3 Bench Press Tips

If you want to bench 300 pounds, and you’re able to hit 225 or more right now, then you’re about to discover important tips for increasing your bench press by 25 pounds or more in just 4 weeks.

When I was at my strongest (310 bench, 225 for 14 reps at 190lbs), I benched twice per week. Heavy, low reps on Monday and 5×5 with 225 on Thursday (along with a lot of upper back and assistance work). That system worked AWESOME for me…BUT of course, it is rough on the shoulder. However, it was still my best bench program – total Meatheads style workout.

And that system should help any guy struggling to go from 275 to 300. I also used a lot of board pressing, often in place of regular flat bench.

Allowed me to use more weight with a reduced range of motion and built up strength that was assisted by the full ROM 5×5 later in the week. That was with a training partner. Whenever I trained by myself, I simply used my foam roller and stuck it under my shirt to simulate a 3-board press.

The key is to train smart. That’s a lot of benching, but I built up over time.

The 3rd and final tip is to simply plan your program. For me, there were 4 workouts per week. I started with the heavy bench workout plus lots of rowing and one more pressing exercise (either dumbbell chest press or shoulder press).

The second workout was dedicated to squats, followed by a day off. Then came the 5×5 bench day, along with more upper back exercises, along with triceps extensions. And finally, I finished the week with deadlifts and abs.

That program was a good example of training smarter. I wasn’t doing 5 sets of chest once per week and wondering why my bench press was not increasing.

Here’s how you can use “smarter training” for results:

Look at your body like a science experiment. Add a stimulus. Measure response. Adjust as needed. One variable at a time when possible. Find out what is working. Don’t just “do more for the sake of doing more”.

Blend persistence with experimentation. Stay with your goal but don’t beat your head against a stone wall. Try new approaches. Experiment. And never, ever, EVER give up on something that is important to you.

That’s how you increase your bench press to over 300 pounds.