Increasing bench press weight

Do you setup your position like so?

Take a deep breath before lowering the bar to your chest?
Do you plant your feet on the ground and push hard against the floor? If your feet are not planted you won't be as strong, your feet should NEVER move once you plant them when you bench press.

I'll ignore the powerlifting bench press arch for now. Just keep your back flat on the bench with the natural curve at the bottom.

Do you lower with your elbows flared out to the side (to your shoulders) or to the side of your body?

You have hit a plateau. You need to change your reps and sets. I would do some volume for 6 weeks. So say use 35-40lbs on and aim for 8-10reps x 3-4sets.

I would also hit some tricep exercises like dips or assisted dips if you can't do them and some tricep cable pull downs. Bench pressing is predominately triceps.

OHP the above tricep exercises will help you out as well.

Also to note once the bar touches your chest are you pushing up as hard and as fast as you can? Speed off the bottom if the most important thing when bench pressing. This does not mean to bounce the bar off your chest though.

Example:
set your feet
take a deep breath
lower the bar controlled to your chest
press up as hard and as fast as you can
feet stay planted throughout all of this
once the bar is up at the top or on it's way take a new breath,
repeat

The above will make a huge difference to your bench press if you are not use to doing it. SPEED SPEED SPEED off the bottom. This will get more of your muscle fibres to fire and thus lift more weight.

Koing

I'm in the same boat, it's tough!
I'm trying German Volume Training. It's 10 sets of 10 reps at 50% of your 10 rep max, then 3 sets of your 10 rep max to failure. I've noticed that just about every week my sets to failure are getting heavier
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/six-week-shred-torch-fat-with-hiit-100s.html

I've read that regular old pushups help increase your bench and can help cut down injuries from the bench press when you are trying to go higher in weight. Try adding a few sets on off days and keep adding to those reps too. I've done a really unofficial program of push ups that mirrored a 30 day squat routine getting up to 100. After getting to 100 pushups in 3 sets or less I have been able to clear a personal best for bench press. good luck

Thank you! I will definitely try the speed thing, I don't think I've focused on that at all. My elbows go out a little but I was told to keep them close to my sides if possible. I'm weaker that way so I think I automatically flare out a little to get that last bit of power,

Thanks for the help!

No probs.

If you flair them you put more strain on your rotator cuff. To the side is less stress on your rotator cuff.

Do some YTW's as well, good for shoulder work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awZ-xUTyL0k

Most people don't focus on what I wrote as they do not know any better.

Yes focus on the speed up. Do not just *grind* the bar up. Women and most people are not use to being fast on the concentric phase of the exercise (the working part of the exercise, muscles shorten/ contract to work). This will greatly improve your bench press and your ability to build muscle.

You can do this on every exercise as well.

Squats, lower yourself down and then go up as fast as you can. Again do not BOUNCE at the bottom. Just go down, then get up fast.

Pull ups, fast up, normal down

OHP, fast up, normal down.
etc

Koing