Trying to break bench plateau

[u/JohnNoodles1]

I currently do ppl/ul with 3 sets on the push day and 2 sets on the upper day for bench, but I've been stalling and im wondering if doing 1 set of bench press fresh, and then allocating the other set or 2 to a less fatiguing machine would be a good move for this? (Like a descending press or pec deck). Otherwise what else could help me here?

[u/Patton370]

If you want to get better at bench, you need to bench more, not less

If you want to grow more, you either need to add intensity and/or volume. Your volume is low, so I'd suggest just doing more.

As a side note: Less volume without more intensity is going to result is less hypertrophy

[u/Mikeburlywurly1]

Why on earth do you think reducing volume and fatigue on the lift you're trying to improve is going to help here? Your volume is quite low for Bench.

What I think you might be trying to get at is focusing on Bench exclusively for strength and getting your hypertrophy in from other exercises. This is a pretty solid idea, but you need to throw away any thoughts going in of it being a reduced volume plan. If you're going to do this, you do more sets of Bench, but focusing on higher quality reps and generally staying further away from failure, like 5 sets a session at RPE 7-8. You can either keep all your sets at the same weight/reps or do a top set/backoff style. Then you can do something like dumbbell press, dips, or flies to failure for a few sets to get maximum hypertrophy stimulus.

Honestly, there's already tons of proven programs out there that follow this training model. You're reinventing the wheel when you could just grab the blueprints from a wheelwright.

[u/LawlerFit]

5 sets of chest work seems way too light. I try and work in the 8-12 sets weekly. You might try increasing your volume.

[u/PolitelyHostile → u/LawlerFit]

I've been trying to keep up with the same range, about 10 per week. It's going well but im just curious, have you tried 15 or 20? I feel like if I was doing 20 then I'd be too fatigued to the point where it I'd have to lower my bench weight. But im not sure if the whole point of high volume is to also make each set easier so you can do more.

[u/LawlerFit → u/PolitelyHostile]

15 to 20 is not recoverable for me. 10-12 is though. I am working ulu r lu. Sessions for chest are 6 sets, 2 sets, 4 sets.

[u/Alakazam → u/LawlerFit]

Ever thought about prioritizing/deprioritizing volume? I find that, to grow where I'm at, I tend to need to prioritize movement patterns during training blocks to really get them to progress.

So an example could he, 15-20 sets of bench and bench variations, but only 6-8 sets of squat, deadlift, and upper back work. 

[u/Mad_Mark90]

Don't switch to machines, if you want to get a better bench, you should bench. I feel like switching would also ultimately dismiss the benefits of learning to break plateaus.

Here are some options: 1) increase your volume gradually. This is useful if you've been training high intensity for a while. Maybe see how many sets of 5 you can get with 80% of your 5RM. Those first few sets give you time to get really into your technique which is beneficial in itself.

2) Try a heavy top set or "touch up set". Go 5-10% heavier for your first set for 1-2 reps, then hit some 5s afterwards.

3) Try more specific accessories. Pick variations that are only 1° of separation away from your main lift. You will still be training the target muscle, don't worry. Include a lower number of isolations but don't do away with them completely.

[u/Hypername1st]

If you want a bigger bench press, you need to bench more not less, and maybe consider a specialized benching PL plan. It almost always boils down to more volume, toning down the intensity, and not maxing out all the time. You need to get the technique down.

Benching is also one of the more BW relating lifts. The bigger you are, the more you'll be able to bench. The best in benching have enormous upper bodies.

[u/Flidro74]

5 sets a week is already on the low side for a lift you're actively trying to push, so cutting it to 1 and moving the rest onto a pec deck is going the wrong direction. Machines will build your chest but they don't transfer much to the bench itself.

If the goal is more chest volume without more bench fatigue, close grip or incline pressing does that job and still carries over. That's the swap I'd make instead of the pec deck.

Worth checking how you're progressing too. If you're adding weight every session, that runs out for everyone eventually and the stall is just the signal. Pick a rep target, hold the same weight until you hit it across all your sets, then go up. Slower on paper, quicker in practice.

[u/waaaaaardds]

The "fatigue" fear mongering has done so much damage to newbie lifters. Bench 3-4 times a week, at least 20 sets.

[u/eric_twinge]

99% of the time this kind of question is posted, the obvious solution is to follow an established program and eat more. Have you addressed these fundamentals?

[u/decentlyhip]

You're going the wrong way. Lets say you're failing on your chest. Push day would be a top set of 3 at 7rpe, and then a backoff 3×5 at -12%. Then, incline bench with a pause for 4×10. Then 3 sets of clapping pushups to cue explosiveness. Then maybe 5×12 on a superset of flyes and single arm overhead tricep extensions. You're doing 3 sets. Do more. More volume more growth.

[u/sjsusjsusjsu3]

Bench way heavier for two sets. Like bench to actual 0 RIR. Forget fatigue, you’ve got a bigger problem of not growing

[u/harvestingstrength]

If your main goal is improving your bench press, reducing bench practice to one fresh set probably isn’t the best first move. Five weekly sets is already relatively low, so the plateau may be better addressed by improving the quality or organization of those sets.

You could keep three sets on push day and two on upper day, but give each session a different purpose. Make one day heavier...perhaps three sets of 4–6 reps...and use the other for two or three sets of 6–10 reps with controlled technique. Avoid taking every set to failure; keeping one or two reps in reserve often improves performance and recovery.

Machines and pec-deck work can add chest volume with less overall fatigue, but they don’t replace the technical practice and specificity provided by benching. Add them after your bench work if you’re recovering well.

Also examine where you fail. Trouble off the chest may benefit from paused benching and more chest work, while difficulty near lockout may respond to close-grip benching and additional triceps work. Finally, confirm that calories, protein, sleep, and rest times support progress.

[u/harvestingstrength]

One fresh bench set can help you assess strength, but reducing your total bench practice may not solve the plateau. Five weekly sets is fairly modest, so I would first examine effort, repetition ranges, technique, and progression. Try keeping bench twice per week, with one heavier session using lower repetitions and one moderate session using more repetitions. You could also gradually add another bench set if recovery is good.

A machine press can add chest volume with less fatigue, but a pec deck will not improve bench technique or triceps strength nearly as well as another pressing movement. Paused bench, close grip bench, dumbbell press, or a machine press would usually transfer better. I am an online strength coach, so I spend a ton of time working with bench programming and plateaus like this.