What Is Considered A Decent Bench Press?

[Guest Bullitt]

Definitely could be a mental thing at this point. I was able to do a strict seated press with 225 a few weeks ago. No way I should be able to do that and not bench 300. I will get it before the end of the year. That and MM2 are the last goals for 2009 I haven't hit. MM2 is coming up so...

Wow! A 225 seated press is awesome, Mike! When I was benching 315 strict as a 181lb. class powerlifter (no shirt) I could do maybe 170 on a seated press.

Definitely mental.

Great, now you've confirmed my worst fears. I'm mentally disfunctional. Throw that in with my deteriorating body and I'm quite the package.

Thanks Eric. My shoulders and triceps are much stronger than my pecs I guess. Yea, I've thought for some time it was mental. I have been able to make very good progress in almost every lift this year, but bench. I did a program Richard Sorin made for me, and it seemed to work great all the way up to 300. On the last day when I went for a max, the weight just stopped halfway up and wouldn't move. Got 295 that day and haven't been able to get 300 on any attempts since. It's almost like at the half way point my antagonist muscles fire like crazy at that point and I can't go further with the weight. I don't get buried, it just stops and refuses to continue on it's journey. Going to try this 5X5 program from Dan and see if we can't bust through.

[CoC#3]

Start close grip benching Mike - you have a 225 seated press so obviously, like you say, have decent shoulder/tricep strength. I was making no progress and aggrevating injuries benching wide - as soon as i switched to close grip i got 315 up pretty quickly. My bench (335) is still very poor in comparison to my overhead strength (270 strict and 352 with leg drive) but it is still improving.

[Stew]

for your average gym trainer I think 300lb (3 plates a side) will always be a decent standard bench wherever you are and whilst I dont train in commercial gyms that often on the occasions I do the people benching 3 plates are very thin on the ground, in strongman circles I think the standard is more around the 440lb with the better guys getting 500-600lb.

[Guest Bullitt]

Start close grip benching Mike - you have a 225 seated press so obviously, like you say, have decent shoulder/tricep strength. I was making no progress and aggrevating injuries benching wide - as soon as i switched to close grip i got 315 up pretty quickly. My bench (335) is still very poor in comparison to my overhead strength (270 strict and 352 with leg drive) but it is still improving.

Worth a shot. I usually bench with ring fingers on the rings. I'll bring everything just inside the rings tonight and see how it feels. Gradually get narrower until I find a sweet spot.

[CoC#3]

Try index or index/middle on smooth! For me it is the optimum width to bench.

[Shoggoth]

Start close grip benching Mike - you have a 225 seated press so obviously, like you say, have decent shoulder/tricep strength. I was making no progress and aggrevating injuries benching wide - as soon as i switched to close grip i got 315 up pretty quickly. My bench (335) is still very poor in comparison to my overhead strength (270 strict and 352 with leg drive) but it is still improving.

Worth a shot. I usually bench with ring fingers on the rings. I'll bring everything just inside the rings tonight and see how it feels. Gradually get narrower until I find a sweet spot.

I'm better at the overhead stuff to. I moved my bench grip so I can only see about an inch of the knurling and my bench shot up.

[Guest Bullitt]

Messed around tonight. Was a bit fried from all the squatting yesterday. Everything felt real heavy, so i just put 245 on there and practiced singles at different widths. I think going with the same width that I do my overhead presses at is going to work best. I put the end of my thumbs on the smooth and go that distance out onto the knurling. Puts me about halfway between the knurling and the rings. Going to take a while to get used to it and grease the groove, but in the end I think this is going to be much better. Was able to get my upper back a lot tighter than I have been able to with a wider grip. Felt like I could get my lats into it more as well. Next workout I will use this grip and start to work on the 5X5's. Thanks for all the suggestions and sorry the thread turned into a help Mike bench thread. Wasn't my intention.

[kogba]

Messed around tonight. Was a bit fried from all the squatting yesterday. Everything felt real heavy, so i just put 245 on there and practiced singles at different widths. I think going with the same width that I do my overhead presses at is going to work best. I put the end of my thumbs on the smooth and go that distance out onto the knurling. Puts me about halfway between the knurling and the rings. Going to take a while to get used to it and grease the groove, but in the end I think this is going to be much better. Was able to get my upper back a lot tighter than I have been able to with a wider grip. Felt like I could get my lats into it more as well. Next workout I will use this grip and start to work on the 5X5's. Thanks for all the suggestions and sorry the thread turned into a help Mike bench thread. Wasn't my intention.

I also find it fits me best when going with ~same width for shoulders and bench(I don't yet have an olympic bar, just a standard one). Maybe it's because I don't have short hands, who knows, but right there I can use my arm's power to lift my max.

[mobsterone]

As has been hinted at already if your aim is to put my weight up rather than work the chest then you need to look at where your strengths and weaknesses are.

