Age?

[dood]

Does age have to do with how fast you gain strength? I am 16 and In gain on bench so slowly. Could it be that my muscles aren't mature enough yet?

 

[PoonRaider]

Your muslces should be fine man. I dunno if you just started benching, but when I did I gained pretty slowly. After about 6 months you'll notice a huge difference. If you want to gain muscle fast through hypertrophy, warm up, then do about 4 sets of 12 reps. That is probably what most people would suggest. Also, eat plenty of protein. To determine how much you need, take your weight and multiply it by .7, thats about how many grams of protein you should eat a day when lifting. On your off days, if you're not exercising, I'd suggest eating a little less protein, just because if you don't use it you pee it out, so it would be a waste.
Don't worry about starting small, we all do. I'm about 2.5 weeks away from 17, and usually I'll warm up, then do 4 sets of 12 x 95#. Always warm up too man. It helps to develope your muscle better than you would if you started cold. Warming up is also crucial because it helps to prevent injury, its a good habit to get into.

 

[dood]

I have been working out for about a year. My max is like 175. But I have been a little inconsistent the past few months. But I don't think that affected it too much. Souldn't I be gaining quicker though?

 

[startsmallgetbig]

do you wnat stronger or bigger? If you want stronger I would suggest looking into the 5x5 workout. I have gained an ass load of strength in the 2.5 months I have been on. Went from doing sets with 115 to 170. And im not a big kid 155 5'10" and maxed out 2 weeks ago with 205x3. Just an option you can try looking into.

 

[Chris52686]

I'm 17 years old and was at a standstill of 245 for almost six months before i changed my routine from 4x8 to around 3x6. I have gained 30 pounds in the bench since september. Post your routine so we can see what your doing wrong. Make sure you are not overtraining. There are a lot of people at my school that bench every other day or even every day, and are wondering why they are not gaining any strength.

 

[super_rice]

my bench started up slowly, until i began to eat properly, sleep properly, and stretch properly/warmup properly. i bench 200 @ 5'8 155lbs 10%, 16yrs

 

[dood]

I do 5*5. I bench once a week.

 

[coolcolj]

You should be making your fastest gains at that age

damn if I had the hormones you guys have...

 

[Tom Treutlein]

You don't wanna know what some of us do with our hormones...

 

[super_rice]

everyone seems to be so toasted after their 5x5... it was very hard when i first started, but i've managed to be able to bench 2 times a week. working great.

 

[dood]

How would I fit in benching twice a week with ohp?

 

[super_rice]

i'm unsure, since they both hit anterior deltoids. you just have to find what works for you. your work capacity increases when you keep pushing it to.

 

[Chris52686]

Try this. Do Bench Press, Inline Bench press and dips for the following
number of sets and reps with a barbell on mondays then you can perform the same exercises with lighter weight or dumbells on thursdays. This is from M+F Magazine and is designed to increse your bp to 225 in 8 weeks, if you are currently around 175. good luck

Monday
3x8
3x8
3x6
3x6
3x5
3x5
3x3
3x3

Thursday
3x8
3x8
3x7
3x7
3x6
3x6
3x5
3x5

 

[theoak01]

I would think twice a week may work,give it a try,what Im currently doing is incline bench 5x5,db flat bench 4 sets of 6-8,dips 4 sets of 6-8,cable cross overs 4x6-8
this has been working wonders on my chest.

just change it up until you find what works

 

[Destroyer1986*]

I'm 17 years old and was at a standstill of 245 for almost six months before i changed my routine from 4x8 to around 3x6.

Thats pretty impressive, good work.

 

[Becoming]

Try to keep it simple- don't throw in too many extra movements like flyes, etc... If you want to focus on gettting strong rather than size (though trust me you will get bigger)- try reading up on some Powerlifting approaches they are very effective for building strenght- WSB (elitefts.com) or Metal Militia both work with out a doubt... you can also check up in the PL board...

 

[callthedoctor]

Agreed....with Becomming....

Also...eat heavy and lift heavy....

 

[REBEL]

Experiment dude. I didn't gain much of anything until I lowered volume and reps and went heavy. Every body is different, and you have to find what works for you. Everyone wants a shortcut to big(including myself) but there is no shortcut, trial and error.

 

[Becoming]

Experiment dude. I didn't gain much of anything until I lowered volume and reps and went heavy. Every body is different, and you have to find what works for you. Everyone wants a shortcut to big(including myself) but there is no shortcut, trial and error.

couldn't have said it better myself...