I cannot complete 3x10 of 75 lb dumbbell bench press. Been on it for over a month. Should I move on to 80 lbs?

[purbeast0]

Wow 10 reps seems like a lot. I typically do 8 reps max for a given weight. I generally do 135lbs like 6 times, 2 sets of that, to warm up. I then throw on 175 and do like 4 reps of that to losen up a little higher, then I put on 205 and do like 4 reps of that.

I then start to do my heavier stuff and throw on like 235 or so and right now, I'm between 6-8 on that. Once I can get it 8 times, I will try 245lbs my next time to start. After I do 235lbs 6 or so times, I throw on 255 and try to do it 3-4 times. I'll usually end at like 225 6-8 times after that and I am pretty fatigued.

Then I go onto do incline dumbells and some decline stuff.

I was stuck for a long LONG time trying to get up 225lbs 8 times. I then just decided to up my weight and try out 235lbs and do less reps. It helps to just aleast try it out, even if you cant get your 75lbs 10x 3 sets. I would say to do a set of like 75lbs like 6-8 times for your first set, then try 80lbs and see how many times you do it. if you can get it like 8 times, I would say to try 90lbs and do it till failure.

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: SirStev0
I just took a class on this. Gym in college ftw. You should bumb down to a lower weight and do it more times. For you Id think somewhere around 50 lb for as many sets or reps you can handle. Scientifically, higher reps increase muscle cells as well as making them larger. This will help you continue upwards. Do this for about two weeks then bump up the weight and drop down the reps. Do this for about two weeks and bump yourself up to the 75lb you were at (you should be able to do the 3X10). Do this for two weeks. For one week do your max weight for as many reps as you can. The week after this take a break. After the break start over again at a lower weight somewhere above the 50 you started with but not too crazy. Then repeat the entire process.

Most peoples problem with lifting and hitting a wall is that they dont get into a program. They just pick a weight to start at and a set of reps and just keep adding weight. The best way to do it is start with high rep low weight and build up over time to high weigh low rep. Then start all over again each time increasing slightly.

God I hate the crap they teach these days, and in those crappy fitness magazines.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: Amused
A month or two without gains is no big deal. We all plateau now and again. When you do, change up your routine and up your calories.

Good advice. And, look at your diet.


Vic: Two things just to clear up, isolation exercises is the last thing he wants to do. He needs to retrain his CNS and assistance exercises (isolation in bbing) is not what he wants to work on. Low weight, high force is what he needs to do. (meaning bar speed is important in getting past n00b sticking points).

Also, when you lift heavy and gain more it is not because more test is released it is actually because of when you lift light with high reps you strain them and wear them out, causing them to adapt so that does not happen, when you lift heavy you completely rip your muscle fibers causing them to grow back stronger and bigger. Also test is actually released, Arachnic Acid is, which intern helps leucine and test with protein synthesis.

Hmm... thanks for the advice (seriously). I recall that the last advice I saw you give here got me past a plateau of my own. I'm gonna work on the bar speed next.

 

[yowolabi]

Vary your exercises and use higher weights.

/thread

 

[edro]

I say you are at your current regiment's plateau.

@ 140lbs, 75lb DB Bench Press is very good.

You are at the same level I am at and I weigh 175.
My 3 working sets are 175lbs. Some weeks I drop the reps to 8 and do 80lbs.

To get much more, you probably need to up your protein, eat more, and focus on higher weight, lower reps.

 

[Mardeth]

Where is Koing?

 

[Slammy1]

Weight is somewhat important, but when I was in good shape I was 145# and could bench 300# (not more than 2x, but it was clean). For me, the basis of a good weight program begins with a good CV program. I was boxing at the time, did a lot of road work, and focussed on pushups and setups with only moderate weight training. I also think it's important to work out your muscles evenly (ie not have big arms but a small chest). But I have lived my life with very strong lower body and weaker in upper body as I took martial arts as a kid. In some things, I'm amazingly strong compared to bigger guys. I eventually did start a diet program to increase my mass, which helped a lot in some lifts (like military presses). All of my boxing muscles have atrophied, I'm not near as strong as when I weighed less in terms of benches nor lats.

 

[SuperNaruto]

HGH

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Slammy1
Weight is somewhat important, but when I was in good shape I was 145# and could bench 300# (not more than 2x, but it was clean). For me, the basis of a good weight program begins with a good CV program. I was boxing at the time, did a lot of road work, and focussed on pushups and setups with only moderate weight training. I also think it's important to work out your muscles evenly (ie not have big arms but a small chest). But I have lived my life with very strong lower body and weaker in upper body as I took martial arts as a kid. In some things, I'm amazingly strong compared to bigger guys. I eventually did start a diet program to increase my mass, which helped a lot in some lifts (like military presses). All of my boxing muscles have atrophied, I'm not near as strong as when I weighed less in terms of benches nor lats.

jesus christ ... you could bench 300lbs when you weighed 145lbs, yet you claim your upper body is weak?

wtf ... did you squat like 800lbs lol ?