There are a bunch of bench press programs with titles such as '8 weeks, 10 weeks and 12 weeks to a better bench' and most rely on a percentage of your previous best ever one rep max as a means of getting you to a new higher PB. Most use a higher weight descending sets and reps principle so that in week one you're doing sets of 12 reps and in week 10 sets of 3 and so on. I suggest, as I have done for grip work, you look at your training diaries and see what sets and reps schemes have given you the best returns. A pre-written program is written with the 'typical Joe' in mind but the author might tweak it if he was writing one just for you (for a fee natch). Keep that in mind.

You should also have a good read about some of the tricks used by the worlds best Powerlifters. Some are combined with the intended use of a bench shirt come meet day but many can still be applied to raw lifters. Simple tricks such as getting hand offs when close to the max, benching eyes under at arms length and then down to the breast bone (thus using more delt and less pec) and also following a idealized strength curve rather than giving you a chest workout and so on. There are many so go look them up (I've some on my own forum).

Finally your own strengths and weaknesses. I am a tricep lifter (and following the 12 step tricep program ho ho) and so a close grip bench works for me as it is more tricep than chest (wider grip equates to more pec action). I also superset my benching, for the most part, with an upper back thickening workout. That thickens the area I'll be pushing from - my shoulder / scapula / blades. Have someone look at your form. One classic mistake is 'itchy feet'. 'Itchy feet' are when the lifter, working harder, has his feet twitching around the damned floor when in fact they should be as though they'd been nailed to the ground and thus giving you a solid platform to push through and from.

Bill Piche, as a sometime powerlifter, knows many of these tricks. I'd be happy to copy and paste a better bench article to a spot on the GB if anyone was interested.

Finally, raw or shirted, with 'assistance' or without I've added kilos to many lifters benches just by sorting out a few of the mistakes they make.

[CoC#3]

Good post Mob - i think i'm still making the itchy feet mistake. I also need to work on flexibility to get a better arch (regular stretches before and after workouts should sort this out).

Stump - yeah i weigh 300. I've never liked benching wide - maybe i should get some proper coaching from a competitive raw powerlifter and see if i can learn to do it properly and without getting injured.

[Guest Bullitt]

I'd love to see the article Steve. I'm the same way on the arch Sam. My lower back is the least flexible body part on a stiff old body so I basically have no arch. I'm thinking of eating my way to a much bigger belt size in order to shorten the distance the bar travels. I'm trying to use a foam roller to build it a bit, but my back is having trouble adjusting. Just need to keep at it and work on overall flexibility I guess. Itchy feet as well.

[CoC#3]

Haha Mike, I have a proper good benching gut, still can't bench for crap though!

[mobsterone]

With my back the way it is I'm currently resting my feet on blocks. And an arch... ouch. Anyway here's the tips from my forum. Some were added by Rob Thomas my IT guy and a 250+ kilo bencher (210 unequipped / raw).

Benching 4 plates a side

By Steve 'cor ain't your chest got thicker looking?' G

Those of you paying very close attention to my training log will have seen my Close Grip Bench Press slowly but surely increase over the weeks and months I've been working on it. With the due date of December 22nd for the whey power challenge fast approaching I'm nigh on there.

Several weeks ago we had one of those post workout natters wherein we decided there are not enough events late in the year. Combining it with an excuse for some Xmas turkey and a pint after we posted up that all were invited down for a chance to break some PB's. I set mine, after umming and ahhing, to the 2 hand pinch and the close grip bench press.

I started out doing a little background research on some of the 10 and 12 week 'improve your bench' type programs. Add a little peek at one of my Westside Barbell videos and some more tricks and tips of the trade and I thought I was ready. Well the whole 'work the percentages' thing did not work for me at all. 4-5 weeks of starting at 60% and increasing etc was wasted. I quickly went back to my usual 'do what it takes to get 140-kilos' and the worked from there upwards.

The basic program I am currently following is split in two. A max weight session and a speed / groove session.

Max weight

20-kilos a side x 8 reps, 40-kilos a side x 8 reps, 60-kilos a side x a rep then work in proper steps to the max weigh of the day. Once I am there I do 3 singles with it.

Speed / groove

This session follows the exact same framework to the 140-kilo mark and then using about 15-kilos less than my all out max from the max weight session I do 8 singles with it. The 'trick' if there is one is to bring the bar down slow and then, as fast as possible, press it back up. The combination of repeatedly using a sub maximal weight is where the groove part first comes in. Then you have practicing a perfect set up each (neural pattern reinforcement and or so-called learned response) and every time and then finally the fast pressing works different muscle fibre types than a slower moving bar.

I've used for some time and new ones as well more recently a bunch of the ticks of the trade. Examples are:

A lung full of air.

Anyone seeing me go for a max sees me stretching up to the bar and puffing loads of air into my lungs. This gives me a full feeling in the chest and has the added benefit of shortening, by an inch maybe, the distance to press.

Perfect set up

I follow the same set up: feet set etc etc for each and every max set. You leave nothing to chance.

