ok so yeah, should i change my bench press routine?

[Phokus]

Ok, i've been lifting weights for about a month now... today, this is what i was doing:

1st set: 95 pounds, 10 rep warmup set, no struggles whatsoever, could probably do a whole lot more if i wanted to, but i don't want to wear myself out...

2nd set: 125 pounds, 10 reps to failure

3rd set: 125 pounds, 9 reps to failure

4th set: I know my muscles can't take it so i drop down to 115 pounds, barely able to do 6 reps to failure... doh!

So yeah, is this a good routine, or should i do something different? I seem to have lots of trouble with the 4th set...

 

[Sluggo]

Depends on what your point of workiing out is. If its pure strength and mass, you should not be doing so many reps on your 3rd and 4th set.

Try to do enough weight that you can only do 4-6 reps on your last set.

1st set 95 10 reps

2nd set 115 10 reps

3rd set 135 to failure if you hit 6 bump the weight by 5lbs next chest workout.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

How much time between sets?

 

[axelfox]

I do:

1 warmup set

set 1: 8 - 10 reps

set 2: 6-8 reps

maxed out at 270 last month

set 3: 4-6 reps

 

[Phokus]

Originally posted by: ThisIsMatt
How much time between sets?

2 - 3 minutes...

 

[Phokus]

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Depends on what your point of workiing out is. If its pure strength and mass, you should not be doing so many reps on your 3rd and 4th set.

Try to do enough weight that you can only do 4-6 reps on your last set.

1st set 95 10 reps

2nd set 115 10 reps

3rd set 135 to failure if you hit 6 bump the weight by 5lbs next chest workout.

So with your routine, you don't do the 2nd set until failure?

 

[DVad3r]

Wrong wrong wrong. You should do a different workout each time, never do the same exercises or you won't promote proper muscle growth. Mix up free weights/machines/and bench press for chest and all your other muscle groups. Also throw in variants of heavy/light days into your routines. Remember, its not about how much weight you push, its how you push it and the sort of pumps you get out of it. The more you mix the better, try out pyramid and super sets, drop sets etc. It sounds like your new to the gym, so you will gain experience, but for now just go read a few books and ask people in the gym for good routines etc, once you get enough, you can create your own.

Edit: When I said go ask people for tips etc, only people that look like they know what they are doing, there are enough people in the gym (at least the one i've been in) for years who do the same thing every week and havent changed at all, and if you talk to them, they'll tell you its the best stuff out there.

 

[Ikonomi]

What is a drop set?

 

[AbAbber2k]

Originally posted by: Phokus

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Depends on what your point of workiing out is. If its pure strength and mass, you should not be doing so many reps on your 3rd and 4th set.

Try to do enough weight that you can only do 4-6 reps on your last set.

1st set 95 10 reps

2nd set 115 10 reps

3rd set 135 to failure if you hit 6 bump the weight by 5lbs next chest workout.

So with your routine, you don't do the 2nd set until failure?

Not really a reason too. Doing lots of reps will build endurance (and strength of course) and will drain your energy stores. Doing low rep, high weight sets will literally destroy your muscle, causing strength increases and muscle hypertrophy.

Think of it this way. If you go to failure on your first two sets, which really aren't heavy enough to break down a lot of muscle tissue, you're just reducing energy stores for your final lift. But if you treat the first two sets more like warm-up sets, then you'll be able to life a heavier weight over a longer period of time for your final set, breaking down MORE muscle.

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: Phokus

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Depends on what your point of workiing out is. If its pure strength and mass, you should not be doing so many reps on your 3rd and 4th set.

Try to do enough weight that you can only do 4-6 reps on your last set.

1st set 95 10 reps

2nd set 115 10 reps

3rd set 135 to failure if you hit 6 bump the weight by 5lbs next chest workout.

So with your routine, you don't do the 2nd set until failure?

Well, thats an older routine for me. Now I am doing a high set pyramid routine. Monday's bench press was

1st set 95 10 reps

2nd set 145 10 reps

3rd set 195 10 reps

4th set 245 10 reps

5th set 295 to failure

6th set 245 to failure

7th set 195 to failure

8th set 95 to failure.....and I only got about 4 before my chest was burning and unable to lift anything.


I have also done low set high rep routine in the past,

1 quick warm-up at around 135 10 reps

1 set at whatever weight you can get 17-19 reps. Once you hit 18 you have to bump the weight 5-8lbs the next week. My max bench press absolutely skyrocketed doing that routine for a few months.

