need to hit 300 lb bench by the summer

[focoman]

My friends and I have this bet going on, where we are trying reach 300 lbs on the bench by the summer. We all go to school at different schools, and then we reunite for summers and vacations and compare progress. Right now I can push about 265 (haven't maxxed out recently, just using a chart), and I think I am slightly behind one of my buddies. I need to win this contest, not for the money, but just to win. However, right now it looks like it is borderline unreasonable for me to me to put on 35 lbs on the bench in 8 or 9 weeks. I am training bench, using a power lifting cycle where my reps are decreasing and the weight is increasing each week. Any suggestions on what I need to do, besides ox, to reach this goal. My ox seems to be nowhere in sight, so there goes that idea! Thanks guys.

 

[BillyATO]

I'm having really good luck with this workout.. http://www.musclemedia.com/training/bench/benchintro.html

 

[Lord_Suston]

Squat and dead lift, try clean and jerks and a lot of low rep sets of bench. These big lifts helped my body put on weight easily and strengthened up my shoulders and overall body along with my legs. But if it just bench then remember to train like you would compete, so use low reps....

 

[focoman]

thanks guys

I think I'm gonna try this powerlifting cycle at muscle media, but do you think its necessarry to follow the whole thing or just the bench related part?

 

[110%]

go over to the powerlifting forum or www.elitefts.com and research westside, this seems to be the consensus on the best program to increase bench, dead, and squat.

 

[Super Halo Man]

I think hitting a certain weight is meaningless compared to the look and how you work... you will attain the goal when you envision it happening. See it happening and it will happen.

 

[sysopt]

close grips, california presses

 

[promet1]

WHY????
I agree with Super Halo Man
Hitting a max lift is usless and dangerous. Don't let your Ego get the best of you.
Hay have a goal to do 250 for 6 reps or somthing like that.

Take it from one that just had rotator cuff surgery 2/28/02

Ya I'm sitting up on sunday morning cuz i can't sleep wareing this F#$king sling. .................Enough Said

 

[MrMuscle]

halo and Promet, you cannot look at this as a bodybuilder. he is tryinh to build strenght, not size. so he is probably aware of the hazzards, but remember not everybdy is in it for the size. powerlifters and weightlifters couldnt care less about how theire muscle bellies look like, and if they have a good symmetry. as long as they get the fucking weights up, they are satisfied

ps im a bodybuilder myself

 

[Ingram]

I started benching 3 plates when by droping flat barbell bench for a month. I stuck to just dumbells, when I came back to the barbell my max had shot up 50lbs. At the time I was only 180lbs, and was not taking any steroids.

 

[powerlifterjay]

Drop your reps each week on the bench but go for a hard ass single. That to me gauges my strength. You need to up you tricep work. Try floor presses , Board presses are my favorite. Hit elbow out ext. But you need tri help as well. 110% gave you the right link to go to. Go to ask Dave, look under bench QnA And if you need to know what an exercise looks like go to the execise index and look at it. Good luck.

 

[madhops22]

Ingram

What dumbell exercises do you do? And, when you went from 3 plates (flat-bench) to doing dumbells...what weight were you using in your dumbells? I'm just starting up my training (been doing it for 3 weeks) and want to make some serious gains in strength on my bench (I only bench 100lbs! - pathetic!). Any ideas on the best way to make great gains when just starting out (I have lots of room to improve obviously)? I weigh 188lbs and am 5'10.

thanks

Madhops

 

[mitch1301]

Ask any powerlifter at your gym if he has any chains. They chould weigh about 20lbs each. What you do is hook one chain to an O ring, then slide the ring over the bar. Do this for each side. Now when you start doing this it feels a little strangge at first. At the start of your rep you will have the whole weight, as you bring the weight down the bar gets lighter, until it touches you chest. Give this a try it works. Great for increasing your strength.

later
mitch

 

[slotline]

I was stuck at 270 on the bench. I started doing squats and deadlfts. This brought my bench up to 295 in 4 weeks.

