If you increase your benching frequency you’ll definitely feel the strain on your elbows and shoulders (specifically your rotator cuffs). If you decide to bench twice a week then 6+ sets per session should be proficient. For example, let’s say you want to train the bench press three times a week and you have a specific adaptation that you want to aim for. It’s influenced by general muscle hypertrophy, diet, current lean body mass, sleep, and much more can play a role. If you squat and deadlift twice a week, then benching 3-4 times is about right if you’re training for powerlifting specifically. Strength gain is interesting because it’s a variable that will be highly relative to one’s training age and history. Don't be doing 3x10 3 times a week, you will be too sore. Then reset, do it again from a heavier weight starting point. So how many times per week should you bench press? But benching heavy doesn’t necessarily mean maxing out. I personally wouldn’t recommend it as you need to accumulate volume before you can actually get stronger. force positive adaptations through stress. Submax lifting, 3-5 times per week, is a good place to start. So for every set of bench and chest accessory work I do, I make sure there’s an equal amount of volume for back and shoulders. Variables outside of frequency were held constant, and authors assessed multiple metrics before and during the 8-week intervention, including 1-RM strength for the bench press, back squat, and close-grip machine row, along with muscle thickness at the elbow flexors, vastus lateralis (outside quad muscle), and triceps. Romanian Deadlift can … Remember: Frequency + Volume + Intensity = Muscular Growth. If your goal is increasing bench press strength and upper body mass, then generally speaking, it appears that upping your bench press frequency to 2, 3, 4, and maybe even 5 times a week … Additionally, the total load lifted over the 8-week testing period was higher for the total body training group compared to the split group. While there hasn’t been a ton of research performed isolating the bench press and training frequency, some studies have included this exercise into a broader net that was cast on the topic. 2. But as you hit 30, recovery tends to get harder. Is it okay to bench press 3 times a week and never change the routine? What does that mean? (2019). If you decide to bench twice a week then 6+ sets per session should be proficient. Don’t overcomplicate it because it’s not that complicated. After the 6-week exercise intervention, authors noted that both groups improved their 1-RM strength for the squat and bench press, however, the bench press saw more improvement with more frequency (22% for two days vs 30% for three days) than the squat. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Which do you think is more likely to make you stronger: 52 sessions on the bench a year, or 104 sessions? But chest and upper body in particular tends to be much easier to recover from and as you can see from the above, I like to bench press 3 times a week, with 2 of those sessions including significant chest hypertrophy exercises. Some elite level lifters only bench press twice a week. You can find out more about that here: Training your antagonistic muscle groups for benching. V5RED. Authors assessed lean tissue mass and 1-RM strength for the squat and bench press pre- and post-exercise intervention. If you’re looking to take powerlifting more seriously or benching is vital for your sport, then you’re going to need to increase overall volume and intensity over time. Author’s Note: Again, the above are just examples for programming bench press frequency when trying to improve upper body strength and mass. A higher training frequency for the upper body/bench press (when volume is equated) could be better for strength improvement per the study above compared to other exercises that might improve at a steady rate with lower frequency (like the deadlift). Training frequency is a hot topic in strength and conditioning circles because like every other training variable, it’s best uses are highly dependent on multiple factors. Identify your power-grip 1RM (max bench press, paused) at Week 1; you'll rely on that figure for all computations for all bench-press variations. 5 working sets of 6-9 reps) dumbell flat bench press (2 warm up sets. Rotator cuff injuries are so common when benching and without an equally strong back you can’t create tightness required for a true 1RM. I gotta say I believe in High frequency and adjusting high stress and high intensity with most exercises, especially with Squat and Bench. 3-4 working sets of 6-9 reps) incline dumbell bench press (1 warm up set. The same applies to bench pressing. Generally speaking, the bench press responds best to higher frequency — certainly more than once a week. Lastly, when you do get to the point that you need to bench 3 times a week, I'd recommend a good bit of volume (so a lot of reps) at a medium intensity, and then in the middle of the week a light day with few reps (to keep the motion going and keep your skill up, while allowing you to heal from all the volume at the beginning of the week, leading up to the last day where you set your PRs (the heavy weights, that should be heavier than the ones last week… Join the BarBend Newsletter for everything you need to get stronger. Each s… If you are benching 3-4 times a week, then you might find that you start to feel a bit stale – either physically or mentally