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Tall guy finding it hard to increase bench

K

kmacattack

New member
I'm about 196cm and 100 kg. been hitting up a split program for the last 4 months. Everything is coming along fairly well except bench. my pec routine is as follows: (making sure i touch the chest).

Bench:
12 by 30kg
10 by 50kg
4 sets at 5-6 by 90kg

Incline dumbell press:
4-5 sets 35kg 5-6 reps

dumbell flys:
4-5 sets 15 kg 5-6 reps
 
Is this the only program you've been on?

Have you tried a higher training frequency? Full body 3x a week or push/pull, upper/lower 4x a week?

Where are you weak? Try video taping your bench so we can see your technique.
 
I found most of my strength gains (kinda like laying a foundation) was doing a powerlifting style routine (like a 5x5 program 3 times a week) rather than a bodybuilding 4/5 day splits style routine (which I'm guessing is what you are currently doing?). Once you lay the base of core strength, you can then revert back to a splits routine if you like.
 
Besides getting off a split which has been recommended already.

Have you been progressing each week?
Is it a 5 day split?
Do you squat?
 
well i'm not 100% sure on all the lingo but my program is as follows:

monday: back and squats (only started squatting fairly recently)

tueday: Pecs and biceps

wednesday: shoulders and triceps

thurs:rest

friday: legs and deadlifts.

Pretty well for every muscle group im doing a warmup then 4-5 sets at around 5-6 reps(fairly similar to a 5x5) with about 3-4 exercies.

i thought in benching i was struggling at the bottom of my lift, but my shoulders are coming along reasonably well.
my wingspan is well over 200cm so i'm not sure if my bench is perhaps working other parts of my uppper body.

I've been stuck on about 90kg for about 3 months.

Any ideas at a different program?
possibly mixing up the reps?
i'm quite new in the game but keen to learn as much as i can to help with gains.
 
Try Starting Strength or PTC beginner program for about 3 months. It is full body 3 days a week with progression every session. Check out the stickies Beginners Look Here Thread for more info. You should notice some strength gains on these programs as long as you follow them properly, and eat lots.
 
Look to sticky, he's a tall dude, and has a very strong bench. He follows a new routine of his making but follows a powerlifting style. Use the beginners program.
 
I have a boy whos 203cm, benches 112.5kg x 1 and 95kg x 5 x 5.

He trains full body twice a week, just over 6 months training.

He started at 75kg x 1

Your progress isnt as bad as you think, just stay consistent big fella
 
also you might look at your bench technique, I used to bench flat and push all the way up to the top and my shoulders would come up off the bench, then a changed to more of a powerlifting style with a mild arch and kept my upper back and traps tight and my shoulders on the bench which decreased the range of motion by a good few inches, allowed me to bench more and has allowed me to progress faster.
 
If I was doing "4 sets at 5-6 by 90kg" I wouldn't be complaining if i'd only been training for 4 months.
 
Im tall, and have long ass arms :D.

Things that I found helped me a heap are:
1. Get a good coach (if your serious about lifting). They will see things you cant, they know things you dont.

2. Technique. This helped me a lot. Scapula/feet/elbows/hands were major issues for me. Pretty much I sucked (and still do :D) at benching.

3. Lots of back work. I pause my benches, and I was running out of puff bringing the weight to my chest. Building back strength has helped.

After addressing these issues, my bench is every increasing. I hoping for 1.5xbw in 6 weeks.
 
Some of this is repeated from earlier posts

Neutral Grip uses more arms than chest
Wider Grip uses more chest than arms

Workout your 1 rep max for both

Train each or just grip, for 5 set for reps of 3 to 5 (IMO a wieght heavy so that you can only do 3 is better)

Don't train to failure i.e high reps

1 day a week or 1 day every 2 weeks, see if your 1 rep max has increased.

Remember training for strength is different than training for typical size, although training for strength will lead to size increase too :)
 
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