Give me some tips/advice for my bench routine :).
 

I just starting benching this week. My friend who just started also told me to do this for a routine:

(20lb.) 1 set, 10 reps
(22.5lb.) 1 set, 10 reps
(25lb.) 1 set, 10 reps

So basically its just 3 sets with 10 reps and of course I do this 3 three times a week, and every other day. Is this method affective? Also my cousin told me to do this method (the Pyramid):

(20lb.) 1 set, 10 reps
(22.5lb.) 1 set, 10 reps
(25lb.) 1 set, 10 reps
(22.5lb.) 1 set, 10 reps
(20lb.) 1 set, 10 reps

So that's 5 sets for the pyramid. I am not sure who to listen to but I would like to find the most affective way to bench. Thanks

my chest day

Incline Bench
1. 15 reps
2. 10 reps

Flat Bench
3. 8 reps
4. 6 reps

Parallel Bar Dips
5. 6 reps
6. 6 reps

Thats all i have been doing over the past 1.5yrs.

TeK, what kind of results are you going for? Are you trying to bulk up or get lean and drop some fat? Are you conditioning or going for strength gains.

Some more info would be good if you would like the best advice suited to your specific goals.

Well, I am new to this whole wait lifting thing, but as of now I am trying to get a little bit bigger than I am right now but not bulk to become like 5x my size. But I would like to get stronger. My goal is just being able to bench my own weight (150lb.) And I would like some muscle definition on my arms and chest also. But is the routine I posted above worthy for this?

your routine doesnt specify which exercises you will be doing...im assuming its just flat bench.

head over to http://forum.bodybuilding.com and read up

Well I want to know if the 3 sets or the pyramid is more affective for what I want. I use that routine for all my benches actually. But I would like to know which one is recommended.

I think dumbbell press is better because it works your group of muscles better.

But which routine is the best? My 3 sets or the Pyramid? That was the whole point of this thread =/

Actually, both of them you are pyramiding up the weight, but not the reps. A true pyramid tends to reduce the repetitions as the weight increases. Theoretically, you are pushing hard on each set and as the weight increases, your reps have to go down. I would work on your technique, so that every rep is the same. I am also not a fan of forced reps to increase the workload. If you cannot lift the weight anymore, then you are done for that set. This does not mean to not use a spotter, but a spotter is only there to help you if you get stuck. Don't rely on them to push you through every set.
The technique I generally use is a reverse pyramid. Once I am warmed up, I attack the heaviest weight first. Muscles need a certain minimum amount of stimulus to grow. If you fatigue yourself lifting light weights, then you won't be able to push yourself when it counts. Then try to maintain or increase the reps as the weight gets lighter. For example, my chest, shoulders, and triceps workout this morning went:
Bench:
225x8
225x7
205x7

db overhead press:
3x8x40

db bench press
3x8x85

this was alternated with upright rows:
3x8x105

rope pressdowns:
10x150
7x150

This workout was slightly abbreviated because of time constraints.
Basically, if my reps get down to six or seven, then I decrease the weight. At no time did I actually hit failure, because it is often not necessary and I don't use a training partner. On the other hand, I have been lifting for over ten years and I have worked as a full-time personal trainer for 8 years.

If a true pyramid reduces rep as more weight is put on. What should I change my reps to?

Don't do a pyramid scheme. That doesn't really do anything unless you use only once every 2 months or so. Try something like this:

Incline Bench 3x6

Flat Bench 3x6

Decline Bench or Weighted Dips 2x6

Don't worry about getting too big. That will take a very long time with a strict diet. Try this routine for your chest on chest day, and you'll get stronger in no time. Try to increase the weight each week, but keep the same weight for all the sets in one day. Always make sure to work every other bodypart. If you want your bench to go up quicker, work you shoulders and arms, too. Try some curls and extensions for your arms, and try military press and db shoulder press for your shoulders.

Would this work?

Flat bench (example):
(20lb.) - 10 reps
(25lb.) - 8 reps
(30 lb.) - 6 reps

And use this same routine on incline and decline?

If each set is very hard and close to failure. Ideally, to stimulate muscle growth, the weight must be within a certain threshold. This is usually 85% of your one rep max. This of course would need to be tested by figuring out your one rep max and using a calculator. Of course, the other way is that 85% or above is going to limit you to 12 reps or fewer in general. So for a novice, I would start with 12, 10, and then 8 reps. The slightly higher reps would allow you to work more on the form and get your groove down. The 12 to 8 range is heavy enough to stimulate muscle, but light enough to help keep you from doing stupid novice stuff like lifting your feet off the floor, using your ribcage as a trampoline for the bar, or lifting the bar unevenly.

I don't have much use for declines. They just raise your blood pressure and don't build any more strength over flat bench. If you want something with a similar movement pattern that also builds some functional strength, try dips. Supporting and balancing yourself will help build the stabilizers in your shoulders, more so than lying on a bench will. You can also use dumbbells to great effect. Good muscle builder, and good stabilizer builder to keep the joints stronger.

Im not looking for just strength but also to have my chest muscles grow a little bit more as well.

building strength builds muscle. You cannot have one without the other. strenght of a muscle is directly related to its cross-sectional area.

No, the strenth of a muscle is directly related to the cross-sectional area of the muscle FIBER. Not the muscle. You can have strong muscles that are small.

for a small muscle that increases its size, it will get stronger. For a large muscle that increases its size, it will get stronger. Let us not confuse the poor novice with a detailed discussion about leverage, insertion points, limb length, atp and kreb cycles, and let the young student focus on the idea that more strength will lead to more muscle. Ok? This is not an attack on you, btw. Just that there is a lot of info out there, a lot of bad advice, and it can be overwhelming. People get lost and don't stick to the basics.

It's cool, dude. It's just that muscle fibers determine strength, not the muscles. I weigh 155lbs, and I can lift more than my friend who has bigger muscles and weighs more than me. But you're right about not confusing him.

lets start a TCA cycle and electron transport chain discussion thread. this board is dying to have one. lol...

Just remember that with whatever weight/rep routine your doing, if you reach your desired rep count, say 10 or 12 or something, and if you've still got some more reps left in you then don't just stop there, keeping pumping out more reps until you can't do anymore. What's the point of only doing 10 reps if you can do 15 reps at that weight? So don't stop just because you've reached your rep range for that exercise, keep going until you can't lift anymore. And just like for every exercise make sure you've got the form down. Don't go bouncing the bar off your chest on each rep or placing your hands too close together on the bar where you'd be working your triceps more than your chest. And use 1 or 2 warmup sets with about 50% of the weight you'll be doing before you attack the heavy stuff.

I guess what I've always heard to find a weight that fatigues the muscles in 8-12 reps. So, if you are capable of doing 20 reps at the weight your using, add more. If you're only cable of doing 5, take some off. Once you find that weight, do as many sets are you care to. If you're just starting our you might want to go easy for awhile (a weight you can do 15 to 20 reps, for instance) to ease yourself into it.

The way I've heard it, anything above six reps will build size, anything below that will build strength but not size, and anything much above 12 reps or so may increase endurance and definition, but not size. I've gone by those rules for some time, and they seem to apply. I generally won't try a weight if I can't do four or more reps unassisted. Others feel differently.

I know it's been spout off a lot but it is truly different for everyone...
olympic lifters and strength trainers will say to keep reps below 6 for size. those who bodybuild will say higher. trial and error i'd say. I have trained from 6x3 to 3x12 at different stages