Your 5 x3 workout sounds good. When you say that you added 5lbs every 2-3 days, do you mean that you didn’t have set benching days like Monday Wednesday and Friday, but instead that you benched every 2-3 days regardless of what day it was?
Also what percentage of your max did you use for your starting weight?
I started with 80% of my max for 5 x 3. If I felt like it I’d come back in two days, if I wanted extra rest, I’d come back in 3 days (2 days off).
Also, I set a 10 minute time limit on the 5 sets.
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Thanks. I will add this to my list of things to try out.
[quote]IL Cazzo wrote:
fishbuff wrote:
i cannot imagine this; benching 400lb?! people can actually move this type of weights around. I can barely move 250lb for reps and have been stuck there for ages. For those that bench over 350lb, please pray tell, how do u all do it?
Most people bench too much. Build your back. The shorter the stroke, the more ye shall lift. Check out Westside’s methods.
I swear, I used to see guys do nothing but bench and curls and they’d still never break 300.[/quote]
I agree with this. Reverse band rows and external rotations have done much fr my bench long term. I also think I benched too much, as in trying to raise my bench continually throughout the year. I think I am doing better now benching 3 weeks and then taking 3 weeks off or with minimal maintenance (4 x 6 rapid fire sets at 65% every 6-8 days) but when I get into a cycle now, its usually 1 week break in, and two weeks of 3x/week, 5-10 heavy sets, and cycled bands. The workouts build on each other that way. If I take a week off after a worout, I will NOT comeback stronger. I’m not in a position to make recommendations, just suggestions.
Well, there’s only two of them… James Henderson and Scot Mendelson…[/quote]
Ok, well those two or the guys who do 600+ raw. Point is, it’s not impossible, and 400 is certianly not even close to impossible.
Prof. X brings up a good point about limits and measuring the wrist. I measured mine last year and checked it against the formula…apparenty I’m much bigger than I should be…I’m going to stop lifting now so that I can fall in line with my “limits.”
In my experience, real 400 + benchers are pretty rare. Ive only seen a couple of guys in my lifetime push 400 or more off their chest raw. Now when i say this, I mean the bar comes all the way down and goes all the way up without anybody touching it. A lot of guys kid themselves about their bench. If I were to factor in the number of 100% lifetime natural guys that did it(that I could confirm were natural), the number of legit 400 + pressers I have seen falls away to almost nothing.
However, most of the gyms I have been in were populated with clowns…ie. vanity lifters. The real strength athletes I have been around are a different story.
This may be off, but natural guys of “average” size tend to stall around a 315 to 325 bench after some years of serious training. Bill Starr said this once and it seems to hold true as a generalization. Here is what seems to help in my humble opinion.
Work your grip. Strong hands and wrists can play a significant part in your top end bench.
Work your back…especially upper back with rows, face pulls, kelso shrugs etc.
Train some for speed and explosiveness in the bench(chains, bands and releasers).
Train the bench as often as your body can take it…at least twice a week. Try to divorce yourself from the idea of
pumping a muscle or working a muscle or any of these other bodybuilding terms. Power lifts and olympic lifts are not about a particular muscle any way. They’re not even about a group of muscles. They are about a synergy between the skeletal system, the connective tissues, muscles and maybe most importantly, the neourogical system. If you want to be good at a lift, you have to practice it.
Perfect your setup arch and bench groove.
A raw 400 has been a personal goal of mine for years. I will get there someday and I will do it as a lifetime drug free lifter who didnt sacrifice his health or other athletic abilities in the process.
"In my experience, real 400 + benchers are pretty rare. Ive only seen a couple of guys in my lifetime push 400 or more off their chest raw. Now when i say this, I mean the bar comes all the way down and goes all the way up without anybody touching it. A lot of guys kid themselves about their bench. If I were to factor in the number of 100% lifetime natural guys that did it(that I could confirm were natural), the number of legit 400 + pressers I have seen falls away to almost nothing.
However, most of the gyms I have been in were populated with clowns…ie. vanity lifters. The real strength athletes I have been around are a different story."
I dont know that I agree with that. I did over 400 in HS at age 17, c. 240lbs. Yes, with a pause, all the way down, all the way up. Our coach was no-nonsense. I also did 400 in a comp back then. I can’t imagine that my story is all that unique.
My brother lifted for a while with a guy who had played for the eagles or packers with Reggie White. This guy told him a story of how the Reggie had the team record bench of 485. Several guys had worked to try to top it, and one day, one of the younger guys called everybody in to the weight room and he did 495 for the team record. Reggie then non-chalantly put an extra plate on each side, lay down and pressed 585 and walked out.
[quote]Brian Whiddon wrote:
Get around people who have done 400 lbs. It is amazing what happens when you train with people who move more weight than you. You begin to believe that you should be moving more weight than you do. Over time believing becomes acheiving. It happens all the time with younger athletes in our crew. We have a 18 yr old, who now pulls 600lbs because he trained with us and 600lb pulls are commonplace. I bench over 500 because I train with people who press 600+ lbs. You get used to seeing the numbers and you mind accepts the fact that you should be doing more. If you train around people who only bench 225, there is no incentive to do more.
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Best advice I’ve heard yet…my best progress has always been made workingout around guys who are using weight that I am trying for. Much easier to get motivated to lift huge if the guys around you already are.
If 400lb raw benches seem rare to you, then you are working out in weenie gyms. I’ve seen many guys do 400+ raw, and I never played a day of football in my life. Powerlifting has obviously exposed me to even more people that can do this.
Of all the people that I’ve seen bench 400+, only one of them didn’t look like they could. Take home message: being built like a stick will not likely do it for you. Is it possible? blah blah blah of course, but most people that bench heavy weights are big, thick individuals. Not necessarily fat, but big and thick.
