My bench sucks...225 for last 10 fuckin years

I'm not any stronger at 31 than I was at 21...My bench sucks and I have a bird chest. :doh:

 

You ever try handstand pushups? They stabilize the chest and shoulders like no exercise I've ever seen. Push presses are fantastic too.

 

buddy how can handstand push ups work your chest? :dunno:


i've been doing them and think they're great for shoulders, i worry about not getting a proper range of motion though


Barristan, 225 is alright isnt it? certainly better than most people...are you a big guy?

 

They work most of the muscles in your upper body including the scapulae in your back. They don't target the chest as directly as they target your shoulders, but all your pushing muscles get worked when you do them.

 

No it isn't. I did that in one summer of working out. I have no upper body strength either.

 

I almost never do bench anymore. I spend a lot of time running and trying to get my mile down, but I know I can bench around 300 with a few weeks training.

225 is ok, but it depends on your dimensions,armlength, etc etc.

 

Benching or any other specfic lift takes specific training to get..

But...

if you are stuck at a plateu for a while on the bench.. something like Handstand pu's or even pushups can help. I kinda thing it is partly due to just changing it up.. doing bench all the time you get used to it and get good at it.. after a while you hit a spot.. level off..
but start doinging pushups and or hand stand pushups.. it's like a new goal and pushing yourself in pushups can help your stuck Bench IMO.

I stopped benching for a long time.. and started doing pushups and I think that right now I'd be close to my bench when I was benching all the time.. probably a bit lower but the endurance is much better now..

when you train for heavy bench and are in the 4-6 rep range.. or getting to the 1-2 rep range.. you build strength in that range..
when my bench was really good it was for low reps

but I do hundreds of pushups now.. I think the difference is the endurance

anyway Benching 225 is alot more than most.. MOST people dont go to the gym in the first place.. 225 is really good when you think of it like that

 

Well, I never got into regular benching. I did and still do barbell incline, decline, machine butterflies, and dumbell flyes each week (not all in one day, but all by end of week) and developed a pretty big chest....in fact moreso than people who are into regular benching, could be genetics along with isolation exercises....whatever that is worth to you guys with bird chests who still hang on to benching numbers. Pyramids once a month will help you fight plateaus along with changing the exercises twice a week.

 

As Buddy and Lok said, 225 is pretty good, especially if your other lifts are in proportion to it. If your just a bench jockey (like 90% of gym goers), not so much. And it depends on your build, the taller you are for your weight the more difficult it is.

Anyway, some suggestions to get it moving none the less A) Bench more often - bump it up to 3x a week but NOT to failure. Preferably with a light day (or military press day) on wednesdays. That'll move it up quickly. B) progressive movement training (google it, you'll need either a couple of 2x4's or a power rack). C) Dead stop benching. Like box squatting, lower the weight (about 65% of 5 rep max for 5) and isometrically hold it on your chest for a 3 or 4 count before raising it. will build explosiveness at the bottom of the movement. Could be done as a light day on a 3x week program. D) Cycling down and building back up to 225. Just back right off, lets say back to 150 for 5, then put 5 or ten lb on the bar each work out until your back up to your 5 rep max and 95% of the time you'll surpass it, & probably take you 1rm up to about 240. Then if you stall 3 work outs in a row, cycle back up and surpass 240, etc. E) Add chin ups to your routine. Believe it or not this apparently often gets people through benching plateus. (Yes chin ups!). If your not doing presses and dips these might help as well.

Personally I'd say A & D with C on wednesdays as your light day would be a great option.

 

225 doesn't seem impressive because 95% of people obsess over the bench to the neglect of every other lift for some reason. So the guy you see at the gym benching 225 is the same guy you see squatting 150lb the next day then deading 200 on friday. He isn't strong, he's just a bench and curl jockey. A 225 bench with your other lifts in proportion (ie a 330 squat, a 380 dead lift, a 150 press) is actually pretty strong.

 

i have no idea what I could bench right now.. I'll have to give it a try when I get a chance to get to a gym..

 

I don't consider myself big. I'm 5"11 192 lbs...IMO I should be stronger than I am although I consider myself an alright athelete I lack in the raw strength departement.

 

:: I tend to think the same

 

My goal is to bench 315.

 

Good points....1 squat 3 plates (315) and I'm not a great deadlift guy. I have weak wrists and a girley grip so I keep it to max 250.

 

I think I'll start the pushups. My father was big on pushups and I used to do a lot as a teenager in boxing and karate classes etc...I think your right about it being a good stimulant to increase my bench, i'll get back to you in a month and let you know how it goes.

 

The only guy i've ever seen doing handstand pushups is Kosta Zoo and it looked ridiculous. :: maybe i'll try though if you think they'll help.

 

I see a lot of that too. I like the guys with big chests and big arms and chicken legs. ::

 

Do you have a nice big chest, LOK? Do guys want to feel your chest while your in the sauna at the gym? Do you let them?

 

.. you are a sick dude Hanzy..

I don't go to the gym Hanzy.. if I did I would not let guys fondle my chest

 

:: I sure hope not.

 

Hanzy.. what are you benchin these days?

 

About 480 for 6 reps flat, 465 for 6 reps incline and 440 for 6 reps decline usually.

 

be very surprised if push ups upped your bench, tbh. probably decrease it if anything.

 

that's some serious weight Hanzy:bears:

 

Hanzy.. can you do pushups ?

 

I don't do pushups. I don't see a need for it really. Should I do them?

 

no reason to I guess..

I'm just curious.. you are extremely strong on the bench.. even though you weigh a lot I'd think you should be able to pushup..

but what I've seen a lot is heavy benchers can not do many pushups..

pushups work your endurance.. most heavy benchers are doing 4-6 reps or so..

anyway.. I was just curious how many you could do

you are a hell of a lot stronger than me.. that's for sure

 

LMFAO. If I had actual proof that Hanzy could bench that kind of weight, I'd pay him $500 of my own hard-earned cash. You fukkin' liar! :laughing:

 

really? you are not buying it Buddy?

if Hanzy is the dude I went to school with.. I KNOW he can do it.. but I'm still not sure if it's him or not

Hanzy will never come clean to me