Whatever you do, try different stuff. Find what works for you and build around that, everyones body responds differently to working with weights.

 

[DVad3r]

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
What is a drop set?

Drop sets are going from a heavy weight to a smaller one right in the same set to promote ultimate muscle stimulation and exertion. So lets say you benched 100, you would do 8 reps or whatever, then when your muscles give in you drop the weight to lets say 75 or 50 and exert yourself.

 

[Ikonomi]

Originally posted by: DVad3r

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
What is a drop set?

Drop sets are going from a heavy weight to a smaller one right in the same set to promote ultimate muscle stimulation and exertion. So lets say you benched 100, you would do 8 reps or whatever, then when your muscles give in you drop the weight to lets say 75 or 50 and exert yourself.

Thanks for the info.

 

[AbAbber2k]

Originally posted by: DVad3r
Wrong wrong wrong. You should do a different workout each time, never do the same exercises or you won't promote proper muscle growth. Mix up free weights/machines/and bench press for chest and all your other muscle groups. Also throw in variants of heavy/light days into your routines. Remember, its not about how much weight you push, its how you push it and the sort of pumps you get out of it. The more you mix the better, try out pyramid and super sets, drop sets etc. It sounds like your new to the gym, so you will gain experience, but for now just go read a few books and ask people in the gym for good routines etc, once you get enough, you can create your own.

Edit: When I said go ask people for tips etc, only people that look like they know what they are doing, there are enough people in the gym (at least the one i've been in) for years who do the same thing every week and havent changed at all, and if you talk to them, they'll tell you its the best stuff out there.

There's really no reason to change your workout every day... especially if you're a beginner. Best bet for a newbie lifter is to do some kind of pyramid rep scheme over say an 8-16 week period. Basically you lift the same weight for more and more reps up til the middle of the time period, then you start loading weight (which causes your reps to drop) as you finish the session. Once you're more experienced, have built correct motor learning patterns and gotten an idea what what you're capable of... THEN you can start juggling all kinds of different exercises in order to tax your body in different ways to stimulate new muscle growth.

Edit: I wouldn't recommend drop sets for beginning lifters either. It's incredibly taxing on your muscles, and when someone is new to lifting being sore for nearly a whole week is a quick way to make them lose interest.

 

[DVad3r]

Originally posted by: AbAbber2k

Originally posted by: DVad3r
Wrong wrong wrong. You should do a different workout each time, never do the same exercises or you won't promote proper muscle growth. Mix up free weights/machines/and bench press for chest and all your other muscle groups. Also throw in variants of heavy/light days into your routines. Remember, its not about how much weight you push, its how you push it and the sort of pumps you get out of it. The more you mix the better, try out pyramid and super sets, drop sets etc. It sounds like your new to the gym, so you will gain experience, but for now just go read a few books and ask people in the gym for good routines etc, once you get enough, you can create your own.

Edit: When I said go ask people for tips etc, only people that look like they know what they are doing, there are enough people in the gym (at least the one i've been in) for years who do the same thing every week and havent changed at all, and if you talk to them, they'll tell you its the best stuff out there.

There's really no reason to change your workout every day... especially if you're a beginner. Best bet for a newbie lifter is to do some kind of pyramid rep scheme over say an 8-16 week period. Basically you lift the same weight for more and more reps up til the middle of the time period, then you start loading weight (which causes your reps to drop) as you finish the session. Once you're more experienced, have built correct motor learning patterns and gotten an idea what what you're capable of... THEN you can start juggling all kinds of different exercises in order to tax your body in different ways to stimulate new muscle growth.

Edit: I wouldn't recommend drop sets for beginning lifters either. It's incredibly taxing on your muscles, and when someone is new to lifting being sore for nearly a whole week is a quick way to make them lose interest.

Yes I agree too, if your a beginner at the gym, you should focus more on just getting your muscles/joints used to everything, and concentrating on form more then anything else, after a few months you might want to look into new things, and you will feel it anyways, you just wont be getting the same pumps and soreness after your workouts as you were getting at the start, which = you need to start new things. My first days at the gym I was like a handicapped kid, I could not even keep the benchpress bar straight with 10's on each side, the weights would fall off and I had to use clippers to keep them in place lol.

 

[AbAbber2k]

Originally posted by: DVad3r
My first days at the gym I was like a handicapped kid, I could not even keep the benchpress bar straight with 10's on each side, the weights would fall off and I had to use clippers to keep them in place lol.