To reiterate what the others said, start training around stronger people. If I use any plate smaller than a 25, I get scowled at. We’re expected to make jumps in plates and quarters. In the little group I lift with, the raw maxes look something like this:
320
375 - 2 of us. I am weak.
415
450
500
515
600+
It’s not hard to see that I’m made to feel like a total pussy every time I go to lift. It’s been a big help so far.
Ok, well those two or the guys who do 600+ raw. Point is, it’s not impossible, and 400 is certianly not even close to impossible.
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No, 600+ raw is not impossible, just not probable… only 32 guys have done it in competition according to statitican Michael Soong’s list at irongame.com
Sixteen of those 32 guys were superheavyweights.
Forget about all the stories you hear about football players who bench 600+… they are 100% bullshit. No football player will ever outbench a chmapion powerlifter or bench-only competitor.
Now 400+ raw… there are probably thousands of guys who could claim that accomplishment. So Fishbuff, don’t lose hope. I am going for that goal myself, by the way (at 198)… 100 pounds to go, LOL…
And while there might be a few guys like Ronnie Coleman, the strongest guy in the NFL and any others… nobody other than these 33 guys have done it in competition. Not even monster benchers like Andy Fielder or Matt Lamarque have done over 600 raw in competition.
And if you can do it in training? Well that’s not quite the same thing. Why not enter a meet and make it official?
I bench 350lbs for reps, and the best advice the I could give you is:
Don’t be scared of heavy weights. If you handle heavy weights with good form, you will get used to them over time and then “heavy” becomes normal.
Don’t just train the bench. Train your whole body to get strong. Train your back as much as your train your front. If your training has stalled - change something.
As long as you believe you will never hit 400, you never will. To get bigger, stronger and better, your lifestyle and attitude will need to reflect it.
[quote]Massif wrote:
I bench 350lbs for reps, and the best advice the I could give you is:
Don’t be scared of heavy weights. If you handle heavy weights with good form, you will get used to them over time and then “heavy” becomes normal.
Don’t just train the bench. Train your whole body to get strong. Train your back as much as your train your front. If your training has stalled - change something.
As long as you believe you will never hit 400, you never will. To get bigger, stronger and better, your lifestyle and attitude will need to reflect it.[/quote]
Along with that, there needs to be extreme emphasis on the mental component. I remember one guy teaching me that if it is a heavier weight you are trying for the first time and you screw up on the first lift, re-rack the weight, center yourself, and approach that weight again as if you have never lifted it before. Much of this is a fight against what your mind wants to believe.
One mistake I see is people slapping on 3-4 ten pound plates on each side of the bench. Why is this wrong? Because your mind needs to see a larger plate there. There is a stronger mental image of a 45lbs plate that isn’t there if you have 4 ten pound plates and 1 five pound plate. If you are strong enough to use 3 ten pound plates, grab the 25 or the 35lb plate instead.
Beyond that, I personally feel that the bench press is a limiting exercise. I am stronger now than I believe I would be had I stuck with the barbell bench. I moved on to dumbbells (which take full body strength to even get in position past 120lbs), and now go much heavier on the HS machine.
The barbell bench has its place. I think most people should begin there, but unless your goal is all out powerlifting, I think it can hold back physical progress. I haven’t barbell benched in possibly 3 years or more (aside from randomly using the incline on a smith machine)…but I am stronger and bigger now than I have been before.
[quote]Not even monster benchers like Andy Fielder or Matt Lamarque have done over 600 raw in competition.
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It is true; they haven’t, but they’re definitely able. As are several other of the top guys. Check out Fiedler’s 585 raw bench on irongame.com. Moderate grip and he smoked it.
I believe there are many people who can bench 400lbs, but your question should be rephrased in my opinion. It should depend on how much they weigh! I always see some huge 300+ guy in the gym doing 315 for reps, but is that an accomplishment? Its only 15lbs over his body weight! Sorry just a point that I think was missed in all the prior posts.
If you really want to bench 400lbs the best advice has already been given train with someone who can bench 400lbs or even 500lbs. There are also numerous articles on the subject as far as technique, setup, and programs on this site. Just do a simple search and see what comes up. As for records just check out the WABDL site.
im from singapore (asian) and so far, i have yet to see anyone that can bench over 3 plates a side among the gyms that i went to. im 6’1" 260lb, can do full squat 405lb and deadlift 450lb but i cannot benchpress beyond 250lb even if my life depend on it. saw some useful tips from a couple of posters here and i will incorporate them into my training program.
[quote]IL Cazzo wrote:
I did over 400 in HS at age 17, c. 240lbs. [/quote]
Have nothing more to add to this already great thread, except that I hate IL Cazzo :(. I allso have another friend who benched 170kg when 17 years old. I am bitter
[quote]one2njoy wrote:
I believe there are many people who can bench 400lbs, but your question should be rephrased in my opinion. It should depend on how much they weigh! I always see some huge 300+ guy in the gym doing 315 for reps, but is that an accomplishment? Its only 15lbs over his body weight! Sorry just a point that I think was missed in all the prior posts.
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Very good point. I think that the benchmark (pun intended) of superior raw benching is a double bodyweight lift.
[quote]fishbuff wrote:
im from singapore (asian) and so far, i have yet to see anyone that can bench over 3 plates a side among the gyms that i went to. im 6’1" 260lb, can do full squat 405lb and deadlift 450lb but i cannot benchpress beyond 250lb even if my life depend on it. saw some useful tips from a couple of posters here and i will incorporate them into my training program.[/quote]
There was a guy in my gym last night who says he is trying out for an arena football team who is about your size. He got 315lbs for 15 reps. All I can say is that I am glad I grew up exposed to more than that. Someone your size should be able to do more than 250lbs. I am a little shocked at that.
