Bench press articles

“Blasting through Plateaus pt. 2”

By Ian Smalley

7.      Not targeting weaknesses. If you are missing lifts at lockout, then make sure you have plenty of triceps  and lockout work in your bench press workouts. Don’t just train chest endlessly because you have a strong chest and it’s easy. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, so constantly adapt your training to attack your weak points as they develop. Something that is a strength one training cycle may become a weakness on the next, so pay attention.

8.     Too much sex.  I had to throw this one in here because most times too much lovin..(or self lovin) will leave you feeling lethargic and content. You ever notice how back in high school whoever had a girlfriend would start to suck. Well, there you go. Stay hungry, stay angry. Stay strong!

9.     Bad Training partners. You’re usually only as good as the people you train with. Most of the stronger camps in the sport got that way by pushing each other daily, and sharing information to make each other better. If you train with a bunch of tools then don’t expect too much support when you hit a road block. Find the strongest, most experienced lifters in your area and train with them and watch your numbers go back up

10.     Lower body weakness.  SQUATS… OOOHH, the word that sends chills down the backs of bench only guys everywhere. Look, if your bench press workouts are lagging then it could be that your entire body needs to be stimulated back into growth and strength gains. Nothing does this faster than squatting, it is the king of all exercises for a reason. You’ll be more likely to add 20 lbs to your bench max by squatting than adding some press downs and flys into your routine, so don’t be afraid put out some effort into making your WHOLE body strong, not just your arms and chest.

11.     Lack of focus.  Mental barriers are a major hurdle for many lifters to overcome. You know how you wanted to bench 4 plates, but it looks like a lot more than 400 does even though it's 5 lbs difference. This happens because we have set up mental barriers that have to be destroyed before the weight will move. You’re literally stopping yourself from accomplishing your goals. If you don’t think you will get a certain weight, guess what…you won’t…ever. Be confident in what you’re trying to do and focus on the task at hand. Prepare yourself ahead of time and visualize what you need to do.

If you’re hitting a wall in your bench press workouts then I guarantee you the answer lies in one or a combination of the above reasons. Be thoughtful in your approach to your training and diet and your numbers will be climbing in no time.