Best program to increase bench

musclebuilder

I'm at a bit of a plateau at 280 lbs (raw with belt, all the way to chest) at the moment. I've been really hoping to get up to 300 lbs raw before I turn 51 and don't know if I'll make it running these calorie deficits. I think I've got at least another 10-15 pounds that I can increase just through technique. The issue I think is getting used to the groove at that weight and staying tight. In addition, when I stay tight enough to get it off my chest I tend to stall just before my triceps kick in, which I figure is inadequate speed off the bottom. Finally, the bar is sometimes traveling out of grove up towards my head (which means my triceps are weak).

To deal with this, I've been doing the following:

- Staying tight. I've been doing lockouts (upper partials) with super-maximal weights.
- Stall point. Speed bench @ 50% 1 RM for 10 sets of 3.
- Triceps. Banded speed bench (135 lbs at the bottom and ~315 at the top) and weighted dips. Currently doing dips for 4 sets of 10 with 55 lbs suspended from my waist and am about ready to go up to 70.

It's too early to tell whether this remedy will get me there, but it should be close. Please let me know if there is anything else I should be doing.

I recently dieted down and maintained my strength fairly well but after I stopped dieting I wound up dropping like another 10+lbs. And then my strength really hit the ****ter. It is tough gaining strength in a calorie deficit. For a while you may make progress but I know for myself, eventually nothing matters and there is no avoiding the strength losses that inevitably come. It is a tough blow mentally and psychologically for me. I have my work cut out for me to get my strength but up to where it was and beyond. But I'm up for the challenge. 280lbs is a strong press, nice work! Even if you don't hit your 300lb goal this time around, your next bulk just get after it harder than ever until you hit the goal.

You mentioned stalling out..Are you stalling out in the lower portion of your press? If so why not do partials in the area you are weakest? I think partials can be very beneficial but I never have success with limiting partials to just the lockout. That is where we are usually strongest. It is typically the initial upward phase where we stall out and are limited. One method I have used with great success is to do partials but you don't just do partials. It is the theory of maximum fatigue or you can call it isometronic pressing. You break down your press into 3 equal parts. Say the chest to about 6" off it, the midd portion, and lockout. Do partials in each phase. Use heavier weight..3-5 rep range. Set up some safety pins about 6" above your chest and set up the bar right off your chest basically. If you can handle 5 reps then do 5 reps pressing the bar up into the safety bars and back down to your chest. You are basically doing dead stop presses here in a partial ROM. On rep 4 when you press up into the safety pins, push the bar against the safety pins for 6 seconds as hard as you can (isometrically) and then lower the weight and try for one more rep to complete the set of 5. Do this in each of the 3 phases. It is most effective when you do this one day and then conventional pressing another day if your goal is to increase your conventional press. It is extremely intense and it can help you get past plateaus. Though at a calorie deficit, you may have to accept that strength gains may not come despite your best efforts.

Dlacenere

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/schultz38.htm.

cajuntank

Tagging.

JeffseekingV

Was able to eek out another 225lb bench for a 2 clean and 1 with a spot but the guy shouldn't have. I had it.

This is while super setting with pull ups in between sets. (sets of clean/fast 5 counts).