Need some advice on how to increase strength

Now I'm not one for "programs" but, specifically for bench press, if you are going to commit to increasing this lift, there is a great one out there that I know works: Musclemedia's 7 week bench program. The program claims to add up to 50 pounds to your benchpress within a seven week period, and if you follow it and give it your all, it really can, the friend who convinced me to try did it himself and added over 50, and I added 60lbs once, about 40lbs a second time to my bench going through it, to 425lbs 1RM. Now starting at 115lbs to 150lbs 1RM is too low for +50lbs, thats almost half to 1/3 your max, so be aware your first time through you'll probably go up maybe 30 pounds at most, later you can just do it again. This program is basically just some rules and a bench press chart of what to do when, nothing to buy, no balloney, and once you read and understand the rules you only need the chart and a good spotter. Spotter can be the hardest to find, because you really do need a good spotter, someone who can not only keep you safe doing negative lifts but also knows how to give you just barely enough aid to keep it moving, not some "random gym guy" once your lifts get heavy. Lack of a competent spotter is the main reason I'm not doing it strictly myself again at the moment. Doesn't have to be anyone big, just someone who is attentive, my best spotter was a 120lb girl

Just looked and maybe the site is down? I found another site that has the info directly from the page though, read it and if you work through it, its really worth it, just forget all the other voices, eat about 1g protein/lb of lean body mass/day, dont go in to do the lift without having eaten within an hour or so or tired out after aerobic exercise, read the instructions and follow them and the chart and I bet you'll be very happy with the results, its lots of fun to see this kind of gain in a short time.
http://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/benchpgm.htm

BTW, anyone in the Bellevue/Redmond area looking for a workout spotter/buddy, write me!

The results do vary widely depending on several factors, the biggest of which is where you start, the more you do starting 1RM the bigger the window for improvement is. The chart is set up to do sets, the last 3 sets of 3, 2 then 1 reps of different weight, the last weight is not the max, as you can do a lot more when you havent fatigued yourself with the high sets of 3 and 2 first. Don't get hung up on the time claim either, in my case, I was not even aware of the "7 weeks" claim when I did it, since I got the workout chart from a friend's photocopy, and I did take a few weeks longer than the program says. To me thats not important, what was important is the results.

If you don't have good nutrition, a good spotter, enough sleep, enough rest between workouts, don't complete all the workouts or don't give it your all, you won't have as good of results for each factor. I also took 5-7 days not 3-4 days between workouts as the program says, thats VERY important and what I'd advise too to allow enough time for muscle growth, there are other fine points to work out too for maximum results, but I'm just pointing you to a workout routine which yields great results for people who want to increase bench, I'm not your individual trainer If OP only gets +20lbs doing this program, thats a world of difference to what he's describing. Don't expect +50lbs, thats the "talking point" and name of the routine, you CAN have that much increase, but how much you gain depends on you and your starting point.

A loaf of bread and a $6 jar of peanut butter will make you a whole bunch of high protein sandwiches at around. 400 calories each.

I increased my weight last week.
Now that I started lifting heavier I have developed pain in my elbows whenever I work my triceps, Ex tricep pull down or tricep press. This pain lasts for days. I feel pain when I extend my arms, not flex them.
Anyone ever experience this? Any ideas as to the cause? I'm hoping and praying its not arthritis. I'm due for my yearly physical in a couples weeks, but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

I experienced this two weeks ago! I extended my elbow beyond his normal range of motion with too much power. this happend due to a bad form while benchpressing. I worked on my form and didn`t had this problem any more. If you still have the same pain after your workout, maybe you should visit a doctor;it coul be you`re suffirng from a hyperextend elbow.