 

[Ingram]

Re: Ingram

What dumbell exercises do you do? And, when you went from 3 plates (flat-bench) to doing dumbells...what weight were you using in your dumbells? I'm just starting up my training (been doing it for 3 weeks) and want to make some serious gains in strength on my bench (I only bench 100lbs! - pathetic!). Any ideas on the best way to make great gains when just starting out (I have lots of room to improve obviously)? I weigh 188lbs and am 5'10.

Hey Bro, I was stuck at 265-275 flat bench for half a year. So I decided to drop the flat dumbbell and do just barbells. I honestly started using only 80’s and then eventually over a month got up to doing a few sets with the 100’s and 110's. When I went back to the flat barbell after a month or so, my bench shot up every week until I could hit clean reps at 315.

When I do flat barbell now, I usually press 295 x 8 for my last couple sets. My shoulders get irritated when I do any more than this.

As for you starting out make sure you have a good workout split; I personally like a 4 day split but it’s up to the individual. WORK YOUR LEGS! – I cannot express this enough, this will help you put on size and help get all your lifts up.

Don’t worry about benching only 100lbs, Christ! When I started I had trouble pressing 25lbs on each side of a smith machine. 3 years later and I’m pressing 315 and up using free weights.

Anyways, good luck on your workout program. Stick around the training and diet board there is tons of information for you to soak up. If you have any more questions/problems shoot me a PM or post your question on here.

-Ingram

 

[focoman]

Thanks for all the help!


This was great! Thanks for all the help with this. As far as hitting a certain weight goes, I think its important to be strong. I mean, this is a sport, and I'm competitive with my friends. I also, want to be huge and cut, but for the time being I have set my goals to reach 300lbs on the bench.

Anyways, I have a few more questions:

sysopt: What are california presses?

and could someone explain how the chains in more detail? I doubt I'm gonna do this in the near future, but it sounds interesting.

Thanks again for all the help guys!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Prometheus]

You can definitely get 300, especially if you haven't done any serious powerlifting in the past. Probably just by upping your tri work like PLJay said.

If you really are serious about doing it, follow 110%'s post -- tons of knowledge on the powerlifting board.

Oh, and eat a LOT.

here's a couple links for strength articles:

http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/index.htm
http://www.testosterone.net/html/body_115b600.html

 

[dogboy]

Specialize: Stop working out the rest of your body. Hit your chest more often and harder because your body's ability to recuperate is much higher then. I did this for my shoulders once, and they ballooned up.

 

[Ingram]

Specialize: Stop working out the rest of your body. Hit your chest more often and harder because your body's ability to recuperate is much higher then. I did this for my shoulders once, and they ballooned up.

I wouldn't go this drastic. If you want to make chest a priority dedicate an entire workout towards it, rather than pairing it with another body part.

 

[BillyATO]

Results

I had the first reply on this thread a while back and just in case anybody is wondering the program I suggested has worked great for me. I've actually surpassed it, increasing my 1RM 65lbs (235 to 300) in 7 weeks.
I highly suggest doing this with a competent partner, there were a few times I would really have hurt myself if mine wasn't paying attention.
I did alter the plan a little bit about 2 weeks in though, here is what I did..

Monday
Chest
Bench Press Workouts # 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13
DB Incline Press 3 x 8
DB Bench Press 3 x 8
Shoulders
DB Side Raise 3 x 8
BB Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Triceps
Lying Tricep Ext 3 x 8
Cable Push Downs (Rope) 3 x 8

Tuesday
Back
Mid-Grip Cable Pull Down 3 x 8
T-Bar Row 3 x 6
Biceps (cycle through exercises)
Barbell Curl 3 x 10
Preacher Curls 3 x 10
Hammer Curls 3 x 10
Forearms
DB Wrist Curls 3 x 10

Thursday
Shoulders
Rotator-Cuff Exercise 3 x 12-15
Chest
Bench Press Workouts # 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14
DB Decline Press 3 x 8
Triceps
Weighted Dips 3 x 6

Friday
Legs
Leg Extensions Warmup
Squat 3 x 6
Sled Superset
Leg Press 3 x 8
Calf Raise Superset 3 x 18, 15, 12
Leg Curl 3 x 8
Leg Extensions 3 x 8
Back
Reverse Grip Pull Down 3 x 8
Low-Rows 3 x 8
Biceps
Incline Curls 3 x 10


If you want to ask me anything about my experience, go ahead