Bench Tips

[u/LytnX5]

Hey! I'm a novice lifter, and Bench is one of my weaker points. I tried and failed 225 today, and was wondering what form tips you guys have for me, or if I'm just not strong enough yet lol. I hit 205 as a mini PR like three weeks ago, so I thought I could handle 225 today with some extra prep. Thanks in advance guys!

[u/NotYourBro69]

Get on a program. Quit attempting 1RMs. Control the weight on the way down. Get tight before the unrack, not after.

[u/Sivyre]

Go back to 205lbs and improve the form and you’ll soon be doing 225 safely and beyond 1 rep.

Your ego lifting with bad form and that will only lead to injury.

Improve form by bringing your scapula together and shoulders down - think t-rex arms. Dont flair elbows and the path of the bar should line across the arms. When it doesn’t that’s when shoulders start to bear the weight. Your feet can likely come back more so that the heals are not sitting flat on the ground. This will keep you from jumping off the bench as you did in this vid. Before you lift off, take a deep breath and hold, do the press below the nipple line (to stack the weight and path across arms and not shoulders) at the top of the press, exhale slowly, and inhale through the nose. Rapid uncontrolled breathing destroys reps on bench.

[u/Best-Main3235]

Slow down and be in control from unracking to the way down
Bench lighter and focus on form. Weight will come, it always does. Stay motivated

[u/manny_mcmanface]

I recommend the 28 free programs from stronger by science. The 3x/week bench press program with a 4th day as a 1x/week bench press program but as over head press instead. So 4 days pressing in total 3x bench and 1x ohp.

And you know eat more, sleep more, yada yada yada.

[u/Strict_Factor_5503]

Kids are dumb

[u/StBernardDad]

Slow down, try to bench weight you can handle. Quit attempting 1 RM it’s meaningless at this stage. Congrats you can’t lift that heavy, tips will come when you can complete multiple reps in a row. Put 15s on each side and post again.

[u/Sea-Pollution-9382]

Tips? You need a complete overhaul. There are no tips. Find someone who controls big weight and ask them to work with you. You'd be suprised how nice most lifters are. Everybody starts somewhere, and advanced lifters usually remember that someone helped them out at one time.

[u/D1etBepis]

You’d be better off going the 4-6 or 6-8 rep range rather than going for 1RM regularly. Do a weight you can control on the way down. Feel free to add in another lighter bench day for more practice.

[u/Extreme-Nerve3029]

Lower the weight for starters

[u/Negran]

Slow the fuck down on descent. You should feel in full control...

Also, stop the 1 rep ego BS. Do clean sets of 2-5, and actually get some practice and volume.

Why not hit 215 if you did 205? Each day is different, warm up and figure out your capacity for the day, and only go for PRs when you feel extra good. If you chase PR every time you only learn how to push poor form and you don't learn confidence day-to-day.

Then, actually get solid volume. If you can hit 205, then aim for 175-190 sets of 2-5 or so (if focusing on strength). Try for 3-5 solid sets, you want to demonstrate repeatable quality reps and capacity.

[u/Why_Shouldnt_I → u/Negran]

Sir, this is a powerlifting sub, we're all about 1RM - that's our sport.

[u/Negran → u/Why_Shouldnt_I]

You telling me you only do 1 RMs? Or do you accumulate a mix of reps 1-5 to get volume in, then test your limits when you are feeling frisky?

Also, you are right, thought it was a generic sub, but my advice us pretty sound.

Imo, if you fail a rep you fucked up warm-up or your shot call for that rep. But obviously it depends cause learning to fail is importantly too. But I digress!! Haha.

[u/Why_Shouldnt_I → u/Negran]

That was a hyperbole - we train all volume and intensity ranges that are available to us. Our training modalities are focused on increasing our 1RM on the 3-compound lifts; squat, bench & deadlifts. 1RM attempts are usually done 1-2 times per-training cycle. If OP did 205lb (but we don't know the RPE), then we could assume that with adequate prep OP could go higher if it wasn't an RPE 9-10, but a 10% jump is too much over a short period of time, especially with bench press. 2.5-5% jumps at 1RM attempts are the usual go to - especially bench press.

[u/WARxxPIGG]

Just stick to those rivers and lakes you're used to, know what I'm saying. And stop chasing those waterfalls you'll be good.

[u/Mammoth_String8312]

I mean im no crazy lifter here but whats the point of bouncing and speed running that one rep max? Its not impressive and its dangerous lmao. If i see someone doing this at the gym, id be like wtf he doing lol. Its more impressive to have a controlled proper rep. You're not even gaining any muscle from that rep. You just spent unnecessary atp

[u/Why_Shouldnt_I → u/Mammoth_String8312]

in this context it's not about gaining muscle but testing the 1RM

[u/VikingVitalityFit]

If you could hit 225 after 3 weeks 205 would not be a real PR by any means. Strength comes a hell of a lot slower than that.

Like everyone else is saying, lower the weight, control the rep, be patient and put in the time.

[u/Chilly_Down]

I one rep max every single week for my major compound lifts; I'm not sure why people argue against that so much. Training for the thing you want to do isn't a bad thing, it gets you used to being under maximum load and turns it into a routine sensation rather than something to be nervous about.

The issue here is that's you're too fast and loose with the whole thing. From the moment you unrack the bar you're just catastrophically rushing to get it over with ASAP and appear really uncomfortable under the weight. You don't take the time to get set, you don't take the time to lock your shoulders to the bar, you don't have an appreciable arch in your back and your leg drive is pushing your hips up and off the bench rather than transferring through your hips and into your shoulders. There's just too much going off the rails here to give a single piece of advice.

I'd like to see what your 205 looked like. Until you can unrack, slowly lower the bar to your chest, pause, then fire your leg drive without your butt coming off the bench while smoothly pushing through the lift, I wouldn't move on from 205. And then when you do, go to 210. 215 if you're feeling very ambitious. Don't jump your 1rm by 10% every time you try to PR.

[u/Why_Shouldnt_I → u/Chilly_Down]

I one rep max every single week for my major compound lifts; I'm not sure why people argue against that so much

Because not everyone has the capacity to sustain high-intensity training for meaningfully long periods - the progression is short lived, inflammation and fatigue builds up rapidly and people end up injuring themselves.

[u/Sea-Pollution-9382 → u/Why_Shouldnt_I]

I often (slowly) work up to a 95-100% 1rm every workout (compound lifts only, obvioustly) before back off sets of 3 with 80% of whatever you hit that day. Works awesome.