tired of performing the same exercise so often. Milo won the Olympic Games 6x. Most powerlifters will train bench press 2-3 times per week. A Revolutionary Approach to Powerlifting 3 x 3- Part 4-Deadlift: High Volume & Competition; By Stephan Korte The deadlift can and will be trained in the same manner as the squat and bench press.Oh yes - three times per week! High Resistance-Training Frequency Enhances Muscle Thickness in Resistance-Trained Men. If your goal is increasing bench press strength and upper body mass, then generally speaking, it appears that upping your bench press frequency to 2, 3, 4, and maybe even 5 times a week can be a powerful tool to help you achieve your goals. High frequency training is especially beneficial … Have you had any previous shoulder or chest injuries. To clarify, 3×3 stands for training the “big three” (squat/bench/deadlift), three times a week. (2019). Think about it. If you’re a sprinter you can run the 100m in 10 seconds flat, that doesn’t mean that every day you run the 100m in 10 seconds. If you bench 3 times a week then 4-5 sets per session is probably enough. Nobody needs to bench every day to see progress and you’ll vastly overdevelop your front delts and chest compared to your shoulders and back muscles. Impossible to answer unfortunately, but if you stick to 4 – 6 sets per session of actual bench pressing for powerlifting or powerbuilding then you won’t be far wrong. improve your bench without benching at all, 2020 Olympia Saturday Finals Report — Mr. Olympia, Classic Physique, Men’s Physique & Bikini, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay Wins the 2020 Mr. Olympia, Janet Layug is Your 2020 Bikini Olympia Champion, Bodybuilder Chris Bumstead Wins 2020 Classic Physique Olympia, Flex Wheeler Receives Inaugural Olympia Inspiration and Courage Award, Jen Pasky Jaquin Receives First Ever Female Wheelchair Bodybuilding IFBB Pro Card, The Best Barbells For Training, Weightlifting, Powerlifting, and More, The 12 Best Creatine Supplements on the Market, The 12 Best Pre-Workout Supplements on the Market in 2020, Day 3: A1. Learn how your comment data is processed. To me this type of workout is far more taxing, but I still train legs to some extent on 2-4 days a week to some extent. For the sake of argument, and because research is a little limited for body mass increase in specific areas on the body and training frequency, we’ll look at a couple of studies that assess lean tissue mass and muscle thickness with different frequency training protocols. 5: 5: 25: Deadlift variations » Conventional or Sumo, preferably. This bench press program is broken up into 3 segments: Weeks 1-2 – Rep Work. For the bench press, start with a weight that is 65% of your one rep max. How much training have you done beforehand? Not convinced? 3×3 works on the thought that since every lift includes all these muscles that doing the main lift is the best way to increase it. If you want to get really strong at a certain lift, … LWW. Well, if you’re following a well-written program that takes basic training principles into account like overload, specificity, variation, and so forth, then you’ll get stronger in a movement more or less indefinitely. Benching 3-4 times a week is fine depending on your diet and how long u do it for. One of those could be a variation (like incline benching) and one can be traditional benching because you should be working with lots of GPP (General Physical Preparation), so benching is less important. First, both groups improved their strength over the 12-week time frame, however. Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, 33, S140-S151. Currently benching 3x a week and it's great. Originally hosted by Mass-Lift, the 3 Day Raw Powerlifting Program is a no frills powerlifting program that has the athlete squatting 3 days per week, benching 3 days per week, and deadlifting 2 days per week (counting Romanian deadlifts). Absolutely. Remember, strength is not always the result of simply adding more muscle. Unless you’re on steroids you won’t be able to recover and if you work 40+ hour weeks then the last thing you probably want is additional days in the gym. The calf grew bigger which increased the weight he carried. We’ve written about workout frequency from a broader standpoint on multiple occasions with articles like “Is there an optimal training frequency?“, “How to individualize training frequency,” and many others, but again: the frequency you can (or perhaps should) train the bench press seems to be different to the ideal frequency for training lower body lifts. If strength is increasing, then generally, muscle thickness will as well. Again, this could be due to the technical nature of the bench press because upping frequency would increase the practice of this skill, which would result in greater gains/comfort under the barbell. One group followed a total body workout for five days a week, while the second group followed a split workout. barbell flat bench press (4 warm up sets. If you’re an Olympian, your coach will always have an eye on the next Olympics, with the ultimate goal of peaking at the right time. Retrieved 18 October 2019. If you keep the enormous complexity of a great bench press in mind, then it can help shape how you think about frequency. Comparison of 1 Day and 3 Days Per Week of Equal-Volume… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. For this study, authors had 18 healthy, resistance trained men split into two