All men (and some women) who go to the gym want to bench press a lot. There are so many different training techniques that it is difficult to decide which one to follow. Pushing your body to the limit requires a correct diet and training program, the right mindset and good technique. Read on for tips and tricks for gaining the weight you can bench press.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Mastering the Technique
Step 1. Use the correct technique
Your technique may prevent you from lifting heavy weights on the bench press.
Step 2. Learn the right grip
Hold the bar with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, keeping it close to your wrists and not your fingers. A wider grip would complicate weight balancing, while a tighter grip makes the triceps work more than the pecs.
Tighten the bar a lot. Imagine having to break it; this will contract your triceps and make you want to fight
Step 3. Push in a straight line
Try to achieve a straight, even line as you push the bar up and back down. When the bar reaches its lowest point, don't stop: lower it and push it up in one motion. Push your shoulder blades together as you lift to contract your upper back.
- Keep your feet on the ground. They will serve you as support.
- Keep your elbows close to your hips. Don't let them come off the bench as you lift.
- Don't lift your chest or arch your back to push the bar. You should work your arms and not your back. You might start with your back already slightly arched, but don't arch it to be able to finish the last rep.
Step 4. Lift quickly
Even if you want everyone to see you, it won't do you good to do 12 reps in two minutes. Lift in one continuous motion - without bouncing the bar off your chest - and take a one-minute break between sets.
Step 5. Pay attention to the things to avoid
While the bench press technique isn't complicated, there are some things you should avoid, as they can cause injury or prevent you from working out at your best. Pay attention to the following:
- Don't let the bar bounce off your chest. You will struggle more if you leave the bar hanging over your chest. Eventually you will get more power thanks to this technique.
- When lifting, keep your wrists facing the sky, not the back of your head. This way, you will increase the load they can withstand.
Method 2 of 3: Build Your Muscles
Step 1. Raise your ceiling at least once a week
You probably work your pecs two or three times a week. You'd be surprised how many people never try to raise the cap during the week. This means trying to do a single lift with the maximum possible weight.
- Raise the ceiling after doing normal sets at the end of your workout.
- Always have someone help you when trying to raise the ceiling. Never try alone.
- If you can bench press a repetition with some weight, that's not your max. Slowly increase to find the weight you struggle with completing even one repetition.
Step 2. Lift weights that challenge you
This advice is similar to the previous one. When the human body is forced to lift higher and higher weights, it reacts with an increase in muscle mass. If you never test yourself, you will never increase your strength; you will stay on the same level forever.
- For example, if you do four sets of lifts, starting with 80kg, and going up to 95, and you can do all the sets - not easily but in good shape - it's time to put on weight. Start with 82kg and work your way up to 100. Push hard in the last set. You should have a hard time completing it.
- If you want to complete all sets, choose incremental weights that are all just below your maximum. Then try four reps of a fifth set, with a weight that really puts you in trouble.
- Alternatively, you can try sets with 4 or 5 reps. If you only do 5 reps per set, you increase the weight a lot. Try this type of set once a week if you train your pecs twice a week.
Step 3. Make sure both arms can lift the same weight
If you are also within the weightlifting average, your dominant hand will be slightly stronger than your non-dominant hand. Unfortunately, you will only be able to bench press as much as your non-dominant hand will allow. To lift more weight, specifically train your weak side, to bring it on a par with the stronger side.
Step 4. Train your triceps too
Your triceps and chest muscles are the ones that power your lift. If you don't work out your triceps as well, you won't be able to lift a lot of weight. Spend a full day a week training your triceps to help them gain mass and strength. Follow the chest workout with triceps exercises.
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Here are some good exercises for the triceps:
- Lunges
- Skull crushers
- One-arm extensions
- Bench press with tight grip
- Extensions with the triceps
- Push-ups
Step 5. Get help with negative lifts
In this exercise you will need to use a very heavy weight - up to 1.5 times heavier than your max - and slowly lower it to your chest. One or two friends will then have to help you bring the weight back to the starting position and you will have to bring it down again. This simple but hard exercise is an essential method for increasing your endurance training and for lifting more on the bench press.
Method 3 of 3: Improve Your Diet and Lifestyle
Increase Your Bench Press Step 11 Step 1. Eat a lot
If you don't eat enough calories a day, you won't be able to notice significant improvements on the bench press. You will need to increase your muscle mass, and to do so you will need to eat seven times a day, providing each meal with protein and complex carbohydrates.
Increase Your Bench Press Step 12 Step 2. Consider taking supplements, such as whey protein or casein
If you choose to take protein supplements to increase your muscle mass, take them as a smoothie in the morning, after training and before bed.
Remember that protein shakes contain a lot of calories in addition to protein. If you have a tendency to gain weight or acne, taking large amounts of supplements could have unwanted consequences
Sleep Longer Step 19 Step 3. Sleep well
Your muscles repair and regenerate when you rest and sleep, so depriving them of sleep can interfere with their development. Rest between workouts, and plan your days so you can get eight hours of sleep every night.
Increase Your Bench Press Step 14 Step 4. Take a break from training when you have reached a stalemate
In some cases your fatigued muscles will stop growing just because you have been working them hard for a long time. Taking a week's break, or lifting lower weights for the same period, may be the solution you are looking for to gain muscle mass again.
Step 5. Make sure you don't train too much
Unless you're training for some specific reason, there's no reason you should bench press more than twice a week. In fact, doing so can mean that you will have less energy to spend on your triceps, a mistake that prevents many weightlifters from reaching their potential. So make sure you are doing high quality lifts and not lots of them, using the right technique, and putting some energy into your triceps training.
Advice
- If you are a total beginner, it is recommended to follow the 5x5 lifting program to build a good foundation.
- Remember that nutrition accounts for 90% of your work. If you don't eat right you won't get great benefits from training.
