How many times a week you need to do the bench press to increase the weight faster on it?? Basically i am asking best method to increase my bench press quickly and effieciently.

If you want to increase your bench (i.e. increase your muscular strength), you'll firstly need to be lifting very low reps with very heavy weights. Around 2-4 reps per set to failure. Make sure you have a spotter and you're well warmed up. How often you need to press is debatable. I'd suggest twice a week. Some would advocate once, some would say 3 times. For gaining maximal strength, I find 2 days a week (equally spaced) for a particular muscle group gives you a good balance of stimulus and recovery.

How quickly you increase you strength depends on a number of factors, such as how long you've been triaining already, how well you eat, and of course, your genetics.

If you want to increase your bench (i.e. increase your muscular strength), you'll firstly need to be lifting very low reps with very heavy weights. Around 2-4 reps per set to failure. Make sure you have a spotter and you're well warmed up. How often you need to press is debatable. I'd suggest twice a week. Some would advocate once, some would say 3 times. For gaining maximal strength, I find 2 days a week (equally spaced) for a particular muscle group gives you a good balance of stimulus and recovery.

How quickly you increase you strength depends on a number of factors, such as how long you've been triaining already, how well you eat, and of course, your genetics.


can you achieve the same results as bench press just by doing dumbbell presses? because i workout alone and don't have a spotter available

[QUOTE=Endorphin Junky]If you want to increase your bench (i.e. increase your muscular strength), you'll firstly need to be lifting very low reps with very heavy weights. Around 2-4 reps per set to failure. Make sure you have a spotter and you're well warmed up. How often you need to press is debatable. I'd suggest twice a week. Some would advocate once, some would say 3 times. For gaining maximal strength, I find 2 days a week (equally spaced) for a particular muscle group gives you a good balance of stimulus and recovery.

Endorphin i have weight lifting machine. And i cant increase the weights to my highest b/c when u raise the weight its like by 24 pounds. So i can only go up to my highest which is really not my highest. Its weight resistance. So should i still do low reps??

brandnewday,
you can do a bench press with either dumbbells or a barbell. Doing them with dumbbells is harder as you need more balance and so you get better stabiliser muscle development and so better over all strength. A barbell will let you lift more and so hit the primer mover harder, but at he expense of stabiliser muscle development. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Best to use both but if you only have db's, thats fine. As a side point, you can still hurt yourself with dumbbells if you're not using a spotter.

sdogg,
I'm not sure what you mean by "increase the weights to my highest". Are you trying to lift your 1RM? you haven't specifed what kind of rep range this is your highest for. For instance, if you're pushing out 2-3 reps but you're aiming for 4, thats fine, just keep going and your strength will gradually increase enough for you to be able to push out 4, assuming all other factors are in place eg diet etc.

sdogg,
I'm not sure what you mean by "increase the weights to my highest". Are you trying to lift your 1RM? you haven't specifed what kind of rep range this is your highest for. For instance, if you're pushing out 2-3 reps but you're aiming for 4, thats fine, just keep going and your strength will gradually increase enough for you to be able to push out 4, assuming all other factors are in place eg diet etc.[/QUOTE]


No No you misunderstood. The weight increase is like 23 lbs. I lift 130 on the machine but i know i can lift more than that with a reg bench press. But since the increase is so high i cant lift the next weight. So should is till do low reps, high weights or do muscle failure on my highest weight i can lift. which is really not my highest.

brandnewday,
you can do a bench press with either dumbbells or a barbell. Doing them with dumbbells is harder as you need more balance and so you get better stabiliser muscle development and so better over all strength. A barbell will let you lift more and so hit the primer mover harder, but at he expense of stabiliser muscle development. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Best to use both but if you only have db's, thats fine. As a side point, you can still hurt yourself with dumbbells if you're not using a spotter.

sdogg,
I'm not sure what you mean by "increase the weights to my highest". Are you trying to lift your 1RM? you haven't specifed what kind of rep range this is your highest for. For instance, if you're pushing out 2-3 reps but you're aiming for 4, thats fine, just keep going and your strength will gradually increase enough for you to be able to push out 4, assuming all other factors are in place eg diet etc.

good info endorphin thanks right now i am just doing dumbbell presses instead of the bench press i just feel they are safer to do because at least when i am feeling fatigued i can just drop them to the sides unlike bench press. i might start bench press using real light weights tho just to tone up more.

sdogg,
Low reps with heavy weight should still done be to failure. If you can't lift the next weight up, go to failure on 130 until your strength increases enough to lift then next plate. You still increase strength with a higher rep range. Training with 2-4 rep is more just suited for increases in strength over increases in size.