later, I was introduced to the concept of working a particular body part only once a week, and ever since I've really been focused on rest and recuperation between workouts. I don't work chest if, for example, my tris, back, or shoulders are sore from a previous workout - I prefer to take an extra day off if necessary to give them time to fully recover. I don't know if this is relevant to you, but make sure you're getting a full week of rest in between chest days, and then keep yourself to 12 solid sets made up of three core exercises - flat bench (occasionally I'll do decline press instead), incline bench, dumbell fly (occasionally I'll do dumbell pullovers).
Also make sure your diet is heavy in calories and protein. If everything is dialed in and you're still not growing, it may be best to do a month or two of lower volume and lay off the heavy weights. If, after that, you're still not progressing you may have simply reached the limits of your genetics. Ectomorphic body types with long, thin arms and torsos often cannot bench the same as mesomorphs with stockier frames and shorter, thicker arms and torsos. I don't know what kind of body type you have, but this may be part of the issue. For me personally, I used to be a pure ectomorph, and found that I could only break through 225 on my bench after doing a cycle of gear. Now that I'm older, my body type has changed, I've gained weight and become more mesomorphic, and as a result, my bench is much stronger.
Hopefully I've given you some useful information here.

peace

TOkidd

[JimmySidewalk]

^^^Once you are grown you cant change your somatic type.
You were meso but not eating enough and looked like ecto, agreed, its possible.
You are ecto but through good diet, training and roids look like a mezo, also possible.
But changing from ecto to mezo and stuff like that, no no. That's just not true.

[TOkidd]

^^^Once you are grown you cant change your somatic type.
You were meso but not eating enough and looked like ecto, agreed, its possible.
You are ecto but through good diet, training and roids look like a mezo, also possible.
But changing from ecto to mezo and stuff like that, no no. That's just not true.

Interesting point. I think what's really changed between then and now is my metabolism, allowing me to gain weight easier which has, in turn, dramatically changed the way my body looks. I probably always had the potential to be an ectomorphic mesomorph, but my metabolism had me burning calories so fast that I just couldn't eat enough to put on the weight I needed for the mesomorph in me to show through. I'm also 6'3", with a naturally lean build. Even though a cycle helped me put on a solid 15 pounds of muscle nine years ago (which I've kept ever since) this metabolic change didn't really occur until I hit thirty. Now that I'm thirty-plus I can put on weight much easier and have finally passed the 200-pound mark with very low body fat. I'm aiming for 225-30 pounds shredded, and I'm hoping another year of hard training and a cycle of gear will get me there. Then I'll concentrate on maintenance and staying ripped.

But I think body type may be relevant to the OP. I'm not sure which category he falls into, but if he leans towards ectomorphic, bench press is usually not a strong point for that body type. On the other hand, ectomorphs have great potential for building size and strength in their arms and shoulders, as well as lats. Long, slim legs also have the potential to build hard, strong muscles. It's also easy to stay lean and ripped even when bulking, which means no heavy ab work and cardio. So there are advantages to this body type despite the difficulties. Ectomorphs have to come to grips with the fact that they'll probably never bench as much as a mesomorph, but they can take pride in their long, lean, shredded muscles. In the end, it's about reaching your highest potential - not surpassing your own genetic potential so much that the moment you come off the gear you immediately revert back to where you were before you started. When you look at pictures of former bodybuilders who used to be freaks and have retired and come off the juice and now look nothing like they used to, it's simply an example of what happens when you force your body to grow well past its natural limits. Some people have far greater potential for gaining and maintaining muscle mass and strength than others. I've seen guys walk into the gym for the first time in their life and have no trouble benching 185 pounds. For others it can take months of training to reach this point. Everyone is different.

If your body type and genetics have nothing to do with your stalled progress, then the problem is definitely your training regimen and diet.

If the problem is genetics, AAS can help you push past these limits, but don't expect to keep all the mass and strength you gain when you finish your cycle.


TOkidd

[M.iracle]

Everyone has weak days when they can't quite match their usual output or max lift. My first question wouold be if you're getting enough rest time between chest workouts. Sometimes when we really want to see a particular body part develop we end up overtraining it, thinking that by working the hell out of it, it will grow faster. I've been there myself with bench press and pecs - it's certainly my weakest muscle group. When I was in my first couple years of lifting, I would hit chest twice a week heavy, and sometimes even three times a week. Of course, my progress stalled and I couldn't figure out why. It got to the point where I wouldn't even be sore the day after a workout. I got discouraged and eventually ended up quitting BB for a while. When I started up again a year later, I was introduced to the concept of working a particular body part only once a week, and ever since I've really been focused on rest and recuperation between workouts. I don't work chest if, for example, my tris, back, or shoulders are sore from a previous workout - I prefer to take an extra day off if necessary to give them time to fully recover. I don't know if this is relevant to you, but make sure you're getting a full week of rest in between chest days, and then keep yourself to 12 solid sets made up of three core exercises - flat bench (occasionally I'll do decline press instead), incline bench, dumbell fly (occasionally I'll do dumbell pullovers).
Also make sure your diet is heavy in calories and protein. If everything is dialed in and you're still not growing, it may be best to do a month or two of lower volume and lay off the heavy weights. If, after that, you're still not progressing you may have simply reached the limits of your genetics. Ectomorphic body types with long, thin arms and torsos often cannot bench the same as mesomorphs with stockier frames and shorter, thicker arms and torsos. I don't know what kind of body type you have, but this may be part of the issue. For me personally, I used to be a pure ectomorph, and found that I could only break through 225 on my bench after doing a cycle of gear. Now that I'm older, my body type has changed, I've gained weight and become more mesomorphic, and as a result, my bench is much stronger.
Hopefully I've given you some useful information here.

