Why is my Bench Press low compared to other lifts?

Joe Collins — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 18:47:17 -0400

Hello, im an Army Rotc student that takes physical fitness very serious. My current Lifts are
I am currently 6'2 193lbs.
Bench- 275.
Overhead Press- 230.
Squat- 345.
12 minute 2 mile
67 push ups in 2 minutes
I do a lot of Olympic weightlifting such as clean and jerk and snatches. My bench has hit a wall for about 5 months and had not moved up but my overhead press keeps improving.
- should i do more isolation movements or just pause all my reps

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2018 6:50 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 18:50:04 -0400

There are several things you can do to break through a bench plateau. I like switching up to higher rep sets for a while, to build more endurance. You can also do some overload techniques, like using boards or a slingshot.
Also, consider where your failing point is. You may need to do accessory work to target your rotator cuff, your triceps, your lockout, etc.

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Jul 10 at 2018 8:22 PM

CPT Zachary Brooks — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 20:22:03 -0400

This was always my lacking lift as well. It's one of those lifts that generally will not properly apply the muscles if you are holding the bar incorrectly. Generally most people hold or push incorrectly which works their anterior deltoids more or their forearms more (and a bit their triceps). Getting the chest involved is the biggest piece to improve that.

Response by SSG Jose M. Hernandezsanchez made Jul 11 at 2018 8:47 AM

SSG Jose M. Hernandezsanchez — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 08:47:59 -0400

Joe,
Plateau is one of those stages we can't get away with because eventually is going to happen. A remedy to fight that is by changing your routine a little bit such as, reps count, rest periods, exploring other exercises, rest days, even incorporating some super-sets routines.
Years ago, I ran into a super-set routine designed by Ronnie Coleman, former Mr. Olympia. It was a chest super-set workout. It looks like this...
-Bench Press super-set with 20 regular push-ups
-Inclined Press super-set with flat dumbbell flies
-Dips super-set with inclined flies
I would do this for about three weeks, then on the forth week I move the push-ups, flat flies and inclined flies down. I used this when I was getting ready for a PT test, let me tell you, my push-up improved immensely. I was doing close to 65 push-ups just over the first minute. So, by incorporating this type of routine, I was able to build endurance for the actual test. One thing though, you have to pace yourself or you'll be smoked by the time you move to the next set of exercises. So, finding the ideal weight, and rest times between the sets will be a process which is ok. Looking at the routine above, let's say this is my fourth week going back to chest, then it would look like this...
-Bench press with inclined flies
-Inclined Press with 20 push-ups
-Dips with flat bench dumbbells flies
Then your body is going to be like, woo, what's going on? And this is what you want, your body to constantly wonder.
Also, my older brother told me to stop letting the barbell touch my chest while performing bench presses, and make sure I stopped about an inch from touching. This would allow the chest muscles to do most of the work instead of your front deltoids which could lead to shoulder injuries. Now, I don't do this anymore because one, I'm 46, and I'm retired for the US Army. But I do this every once in a while, maybe once a month, and depending how my routines fall into each month. I'm constantly changing my routines for all muscle groups by not doing the same thing every week because eventually your body will get use to it. Sometimes I change the order of the routine.
You can do this if you want to explore other things or options. But I can't say this enough, pace yourself so you can get the full effect. Again, try if you want. Don't worry about hitting a wall. Us that workout a lot been through it at some point of time. Or maybe you need to take a week off which I just recently did...it won't hurt you any.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 2 at 2018 9:18 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 09:18:54 -0500

How many pull-ups can you do?

Response by Sgt Martin V. made Jan 12 at 2019 3:26 PM

Sgt Martin V. — Sat, 12 Jan 2019 15:26:36 -0500

Late to the party here, but

What kind of programming are you using?

Response by LCpl Sidney Green made Feb 11 at 2021 7:38 AM

LCpl Sidney Green — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 07:38:10 -0500

I would suspect because you're tall. What's your wingspan? Also keep in mind that work = weight + distance. So given any weight, you longer limbs mean you're doing more work than your shorter counterpart.

In my case, I have long Gibbon arms with a shallow rib cage so its a long way up/down with a lot of instability stress on the joints. You could go wider, but that would introduce stress limitations as well. Just lower the weight, and increase the intensity (slow eccentric). That's what I do. Good luck