I remember those days. 90 (well, 115 @ 5'6" :shocked: ) pound weakling, struggling to put the bar up 10 times. High School strength training class was a joke. Most of the "teachers" couldn't teach you crap if you weren't already 6' and 200lbs when you started the class. *sigh* If only I knew then what I know now.

 

[DVad3r]

I'm glad I started when I was 19 and not earlier, I think it's better in the long run that my bones/body matured and got the growth in. I look at guys in the gym who have been working out since 13 or whatnot (ya they are big and massive) but they also don't exceed 5 foot 6.

 

[LS20]

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/ChangeWtEx.html

 

[AbAbber2k]

Originally posted by: DVad3r
I'm glad I started when I was 19 and not earlier, I think it's better in the long run that my bones/body matured and got the growth in. I look at guys in the gym who have been working out since 13 or whatnot (ya they are big and massive) but they also don't exceed 5 foot 6.

Definitely have to be careful not to structurally load developing children/teens with lots of weight (even if they can lift it) due to those reasons. But in general, there's no reason not to strength train at a young age. Hell, I never lifted big and I'm only 5'6".

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: AbAbber2k

Originally posted by: DVad3r
Wrong wrong wrong. You should do a different workout each time, never do the same exercises or you won't promote proper muscle growth. Mix up free weights/machines/and bench press for chest and all your other muscle groups. Also throw in variants of heavy/light days into your routines. Remember, its not about how much weight you push, its how you push it and the sort of pumps you get out of it. The more you mix the better, try out pyramid and super sets, drop sets etc. It sounds like your new to the gym, so you will gain experience, but for now just go read a few books and ask people in the gym for good routines etc, once you get enough, you can create your own.

Edit: When I said go ask people for tips etc, only people that look like they know what they are doing, there are enough people in the gym (at least the one i've been in) for years who do the same thing every week and havent changed at all, and if you talk to them, they'll tell you its the best stuff out there.

There's really no reason to change your workout every day... especially if you're a beginner. Best bet for a newbie lifter is to do some kind of pyramid rep scheme over say an 8-16 week period. Basically you lift the same weight for more and more reps up til the middle of the time period, then you start loading weight (which causes your reps to drop) as you finish the session. Once you're more experienced, have built correct motor learning patterns and gotten an idea what what you're capable of... THEN you can start juggling all kinds of different exercises in order to tax your body in different ways to stimulate new muscle growth.

Edit: I wouldn't recommend drop sets for beginning lifters either. It's incredibly taxing on your muscles, and when someone is new to lifting being sore for nearly a whole week is a quick way to make them lose interest.

Good advice for starting out. Good form is crucial at the gym, doing a lot of weight in bad form is just a bad idea overall. Do the max weight you can control and keep proper form. If you dont know proper form or need a spotter, dont be afraid to ask someone at the gym.

Also visit bodybuilding.com or geekfitness.com for great forums dealing with weightlifting.

 

[DVad3r]

Yes good advice from both Abber and Sluggo. Also make sure to work out every other muscle group, not just chest, you need to work your body as a whole to see results.

 

[AbAbber2k]

Originally posted by: LS20
http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/ChangeWtEx.html

Excellent information.

This in particular was what I was referring to when talking about beginning lifters.

"When a new exercise has been introduced, the progress for the first few weeks is largely due to neural-motor adaptations (Komi 1986). After this initial "learning or relearning" phase, subsequent strength increases become predominately morphological; muscles fibers increase in size (Sale 1988). Incidentally, some nonhypertrophy related strength increases are possibly due to anatomical changes in connective tissue and angle of muscle fiber attachment to tendon (Jones & Rutherford; Narici et. al., 1989)."

 

[jiggahertz]

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Also visit bodybuilding.com or geekfitness.com for great forums dealing with weightlifting.

wannabebigforums

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: jiggahertz

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Also visit bodybuilding.com or geekfitness.com for great forums dealing with weightlifting.

wannabebigforums

Thats the other one I was trying to think of.

 

[LordNoob]

Your rest period should be 1 min to 1.5 mins. Also, try freeweights, i.e. flat, incline, and decline dumbbell press.

 

[Spamela]

IMHO, it's best for a n00b to spend ~6 months building up
tendons & joints to avoid injuries later.

this means doing 3-4 high (10-12) rep sets &
avoiding the temptation to attempt low rep/higher weight.

also, don't neglect deep squats & other gym goodness.