Workout Program?
 

Started working out again last March. My original goal was to be able to bench 315 about 5 times a set. Once I reached that goal I set a new one, I want to be able to do 315 10 times a set. But I have been stuck on anywhere between 8 to 9 reps.

I never played football so I do not have much experience in getting over this plateau that I have hit.

I know we got a lot of ex college football players and work out fanatics on this website. Do any of you guys have any advice?

It is important to know that I do not take any proteins or supplements, so those are out of the question. I also do not have a partner.

Any advice?

I am not sure what your sexual orientation has to do with bench pressing?

Medium I thought the same thing when I read it. Funny

Guess I should make it clearer for the uneducated......."I do not have a spotter"

Go down in weight for a couple of days. You may have muscle fatigue. I find that mixing it up for a couple days gets me a little more stamina while lifting more weight than always going heavy.

You should at least take protein at a minimum. I know you said it was out of the question, but you wanted advice.

Well the reason I say that is because it makes me gain so much weight.
But thanks for the advice...

Hey man what you been up too.

So you suggest doing sets of twenty or twenty five for a couple of weeks?
Then go back to heavy?

Ok, I probably don't look like it but I used to compete in bench press competitions in college. When we reached plateaus we would work out with negative sets for about a week. If you're not familiar with them - basically you need to get in a cage rack and use whatever weight you believe your max to be. You'll need at least 2 spotters (3 is better) and have your spotters give you the weight at full extension, with you controlling the weight as slowly as possible on the way down - repeating 3-5 times.

If that doesn't work, give it a rest for a week or two then go at it again.

make sure you are giving your muscles adequate time to recuperate. That can cause a plateau too

nothing but work man. Yea try that and see, it works with me whenever i get tired. That might be whats up you are just burnt out.

Good advice

You must be huge. Doing 315 for reps of any amount is an accomplishment by itself. That being said I don't think anyone should be doing that much weight without a spotter it's just dangerous. However if you want to break a plateau you should do bench with dumbells for a few weeks as heavy as you can go and focus on negatives. You should also focus on heavy incline and decline bench for balance if you aren't doing it already.

I had problems with my shoulder because of heavy inclines.
Also my gym only has dumbbells up to 100 lbs so I am limited to just bench. I perform fly's with dumbbells, that's about it.

And I am not huge, 315 is not really an accomplishment, 400 is.

Dude I'd bet 315 is more than 99% of the population can lift. If the dumbbells only go up to 100 then you should probably go up in weight on flat and do a few weeks of 1- 3 rep sets.

yeah 315 for 8 reps with no supplements is pretty damn good

"uneducated" Really?
Mediums comment and my response was just lite humor.
Nothing to it. Good luck reaching your goals.

Everyone has diff goals. Based on my experience dumbells are used for definition and the bar is used for strength. Balance is definitely critical and I agree fully on that - also including dips is key. Another item often overlooked are pushups at multiple angles as they are invaluable for strength building.

Rest goes a long way in strength building and is fundamental in the process.

Re
 

X2.
We did negatives in college.... What a workout!! Def have u some spotters.
We did lock outs also..... Spotters lower the bar to Ur chest u push it up..... Bout 65-85% of max. 8-10 reps 3-4 sets. 2 x week for 2-3 weeks.
Also we used bands attached to the end of bar secured to floor for safety. And chains are also a safer option.
Maxing out is all about the preparation.... Meaning when u decide to max out don't waste reps getting warm or building up to Ur final attempt.
If Ur going for max reps.... Muscle endurance is it key!!
Work urself to fatigue with low weight 2 x week .... We would take 135 on bar and rep out at the end of the session..... Keep track of how many reps u get to each time.
My max in college was 395 on bench.... Took 5 years to get there. But I got it! Lol

that's freakin hilarious :*****: