For all the heavy weight lifters on GS.
What’s a good ratio of a benchpress to your bodyweight? Right now I can press about 95% of my body weight for a max of 6 reps then I have to reduce the weight and continue.
Not looking to bulk up, just want to increase my bench with my current weight. Any techniques?
Also is there an ideal ratio of benchpress to body weight (and reps) that I shld look to work towards?
Gracias.
Re: Benchpress.
a general rule is, if u can lift a weight for 7, 8 reps (even six) without help, increase it... keep lifting it till its relatively easy to lift, and move on to a weight that u can lift with some help... if ur regular enough, u,d know how much u caustn lift, and when the need be, increase it. Also keep in mind that the bar itself generally around 20 kilos. I aint big or anything,, havent really been training lately, but i was weighing about 76 77 kilos and lifting about 90 - 95 kilos on bench. the only advice is,,, be regular,,, and as soon as u feel u can lift more,,, increase the weight...
also depends what ur aim is,, if u wana bulk up,, go as heavy as u can,, get someone to spot for u, and always do a couple of reps after failure with a lil help from ur spotter. keep it heavy and keep the reps from 6 to 8 per set. also make sure ur following a routine and not blindly jumping on to different machines and exercises randomly,,, make sure the chest gets ample time to recover before u do it again.
Re: Benchpress.
I've found that resting a week between exercising a particular muscle group helps it recover and grow. There is no particular ratio for lifting, as a rule of thumb and I agree with KAKA, lift enough to be able to do six-eight reps with last two taking your max strength (get someone to spot you).
You might want to consider protein supplements since most people are not taking in enough protein to make an impact. Depending on your activity level, take about a gram of protein per pound of your body weight.