Bench Press

Bench Press

Breaking Bench Press Max Plateaus

You’ve been training for years, and you’ve developed a fairly impressive bench press, right?  Most of the guys in the gym can’t touch you.  I mean, you warm up with 225.  You rep out with a spotter at 315.  And yes, you have successfully moved 401 on your own.  You’re a big guy, and above all, a strong dude.  But it seems that in recent months, you haven’t been able to get much stronger.

It happens to all of us.  It’s called a plateau and essentially, it means you have reached a point in your training where gains have temporarily stopped coming.  It’s very normal, especially as you get closer to your absolute peak physical performance potential.  Ronnie Coleman may have added 50 pounds to his bench press maximum for the first 5 or 6 years of his career, but even his numbers have stopped advancing in recent years.  There is a peak for all of us.

Luckily, unless you’re benching in the 550s, you have a long way to go until you reach your absolute physical peak.  What you’re facing now is just a temporary plateau, due to your inability to challenge your body in new ways.  Well, you are in luck.  Today we’re going to discuss some new ideas which can help to challenge your body to grow once again, adapting to a new workload and subsequently making gains in your bench press numbers.  Here are some tips.

Gain a little weight

It’s very hard to grow new muscle, without eating more food, and gaining more weight.  And it’s very hard to get stronger without some new muscle.  Add 300 to 500 new calories to your daily diet, and see if your numbers don’t start to climb again.  Just be sure that the new calories don’t come in the form of a candy bar.  Rather, they should be from an additional whey shake or protein breast.

Change your rep scheme

If you’re a powerlifter, there’s a very good chance you’ve been training with a 5 x 5 rep scheme, or something similar.  Spend 2 or 3 workouts using a 10-12 repetition range.  Then return to the 5 x 5 rep scheme and see if the added muscle fiber recruitment you caused by training with the higher repetitions has led to any new strength.  You may be surprised!

Get a training partner

If you train alone, that has to change.  We have all had those moments where we know that we have one repetition left in us – maybe.  However, if you’re training alone, you usually cannot risk going for it.  You know that at the very least, you’re going to fail and be embarrassed.  And at the very most, you could seriously injure yourself if you lose control of the bar.  Plus, if you drop the bar enough time, the gym owner may escort you out the door.  Training with a partner eliminates all of these worries. You can train until absolute failure, and push yourself even when you’re not sure if you will succeed.  Someone will always have your back!

About the Author

Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.

Personal Training Workout Tips & Drills : Bench Press Fitness Exercises