YAWT: Increasing Bench Press Max

[alexeikgb]

I'm 6' 220 lbs., currently I am benching 315 x4 for last sets of Bench Press, me and my friends decided to set a goal of 175% of you weight max bench by the end of the year. So I need to be able to bench 380ish in 2 months. Anyone have a good way to increse the one time max... should I continue on my low reps heavy weight routine and hope to get there or do I need to do something else??

Thanks in advance.

 

[TipsyMcStagger]

Get a file and shave each plate down 5%, the difference shall be invisible to the human eye!

 

[Syringer]

I'm thinking if you can do 315 you should be able to figure your way out to the rest.

Unless you're just bragging about it.

 

[Koing]

What is your 'sticking point'? What part of the movement do you have 'problems' with int he BP (Bench Press)?

How is your TECHNIQUE?

Are your feet PLANTED ON THE GROUND AND PUSHING THE FLOOR HARD?

How is the bar moving when it touches your chest?

The bar SHOULD move towards your head and up so in a reverse *J* motion. The part on the right is where your head is so it doesn't go up in a straight line. It moves closer to your head and then goes up more. More efficient technique.

What other exercises are you doing?

Do you do dips?

I would work some SPEED bench press.

SPEED at hte bottom of the BP is THE MOST IMPORTANT. If you have speed off the bottom you will lift more. THIS DOES NOT MEAN TO BOUNCE IT OFF YOUR CHEST. You LOWER IT DOWN then let touchyour chest then AT THIS MOMENT YOU NEED TO WORK THE HARDEST to get the bar up.

So drop back to 60% of your 1RM and do 3 reps and 6 sets first of all. Work speed so your USE TO MOVING THE BAR FAST in this motion. This will help to shift MORE WEIGHT when the bar is HEAVY.

Also you can 'peak' for a 1RM well. I would drop the weight and move out to 6reps for a few weeks. Then each week drop the reps down. Using better technique you will lift more.

Koing

 

[edro]

That is probably very unlikely to happen. You are probably close to your physical max now. 315 is a lot of weight. To do more, you will need significantly more muscle, which takes ~200g protein a day, lifting heavy, and lots of time.

Putting on muscle, once you are at your size, is pretty tough. (Not that it can't be done)

 

[alexeikgb]

Originally posted by: edro13
That is probably very unlikely to happen. You are probably close to your physical max now. 315 is a lot of weight. To do more, you will need significantly more muscle, which takes ~200g protein a day, lifting heavy, and lots of time.

Putting on muscle, once you are at your size, is pretty tough. (Not that it can't be done)

Yeah thats what i'ma afraid of.... but imma try anyway.... I beginning on the 200g protein diet and see if that helps.

and Koing:

What is your 'sticking point'? What part of the movement do you have 'problems' with int he BP (Bench Press)?
--- At the bottom if the movement, usually the spotter needs to SLIGTLY help me push through the lower 1/3 of the movement for me to get a few more reps in.


How is your TECHNIQUE?
--- I think it pretty good.... don't know what would be cnsidered bad technique

Are your feet PLANTED ON THE GROUND AND PUSHING THE FLOOR HARD?
--- my feet are on the floor, but I do not push with them hard, neither do i raise my back off the bench to help

How is the bar moving when it touches your chest?
--- I usually stop the bar 1/2" above my chest and I think it does do the J motion

What other exercises are you doing?
--- everytype.... I found bulding up tricepts has helped me a lot, I also do cable flys, dumbell presses

Do you do dips?
--- No, but I'm thinking of starting.

I'll also try the Speed bench, since it's the bottom of the motion that has me stumped.

Thanks for the advice

 

[trilks]

Well, if you are at 315x4, that's a good start. You might be closer than you think. I achieved about 185% of my weight by just going heavy every day I lifted. Protein shakes and dedication are your best friends.

 

[edro]

Techinque for bench press:
Shoulder blades under you touching the bench.
Arch your back up, so your sternum is up.
Keep your feet under the bench, not out front.
Throughout the entire motion, and even harder on the last few reps, keep that sternum UP HIGH. As soon as it lowers, and your backbone hits the bench, you are using triceps and shoulders, and very little chest. Try to think of your shoulder blades as "On their edge" holding you up.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: alexeikgb

Originally posted by: edro13
That is probably very unlikely to happen. You are probably close to your physical max now. 315 is a lot of weight. To do more, you will need significantly more muscle, which takes ~200g protein a day, lifting heavy, and lots of time.

Putting on muscle, once you are at your size, is pretty tough. (Not that it can't be done)

Yeah thats what i'ma afraid of.... but imma try anyway.... I beginning on the 200g protein diet and see if that helps.

and Koing:

What is your 'sticking point'? What part of the movement do you have 'problems' with int he BP (Bench Press)?
--- At the bottom if the movement, usually the spotter needs to SLIGTLY help me push through the lower 1/3 of the movement for me to get a few more reps in.


How is your TECHNIQUE?
--- I think it pretty good.... don't know what would be cnsidered bad technique

Are your feet PLANTED ON THE GROUND AND PUSHING THE FLOOR HARD?
--- my feet are on the floor, but I do not push with them hard, neither do i raise my back off the bench to help

How is the bar moving when it touches your chest?
--- I usually stop the bar 1/2" above my chest and I think it does do the J motion

What other exercises are you doing?
--- everytype.... I found bulding up tricepts has helped me a lot, I also do cable flys, dumbell presses

Do you do dips?
--- No, but I'm thinking of starting.

I'll also try the Speed bench, since it's the bottom of the motion that has me stumped.

Thanks for the advice

Well 'actually' you don't need to increase muscle mass to lift more. It is about 'muscle efficiency'. As why else can a smaller guy lift more then a bigger more 'muscled' guy? You have to train your muscles to be efficient. You don't need to pack on loads of muscle to lift more but you will pack on some muscle anyway.

Well you not pushing ard with your feet on the floor is SLOPPY TECHNIQUE. Practice it and DO IT you will lift more.

The bar SHOULD TOUCH YOUR CHEST for it to be a legal BP by PL comp rules. If it doesn't touch then you didn't lift it. But you can define it by your own 'rules' though but the bar should touch your chest.

Make sure it moves in a J motion that will help greatly.

Do dips that will strengthen your triceps also. When you get better add weights so the dips are harder to do.

Do the speed benching it will help you get past your sticking point. Only count unassisted reps. When a spotter touches the bar that isn't a lift.

Don't arch your back too much. When ever your back is arch it isn't so strong. PL do this BECAUSE they have made their backs strong and it raises their chest. The higher/ thicker your chest is the easier the BP is for you as you have to move the bar in a SMALLER RANGE OF MOVEMENT then if your back was flush on the bench.

Koing

 

[NightCrawler]

Bent Over Rows.

If you want to bench heavy you need to build up your upper back. They blast the bar off your chest in the beginning of the lift. You will never bench 500 or 600 pounds without building your back up.