Lagging Bench

[Pommy]

i think my bench press is lagging, and ive got a feeling my chest can do more but my triceps are too weak, is it common for people's triceps to be to weak for their chest?

on bench i can do bout 8repx60kg (132pounds) with last few cruddy form

for the whole time ive been going to the gym (bout 6 months) ive been bench pressing but ive only been deadlifting for about 1 month and i can already dead 6x110kg (242pounds) and i think i could do more if i had straps (my grip gives in faster than my lower back)

to try and catch my triceps up ive changed my split from
chest tri sholders | back biceps | legs |
TO
chest sholders | bicep triceps | legs back |

does that look okay? i started the new split yesterday so hopefully having fresh tris for isolated excercises will strenghten them to catch my chest and help my benchpress

anyway... any other ideas?

[MartiniMan]

Change is always good when you feel something is lagging, so just changing up your routine will probably help.

One suggestion to help break a benching plateau is to NOT bench at all for a month or so.  I got over one benching plateau in the past by hitting my chest with DB presses (both incline and flat) and weighted dips (these will help grow triceps as well).  When I got back on the bench again a month later, I soared through my previous best.   That taught me personally not to be so focused on benching, but CHEST development instead.  I now only bench once every two or three weeks, and even then many times it's only incline, not flat, as I see better growth this way.

And, yes, strong triceps are critical for big benching.  You never see some guy with toothpick arms putting up serious weight, the guys benching big look big everywhere up top - including upper back.  Keep in mind the stronger your triceps and back are, the more stable you will be pushing heavier weight, so maybe working on both those areas are what is needed.  One suggestion for tricep development - don't use too many cable excersizes - I personally only use one out of three or four excersizes on the cables, the other two or three are with DB (behind the head tricep extensions or one armed extensions bent over a bench) and close grip bench - and I go very heavy with these - can only get 6 to 8 reps tops each set.   This has personally resulted in great gains in size and strength for my triceps.

Biggest piece of advice, though, is keep switching things up!

[Loomis]

5x5 is a good workout fo bench.

[Pommy]

Thanks for the info Martini, ill try the new program out and if it doesnt work ill give your idea a shot and stop benching for a month, cheers

[Bluto]

personally i wouldnt wanna work the two biggest musclegroups, legs and back on the same day

[Traps Hoolihan]

5 sets of 5 reps is the best thing I can think of. You use a weight that you can get 6-8 reps with and stop at 5. I also like to do a set of pause-reps for my last set. Bring the weight down under tension, pause and explode, trying to throw the bar off my chest.

[Jr. Yates]

personally i wouldnt wanna work the two biggest musclegroups, legs and back on the same day

I agree

[SLYY]

personally i wouldnt wanna work the two biggest musclegroups, legs and back on the same day

I know I couldn't.  Not sure if that is even possible if you are intense at the gym.....

[brianX]

If you want to get good at the bench, do a lot of heavy benching. I'm talking about sets of five, sets of three, and max singles.

Not benching for a month is a good way to lose strength on the bench. That's just terrible advice any way you look at it.

[Sculpter]

Have you ever considered getting past your sticking point by using the power rack?Set the racks pins at the area where the bar will finish just above your chest.Load the bar w/your weight & train away.Beauty of this is you can go past your previous best weights w/no worries if you fail because the power racks pins will catch the weight if you fail.You may even get a spotter to help you do negatives or positives.Good luck w/whatever you decide.

[MartiniMan]

Not benching for a month is a good way to lose strength on the bench. That's just terrible advice any way you look at it.

I don't think you get my point - I'm not telling the guy to stop working on his chest, I'm telling him "if something you are doing every workout isn't producing results, then it's time to change what you are doing".

If this guy has been going to the gym for 6 months and benching regularly, it's clear his body is getting used to this repeated motion over and over, and it's time to emphasize other chest excersizes for a while.

I am a big fan of Max-OT, and when I found my bench hit a plateau, I started spending the bulk of my time with DB presses, incline presses, close grip presses, etc all HEAVY, in the 4 to 6 rep range, and found the deeper stretch and working the stabalizing muscles differently helped get my bench going again. 

Anyone who tells a noob to keep doing what he's always been doing, even though it isn't working, just "go heavier" obviously isn't teaching, just wanting to hear himself talk.

For all we know, this guy has burned his CNS out pushing the bench so much and you telling him "just go heavier" is going to discourage him even further.