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: Amused
A month or two without gains is no big deal. We all plateau now and again. When you do, change up your routine and up your calories.

Good advice. And, look at your diet.


Vic: Two things just to clear up, isolation exercises is the last thing he wants to do. He needs to retrain his CNS and assistance exercises (isolation in bbing) is not what he wants to work on. Low weight, high force is what he needs to do. (meaning bar speed is important in getting past n00b sticking points).

Also, when you lift heavy and gain more it is not because more test is released it is actually because of when you lift light with high reps you strain them and wear them out, causing them to adapt so that does not happen, when you lift heavy you completely rip your muscle fibers causing them to grow back stronger and bigger. Also test is actually released, Arachnic Acid is, which intern helps leucine and test with protein synthesis.

Hmm... thanks for the advice (seriously). I recall that the last advice I saw you give here got me past a plateau of my own. I'm gonna work on the bar speed next.

No problem, I know you know your stuff, but I just had to nit pick .

But yes, at Westside we always make sure to have a dynamic day for squat and bench because usually we train at our max, which is fine for a while, but eventually you will plateu with that alone. So what you need to do is lower the weight, the magnitude increases for how advanced you are. A new lifter should lift 80% for his DE (dynamic effort day) and 70% for an intermediate, and 60-50% for an advanced lifter. This has to do with how much recruitment of muscle strength one can use for one rep. Anyway do sets of 5-10 and concentrate obviously on form but by lifting the bar with the same force to lift your max. Say your max is 500, then you would train with 350 and use more force (bar speed) to equal that you are lifting 500lbs. Along with assistance exercises and Maximum effort days your bench will continue to go up. This also goes along with the question of "I always get stuck at the bottom of my bench, what exercises should I do to work that area" The answer is dynamic benches because instead of working the "stuck" area, work on getting your acceleration up before you hit that area off your chest and you don't even need to worry about it. And, of course train the tricep (close grip bench and skull crushers). Hope that helps.

 

[Slammy1]

Well, bench was my strongest lift cause we'd do a couple hundred pushups and setups in workout plus I only did reps with 220-240# (I had friends doing 300-400# for reps). I'd squat 500-600 for reps (never maxed, I was worried bout my spine) and leg presses were my strongest lower body lift (I'd do 1800#, but that was on the machine so it's hard to translate to real world). All those duck walks as a kid really built up my leg strength. OTOH, back then I'd military press only 110# for reps (I'm still better than that now). I had a major illness a couple of years ago and lost a lot of my strength so I'm not so impressive anymore, not that I was bery impressive then but I was proud to be able to bench over twice my weight. I've also gained weight. At the gym (I have a weight set at home now for working out) I always felt I was in the lower half upper body but top 1% lower body, plus being so thin (I'm 6'2") you can imagine I looked kinda weird at 145#.

 

[Cattlegod]

lower your reps.

6, 4, 2 and have a spotter

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: Slammy1
Well, bench was my strongest lift cause we'd do a couple hundred pushups and setups in workout plus I only did reps with 220-240# (I had friends doing 300-400# for reps). I'd squat 500-600 for reps (never maxed, I was worried bout my spine) and leg presses were my strongest lower body lift (I'd do 1800#, but that was on the machine so it's hard to translate to real world). All those duck walks as a kid really built up my leg strength. OTOH, back then I'd military press only 110# for reps (I'm still better than that now). I had a major illness a couple of years ago and lost a lot of my strength so I'm not so impressive anymore, not that I was bery impressive then but I was proud to be able to bench over twice my weight. I've also gained weight. At the gym (I have a weight set at home now for working out) I always felt I was in the lower half upper body but top 1% lower body, plus being so thin (I'm 6'2") you can imagine I looked kinda weird at 145#.

When you say # do you mean pounds?

 

[Slammy1]

Sorry, yes (pounds). EDIT: It'd sound much more impressive if it mean kilos or stones, eh?

 

[SVT Cobra]

Shenstastic Slammy1. No way I beleive you are 145lbs and could bench and squat that much, sorry. Especially at 6'2.

 

[Slammy1]

Well, my grandfather was one of those "strong guys" back in the day (won some competition). Plus martial arts really helped a lot as far as the mental aspect and doing crazy things lower body. I ate a lot but worked out a lot, I couldn't gain weight cause I'd burn it off faster than I could take it in. Just my metabolism. But I do promise you that those are real numbers. I track my lifting on spreadsheets, so it's not faulty memory. No reason to lie, why should I care what someone I don't know on the net thinks?

