bench stopped advancing

[dj ben2]

ive been doing everything right protein wise and all my other muscles are advancing eg my squats and deads and leg presses and shoulders are addin weight except my bench its stayed the same for 2 weeks now and i cant push it further (im at 34kg+20kg bar = 54kgs.)

 

[Brian McGee]

it's called a plateau. you'll eventually overcome it, just be patient, gains gradually slow down the longer you've been lifting

 

[donjuanjovi]

Change your routine. Instead of doing bench, switch to flies. Do incline, decline, and flat to hit the entire muscle. AND DO SOME DIPS! Nobody at my gym does dips and I don't know why. If you can do more than 8, than buy a dip/chin belt and add some plates.

Now, another problem may be your triceps. Benching is a huge tricep movement aswell. If they've been neglected than they may be the weak link.

I don't know what your diet is like, but bumping your daily intake up by 250 can halp push through a plateau.

 

[shaunuk]

Do 2 heavy sets of close grip bench press (i.e. 2x5), then a few sets of dips. See if that works That should strengthen your triceps and also hit your chest during the dips.

-shaun

 

[D_Master]

When i plateu I switch over to dumbbells for a week or 2 along with some of the suggestions the other guys have given. This will blast you through the plateu. You may only increase 5 or 10 lbs at the most, but at least it's something.

 

[SamoJednom]

eat more.

 

[EFFORT]

Where are you missing the lift? Are you getting stuck at the bottom, middle, top? Post up your routine

 

[howardalex]

ideas:

1) partial repping
2) go sick on incline/decline
3) press ups every day, don't laugh at this one, it works!
4) introduce flies or something, that'd strengthen the bottom part of your lift I reckon
5) dumbell press - go sick on it!!!

 

[John_Galt]

DJ Ben, ask yourself a question, Do you want to lift heavy weights or do you want to be big? They aren't related to most extent.

If you want to be big, learn about hypertrophy. If you want to be strong, lower your reps, and maybe try box bench presses.

Oh yeah, and don't listen to howard, flies are useless.

 

[howardalex]

Oh yeah, and don't listen to howard, flies are useless.

flies have their use - I don't use them but if you stop like an inch off your chest you have to do flies

 

[John_Galt]

Flies are useless. It works this thin little string that goes from your chest to half way down your arm. It's useless waste of energy and time.

 

[Call_Me_Daddy]

DJ Ben, ask yourself a question, Do you want to lift heavy weights or do you want to be big? They aren't related to most extent.

Ronnie Coleman started out as a Powerlifter. He was still fairly huge at the time.

Huge weight = huge body.

If you want to be big, learn about hypertrophy. If you want to be strong, lower your reps, and maybe try box bench presses.

You can have plenty of hypertrophy at low reps. You just have to eat properly and not lower the res too much. Anything less than 3 reps and you're working the nervous system more than the muscles.

Oh yeah, and don't listen to howard, flies are useless.

Yeah. Flies are useless.

 

[Call_Me_Daddy]

flies have their use - I don't use them but if you stop like an inch off your chest you have to do flies

If you stop like an inch off your chest (I'm assuming you mean bench) then you're doing it wrong.

It should touch your chest. Unless you're going for raw power then you can cut corners a little.

 

[Call_Me_Daddy]

ideas:

1) partial repping
2) go sick on incline/decline
3) press ups every day, don't laugh at this one, it works!
4) introduce flies or something, that'd strengthen the bottom part of your lift I reckon
5) dumbell press - go sick on it!!!

Yeah.... OR

Change the routine around. Order of exercises and set/reps slightly. Vary it a little. Use the different routine until you milk all the gains out of it, then switch again.

Or maybe eat more and better. You can stagnate due to lack of muscle mass too.

 

[shaunuk]

Nah, I think howard's talking about where dj is missing the lift - i.e. an inch above his chest. That is, he touches the bar to his chest, attempts to press the bar back up, and he fails about an inch above his chest.

Personally I have never done flies before, but I'm being trained by EFFORT at the moment, and the routine he has prescribed for me has flies in (though only twice in 10 weeks). And as far as I'm concerned, EFFORT is one of the most knowledgable lifters on the board...they must have some use as an assistance exercise..

-shaun

 

[howardalex]

what I'm saying is - if he's missing just the bottom part of the lift like I suspect, he can stengthen this part of the lift with flies or maybe partial repping...
although yeah he should swap it round, work harder, introduce new moves etc

also, anyone ever try heavy negative repping?

 

[Call_Me_Daddy]

also, anyone ever try heavy negative repping?

That requires a spotter... no?

And if he has problems with the bottom, do 1 1/2 reps. Ask a competent fitness instructor.

You go through the movement as follows:

• 
  ]You start at the chest. Move up all the way to the top, and then back down to the chest. (That's one rep. Full ROM).

• 
  Then you move from the chest but you stop halfway. Then you go back down. (This is the half part. 1/2 ROM)

• Repeat.

This way you work the bottom part of the lift twice as much.

 

[howardalex]

That requires a spotter... no?

And if he has problems with the bottom, do 1 1/2 reps. Ask a competent fitness instructor.

You go through the movement as follows:

• 
  ]You start at the chest. Move up all the way to the top, and then back down to the chest. (That's one rep. Full ROM).

• 
  Then you move from the chest but you stop halfway. Then you go back down. (This is the half part. 1/2 ROM)

• Repeat.

This way you work the bottom part of the lift twice as much.

that's what I mean by partial repping...and yeah heavy negging needs a spotter - does he not have one?

 

[John_Galt]

Ronnie Coleman started out as a Powerlifter. He was still fairly huge at the time.

Huge weight = huge body.

You can't view it completely that way. You will get big. But it takes a lot longer. You only get some hyperplasm hypertrophy. I'm approaching the weight class of Arnold and I can't bench press over 200. Weight doesn't mean you're going to get big. I've seen skinny punks that move more weight than I do.

You can have plenty of hypertrophy at low reps. You just have to eat properly and not lower the res too much. Anything less than 3 reps and you're working the nervous system more than the muscles.

The hypertrophy you get at low reps is for nerves so you become more explosive, not bigger.

 

[dj ben2]

thanx everyone ill trry all the suggestions. yes i usually get stuck halfway between my chest back up again ..i also usually do 4-8 reps is this hypertrophy?