Bench press question

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I've been working like a horse to increase my bench but I can't seem to get the gains that I used to. Before I changed my routine I was benching 345 lbs 1.5 times and then a spotter would barely help me do 1.5 so i would basically do 345 3 times with a spot at the end. My old workout for the chest used to be Bench 5 sets 3 reps, incline 3 set 5 reps, and declines 1 x 5,4,3. Right now I'm doing Bench 5reps 5 sets, barbell bench 3 sets 5 reps, and cable crossovers. I think I might come close to maxing at 400lbs but im not sure and when i tried my new work out i only benched 315 4 times instead of the 5 i was supposed to and i think i may have hurt my left pec but not sure. if any one has any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated as usual thanks in advance
 
Thats a shitload of weight to be putting up. There's 3 tricks that come to mind:

1) Put 2 45lb weights on the ground where your feet go. Put your feet on the weights instead of the ground when you bench. The elevation of your feet just that little bit will help you get more of a push.

2) Just before you bench, pull your shoulder blades together, and keep them that way through the set. It kind of makes a 'shelf' of sorts for your body, and helps you lift the weight.

3) Squeeze your butt cheeks throughout the set, I mean hold them in the flexed position. That has the same effect as the other two things...just helps you put up a bit more weight, or 1-2 more reps.
 
Thanks Esteban I Didnt even think about those, I was only thinking really about hand position. I was als thinking about arching. Personally I have never done it, but I hear when people arch they lift alot more. Should I just arch when I max or should I always arch whenever I bench?
 
not really a big fan of arching myself. thats usually when you know you're trying to put up too much weight. the things i listed are in my mind labeled as tricks...arching to me is a cheat.

just my opinion though. ;)
 
Almost anything goes in my book... just as long as your ass stays on the bench. :D Personally I don't arch, but I don't necessarily consider it to constitute as cheating.
Another trick that helps is to use wrist guards. They keep your hands from bending backwards, and not only reduce the risk for wrist injury, but also help somewhat in the stabilization of the lift itself.
 
ok maybe not a cheat...but i think the muscle itself doesn't get worked as hard by arching. Just what I heard from some people...and I think I might have read something about it as well. Not sure. Could be wrong, but I like to keep myself flat on the bench.
 
Yea thats what I like to do, But I figure i should atleast try to max with a arch to cop a feel so to speak :)
 
im2manly said:
Right now I'm doing Bench 5reps 5 sets, barbell bench 3 sets 5 reps, and cable crossovers.
Click to expand...


??? Do you mean dumbbell bench for your second exercise or are you using a smith machine or other machine for your first set of benches?

In all honesty if you've been training w/3-5 heavy reps for a really long time my advice would be to take a break! Take 3-4 weeks and do "light" sets of 8-10 reps and give your muscles a chance to grow/repair a bit before you start pounding the shit out of them some more. :)

IMO- If you're benching 315 for 1.5 there is no way you are even close to maxing out at 400. Maybe 345, 355 tops. And thats assuming you have primarily fast twitch fiber muscles. For example when I maxed out at 315 I could bench 225 for 12 and 275 for 2. On the other hand my boy Chris also maxed out at 315, but he could bench 275 five times! Guess who can run longer...LOL (not me)
 
dreamaloud1 said:
??? Do you mean dumbbell bench for your second exercise or are you using a smith machine or other machine for your first set of benches?

In all honesty if you've been training w/3-5 heavy reps for a really long time my advice would be to take a break! Take 3-4 weeks and do "light" sets of 8-10 reps and give your muscles a chance to grow/repair a bit before you start pounding the shit out of them some more. :)

IMO- If you're benching 315 for 1.5 there is no way you are even close to maxing out at 400. Maybe 345, 355 tops. And thats assuming you have primarily fast twitch fiber muscles. For example when I maxed out at 315 I could bench 225 for 12 and 275 for 2. On the other hand my boy Chris also maxed out at 315, but he could bench 275 five times! Guess who can run longer...LOL (not me)
Click to expand...


Good call on that. Didn't even notice it. Yeah if you've been doing the same routine for a while, CHANGE IT!!! Throw your body a curve-ball...always keep it off balance. You gain the most by making it work the hardest...if you do the same thing too much you don't gain. If you're up to benching over 200 even you know this...so follow it. Change up your routine. If you're doing sets of 3-5, change to sets of 8-10 for instance, and lower the weight.

