Weak chest (48yo male)

andyrusho
andyrusho Posts: 5 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
5’11”, 158lbs. My bench press is awful , 135 max. I’m ectomorph and eating 3000 cal per day . Lately I’ve been doing “iso lateral bench “ ( machine press) , on that my max is a horrendous 108lbs.
I work chest once a week (due to my over training which happens quickly as skinny ectomorph). The goal is 225lbs someday !
Any tips ?
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Replies

  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,215 Member
    First off, somatypes don't matter. Second, everyone starts somewhere, only way to go is up. Lastly, are you following a well-crafted lifting program that incorporates progressive overload? Based on my personal research/understanding, it's sub-optimal for novice lifters to only train a muscle group once per week, a full body linear progression split will incorporate bench multiple times per week with reasonable volume and emphasize getting more weight on the bar at a reasonable pace.
  • Erik8484
    Erik8484 Posts: 458 Member
    andyrusho wrote: »
    5’11”, 158lbs. My bench press is awful , 135 max. I’m ectomorph and eating 3000 cal per day . Lately I’ve been doing “iso lateral bench “ ( machine press) , on that my max is a horrendous 108lbs.
    I work chest once a week (due to my over training which happens quickly as skinny ectomorph). The goal is 225lbs someday !
    Any tips ?

    https://youtu.be/1FWDde2IEPg
    And to quote selectively, "the main factor contributing to great benching success is the ability to consistently train the bench frequently for a long period of time..."

    Follow a proven program and bench press more often is, I think, the most important change for you to make.
  • andyrusho
    andyrusho Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks for the input . I will do some research on progressive workouts .
  • igutt
    igutt Posts: 97 Member
    I’d say 5 sets of 5 reps will help a lot
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    Eat more

    https://www.andybaker.com/building-a-simple-diet-for-mass/
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    You aren't any kind of morph - that's just complete and utter cobblers.

    Training once a week will get you nowhere.

    You don't eat to get strong, you train to get strong and you aren't training bench press anywhere near enough to progress adequately let alone optimally.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    progressive training program.

    Also, certain things such as muscle activation if you can't recruit/feel your chest muscles properly. After I learnt how to "turn on" my chest, my gainz have been awesome in this previously lagging body part.

    www.ganbarumethod.com
  • keeratisol
    keeratisol Posts: 1 Member
    andyrusho wrote: »
    Thanks for the input . I will do some research on progressive workouts .

    Here are a couple to start the search:
    AllPro's

    Strong Lifts 5x5
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    You don't eat to get strong...
    So a guy nearly 6' tall weighing less than 160# and currently unable to bench 135 won't need to build any muscle or add mass to improve his leverages in order to get his bench up to 225#?

  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    edited September 2019
    andyrusho wrote: »
    ...due to my over training which happens quickly as skinny ectomorph...
    Try eating more.

    You don't get strong from training you get strong recovering from training which means eating and sleeping.

    Agree you need to train more than once per week using an appropriate full body novice linear progression program...

  • andyrusho
    andyrusho Posts: 5 Member
    I’m at 3000 calories right now .
    I would be called a “hard gainer “ . Skinny and weak. Hard to put on mass easily. But I think I can with 3000 calories and beginner routine . Thanks for all the info !
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    Just dropped this off on another thread, might as well drop it here.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Choose a programme; follow the programme.

    Cheers, h.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    You don't eat to get strong...
    So a guy nearly 6' tall weighing less than 160# and currently unable to bench 135 won't need to build any muscle or add mass to improve his leverages in order to get his bench up to 225#?

    Think the point went over your head - without effective training eating more achieves what?
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Think the point went over your head - without effective training eating more achieves what?

    Perhaps over yours as well - without effective recovery proper training achieves what?

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited September 2019
    wiigelec wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Think the point went over your head - without effective training eating more achieves what?

    Perhaps over yours as well - without effective recovery proper training achieves what?

    And what exactly is the relevance of that to anything I've written?
    Did I mention recovery? Did I express an opinion that recovery isn't part of effective training?

    If you want to ask me something, or to clarify something I've actually written then I'm more than happy to respond but creating a strawman and insinuating it's something I think or believe just makes you look argumentative and a bit silly.

    If you genuinely disagree with "You don't eat to get strong, you train to get strong and you aren't training bench press anywhere near enough to progress adequately let alone optimally. " then lets hear it.
    I'm pretty confident that a beginner with a specific goal to progress their bench press should be bench pressing more than once a week but interested to hear you opinion if your think once a week is a good training strategy for them.
  • billkansas
    billkansas Posts: 267 Member
    How's your squat, deadlift, and overhead press... going up? Put your mind to it and you could join the 1000 lb club by 50. Of course, this was my goal.... failed but still trying! Maybe by 51.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,215 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Think the point went over your head - without effective training eating more achieves what?

    Perhaps over yours as well - without effective recovery proper training achieves what?

    No one's suggesting to bench everyday, it's fairly well proven that benching (or any movement) performed multiple times per week is better for novice strength building. 48 hours should be plenty to recover, especially in a caloric surplus, which I would assume 3000 cals would be for the OP.

    Regarding the size/strength correlation, you don't have to get huge to get relatively strong. Granted, it was in my mid-late 20s but I went from a similar starting point to over 225 in a little over a year after I started lifting while benching 3x/week. I'm 6'1" and stay around 170-175 lbs.
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    My opinion is the op is weak because he is skinny and needs to gain about 50# while following an appropriate training program.

    It is my opinion he will accomplish his goals by eating as described in the link above and by purchasing reading and following what is outlined in this book:

    https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738

  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,215 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    My opinion is the op is weak because he is skinny and needs to gain about 50# while following an appropriate training program.

    It is my opinion he will accomplish his goals by eating as described in the link above and by purchasing reading and following what is outlined in this book:

    https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738
    FIFY

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