GL-science

Getting your bench press over 100kg is not an easy thing, it requires time, dedication and extreme motivation. This article will help you to make regular improvements in your bench press, until you hit that magical number of 100kg. Why is 100kg important, well it is not that important but when beginners go to the gym they seem to aim for a target of 100kg and this is the typical goal. Furthurmore in regards to my friends who have an intrest in bodybuilding and amongst the bodybuilding community, anybody who can bench more than 100kg is considered a “beast”. Here are some tips to help you Get your bench over 100kg.

• Eat big

If you have a friend who is into weight lifting, body building or power lifting, you should have noticed that they are consistently eating and eating in large amounts. There is a reason for this. In order to put on muscle mass you need to consume more calories than you basal metabolic rate. Put into simple terms your basal metabolic rate (BMR), is your metabolism. Your metabolism , will vary depending on body type, muscle composition, fat levels, genetics e.t.c. You will need to consume roughly 500 more calories than your BMR each day. These extra calories will allow your body to use this extra nutrition on building muscle and the much needed strength you need to get you bench over 100kg.

In addition you should be eating roughly 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Why you ask. Well amino acids are the building blocks for muscle and protein is made up of amino acid. Protein is found in a lot of lean meats, tuna, beans, certain nuts, and milk. If you are having trouble eating the required amount of protein, purchase some whey shakes, these are rich in good quality amino acids, in addition to branched amino acids, which have a higher uptake rate.

Now before you go out to the supermarket and start filling your trolley with cakes, crisps, chips and fattening food just to make up the calories, stop. These calories need to have a high nutritional value and cant just be garbage. Foods like lean meats, fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, pasta e.t.c.

• Less reps more set

If you want to hit that magical number of 100kg, you need to train for strength and not for hypertrophy (increasing muscle mass). In order to train for strength you need to decrease the number of reps you do and increase the number of sets. A typical routine would include 5×5. 5 reps and 5 sets.

Furthermore make sure you regular switch your routine around, don’t stick to the same routine for months on end. Your body is a very dynamic system and eventually it will adapt to your routine and prevent you from making any further gains. So switch something up maybe add more reps, more weight, more sets. This will shock your body and thus kick start your strength gains again.

• Rest

This is something beginners neglect, your body needs to recuperate from the damage and stress you put on it during the gym. If you go to the gym everyday and train the chest it is not going to recuperate, you are not going to see any gains and in some instances you may see loses in bench press strength and muscle around the chest.

Every time you train a particular muscle whether it be chest, triceps or biceps. You cause tiny micro tears to develop in the muscle. Then when you consume protein this is broken down to amino acids. These amino acids then fill the muscle and make it stronger. If you train continuously it cannot repair and can be very damaging to your goal. I normally recommend my clients to bench once a week, at the most twice. But when you train make sure you put in 100%. For smaller muscles it you can train them twice a week as they recuperate quicker.

• Train any weak supporting muscles

Don’t assume that your chest is the primary muscle that helps you to bench big. It is not. The triceps, deltoid and rotator cuff muscles are all involved in helping you to develop a bigger bench. This is a key mistake people make, in that they neglect their weaker muscles and eventually plateau. This may be a big hit to your ego but you have to train those weaker muscles because later on they will become the limiting factor and will prevent you from increasing your bench.

The triceps help to support the weight on the decline and assist the chest in pushing the weight up. Strong shoulder muscles provide a good base and a solid grounding for your arms. The rotator muscles assist in stabilising your arms. Be careful when training your rotator cuff muscles as you can tear your rotator cuff muscles very easily, and this will cause you to stay out of the gym for a few months and this can drain all the motivation out of you. For more information on rotator cuff muscles check this out. There is no harm in taking a week or two off from training just your chest to concentrate on these muscles if they have caused you to plateau.

In addition to these muscles train your back and your legs, although you may assumes these have no relevance when it come to the bench, they provide support and a solid base for you to lift from. And not just in the bench press having a strong back and legs, can be very beneficial in day to day life.

• Adjust your workout to incorporate different lifting methods

Ever heard of negative reps, speed benching or assisted reps, well here’s the low down:

Negative reps: With negative reps you take a weight roughly 10-20% more than you can lift (you will need a training partner for this) and you focus all your effort on the decline down to you chest, make sure you do this slowly as you can putting as much pressure on your chest. And on the push back up your training partner helps you. This is a very good way to break that plateau.

Assisted reps: You will also need a training partner for this exercise, when you feel you cant push the weight anymore, your training partner comes in and alleviates some of the stress by assisting you in lifting the weight, this will continue to place stress on the muscle.

Speed benching: This seems to only be effective for some people, but it may be more effective for others. Get a low weight and lift it as fast and you can for as many reps.

Adding these to your workout can do wonders to your strength gains.

• The type of bar

The bars used for benching vary greatly some are very thick whereas others are extremely slim, in most cases you will be able to lift roughly 10-20% more with the slim bar. Yes it is true to thicker bars stimulate the muscles to undergo hypertrophy, but we are concentrating on hitting 100kg for your bench, and improving your strength not making you look pretty.

• Time, sacrifice and mindset

If you go into the gym looking to bench 100kg and you know you are going to bench it, trust me it can help. I have had clients who one week benched 40kg but then the
week after they bench 50kg because they came in fired up and pumped up.

You will have to sacrifice time and money to reach these goals, but in the end it will be worth it. The timescale will vary depending on the person, as each person is different in term of genetics but if you put in enough effort and time, you will get there.

• Supplements

I’ve mentioned why protein before, in addition to whey protein you can use creatine, NO2 and various other supplements. They will help you to get the much needed nutrition and get to your goals.

Steroids and other drugs can help, but i strongly advise against them because of the side affects. Would you rather take the easy way out, or fight it out in the gym. Which one do you think will leave you stronger mentally. In the end it is your choice.

• Training partners

You training partners can help to motivate you, push you and provide support, or they can let you down and hinder your progression so make sure you choose a good one. Training partner are also there to help you reach your goals, and ensure you don’t get crushed when you cant lift any more. They also play a pivotal role when using the advanced lifting methods mentioned above.

• Conclusion

I have mentioned a lot of tips, tricks and techniques to help you get your bench to 100kg, but it all comes down to you and your motivation to achieve these goals. Nobody ever said it was easy but if you stay committed these goals are achievable. Good luck!!!!

Here are some other articles to assist you in your bench press goal

http://blog.bodybuilding.com/StudiesAndResearch/2008/05/19/stretch-your-pectorals-to-improve-your-bench-press/

Technorati Tags: bench press, 100kg, lift heavy, weight training, supplements, negative reps, bench

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