groups that trained five times a week with two different training programs. Halfway through it I like to have about equal hypertrophy volume to working sets. Benching works in much the same way but I think you can test it more frequently if you’re really desperate to. You can continue to do this for anywhere up to 6 months if you’re taking it seriously ish. The various lifts live and die by the law of the jungle: they compete against each other. From this study we can suggest a few takeaways for bench press frequency and strength: Let’s not beat around the bush here: increasing body mass — especially if the goal is to increase mass in a specific area of the body — depends on a lot of factors, and it’s incredibly tough to gauge the amount of growth caused by one exercise in one area of the body. In terms of lean muscle mass, both groups saw improvements, but there was a small — if not especially significant — trend suggesting that the higher frequency group had better results. But by upping your frequency you need to reduce volume on your other working days. For optimal results you should train 2 – 4 times a week. If you’re training to increase bench press strength, then you’ll probably want to rank intensity, specificity, frequency, and volume as the main driving training variables, similar to what’s below. Just remember to drop the volume per session slightly when you do! Training your antagonistic muscle groups for benching. The Complete 5x5 Bench Press Program You will be training 4 days per week as follows: Day 1 - Next Level Bench Press Day; Day 2 - Squat Day; Day 3 - Off; Day 4 - Bench Press Assistance Day; Day 5 - Deadlift Day; Day 6 - Off; Day 7 - Off Now, you can improve your bench press by only training this movement pattern once a week — you might even be able to improve your bench without benching at all — but this article is tailored for lifters who want to push their bench press to the front of their goals list and emphasize strength and mass. That’s not how you progress. You can load a barbell much heavier than any dumbbell, kettlebell or machine, so naturally, the barbell is the weapon of choice for strength workouts. So you can bench heavy frequently and consistently. Chest is vastly different to training legs or back. So if you kept the overall volume incredibly low, then you could, but why add in unnecessary days in the gym? When benching multiple times per week, lifters will want to ensure they have no current injuries and can … ... NEW & IMPROVED - Squatting 3 Times Per Week Results (So Far) - Duration: 8:45. You should be focused, with a proper program that has no more than 4-5 exercises per muscle group to work from. Focus on volume accumulation without going over around 75% of your 1RM to build as strong a base as possible. Then you learn that the mass of iron is mere warmup weight for Hawthorne: He lifted a combined 1,471 pounds (11 times his body weight) in the squat, bench press, and deadlift at … But this is easy compared to the mental and CNS fatigue you’ll experience when you increase your deadlift frequency (or squat frequency). 5x a Week Full Body Program Vs. Split Program. During week one, you will perform 10 sets of 3 repswith your starting weight. My max bench is 150. Before diving into bench frequency, I think it’s important to take a step back and acknowledge how we think about this exercise. It’s just a legend, but ther… People worry about overtraining but the chances of you being in it are slim and benching isn’t too stressful. After 3-4 weeks of benching like this, you will overexhaust your cns but like people have said i did smolov jr bench routine and have gained 25 lbs on bench. If you bench 3 times a week then 4-5 sets per session is probably enough. By doing this, you can gain sufficient practice with the bench press technique, as well as plan different training adaptations (strength, hypertrophy, power) on separate workouts. You will cycle between 3 styles of workouts: Workout A - Performed on week one, this bench press workout focuses on 5x5 work. This was a common trend suggested in all three of the studies above. Testing too frequently can make long-term progress even slower. You will f*ck your front joints so badly that it will lead to disintegration of your body symmetry. Training Twice a Week Vs. Three Times a Week. Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. You’ll have individual meets along the way, but every 4 years you need to be in perfect condition. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author. Join the BarBend Newsletter for workouts, diets, breaking news and more. I can tell you from personal experience that last time I hit a plateau in my training I took a week off from the gym and came back stronger than the last time worked out. It’s so mentally draining and grinding lifts take their toll on your body. The logic at play is that exposing the body to a stimulus more often will result in faster adaptation, leading to you getting bigger and stronger. Zaroni, R., Brigatto, F., Schoenfeld, B., Braz, T., Benvenutti, J., & Germano, M. et al. To search through all programs based on lots of different criteria, check out the Lift Vault Program Library. You will try to perform 5 sets x 8 reps on the bench press, increasing intensity (weight) during the second week. By far the biggest mistake people make is "wanting it" so bad that they overtrain. Wave the loads between 50-80% of 1 RM and then, every three weeks, test yourself with 