Advice for Lagging Bench Press?

[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
By chance is there any 400 lbs plus benchers whom would like to add any input on this thread…nope?

Oh come on !! someone anyone?[/quote]
75 more pounds and i’ll get there,

Reduce accessory work (no isolated triceps etc.), eat more if gaining weight is an option (it almost certainly should be at your weight, and this alone may well be enough for you), and try another few weeks of SS.
If you really can’t add any weight to your sets of 5, you should probably change your program. Go for volume and frequency, and really put the work in. Another option that rarely fails entirely (though it might not be the fastest way to progress) is 5/3/1. Along with boring but big or some other volume work (with squat assistance on deadlift days and deadlift assistance on squat days, and the same switch for bench/OHP days) it should help you along nicely with its cycling of intensity. I would use a fairly conservative max. and only deload every few cycles (as a beginner you should not stall too often).
Finally, with regard to nutrition, I would advocate a full log of your food and either full macros or at least calories. Assuming you do want to gain weight, you should increase your calories by around 300 every time your weight stalls for three consecutive weeks.

(Oh, also, don’t focus too heavily on one lift, remember you need to improve them all, your bench isn’t that weak compared with your SQ/DL)

Much appreciated! Thanks!!

[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
By chance is there any 400 lbs plus benchers whom would like to add any input on this thread…nope?

Oh come on !! someone anyone?[/quote]

Don’t worry about you’re weight so long as you’re eatting enough to recover. At 175 your not stalling because of your body weight. Gaining weight will make it easier to progress however. Bench is a lift you can train with very high volume and at higher intensities more frequently than the other lifts so long as you take care of your shoulders etc. I personally would worry less about tricep accessory and just bench more. Close grip and floor press are good secondary bench movements that still train all the muscles of the press working on specific areas of the movement. At your level you could definately just bench more often and add in extra working sets and I’d be surprised if your bench didnt improve. When your bench is that low if I had to guess you can rep weights at higher percentages easier than top end work so scale your weight back again and increase your total bench volume and you should be good to go. If you can post a video I’d be happy to take a look at it for you.

[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
By chance is there any 400 lbs plus benchers whom would like to add any input on this thread…nope?

Oh come on !! someone anyone?[/quote]

Clutz beat me to most of it, but I’ll echo his sentiments. Gaining weight, accessories, isolation stuff; that’s all secondary. Put up a video of a fairly challenging weight so you can get an objective look at your technique. If its as solid as you think it is, go ahead and up the frequency and volume in your bench training. Different people respond to different things regarding volume/intensity, but at your level, simply benching more often is going to pay dividends.

If your form is spotty, get it fixed prior to changing your programming, because you’re just going to be reinforcing bad habits more often than you already are. You can get into more specifics about where to look for programming options after you find out if you’ve got technique work to do first.

[quote]TB284 wrote:

[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
By chance is there any 400 lbs plus benchers whom would like to add any input on this thread…nope?

Oh come on !! someone anyone?[/quote]

Clutz beat me to most of it, but I’ll echo his sentiments. Gaining weight, accessories, isolation stuff; that’s all secondary. Put up a video of a fairly challenging weight so you can get an objective look at your technique. If its as solid as you think it is, go ahead and up the frequency and volume in your bench training. Different people respond to different things regarding volume/intensity, but at your level, simply benching more often is going to pay dividends.

If your form is spotty, get it fixed prior to changing your programming, because you’re just going to be reinforcing bad habits more often than you already are. You can get into more specifics about where to look for programming options after you find out if you’ve got technique work to do first.[/quote]

Was going to say much of this myself. Bad natural bencher here, much better deadlifter and squatter. You really need to up you volume, and if you add in some quick volume 10-15 min bench/dumbbell bench sessions (even pushups, do 100 after a heavy bench session, as many sets as it takes to get there) more and more it will help. Also as some others have said a video would help in identifying where you are sticking and any accessory work that would help correct it. Bradford presses for volume are also a great exercise up a bad bench. Nick Winters loved them RIP.

[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
By chance is there any 400 lbs plus benchers whom would like to add any input on this thread…nope?

Oh come on !! someone anyone?[/quote]

I will add my input. I alternate between dumbbells and barbell and it really helps as it increases stabilizer strength. I also hammer my triceps with heavy close grip work.

And as others have said more volume. Increasing volume with your weight you are struggling with or close to it will help.

Huge thanks to all of the responses!

I will up the volume then and see how I improve. If that wont help, I’m going to throw in some of the assistance you guys mentioned.
Also I’ll try to get a video

[quote]Pericu wrote:
Huge thanks to all of the responses!

I will up the volume then and see how I improve. If that wont help, I’m going to throw in some of the assistance you guys mentioned.
Also I’ll try to get a video[/quote]

This is kinda different advice than most have given. Everything I would suggest has already been said on this thread. One thing that helped me and my friends on bench… Stop benching on a narrow pad bench. I was benching on a pad that was 9 1/2 inches wide. NO GOOD!!! We actually took the pad off our bench and had it professionally made to 12 1/2 inches wide. Shoulders instantly felt better each week and strength and stability was sooooo much better.
I wish I would have known earlier!!!