peace

TOkidd

Great advice...my chest is actually the most developed part of my physique, i work every muscle group once a week, after analyzing everything i think i figured out why i had a bad day....i worked arms (bis and tris) the day before, and since i had not done arms 2 weeks prior, i went extra hard, im pretty sure i killed tris, thats why bench and espeically incline was tough...im going to avoid arms and chest on back to back days

Im going to do a cycle, just not for another year or two, ive only been working out for 2.5 years so i still have a while to go naturally before i can come close to my max genetic potential...but thanks for the advice

[M.iracle]

i wouldnt say im an ecto, i have no problem putting on mass, and i have to do a hard cut to be shredded.....but i agree with everything else you said, thats why i cant to get to as close to my genetic potential as pssible before taking AAS

[Bonesaw]

Here's a pretty good chest routine for busting that plateau of yours, works for me an i'm 19, 163lb rep 250 x 6 clean reps. (that's a lot of plateaus man)

BB Flat Bench 5 sets 4-7 reps
DB Flat Bench 4 sets 4-7 reps
Machine press 6-12 reps Super set with Flies (machine if available) 8-12 reps. 2-3 sets of this.
50 reps of non weighted dips. take as many rest periods as you need until completing 50 total reps in the least amount of time possible.
Skull crushers using the E-Z bar 6-12 reps Super set with E-Z bar close grip pushups until failure. (after a couple pushups in this position your tri's will be totaled and you can't do anymore, but you have to so you do a few more with your knees on the ground to help rep out a few more. yes i said your knees.)

Couple tips- Start with BB every chest day first (you said you alternate wit DB).
- Always know what you previously repped out first set of the BB flat an get at least that or more next time.
-Do this as your first workout day of the week or whatever your schedule is so everything's fresh.
-I would also recommend for about every 2 of these chest workouts do a similar workout but doing mostly incline and only one exercise for flat within that workout, but keep it in the same week as this workout not necessarily replacing it for that week.

Hope this helps!

[Bullseye Forever]

Work your back and your tris.The 5x5 maybe of use to you.

much agreed,also the 5/3/1 method will help also,it helped me alot,and maybe dont bench press all the time,change up your excercises,maybe use db floor presses,bb floor presses,power rack benching etc,you dont havt to bench regularly to get stronger

[Tbound]

Seemed like every time I plateaued on bench I would start to do tri/bi supers at the beginning of my chest/bench day......Engorging my arms with blood and fatiguing my triceps would make my chest muscles HAVE to go all out to move the weight......now of course by doing this you will have to lower the weight dramatically......but a month of this and then going back to your normal (BenchPress-first) routine you should overcome this....Good Luck.

[laveycraft]

ive been stuck for long time recently increased by doing bench press on smith machine with heavier weight then about month later hit the real bench and boom more power.hope that helps someone.

[zaggahamma]

a lot of great ideas i'm going to try all...bb bench is my weakest upper body lift

[M.iracle]

another terrible ****ing chest day...this was what i did...keep in mind before i was benching 225 for 9 reps, and incline dumbell 90lbs for 8 reps

*4 second = 4 second rule, 4 seconds up 4 seconds down...its a mentzer technique*
barbell bench
185 x 8
225 x 5
225 x 4
185 x 6
135 x max

Incline
****ING 52.5 man i want to juice bad now
52.5 x 6 (4 second)
52.6 x 7 (4 second)
52.5 x 6 (4 second)
Machine press
100 x 6 (4 scond)
110 x 5 (4 second)
100 x 6 (4 second)


Cable Flies
20 x 8
30 x 6
25 x 8

Dips 50 reps incremenst of 10 reps 5 sets

I know im cutting but I dont think im losing that much mass....ill have ti weigh myself....this is bugging the shit out of me

[JimmySidewalk]

Why do you do 10000 milion sets for a muscle like the pec which is pretty small in comparing with back or legs. I would be curious how many sets you do for legs if for pec you do that much. Keep it at highy intensity and low sets, go to failure. No need to leave the gym in an ambulance after a workout. You should check the Dorian Yates HIT method, i've been on it for a while and its great, much better than a gazillion sets like "arnold style".

[M.iracle]

moost depressing shit is knowing ive gotten smaller when shirts i used to fill out feel loose now ....im seriously regretting this cut...at the same time I havent had protein on hand and im prettys ure my protein intake is whats destroyed me so far....**** this is depressing

[M.iracle]

i do the same amount of sets of legs..maybe 2 or 3 more sets for calves......when you say high intensity are you referring to high weight 8-10 rep range?