I know you're just looking for a few tips to push past the plateau, thinking that lower reps while challenging the muscle with higher weights is the way to go. But, that may not always be the case. If you're plateauing (sp?) then just try anything you think might work.
 
esteban said:
ok maybe not a cheat...but i think the muscle itself doesn't get worked as hard by arching. Just what I heard from some people...and I think I might have read something about it as well. Not sure. Could be wrong, but I like to keep myself flat on the bench.
Click to expand...

Yeah..I guess it depends on who you ask. I used to have this big semi pro dude coach me, and he was always telling me to "arch your damn back son"! I only did it as long as he was watching, though. :D
 
Thanks for all the respones guys, and dreamaloud1 I was benching 345 1.5 times not 315. I can do 315 about 4.5 times, I never under any circumstances use the smith machine or a chest press machine because i like to involve the stabiliser muscles. My old routine used to be this: Bench 5 sets 3 reps, Incline 1 sets 5 reps then 1 set 4 reps then 1 set 3 reps, and then i would do declines the same way. Right Now for my chest I am doing Bench 5 sets 5 reps, and dumbell presses 3 sets 8 reps and I am doing this for a month and a half so as to some what warm up the muscle because if i just go into a full over hi rep workout i might get injured and then i plan on doing Bench 5 sets 8 reps, db bench 3 sets 10 reps and cable crossovers 3 set 10reps. and then hopefully ill go back to overloading the muscle again. So just for a general consensus should I arch only when I max or arch during a regular workout thanks again
 
esteban said:
not really a big fan of arching myself. thats usually when you know you're trying to put up too much weight. the things i listed are in my mind labeled as tricks...arching to me is a cheat.
Click to expand...
I don't agree with arching either, not because i think it's cheating... but because it's just poor form. Arching your back changes the angle that you're lift so that it's no longer perpendicular to your pecs. It's somewhere between flat and decline. Having to break form means that you're lifting more than what you're capable. This just leads to injury down the road.

shafty said:
Yeah..I guess it depends on who you ask. I used to have this big semi pro dude coach me, and he was always telling me to "arch your damn back son"! I only did it as long as he was watching, though.
Click to expand...
There's a guy at my gym that's the same way... i hear him yell at his trainees to "swing the weight" and teaches them to use poor form. Just because they're big and have been lifting forever doesn't mean that they know how to lift correctly. Sloppy form just leads to injury...
 
esteban said:
ok maybe not a cheat...but i think the muscle itself doesn't get worked as hard by arching. Just what I heard from some people...and I think I might have read something about it as well. Not sure. Could be wrong, but I like to keep myself flat on the bench.
Click to expand...

Actually it is quite the opposite. If you study the shape of the pectoral muscle and look at it from a biomechanical point of view. Not just gym heresay, you will see that in order to properly get that muscle to be used to its FULL advantage you would need to arch your back. What this will do is naturally retract your scapulas. When arching and retracting your scapulas you are in the best alignment you can possibly be in in order to fully utlilize your pectorals. But then again you have to study anatomy alot to see that.
 
Retracting your scapula does in fact arch your back slightly, but it's not that much. And just arching your back doesn't necessarily retracts your scapula. I think it's the other way around that your back will arch IF you retract your scapula.

Maybe i misunderstood what iam2Manly meant by arching your back. I'm assuming that he meant the over exagerated arching that one does when lift a weight that is too much for him. You see this type of lift often from young kids trying to look strong by trying to push up two plates with heavy spotting when he should actually be using one one plate.
 
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sikdogg said:
Retracting your scapula does in fact arch your back slightly, but it's not that much. And just arching your back doesn't necessarily retracts your scapula. I think it's the other way around that your back will arch IF you retract your scapula.

Maybe i misunderstood what iam2Manly meant by arching your back. I'm assuming that he meant the over exagerated arching that one does when lift a weight that is too much for him. You see this type of lift often from young kids trying to look strong by trying to push up two plates with heavy spotting when he should actually be using one one plate.
Click to expand...

Probably a misunderstanding. My interpretation was arching while your butt is still on the bench. Arching the back as long as it is controlled and your butt is on the bench allows for more muscle recruitment because of pure biomechanics.

Retracting your scapula allows for you to have a more natural arch through your thoracic(mid back) region and therefore allows for more arch in your lumbar area(low back). Arching your low back allows you to more naturally retract your scapulas. The recruitment feeds off of each other.
 
yea what i ment was over exaggerating the arch...when ur butt is off the bench. personally i do not arch because i heard it is CHEATING i dont really care i just want to make sure i can target the pecs...im pretty confident i can bench 400lbs if i do a exagerrated arch lift
 
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