Have you recently hit a plateau on your bench press? Are you trying your best to push the bar off your chest but it’s just not moving? Have you gone down on your bench recently?
In this post, I’m going to show you exactly why you’ve plateaued and how to get past it.
Calorie intake
The bigger you are, the more you can lift. This applies to the vast majority of people and probably you. You can only push so much weight at a certain bodyweight before you inevitably plateau. This is a common thing that happens. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why I stayed so small in high school.
Source: Men’s HealthSure, I worked out a lot but my eating was terrible. I barely ate anything. I had a little bit to eat in the morning, maybe something in the afternoon and then some food before I went to bed. I didn’t consume a lot of calories. If I did, I would be a lot bigger and stronger today.
You need to consume more calories than you burn. This is the only way to keep progressing in your training.
I know it sucks consuming all those calories. Constantly having to stuff your face and feeling like your stomach is about to rip. Pacing up and down, sweating it out.
I’ve got a much easier way for you to put on weight. It’s called a mass gainer shake. A mass gainer will help you pack on mass a lot easier. You can literally have a shake that’s packed full of calories and then feel hungry again a couple of hours later.
Form
Your form is very important when bench pressing. If you have bad form, you will progress a lot slower. I’ll be revealing some of my favorite tips to get the best bench press form.
Place your back properly – Make sure your back is placed on the bench to the point you know for a fact it won’t move. You then want to get an arch going. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, just stick your chest out, that’s a good way to do it.
Grip the bar properly – Make sure when you’re holding the bar, you’re not bending your wrists, keep them straight. This way you’ll avoid wrist pains and injuries.
Try and grip the bar tightly as well. This way, you’ll be able to push the weight with more power.
Suck in a big gulp of air – I find that sucking in some air right before I lift the bar off, helps me get a little bit of an extra push. I feel like I’m trying harder and I’m able to concentrate a lot more.
Source: Men’s HealthTake a look at your expectations
If your trying to move up 10 lbs every week like I was when I first started benching, you’re going to find yourself plateauing in a few months. It takes a lot of time for your body to increase in strength and build muscle mass.
I can’t tell you how you should set your goals but you should be realistic about them. When you’re new to the bench press, you’ll quickly progress. But then you’ll find putting on muscle is a lot harder than it was before.
If you’re looking to learn more about the bench press, I would highly recommend checking out this post.
Source: The Tenth Yard
