6 Things Which Helped Me Get Past My Bench Press Plateau

Updated: Jul 24

Background to my bench press plateau

So, I was a skinny long-distance runner for most of my life and through injuries I eventually quit competing and just started doing some easy running daily. After I quit running I needed to find something else to focus on and I decided why not start pushing some big weights. These big weights started with a 32.5kg bench press for 8 reps, huge. It did not take me long (about 3 months) to start doing 60kg for 8 reps, quite an improvement and I was very happy, however this did not last long as I was stuck around 60kg for the next couple months.

So, I am not too experienced in bench press as you now know. But what I am experienced with is sports science, so I went on a mission to improve my bench press.

Check out the top 7 chest exercises here: https://www.georgelewishealth.com/post/top-7-chest-exercises-for-hypertrophy

How I got past my plateau to start improving again

Before I start this list, a little disclaimer: this is just a list of things which helped improve my bench press, not a fully exhausted list of every possible way to improve.

1. Working to increase my shoulder strength more

Your shoulders play a massive role in the bench press and that is something that I personally did not recognise and it held me back for a long time. Your anterior deltoids are a big contributor to your bench press, if they are not strong enough then this stops you being able to get your body in a proper position for the bench press. Weak shoulder stop you being able to get your chest activating correctly and will make it hard to get your arms in the correct position when holding the weight (1).

Summary of how weak shoulders plateaued my bench press

Weak shoulders stop proper chest activation and make it hard for you to hold the bar in a strong position with your triceps flexed- will be such a huge limiter in how much you can bench if you do not get this sorted!

2. Working on developing my back strength more

Specifically now I am talking about your latissimus dorsi (the lats). The lats do the opposite job of the pectoral muscles so for me it was counter-intuitive to think that my lats would have an impact on why my bench press had plateaued. However, the lats are actually responsible for helping you drive the bar off your chest at the start of the upward part of the bench press and stronger lats can help you develop power to help you break through and get that extra few KG (3).

Summary of how weak lats plateaued my bench press

Weak lats will decrease the amount of power your pectorals will be able to to create to help get the bar up at the start of the movement.

3. Improving my bench press form

'Weight go up, weight go down'- this caveman thinking may have got me to 60kg bench press but to get past this point I would have to break down the movement of the bench press to get optimal form.

Tips for optimal bench press:

Small arch in your back
Position the bar over your chest
Grip hard with the bar far down your palm away from your fingers
Take a deep breathe when the bar comes down
Engage your glutes as you start to push the weight up
Try to pinch your back muscles together at the bottom of the movement

Summary of how bad form plateaued my bench press

Poor form makes moving less weight harder, optimising form will improve your gains and increase your bench press.

4. Taking the right supplements

When I started at the gym I was just having some crappy supermarket sugar filled protein shake because it said '20g of protein' on the front. I should have invested in some proper protein powder and some other key supplements.

From testing out supplements and through research I wrote a blog about the top recommended supplements for the gym.

Check it out here: https://www.georgelewishealth.com/post/top-5-supplements-for-gym-goers

Summary of how not taking the proper supplements plateaued my bench press

Supplements are there for a reason and utilising them will improve recovery, performance and energy levels. Certain supplements are an absolute game changer and a must-have for gym-goers.

5. Taking a down week

Depending on how much you are currently enjoying the gym this could either be good news or bad news for you. For me taking a down week where I still went to the gym but just to get those muscles working- a lot less weight and less reps and less sets- improved my bench the very next week. The added recovery and adaptations you get from a down week can be very beneficial to your performance in any exercise related sport and especially weight lifting. Added bonus of a mental refresh as well!

Summary of how not taking down weeks plateaued my bench press

Down weeks increase adaptations, recovery and provide a mental refresh. If your bench press has plateaued then a down week could be your missing ingredient.

6. Changing up rep ranges

Refer to the table below.

	Strength	Hypertrophy	Muscular Endurance
Reps	1-7	8-12	12+
Sets	1-2	1-2	1-2
Recovery	2-5 minutes	1-2 minutes	<90 seconds

I wanted size and strength (size being hypertrophy) but I mainly trained in that 8-12 reps range. By dropping down and doing some sets of just 2-5 reps with a longer recovery, I learnt to lift more weight and got the strength adaptations from it.

Summary of how only doing 8-12 reps plateaued my bench press

Switching it up and doing less reps managed to get me past my plateau in my bench press, be sure to take extra recovery between sets to get the increase in strength adaptations.