if i want to bench twice a week

[frank]

should i do a 5x5 both days? cant do max effort b/c i have no one to give me a spot. also, what days? i was thinking saturday and thursday

[deeder]

Just do a different exercise. Close grip, incline, db press, etc...

You can stick with the 5x5 for both or try 3x8 or 3x10 on the second day.

[Notorious]

You can still do 5x5 one day and have a DE day.

[Warrior10]

Don't bench twice a week!

[Sidior]

Don't bench twice a week!

Why?

[jtteg_x]

if you want to bench 2x per week, you will have to make adjustments to both workouts. one being a light day (DE) and the other heavy (ME). what is your goal for benching 2x per week? gain mass, strength, both?

thursday and saturday are too close to each other.

[ribs]

I recently went to twice a week for flat bench after doing it once a week for a year and a half. My flat bench was always progressing really slow. Now i seem to be able to increase the weight quicker every week.

On monday i do the whole normal flat, incline, and shoulder etc routine once a week but repeat just the flat bench only on Friday. I don't go light either.

Everyones different. Only you can find the best way.

Bench technique and propper form is everthing.

[ZenMonkey]

Don't bench twice a week!

yea, why?

[The Bran Man]

Even with Creatine I am sore for several days after each bench workout, and that's with only 3 working sets!

[Notorious]

Even with Creatine I am sore for several days after each bench workout, and that's with only 3 working sets!

Bet that would change if you started benching 2x a week.

[joey54]

failed, I thought you were benching twice per week already? If you do a me and de day, I believe the recommendation is the DE day 72 hours after the ME day, right guys?

[frank]

failed, I thought you were benching twice per week already? If you do a me and de day, I believe the recommendation is the DE day 72 hours after the ME day, right guys?

i was but i stopped because i wasnt so sure b/c i was doing heavy both days. instead of a DE and ME day im gonna do repeated effort+ME because theres no point in doing DE if im 140 pounds

[The Bran Man]

Bet that would change if you started benching 2x a week.

I always just associated the pain from lifting heavy amount of weight. I just figured my muscles would be sore from benching over 250 lbs.

[Warrior10]

Why?

I should have asked, but I am assuming he's lifting for mass. If he is, he's going heavy and his chest muscles would need about a week to grow without further tearing.

I agree that A chest workout does seem a bit unfinished if you don't have a spotter...maybe the OP can ask someone, or set his bench machine accordingly to hold the weights if he happens to drop it.

[frank]

I should have asked, but I am assuming he's lifting for mass. If he is, he's going heavy and his chest muscles would need about a week to grow without further tearing.

I agree that A chest workout does seem a bit unfinished if you don't have a spotter...maybe the OP can ask someone, or set his bench machine accordingly to hold the weights if he happens to drop it.

dropping the weight isnt the problem, its getting the lift off. my bar rests on horizontal pins so its hard to unrack.

and im lifting for strength/mass

[joey54]

weighting 140 lbs isn't a reason that a DE day wouldn't benefit you, but experience could. you have no partners to lift with right now? are you lifting at a gym or at home?

[wnt2gitswoll]

I bench twice a week. One day heavy and one day light. I have pretty good size on me.

[ZenMonkey]

I should have asked, but I am assuming he's lifting for mass. If he is, he's going heavy and his chest muscles would need about a week to grow without further tearing.

I agree that A chest workout does seem a bit unfinished if you don't have a spotter...maybe the OP can ask someone, or set his bench machine accordingly to hold the weights if he happens to drop it.

then why is it highly recommended to stimulate muscles twice a week for strength and mass training?

i am also pretty sure you are pulling "a week to grow without further tearing" out of your ass.

[BG5150]

Even with Creatine I am sore for several days after each bench workout, and that's with only 3 working sets!

What do you mean by "Even with Creatine [sic]...?" Since when does creatine help with recovery?

[btw: creatine is not a brand name, so no need to capitalize it.]

[frank]

lets say i wanna be a bodybuilder? should i do a 3x8 or 4x8 both days? also waiting on some dumbbells or a squat rack so i can start squatting again.

[The Bran Man]

What do you mean by "Even with Creatine [sic]...?" Since when does creatine help with recovery?

[btw: creatine is not a brand name, so no need to capitalize it.]

I just always noticed I was not as sore when I took creatine

[joey54]

lets say i wanna be a bodybuilder? should i do a 3x8 or 4x8 both days? also waiting on some dumbbells or a squat rack so i can start squatting again.

failed, i think you would have no problem with doing an ME type day and an RE day, but you might want to alternate exercises to avoid burning out. you are pretty young. why not try the bill starr 5x5?

[Fighter_15]

I work all my muscles twice a week except legs. It all depends on how your body reacts to lifting. Some people I know only lift body parts once a week and some lift them twice a week. Try it out and see how your body responds. I have been working my chest/triceps out twice a week for almost 2 years and my bench has went from 160 to 290.

[Doobs]

I do some variation of bench 3x a week and am making some pretty good gains. Different rep ranges on each day.

[ZenMonkey]

you could also, although a sometimes a pain to work out if you don't want to bench 3x a week, include ME RE and DE. I have great success with having DE once a week every week and then the second time I target the movement either do RE or ME. this way you can let your muscles rest for a decent amount of time. i think for an intermediate lifter 3x a week may get excessive really quick and with the aforementioned style (only 2x a week) you have potential for solid improvement with sufficient rest time.

also, don't be afraid of variations of the movements. if you feel like incline bench rather than flat for ME or RE, then do it. If you have a sticking point work on it with the variations. make use of all of the tools you can to get to your goal. it will keep you sane and improve GPP which not only is healthy but can aid your overall goals if planned for correctly (in the sense of diet and rest.)