 

[SVT Cobra]

You'd be in the olympics with those stats.

 

[psteng19]

Well, it was chest day today and I tried this just for the heck of it.

80x5
75x5
70x5
Flat bench, each set until failure.

Not sure if this is better than 3 sets of 75 @ 10,8,6

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: psteng19
I usually wait until I can comfortably do 3 sets of 10 reps before I up the weight.
But I've been stuck on 75 lbs for over a month (I had a month off due to surgery, but the month obviously does not that recovery period). Previously, I have been upping 5 lbs every 2 weeks or so.

I do chest usually once, maybe twice a week, and right now I can get a set of 10, 8 and then 5 or 6.

Should I just go to 80 lbs?
Have I maxed out?
My original goal was just to complete 3x10 80 lbs by end of 2006.
Side goals are to get bigger and stronger of course.

edit: To clarify, it's 75-80 lbs dumbbell.

whats a dumbbell bench press?

75lbs in each hand?

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: JEDI

Originally posted by: psteng19
I usually wait until I can comfortably do 3 sets of 10 reps before I up the weight.
But I've been stuck on 75 lbs for over a month (I had a month off due to surgery, but the month obviously does not that recovery period). Previously, I have been upping 5 lbs every 2 weeks or so.

I do chest usually once, maybe twice a week, and right now I can get a set of 10, 8 and then 5 or 6.

Should I just go to 80 lbs?
Have I maxed out?
My original goal was just to complete 3x10 80 lbs by end of 2006.
Side goals are to get bigger and stronger of course.

edit: To clarify, it's 75-80 lbs dumbbell.

whats a dumbbell bench press?

75lbs in each hand?

Yes.

 

[Chunkee]

take a week off...eat and sleep really well...mild cardio and stretching...

come back, you will be able to do it...

after lifting heavy for 8 weeks...take a week to 10 days off.. and eat and sleep really well

jC

 

[Slammy1]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra
You'd be in the olympics with those stats.

I think you should reconsider your point, maybe talk with a trainer I'm sure they've seen more impressive things. You look at the first link I pulled up from a basic google search they talk about squatting over 1000# as "inferior" for these olympic class lifters.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drsquat17.htm

I was a little heavier when I was putting up the numbers I indicated, for squats, around 165#. I stopped the heavy lower body workouts cause I had huge legs and a not so big upper body and it was hurting my back even at those weights. Combat training differs from weight training, it was a lot of strength towards specific tasks so I could do really well with some lifts (training since I was 8). I took 2 forms of martial arts, judo was all about squat strength and we'd do duck walks til you dropped every session then we'd spend the rest of the time body slamming each other. Karate was a lot of physical activity as well, you'd stretch for a while then do a lot of practice kicks/punches before moving to forms and "special topics"; but I was more into judo for a longer time. In boxing a typical work out was 50 pushups, 50 setups, repeat for 200-250 of each, do a few rounds on the heavy bag (3 minutes is a long time to throw punches) then you sparred; it was hard to put on weight but I was pretty rock solid back then (that's when I could bench twice my weight, you look here, the first hit from a google search, benching twice your weight doesn't really seem a big deal).
http://www.43things.com/things/view/122417

It's very different than straight weight training, having too big of muscles was a hinderance. I didn't mean I did flys with 300# in each hand. I do understand your skepticism some cause my roommate at the time was pretty heavy into weightlifting and lifted with his "serious freinds", I had to prove to him I could do it. I needed 1 witness, so I guess I understand; but this is the net. If you want to call me a liar please present authoratative evidence to support your claim.

I don't mean to come across mean or like I'm picking a fight or anything. Just saying, I don't understand why you'd want to accuse me of lying here.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Amused
A month or two without gains is no big deal. We all plateau now and again. When you do, change up your routine and up your calories.

He's doing a lot of weight for his weight. He can surely gain strength if he gains weight, but if he wants to stay 140 lbs, he's going to have a real tough time making gains.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Slammy1
Well, bench was my strongest lift cause we'd do a couple hundred pushups and setups in workout plus I only did reps with 220-240# (I had friends doing 300-400# for reps). I'd squat 500-600 for reps (never maxed, I was worried bout my spine) and leg presses were my strongest lower body lift (I'd do 1800#, but that was on the machine so it's hard to translate to real world). All those duck walks as a kid really built up my leg strength.

lol

 

[dfi]

Here's something to try. Rest a week. That might work by itself.

If that doesn't work, then try doing 5x5 on db bench. Use heavier db so it's challenging. After a month, try 3x10 again with 80 lbs.

Oh, and don't go to failure.