If there was ever an exercise that designated "mandom," it's this one.
I've thought about why that is, and I've basically concluded it's because the bench is where you can thrust as much weight as possible airborne. Not like squats or deadlifts, where you're holding the weight against your body in some way. For some reason, saying, "Yeah, look at all the weight I'm holding against my thighs! Who's yer daddy?" doesn't have the same ring to it.Basically, what I'm saying is that as a guy, I want to bench press a lot. A whole lot. Like a small car or something. Kidding, but I've developed a point where I'm going to officially be satisfied with my bench at some level: Doing more than my bodyweight. Right now, I'm about 60 pounds off of that, doing 3 sets of 8.
Of course, that doesn't mean I need to add 60 pounds to my bench, since I'm also working on losing weight. But that doesn't mean I'm always patient about this. Especially since I've been stuck in a rut with my benching and haven't made much progress in the past six weeks.
So, anybody have any advice on how they broke out of a bench press rut? I'd love to hear it.
That's an easy one. Start lifting an extremely uncomfortable weight, as in the extra 60 pounds you want to do. Sounds crazy, but the only way to break through noticeable ceilings is to go back to that initial stage of workout before your muscles are toned and able to lift any sizeable weight. You know, the uncomfortable part. This is also a good time to have a spotter nearby. Remember, the key is to being as uncomfortable as possible lifting the weight. Continue with your regular reps (if you can) and see where it leads you. Feeling sore the next day is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI've heard a couple theories, including what Zuri said. I don't know about adding 60 pounds, but add enough that you can't really do it and have a spotter help you with your reps. You're not actually doing the weight, but you are getting used to it. I've also heard to do your normal 3 sets until you kill the muscle, then take weight off and do another set, and repeat that a couple/few times. Take all of this with a grain of salt, because I'm the only person I know that's gotten progressively weaker at bench over the last couple months. Yes, weaker.
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