Ok, I'm getting a little aggravated with my bench press. Right now my workout routine is 4 days in a row (each doing different sections of the body), and then 3 days off.

I was doing 205, 3 sets of 10 reps for a while but my style was too sloppy and I took a break from my routine for a while. So I when I started back up, I went down to 185 lbs, 3-5 sets of 10 reps. This began to feel pretty easy, so I decided to up it to 195.

Now this is what is aggravating me, I seem to favor my left side when I start to strain, so by the time I get to about 7 or so, I push more with my left side. If I try to level it out it doesn't feel strong enough.

I'm not sure if I'm doing too much weight or do I just need to get used to the new weight?

I don't do barbell bench pressing myself dude! I find that although its predominently a chest workout it is very hard not to use your shoulders a hell of alot.

I find that using dumbells is alot better for shaping the pecs, it isolates the chest muscles better, just make sure you don't lie the bench completely flat. I do 4 x 10 reps of 36kgs. This way will obviously help you balance your strength to both sides. Lift whatever your weakest side can do 10 reps of and build up untill you are back even.

Are you specifically wanting to improve your bench pressing or chest strength??

mrnixon wrote:I don't do barbell bench pressing myself dude! I find that although its predominently a chest workout it is very hard not to use your shoulders a hell of alot.

I find that using dumbells is alot better for shaping the pecs, it isolates the chest muscles better, just make sure you don't lie the bench completely flat. I do 4 x 10 reps of 36kgs. This way will obviously help you balance your strength to both sides. Lift whatever your weakest side can do 10 reps of and build up untill you are back even.

Are you specifically wanting to improve your bench pressing or chest strength??

Both really. When I was in highschool I didn't have a gym membership I just had a 40 lb dumbbell so I just did bicep curls all the time. Eventually I got interested in the rest of my body, and upper body wise, my chest isn't caught up with the rest.

So I'd like to big a bigger chest, but I'd also like to increase my bench press. Hoping to eventually hit 315 lbs. Which I'm kind of far away from I think.

I've stopped doing the "big lifts" and am working hard on my strength and conditioning.

When I do work each muscle group, my chest workout is:

Horizontal Chest Press 4 x 10
Dumbell Chest Press 4 x 10
Dumb bell flys 5 x 12
Cable Cross over 4 x 10
Tic Toc 4 x 10 (I cannot find a site that explains this so I will draw and scan if you'd like)
Wide grip Dips (Head up + chest out, head down works triceps more) 4 x 20

Working with dumbells will really help you gain the balance you're after and then i'm sure you'll know how to push on once you've achieved it.

I super appreciate it, and I'm interested as to what the tic toc thing is.


But what would your suggestion be for evening my right side with my left?

Also a problem I have is not knowing when to move up in weight, but I assume its just when your exercise gets easy. How often does this usually happen though?

Search-Destroy wrote:I super appreciate it, and I'm interested as to what the tic toc thing is.


But what would your suggestion be for evening my right side with my left?

Also a problem I have is not knowing when to move up in weight, but I assume its just when your exercise gets easy. How often does this usually happen though?

Your last rep of 10 always wants to be a struggle but achievable. As soon as it is as hard as the 9th, its time to step up. Your strength is usually pretty relative to your mass, so your diet and how much weight you are putting on, will be the deciding factor in how quickly you increase the weights. If you keep your fats low, your carbs complex and controlled, and your protein intake, well, as much as you can consume ensuring the fat and carb levels don't rise above what you require to function at your peak, you will put on thick, lean, lasting muscle over time and will increase you strength slower. Wana get huge, eat shit loads of everything except sugars and saturated fats. You'll be bigger in mass and increase your strength much quicker.

By moving to dumbells and horizontal chest press machines with independant bars for each arm you can on your first attempt work out the 10 rep max for your weaker arm, this is then the weight you have for your stronger arm also. Because you can do each arm seperately you can slighty change how you perform the exercise. For your strong arm, smooth and controlled... nothing out of the norm. For your weaker arm focus on forcing the weight away but not fully extending your arm, (just to add you don't need to fully extend on most exercises, when you lock out it takes the muscle out of traction and allows it rest) on the way down you need to really slow it down, 3 seconds usually works a treat. Like 1..2...down. This tears the muscle 2 fold compared to bang, down, bang, down. Negetive repetitions if you will.

So work out your 10 rep max with your new technique for your weaker arm, and use the same weight on your strong arm. Give it a month and hit me back with how you're getting on. By then you should be noticing an increase in explosive strength in your weaker side and it should be cool to recheck your 10 rep max with both arms at the same time with the same weight and see how much progress you've made.

PS. I've just realised I've often said "strong ARM for example. We're talking about the chest primarily and anterior deltoid as a secondary and supporting muscle, not the actual arm. (For those who are reading in)

I new i'd missed an excercise out of my workout.. good old pec deck. Yep 4 x 10 reps. The pec deck is awesome when done correctly and gives you the the rounded pec definition in the centre of your chest. You see people rocking forward with their head down, pushing with the palms of their hands. This is the best way to lift the most weight.. because you're using loads of different muscle. What you do is this: Head against the padding , never let it come off (you'll now notice how much it wants to, damn head! ), when it does your trapezius (upper back) gets involved. Always keep your elbows tucked right in and against the pads. Squeeze your chest as you bring your elbows together, don't let the pads touch (see comment about allowing the muscle to rest) and control back to the start. 1...2...back.
The negative aspect when controlling the weight back slower gives the inner pec the lines/grooves or torn look over time.

Yeah I can do the pec deck things really well. I can do 10 reps on the machine maxed out no problem.