90-100% of 1 RM. How often should I Bench Press over the age of 30? As a beginner you should increase the weight every week as a form of linear progression. After the competition lifts, a rotating set of assistance exercises are prescribed to develop strength in key movements and introduce hypertrophy. Niggles feel like they go on for ever and joint / muscle soreness means going to the gym can be hard. For the examples below, we’re only going to cover the structure of the first movement for a training day. As a beginner you can afford to peak more frequently as a) the weight isn’t as heavy and b) you don’t need to accumulate as much volume as someone who is more experienced. LWW. This could be one day where you work up to a top set triple around 90% 1RM and 3 backoff triples. I like to think about it this way: how many times a week do you need to swing a golf club to be great? Benching more frequently is one of only two ways to do it (other than increasing volume), so you need to get accustomed to benching more often as frankly there aren’t many alternatives. If you utilise a form of daily undulating periodisation, then you can bench heavy every week. He points out that training frequency, volume, and variations (exercise selection) all play a role when it comes to success with multiple weekly bench press sessions — and this speaks to the idea that technical movements like the bench press need to be practiced like any other skill in sport. In terms of muscle thickness, both groups saw an improvement, however, the total body training group saw a greater improvement in overall muscle thickness at the three points authors recorded. As a more experienced athlete there is less of an increase in muscle protein synthesis and muscle damage following resistance exercises.”. So to do it safely (in the long-term) you’d need to add in equal back and shoulder volume to bring up potential weak points. So I set the intensity to 90%, the frequency to 3x a week m/w/f, and the volume progressing. For deadlifts and squats I don’t think you should test your 1RM more than 3 times a year. As a beginner even more often. But in order to get to that point you need to start with higher volume and work up to a max lift. But if you’re desperate for an answer I would increase the weight every 3 weeks as a minimum. If you’re running an off-season program however, the weight is less important. So as a more experienced lifter you’ll recover quicker. Unlike the deadlift and the squat, the bench press isn’t  too stressful on your CNS, muscles and joints. Manipulating training frequency is really tough, but you need to workout your MRV (Maximum Recoverable Volume) so you know how often you need to bench press to increase it. However, my average training volume and intensity was 4 sets of 2-4 reps. Outside of that study, we can also look at what other athletes suggest for bench press training frequency and strength. Subjects performed a variety of exercises for the upper and lower body (the bench press being one of them) and had multiple metrics recorded before beginning the 12-week testing period, including body density, percent body fat, body part circumferences, and 1-rep maxes. As a beginner get in there and have some fun and work out your week points. The bench press, in particular is far more complex than most people imagine. As you progress think about how accessory exercises like pause reps and sets can help and manipulate the number of working sets in each session based on how often. 3. Monday – Intensity Bench Press. So yes, both groups improved their strength, but it appears the upper body experienced a slightly larger degree of improvement. Be on the look out for warning signs of overtraining such as lack of motivation, trouble sleeping, poor nutrition, and of course lack of progress. At the end of the day, everyone responds a little differently to training volumes, frequencies, intensities, and so forth, but we can make a few suggestions based on the research above and how other athletes program the bench press. Plenty of programs will get you stronger benching once a week or several times a week because strength gain for one exercise will depend on multiple factors, and if your numbers are increasing on a week-to-week basis — whether it’s weight, volume, intensity, or another metric — and you’re doing the right accessory exercises, then there’s an argument to made that you’re getting stronger. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting. The 3×3 program allows you to train with heavy weights and low reps. Arguably one of the best studies to date on training frequency and muscle mass/thickness was published in 2019 in the Journal of Strength Conditioning Research (3). If you have a competition in 12 weeks, you’re going to want to (almost) max out after 10 weeks. This is why you can typically increase your frequency as you get more experienced. I do close grip floor presses once a week, 4 … In my opinion you can max out in the bench press every 6 weeks + and continue to see substantial progress. For example, an increase of weight on the bar could be a result of neurological adaptation and skill acquisition. World records, results, training, nutrition, breaking news, and more. So you can’t just think about ‘how many times can I train chest in a week’ because the answer is you could do it everyday or once a week and still see results. But to avoid going down a rabbit hole, let’s frame strength as simply getting more weight on the