How to Increase Bench

[TeddyBear]

I’m not 100% confident in my bench form, but I’m pretty sure I’m doing it right with an arch, legs planted (pushing feet forward and into the ground), scapula retracted and down, trying to “bend the bar”.

Despite this, my bench has not improved in several months.

Granted, I came off of a cycle and cut some fat, but my deadlift has increased 30lbs in the past 2 months, my bench is now 10lbs less.

I can pull 475lb and squat 395lb, but my bench went from 250 to 240.

Im not sure how to better target my chest. My shoulders and triceps are disproportionately stronger, I can do an overhead press of 190. My chest is still really flat and lags in development.

 

[JackDMegalomaniac]

It would help if you took a video if your bench press next time youre at the gym.

I have hard time building my chest too. I found a great deal on a multi machine. So I include Chest Presses, And pectoral flys in my workout now.

Any other good exercises?

 

[MrInsensitive]

Following. I need this!

my bench is the same way. Everything else is disproportionate in strength. I’m stupid strong on biceps, back and shoulders. But I have the chest of a high school kid.... I’ve really been focusing on development this year. It hasn’t done a whole lot for strength but it’s sure made it pop more.
I believe wider shoulders play a huge role. It’s something genetic.
ask John Z how he grew his chest like that in 8 months. Massive transform on the pecs.

 

[Adrenolin]

Partials (in the rom where you typically struggle), occasionally some negatives, and micro progressive overload (moving the weight up at 2.5lbs or LESS at a time) might all help, but as Jack mentioned, a video would really assist us in assisting you. Sometimes you need to back off the bench and train the accessory exercises more for a few weeks before you can push through a barrier. Where do you fail?

 

[CohibaRobusto]

What does your typical chest day routine look like?

What lifts / sets / reps are you doing?

 

[creekrat]

Triceps are key to a big bench

That being said, I don’t do much of anything on a flat bench. Maybe some DB fly and DB press here and there

 

[Sickman]

Flat bench isn't the best way to develop mass on your chest. Incline bb or db, dips, push ups, and flyes all hit the chest better as far as mass and hypertrophy goes.
I totally feel you though, I can bench 425, but my chest is still kind of flat, my triceps and shoulders are what get worked most when I do flat bench. Even when I get sore from it, I rarely feel it in my chest. It's all shoulders and tris. Genetics could be a factor too like always.

What helped me build my bench strength up was high frequency benching. I did a program called smolov jr, and went from 345 to 425 in 6 weeks.

 

[TeddyBear]

A chest day looks like this, ish.
Face Pulls with Cable-Dual-Rope: 5x10 35lbs
Low Seated Cable Rows, Overhand Medium Grip Straight Bar: 5x10 120lbs
Scapula Retractions, hanging pull ups 3x10

Bench press: 10x135lbs, 5x185lbs, 5x205lbs, 5x225lbs, 1x250 (on good day), 3x225lbs, 5x205lbs, 5x185lbs

Cable Cross overs 5x12 15lbs
Incline dumbbell press 5x10 55lbs
Tricep extensions with cables 5x15 50lbs

I’ll have figure out video in a little bit.

 

[El Gringo]

I recently just discovered how to bench. I used to always irritate my front delts. Any weight beyond 225 and I’d start feeling pain. I thought flat bench was bad for your shoulders and would instead do incline/decline.

finally, I discovered my form was wrong.

It’s about elbow placement. Keep them tucked in and down towards your waist. Bring the bar down to about 1-2” below your nipples.

Keep your back arched, shoulders tucked back and down, and squeeze every muscle in your body. Barbell bench is a compound movement. Compound movements are full body exercises. Try to engage your lats as well.

Squeeze your grip on the bar, but try to push with your palms. Keep your feet planted flat and don’t bounce the weight off your chest or do a hip thrust.

also if you want to increase the weight, do Speed bench once a week and heavy bench another day of the week. Speed bench is 8 sets of 3 reps (about 55-65% of 1rep max). Go up and down like lighting, as fast as you can. This will help with your explosiveness.

there are also planks and chains, but most gyms don’t have that

This made a huge difference.

I can 225x10 (very slow and controlled). Where just a few months ago I’d do 4 reps at 225 before giving up because I was afraid I’d snap a tendon in my shoulder.

 

[TeddyBear]

Bench Form 1: https://youtu.be/n15sek9SxpM
Bench Form 2: https://youtu.be/ISEfhlqhGWc

 

[Jin]

Bench Form 1: https://youtu.be/n15sek9SxpM
Bench Form 2: https://youtu.be/ISEfhlqhGWc

Need better videos and we need to see your entire body not just upper body. One from the side like you posted and one straight on from your feet.

Initially I’d say it looks like your elbows are flared out way too far and you’d improve power by tucking them.

 

[El Gringo]

Bench Form 1: https://youtu.be/n15sek9SxpM
Bench Form 2: https://youtu.be/ISEfhlqhGWc

elbows are too far flared out. Try to make them touch your sides (ribs/lats).
the thought of it may look weird, but try it.

try practicing it while doing push-ups. Also lower the weight for a few weeks on the bench and then slowly increase it once you get the form down. You won’t believe how much your bench will be going up.

 

[TeddyBear]

Need better videos and we need to see your entire body not just upper body. One from the side like you posted and one straight on from your feet.

Initially I’d say it looks like your elbows are flared out way too far and you’d improve power by tucking them.

I had to dig for those videos, I’ll take some next time I do bench. They’re awkward but because I had to my phone down low.

 

[Jin]

elbows are too far flared out. Try to make them touch your sides (ribs/lats).
the thought of it may look weird, but try it.

try practicing it while doing push-ups. Also lower the weight for a few weeks on the bench and then slowly increase it once you get the form down. You won’t believe how much your bench will be going up.

Yes. When changing your form you will have to drop the weight to relearn. Take a step backwards to take two forwards.

 

[BrotherIron]

Strengthen your shoulders, lats, and triceps. Those will have a carryover to your bench.

 

[CohibaRobusto]

Strengthen your shoulders, lats, and triceps. Those will have a carryover to your bench.

What shoulder and lat lifts are going to have the most effect on bench press?

 

[BrotherIron]

What shoulder and lat lifts are going to have the most effect on bench press?

You use your lats for the initial push of the bar off your chest as well as stabilize it. So you want to work any rowing movement. Bent over row, DB row, meadows row, etc. You use the hell outta your front delts when you bench. So front raises and OHPing movements.

 

[Adrenolin]

What shoulder and lat lifts are going to have the most effect on bench press?

My front delts are hit hard enough from bench that I never do any extra accessory exercises for them.

But as for lats, heavy bent over rows.

Triceps I'm big on close grip presses and HEAVY skull crushers

I also focus on rear delts for bench as well, rear delt flyes - either bent over with dumbbells, standing with cross pulleys, or using a pec dek in reverse. And cable face pulls to the face as well as to the clavicle.

 

[SFGiants]

Bench Form 1: https://youtu.be/n15sek9SxpM
Bench Form 2: https://youtu.be/ISEfhlqhGWc

2 things

1st you round out and break tightness getting loose when you push up on the bar before decent, this ruins stability by rounding shoulder and taking the trap out of play to stabilize, this is why I think you flare you. It also loosens you lats.

2nd. you need to know where your sticking point is, (where the bar gets stuck pushing it back up) this will tell you which muscle group to put my work in with to get that bench stronger.

So stop pushing up on the bar and breaking your set up, set tight and stay tight!

 

[Uncle manny]

Like mentioned above, keep the shoulder blades tight together the whole set. Also think of bending the bar to help keep the elbows tucked and lats engaged.