I see you do dumbbell flies. I haven't really heard good things about them. Do you like the results you get from them?

Search-Destroy wrote:Yeah I can do the pec deck things really well. I can do 10 reps on the machine maxed out no problem.

I see you do dumbbell flies. I haven't really heard good things about them. Do you like the results you get from them?

No offense: But using that technique on the pec deck i push 50kg at 10 reps so unless the max on those machines isn't very heavy, i'd analyse your technique. (Fuck.. you could be a beast rich!) 95% of people don't keep their head back and elbows completely flush with the pad, or control it back. Thats only doing half the exercise and not totally isolating the chest muscles. Have a check anyway...

The benefit of flys is that the dumbells can come lower than the bench, something a barbell cannot do. With your chest pushed out and head flat on the bench, you REALLY feel the stretching of your chest. At the peak of the rep your palms should be face up, and you should be making a really wide "W" shape due to keeping your arms sightly bent. (this isolates the chest from the anterior deltoid). Keep your arms at right angles to your body (crucifix style). Allow the dumbells to come slightly below the level of the bench, and when raising tense and squeeze to ull the weighs back infront of you, making sure you don't let the weights hit each other.

I fuckin love flies dude!

Yeah I followed your techinique, and the machine is about 90 kgs max. its still pretty easy for me, except that I had to cut my work out short today, incorporating some of the stuff you told me, I got a little too sore.

I'm fairly strong though. I weight about 190 lbs and I'm 6'3, but for some reason, my bench just isn't cutting it for me. I'm really excited to incorporate some of your tips though, it worked out pretty well today

Search-Destroy wrote:Yeah I followed your techinique, and the machine is about 90 kgs max. its still pretty easy for me, except that I had to cut my work out short today, incorporating some of the stuff you told me, I got a little too sore.

I'm fairly strong though. I weight about 190 lbs and I'm 6'3, but for some reason, my bench just isn't cutting it for me. I'm really excited to incorporate some of your tips though, it worked out pretty well today

Shit hot buddy! I wonder if the machine I use is a whole lot different. I'm 6ft and like 181 lbs and pretty lean. The pec deck action is very similar to DB flies, like an upright seated version really, except your lower arms are at right angles with the pec dec. The chest muscle is still being stretched and used in the same way so there shouldn't be a huge difference in the weight you use for each exercise!

Just do it right now as you read this without any weight and look down at your chest and how your upper arms move. Its zi same!!!

Hope you have a nice, deep ache tomorrow mucker! (Protein, protein, protein!!!)

I use a 5x5 method. I've done pyramids, 20 rep sets that equal over 15000 tonnage and nothing has worked better for me. I suppose once you peak out your potential you'll have to microload but try a 5x5 for 8 weeks and you'll see an increase guaranteed.
I suggest you take 200lbs and start with and each week on your chest day add on 5lbs. I know you can do more than 200lbs 5x5 but focus more on the form than the actual lift and gain some confidence in your press.
I also suggest you add in an overhead standing press. Not many people I know do this and not one person that does this that I know has a lacking bench press 5-1rm. Also begin this 5x5 and definately remember to record each weight so you can add 5lbs each week.
Another MUST do is a tricep strength exercise and nothings better for that than just bench pressing using a close grip on the bar, wherein your hands will be no more than 8-10inches apart and once again do this 5x5.
Are you deadlifting?
Are you squatting?

If you need shoot me a PM and I'll send you a must have book in .pdf called starting strength by mark rippetoe it's the msot useful piece of literature to date IMO.

If you want to raise your bench press maximum I have a great program for you. I just have to look it up and translate it to english. It was designed by one of the most famous weight lifters in my country. I'll come back when I'm done.

Ok, didn't take too long.

It's called Mikes 2x6. You do 2 sets of 6 reps. Always just 6 even if you could do more.

- If you can do 2x6, next time you add 2,5 kgs(~5,5 lbs) and try to do 2x6 again.
- If you can do 6 once but not twice, you keep the same weight next time.
- If you can't do 6 the first time you take 5 kgs(~11 lbs) away and if you manage to do 6 on your second set you keep the same goal(as before taking the 5 kgs away)
- If you can't do 6 even after you take 5 kgs away on your second set you take 5 kgs smaller goal for next day.

It may sound weird but believe me it works. You can do it three times a week(it probably works best this way) or just replace your bench press set with it as part or your excercise. My bench press raised faster than with any other program I've tried.

if benching more is your goal, heavier is always better, like 2-5 reps, even 1 rep if your just starting out. also when increasing weight you have to eat more protein as well, otherwise no muscle building and you'll end up gettin tired around the same rep then frustration ensues.

karrde wrote:if benching more is your goal, heavier is always better, like 2-5 reps, even 1 rep if your just starting out. also when increasing weight you have to eat more protein as well, otherwise no muscle building and you'll end up gettin tired around the same rep then frustration ensues.

1 or 2 reps does nothing for you, it's not enough to effectively break down the muscles so they can grow. You should get at least 5 reps, 6 preferably on heavy sets. Lighter sets you should aim for 8. But you are right about the heavy part. Light weight and high reps doesn't build muscle's bigger, it just increases their endurance. Heavy weight is definitely what you should aim for if you want to increase size and power, but not so much weight that you can barley get it up once or twice. That just strains you and often causes guys to lift wrong and throw out their lower back. If you can't do it 5 times, it's too much weight and you need to work up to it (unless you're trying to max out to see how much you can do. Then once can be acceptable, although I wouldn't recommend max benching too often, maybe once a month or something).