Whats the best way to increase your benchpress??

Question

I am currently in the 9th grade and bench 205x2 I squat 330 repwise, and am wondering how I can get my bench up rather than working on it day after day..

Answer 1

You're young, so your muscles will recover fairly quickly from a good workout, but you need to make sure they are fully recovered before you work chest again, this gives your muscles time to grow. Working your muscles too often will just break them down and not give them time to recover and grow. I wouldn't work chest more than twice a week.

If you are doing the same workout every week, your muscles get used to it, and don't grow, so vary your workout. One week go heavy, the next week go for higher reps. On heavy week, lift a weight that you can do four reps, on the high rep week lift a weight that you can do 10 or 12 reps.

Vary the chest exercises that you do. Do flat bench and incline bench one week, and flat bench and decline bench another week. Also try using dumbbells for your bench occasionally. With dumbbells, you'll have to lift fewer pounds, because more stabilizer muscles come into play. Also do flys, flat, incline, decline.

You can also vary the width of your grip on the bar, but I wouldn't do this as often. I used to use a wider grip for 6 months and a narrower grip for the other 6 months. A wider grip works your pecs more, and a narrower grip works your triceps more.

Do a light warm-up set to get the blood flowing to the muscles being used, then do three sets of an exercise, resting well between each set. This allows the muscles to recover enough so they can then be fully stressed again in the next set.

Do each set to exhaustion, working with a spotter. If you can do another rep without help, then you haven't done enough reps. Make sure the spotter knows how to spot -- that he(or she) is only to give you enough help to keep the weight moving, not to lift it for you. That final rep with just a little help is important.

Eat healthy balanced meals, quality protein, complex carbs, veggies. Get plenty of sleep (also known as vitamin Z).

If, after all this, you still plateau, you seem to be stuck at a certain weight, then try getting a workout partner and take turns deciding what exercises to do this week, or change partners if you already have one.

Work hard and grow!

Answer 2

First thing.. you NEVER bench press everyday!!!! Make sure you give whatever musclegroup you are working on a full day of rest after your work out. You rip muscle fibers every time you lift, scar tissue forms on those muscle fibers when they heal. They will not heal if not rested. Therefore muscle grows through rest and proper nutrition (Protein may help). Eggs, peanut butter sandwiches ,fish are some sources ...or you buy some at GNC in a powder form and mix with water. This is pure protein.

When lifting make sure you lift light and heavy on alternating days . So this would be ,light Monday , heavy Wednesday.

This will give your muscles a shock on the heavy days and mantain mass and strenghth on the light days.
Use the pyramid method..... 1 set of 12 of 100lbs 1 set of 10 120 lbs 1 set of 8 130 lbs 1 set of 6 150 lbs. Then choose the same workout for incline but different weights for different lifts.
Remember the weight suggested will be related to your strength you may be stronger or weaker. Be smart when putting on the weight ......You do not want to hurt yourself!!!!!
(Remember to warm up before all lifting)
The days you just go heavy on the bench- The one method is doing your best set of 5. 4 times. I bench 250 on these days. My max is 300lbs. You just add 50 lbs and usually that would be your max. I played QB in high school and Safety in College. I did bench 350 lb at one point but did not want bulk up too much. Now I just lift to look good and maintain strength for Tri-athlons that I do. Hope this Helps!!!! Former Football player and Current Triathlete

Answer 3

Brawnzguy's response was probably the best I have read. But here is one more tip that really helped me when I was playing college ball. A strength coach told me just about everything that Brawnzguy said in his response, but he added that on the days I was not lifting weights, doing push-ups would really help. He recommended doing pyramids starting low in the first set with maybe 20 reps, then second set 30, 3rd set 40, 4th 50, then 5th back to 40 reps, 6th 30, 7th 20 again. I would lift one day and do push-ups the next. It was amazing how quickly my ability to bench went up! But I would caution you that I had been working with this particular strenght coach for a couple of years and accustomed to some grueling workouts. You are young and your body is still developing. Start slowly and follow Brawnzguy's advice as well.

Answer 4

Keep benching every other day. Supplementing with protein is a great way to build muscle. Also, eating more meals per day (about 5 meals the size of 3 large meals) will help raise metabolism which will help your body turn the added protein into muscle. Eat a lot of protein and a lot of carbs for energy and muscle building.

Answer 5

do 3 sets of five, increasing the weight each time... make sure you have a spotter... explode the weight off your chest... do a fourth set with heavy weight that requires assistance... on a five-count, resist the weight until it hits your chest, explode and have spotter assist with getting the weight up... it will work, especially if your stuck at a weight

don't lift the same muscle groups two days in a row... they need a day to repair... bench on mondays and fridays... no more than that or you are overworking the muscles

Answer 6

benchpressing a little more each day. like do 2 sets of 10 with a 100 one day, skip a day, do 2 sets of 10 with 110, skip a day, and so on and so forth, the skipped day will help ur muscle relax and heal (which is how it grows and developes.)

Answer 7

Uh, take steroids. Or do other excersises that work the same chest, bicep, and tricep muscels that the benchpress works.

Answer 8

thats not bad u shouldnt be so worried about ur bench its good rite now for ur age

Answer 9

keep raising it each time

Answer 10

lift more weight or steriods