Workout Of The Week - Best Workout To Increase Your Bench?

[dandexter]

I feel that the best way to get a bigger bench (once your form is down good) is to do more benching. Apart from that I think upper back helps heaps, then followed by more triceps work, your choice what way works best for your triceps.

 

[trofius]

bb bench press
db press
Dips. Lots of them and heavy.
Rows

 

[Bench Polkov]

I agree that using proper technique will help u get the most out of the lift but saying that you need to be doing alot more to increase your bench...its like when ppl say just bench to get a big bench....not true.

Eh? You ever try any high volume bench programs?

 

[Bazza20]

I agree with what the others have said. Get form right and then get some decent volume in bench. I find 5 reps seems to work the best for me at the moment.

Most people want to get advanced too soon. Bands, chains, board presses, sling shots all those can work but your really wasting time and should just focus on bench until your decently strong.

 

[Goosey]

What's the best workout to increase your bench? (exercises that can assist)

Considering that it's a pretty useless exercise, almost every other exercise is a good assist

Should certain people avoid performing the bench press ?

People with shoulder issues

Why is the bench press associated with strength, rather than squats, deadlifts, etc?

It looks impressive to move a lot of weight albeit over a short distance, compared to most other exercise.

 

[dandexter]

Yep I agree, I tried all that stuff (chains/boards/slingshot etc). I don't think it helped me increase my bench any faster then normal full ROM benching.

 

[DKD]

Untouchable posted a Rip vid in another thread yesterday, where Rip was talking about how to get the bar to the ground during cleans.....

Anyway, one of his other vids in that same link was about correct way to do skullcrushers. According to him, it was a crucial exercise to assist bench press...he was quoting some guy who referred to skulls as the 4th powerlift.

I avoid bench press btw....with a torn labrum, i haven't got a hope in hell of performing it safely....but can still do chest dips quite safely at this stage

 

[DKD]

Here it is....

[ame="http://vimeo.com/25983467"]Platform: The Lying Triceps Extension on Vimeo[/ame]


Slight difference in what i said...it's a lying triceps extensions....bit different to skulls....he goes into the difference...

It was quite interesting, I've never done the exercise the way he demonstrates. I usually touch the curl bar against my forehead, but he makes a point of dropping it further back below the head.

 

[Fadi]

I've never been a bench press type of a lifter, probably due to mainly focusing on squats, pulls, and presses as a former weightlifter. Having said that, I did manage to get to 120kg for sets of 8s at a bodyweight (back then/1984) of around 75kg.

Well, since everyone is built differently and everyone has a different location for their bench press sticking point, I thought the most logical thing to do would be to focus one's attention on that personal sticking point by performing partial reps which begin from there.

The above works just as well for squats as well as pulls/deadlifts. Find your sticking point and work on strengthening/balancing it with the rest of the lift. In addition to that, it won't hurt to insure having strong assistant muscles such as triceps and (yes); abdominals (as part of a strong core), though strictly speaking they are more of a stabilising group of muscles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bench_press


Fadi.

 

[DKD]

An often under-rated exercise for improving the bench press is Kim Kardashian-weighted pushups.

 

[The Hamburgler]

Yep I agree, I tried all that stuff (chains/boards/slingshot etc). I don't think it helped me increase my bench any faster then normal full ROM benching.

That type of stuff imo would work as an overload/assistance AFTER doing your normal sets but not in place of normal benching.

Particularly for everyone on here who is nowhere near "advanced".

It's probably a bit different for equipped lifters but for Raw the best way to bench/squat/deadlift more is to practise the lifts

 

[Rugby88]

Eh? You ever try any high volume bench programs?

Yes ive done plenty - last yr I was going for a jr aus record of 220kg bench @ 100kg BW - I love high volume bench programs but I also believe there is alot more to be done to get a big bench than just benching....iam a huge believer in european/russian style high volume programs for bench...but I found to progress even more I needed to add in more exercises for the surrounding muscles.

 

[Bench Polkov]

Yes ive done plenty - last yr I was going for a jr aus record of 220kg bench @ 100kg BW - I love high volume bench programs but I also believe there is alot more to be done to get a big bench than just benching....iam a huge believer in european/russian style high volume programs for bench...but I found to progress even more I needed to add in more exercises for the surrounding muscles.

Well you've just contradicted your last statement there but at least now everything is clearer. Its a case to case issue but in general "more benching" builds a stronger bench. For a more advanced athlete though you can generally throw all the rules out the window.

Just out of curiosity, raw or equipped? And which fed?

 

[The Hamburgler]

It'd have to be equipped, and with Capo (PA don't have a 100kg class)

Raw CAPO junior 100 BP nat record is 165, equipped 215.

I think Tullo has the highest ever raw BP in Oz with 240 . . .

 

[Goosey]

Joel you do come up with the most ridiculous statements at times.

 

[Rugby88]

Well you've just contradicted your last statement there but at least now everything is clearer. Its a case to case issue but in general "more benching" builds a stronger bench. For a more advanced athlete though you can generally throw all the rules out the window.

Just out of curiosity, raw or equipped? And which fed?

I believe benching will get you a bigger bench BUT it wont get you the biggest bench you can get...thats what I mean.

CAPO, Equip (singly ply)

 

[Rugby88]

Joel you do come up with the most ridiculous statements at times.

Like what? - i just hate all this just bench to get a big bench, drink 10L of milk a day, only squat bullshit.....yes I agree these things work to a degree...but if your wanting to go to the next level you need to go indepth abit more with your training....

I cant tell you right now no great bencher has only benched to get his/her biggest bench.

 

[Bench Polkov]

I believe benching will get you a bigger bench BUT it wont get you the biggest bench you can get...thats what I mean.

CAPO, Equip (singly ply)

I'm with you 100%.

How close did you get to the 220?

 

[Rugby88]

I'm with you 100%.

How close did you get to the 220?

Got 220 to a 2 board, 210 to chest....but slipped a disc in my back squatting about 4 weeks before comp...pretty much why I totally changed all my training this yr...

 

[0ni]

I was trolled into thinking lat work was the best way to increase your bench
But I think a high frequency or high volume program like smolov jr or sheiko is the best way to increase your bench in the short term

In the long term I guess you just need to get get strong all over and keep on pressing