[M.iracle]

Why do you do 10000 milion sets for a muscle like the pec which is pretty small in comparing with back or legs. I would be curious how many sets you do for legs if for pec you do that much. Keep it at highy intensity and low sets, go to failure. No need to leave the gym in an ambulance after a workout. You should check the Dorian Yates HIT method, i've been on it for a while and its great, much better than a gazillion sets like "arnold style".

i do the same amount of sets of legs..maybe 2 or 3 more sets for calves......when you say high intensity are you referring to high weight 8-10 rep range?

[Bonesaw]

moost depressing shit is knowing ive gotten smaller when shirts i used to fill out feel loose now ....im seriously regretting this cut...at the same time I havent had protein on hand and im prettys ure my protein intake is whats destroyed me so far....**** this is depressing

Yah you are regretting the cut because your not eating properly. Go get your protein and do it right! But i wouldn't think about juicing anytime soon if i were you.

[GoNoles99]

moost depressing shit is knowing ive gotten smaller when shirts i used to fill out feel loose now ....im seriously regretting this cut...at the same time I havent had protein on hand and im prettys ure my protein intake is whats destroyed me so far....**** this is depressing

If you're really this upset at losing strength then fix your diet. It doesn't matter what new chest routine you try, if you are eating poorly you are not going to see gains and in this case, you might even see losses.

[Braveone]

You wanna bench big drop the junk. Cable flyes, inclines etc. I'm 177 and 53yrs old and I bench 340. Google "bench pyramid routine" and use that for two months. Tape 3-4 two by fours together and do close grips off of them. Lots of them! Add in 2-3 sets of heavy db flat presses or floor presses and you'll be gtg.

[GoNoles99]

You consider inclines "junk"?

[TOkidd]

Maybe you should try de-loading for a month, lowering your intensity and increasing your reps to 12 per set, focusing all your attention on form, making every single rep perfect, i.e. on your negs bring the dumbells way down for a BIG stretch, then raise them and turn your hands so your palms face each other at the top of the movement, bringing your hands and the weights together and flexing your pecs tight, holding there for a second, then slowly allowing the weights to come back to your chest.

Start your workout with a good general warm-up to get the blood flowing. My personal favorite way to warm-up on chest day is with a medicine ball. This works better with a partner but can be done solo too. Lie on the ground with the medicine ball resting on your chest, gripping it on both sides like a basketball. Now toss it up into the air gently, extending your arms all the way and releasing just before the point where your elbows would lock. Now keep them outstretched so that when the ball drops back down it falls right into your outstretched hands. When the ball lands in your hands, return it to your chest in one smooth motion - in fact, the entire exercise should be one fluid motion. Repeat this over and over as if you are passing the ball to an invisible partner who passes the ball right back to you. When going solo, you really have to concentrate on aim so the ball is right above your chest when you release it and doesn't veer off to the side or up and down. This is why you toss it very gently, guiding it with your arms as you extend them, in one fluid motion. If you have a partner, he stands over you, catches the ball, then lets it drop back into your arms, little by little adding some force to his movement, so that by the end he's actually pushing the ball back to you. This really gets the blood flowing through your chest, shoulder, tri's, and forearms. Now finish up with five minutes on the heavy bag and you're ready to rock.

For your main workout do one light warm-up set of either incline press or bench press, then another four sets of both these exercises at 12 reps per, followed by three sets of flys, alternating incline with flat. That's a total of 11 sets, not including your warm-up set.

After de-loading for a month, your form will improve, your muscles will have remained strong, and having been worked in a different manner for a time they'll be ready to go at the heavy weight again.

TOkidd

[baseline_9]

Your vloume is too high if your goals are to increase your bench numbers....

What i recommend....

Deload for 3-4 weeks..... drop the volume right down and only do flat bench and some incline DB work....

Then blast, adding weight to your bench each week... Log the reps and sets....


Flat bench - 3 working sets (to complete failure) - 6-8 reps (warm up light, do not exhaust before working sets)
Incline DB bench - 2 working sets (to complete failure) 8-10 reps (no warm up required)
Floor Press - 3 working sets (to complete failure) - 3-6 reps

Done!

Come in next week and add a biscuit plate to each set (1.25 KG plates)

[Bullseye Forever]

Your vloume is too high if your goals are to increase your bench numbers....

What i recommend....

Deload for 3-4 weeks..... drop the volume right down and only do flat bench and some incline DB work....

Then blast, adding weight to your bench each week... Log the reps and sets....


Flat bench - 3 working sets (to complete failure) - 6-8 reps (warm up light, do not exhaust before working sets)
Incline DB bench - 2 working sets (to complete failure) 8-10 reps (no warm up required)
Floor Press - 3 working sets (to complete failure) - 3-6 reps

Done!

Come in next week and add a biscuit plate to each set (1.25 KG plates)

good point,when i started lowering my sets on bench day,my bench went up,i lifted heavy for 3 weeks each month and the fourth week i de-loaded,giving my body time to recover