[quote]Mathew Bertrand wrote:
hey man,

sounds like to me that SS has just run out of gas for you, no biggie.

Personally, my beliefs are if you want to bring a movement up, then work your technique like crazy.

watch this video.

Then consider a new program, sheiko has you benching 3x a week with loads that are perfect for fine tuning form, My bench sky rocketed 50lbs once I started doing it.[/quote]

Hi,
I really liked your advice for squats. I’ve been realizing myself for a while that quads are still the primary movers when squatting. But I was surprised that you’d recommend in another thread the really heavy tuck for benching: seems to me, pecs are the primary movers when benching raw, lats don’t move the weight up (anatomically they just can’t), and locking out with the triceps are rarely an issue when benching raw…I’d have thought, just like you recommended Podzeev’s form for squatting, you’d recommend more flaring and more pec involvement hen benching raw (e.g. Podzeev himself!)

Just food for thought,
If dips are improving, they are probably not the problem. By all means keep doing them, but find what it is that you REALLY suck at, besides benching of course. For me it was the barbell incline - I was stuck/benching on 260 forever and tried floor pressing, using bands, ohp, krocs, eating, voodoo, you name it. I was looking at it all wrong. I could barely get 155 for 5 on the incline barbell and found it one day when the gym was packed, I was in a hurry, and that was all that was free. I made them my second lift and started using 5/3/1 - started ridiculously low, and took my time. A few weeks later, without really improving the incline - just working it - my bench popped through. Now I search for MOVEMENTS (not body parts) that I suck at. works like a charm. What was deceptive was that the bb incline is not often talked about as a powerlifting accessory, but in my case, it addressed something in a particular way that I needed.

A ton of solid advice already but here’s my 2 cents

Without making any drastic changes, try this: start by changing every other bench day to paused bench press. Many people miss groove the bottom portion of the lift whether the realize it or not, and many beginners benefit from having this exercise in their routine.

The benefits:

Closed accessory movement to the actual bench press → highest carryover
Do not have to make any drastic changes such as deloads or specialized exercises
Allows each lift to progress separately and at a slower more sustainable rate

Good luck

[quote]knokkelezoute73 wrote:

[quote]Mathew Bertrand wrote:
hey man,

sounds like to me that SS has just run out of gas for you, no biggie.

Personally, my beliefs are if you want to bring a movement up, then work your technique like crazy.

watch this video.

Then consider a new program, sheiko has you benching 3x a week with loads that are perfect for fine tuning form, My bench sky rocketed 50lbs once I started doing it.[/quote]

Hi,
I really liked your advice for squats. I’ve been realizing myself for a while that quads are still the primary movers when squatting. But I was surprised that you’d recommend in another thread the really heavy tuck for benching: seems to me, pecs are the primary movers when benching raw, lats don’t move the weight up (anatomically they just can’t), and locking out with the triceps are rarely an issue when benching raw…I’d have thought, just like you recommended Podzeev’s form for squatting, you’d recommend more flaring and more pec involvement hen benching raw (e.g. Podzeev himself!)[/quote]

Hey man,

I’ve torn both my pecs now, not tendon, just muscle tears so I’m not a huge fan of benching with elbow outs, but I wouldn’t say I tuck either. i’ve just found a comfortable middle ground where I feel safe and injury free.

I recommend mr tate just because it’s the best video i’ve personally seen, and goes over a lot of stuff that would take a long time to explain.

cheers man

[quote]Mathew Bertrand wrote:

[quote]knokkelezoute73 wrote:

[quote]Mathew Bertrand wrote:
hey man,

sounds like to me that SS has just run out of gas for you, no biggie.

Personally, my beliefs are if you want to bring a movement up, then work your technique like crazy.

watch this video.

Then consider a new program, sheiko has you benching 3x a week with loads that are perfect for fine tuning form, My bench sky rocketed 50lbs once I started doing it.[/quote]

Hi,
I really liked your advice for squats. I’ve been realizing myself for a while that quads are still the primary movers when squatting. But I was surprised that you’d recommend in another thread the really heavy tuck for benching: seems to me, pecs are the primary movers when benching raw, lats don’t move the weight up (anatomically they just can’t), and locking out with the triceps are rarely an issue when benching raw…I’d have thought, just like you recommended Podzeev’s form for squatting, you’d recommend more flaring and more pec involvement hen benching raw (e.g. Podzeev himself!)[/quote]

Hey man,

I’ve torn both my pecs now, not tendon, just muscle tears so I’m not a huge fan of benching with elbow outs, but I wouldn’t say I tuck either. i’ve just found a comfortable middle ground where I feel safe and injury free.

I recommend mr tate just because it’s the best video i’ve personally seen, and goes over a lot of stuff that would take a long time to explain.

cheers man
[/quote]

Gotcha. Thanks for explaining.
Cheers.

Hey Pericu, where in Germany you at and where do you train? If you have the luxury of being around experienced lifters while you train you might want to recruit them to spot you while you bench press and to keep an eye on your form.