Close grip (works for me - you will need to find your best spacing)

Years of wider grip benching meant I used to get serious discomfort in my shoulders. A change to a narrower grip suited me so well I passed my old normal grip PB shortly after.

Locking the shoulder blades in place.

I make sure they are nice n flat and feel solid on the bench pad. This is where you are pushing from as much as anywhere.

Back work

Rows, pullovers. Indeed any upper back thickener helps with the push point (see above)

Tricep work

Bit obvious really but thicker arms equal better benching

Feet properly anchored to the floor.

Newbies allow their feet to flutter all over the place when benching and while I will never be flexible enough to tuck my heels under me arse as some benchers now do I do make sure the shoes and my feet are solidly planted on the floor. This is the other place you push from after back.

No suicide grip

For mugs only. Indeed squeeze the bar like a mutha and you'll lift better.

A good bench

We have one which I do not like. Being long armed its uprights are too low for me to pick up from and so I much prefer to bench using our adjustable bench in our power rack (or Gymnations). If you read up on the very best benches they are around 10-12 inches across, 4 feet long and solid and unmoving. Depending on where the bar comes down - the groove if you will - the position of the uprights is also important.

Eyes under the bar etc.

Either after hand off if spotted or in the rack if lifting yourself you want the bar at eye level. It then comes down at a shallow angle to the lower part of the chest. Those using shirts exaggerate this even more as many shirts are built for this kind of lifting. Straight up and down is more BB style, the groove style is all power.

Mind

As always your desire, hunger and passion to hit the target are as important as any tip. The stuff that goes through my mind at 100mph just before a lift all help me do what I've set out for.

Since writing the original articles Rob Thomas, our web man and massive bench presser himself suggested the following tips might also be useful. Annoyingly I knew the first one and forgot to include it!

1. When you grip the bar, grip it as though you are trying to crush it. That way, all the muscles in your arms will be fully tensed and ready for it.

2. Alternate your grip width each session. Even if you are only moving your hands in or out 2 to 3 inches.

3. After you have un-racked, as well as squeezing your shoulder blades, try to "wrap your lats" around the bench and tense your delts to keep everything nice and tight.

[cwdutton]

The bench Press is a very intimidating exercise and very psychological. I hit a plateau at 385(strict) for many months(9 to be exact) and decided to take some time off "max lifts" and add band resistance into the mix. Made a world of difference!!! I started with 225 on the bar and added light to medium bands (approx 120-150 at the top) and my max press soared!!! This was 2 years ago and I haven't looked back since. I incorporate bands for 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off on my speed days and train with them once per month on Max Effort days. Another key is Board Presses! Really easy to make yourself... Mine cost about $7 at home depot.

What are they? Well, we all have a sticking point in our bench correct? Mine is about 3-4 inches off the chest. So what better way to work on that then isolate it? hmmmm....... here's how I made mine: 1 36" board (2x4) and then 3-5 18" 2x4's. I wanted one that I could work off 2-5 boards, so I used velcro to attach and remove them. The best thing about these is you can load up more weight then you can normally do, so this will help in getting your body used to heavier weight. All you do is lay it on your chest and bench! Hit the barbel on the board, pause for about a second and explode up! A spotter is great to hold the board(s), but if you don't have one, wrap it with a resistance band,etc around your body. My last max raw lift 2 months ago was 445 and I can do 475 on 3 and 4 boards for 2-3 reps.

[knyaz]

3 plates is impressive to see, that should be the ultimate goal for people, a pair of 100 pound dumbells is a good bench press in my opinion especially seeing someone walk the hundreds over setup by themselves and rep out a pair of 100s thats just good overall body strength

I like Bobs answer!!!

Assuming steroid free-

225=okay

315=better than most everyone in the gym

405=very good

495=you're among the strongest in the country

For little guys (under 180 or so), 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25xbodyweight is a good approximation for the above numbers

[DAN PRAYDIS]

anyone moving up in weight on the bench

[CoC#3]

320 close grip, paused on the chest, 5 singles. I want to hit 350 paused in a meet at Christmas (again this will be close grip). Progress is being made on my bench, but it is slow. The weights on assistance exercises for bench (upper back, triceps and strict shoulder work) are moving up a lot quicker than the bench itself.

[Guest Bullitt]

320 close grip, paused on the chest, 5 singles. I want to hit 350 paused in a meet at Christmas (again this will be close grip). Progress is being made on my bench, but it is slow. The weights on assistance exercises for bench (upper back, triceps and strict shoulder work) are moving up a lot quicker than the bench itself.

That's exactly what happened to me when I did the plan Richard put together for me Sam. My assistance exercises went through the roof, but my bench went up very slowly.

[tselegala]

i hate the bench press...it's my weak exercise. My Deadlift and squat keep going up and up but my bench stagnates although i put alot of effort into it. I can sometimes do a single painfully slow and crooked rep at 315 but that's it. Anyone who reps 315 is impressive to me for now regardless of body weight.