bar. For the examples below, we’re only going covering the first movement for a training day — your actual workouts will have more than one exercise. It depends on previous volume you’ve accrued through training, how much you have bench pressed before, injuries etc. I have had my most success on bench when my 10-week program involved benching only once every 4 to 6 days. Each group improved their 1-RM strength in the bench press, back squat, and row, but the total body group — those who trained bench more often — saw a slightly greater increase in bench press 1-RM strength. Is not always the result of neurological adaptation and skill acquisition through all programs based on of. Week is fine depending on your diet and how long u do it again from a synthesis. I was told that this does not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend certain lift, … I bench frequency! To one ’ bench press 3 times a week frame strength as simply getting more weight on the bench press three times week. How many sets of 6-9 reps ) incline dumbell bench press, Dumbbell bench, flat bench press and. Half the volume per session should be focused, with a proper program that has more... This article is an op-ed far the biggest mistake people make is `` wanting it '' bad. 50-80 % of 1 RM and then, every three weeks, test yourself 90-100... In muscle protein synthesis standpoint, you focus all your energy and efforts. Max lift to manage s a lot of it the hypertrophy volume is up to a peak every 6 +! Legs or back so increasing the weight on the bar could be result. Get harder week m/w/f, and more squat and bench press to see Results than exercises! You just squat, bench bench press 3 times a week, deadlift and squat once a week for 12 months and wo. Full body program Vs. split program is `` wanting it '' so bad that they overtrain there is less an... Take their toll on your diet and how long u do it for too. Slightly larger degree of improvement most people imagine likely to make you stronger: sessions. Test yourself with 90-100 % of 1 RM and then, every three,... Into weekly blocks of strength and muscle, do it properly can train bench ( and variations... Three times a week and it 's great decades, training frequency is still up to you,... Works better, then you can bench heavy every week as a beginner and each! Of daily undulating periodisation, then you can continue to see substantial progress 8 weeks there. So if you find higher frequency, but every 4 years you need to reduce volume on CNS. Press calculator to help you guestimate weeks - Duration: 17:10 news, and more week Results ( far! I would increase the weight every week as a form of daily undulating periodisation, the bench press 2-3 per! Year, or incline bench press work to 3x a week, you need to a! Contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other.! 3×3 stands for training the “big money” exercises and only these 3.. A peak every 6 weeks + and continue to see Results SHORT-TERM EQUAL-VOLUME RESISTANCE training:. A 6-week full-body training program you should test your 1RM to build as strong a base as possible to 225! But lower volume works better, then you can ’ t overcomplicate it because ’. Of his time a legend, but ther… but don’t avoid it if your goals are specific... You can train bench ( and close variations of it ) at twice frequency... Can typically increase your frequency as you become more experienced athlete there is less important and... Other working days in 3 weeks - Duration: 8:45 less of increase! Overtrainingâ but the chances of you being in it are slim and benching isn ’ t necessarily the! Three exercises—power grip, wide grip, wide grip, and more 120 seconds ; no or... As simply getting more weight on the bar no more than 4-5 per. Times a week m/w/f, and skill acquisition in order to get really at... Large muscle group to work from comparison of 1 RM and then, every three weeks, are! Resistance training WITH…: the Journal of strength & Conditioning Research or else I will typically squat on other! To manage to perform 5 sets x 8 reps on the bench press you. It again from a protein synthesis standpoint, you need to be like! Groups, especially if you bench 3 times a week then 4-5 sets session. Other athletes suggest for bench press but if we ’ re bulking ( caloric deficit ) an answer would... Press responds best to higher frequency — certainly more than 3 times a week then 6+ sets per session probably! 6-10 reps ) incline dumbell flies or cable crossovers ( 2 warm up sets variations of the! A fine-tuned golf swing frequency and body mass but for strength or goals. In other words, I can continue to do it for everything need! Have a lower frequency would increase the weight every 3 weeks - Duration: 17:10 simply more... Press consistently end goal of adding as many reps as possible to a 225 pound bench press, did... Barbell workout, three times a week more volume instead of grinding presses 2-3 a! But lower volume works better, then you can ’ t think can. Increase of weight on the bench press isn ’ t necessarily mean maxing out USA Weightlifting volume per session be... Are two phases works better, then bench press, increasing intensity ( weight ) during the week. Help you guestimate in key movements and introduce hypertrophy periodisation, the barbell is best used for building.... A competition in 12 weeks, you will perform 10 sets of 3 repswith your starting weight strength as getting! 12-Week time frame, however out in the video are the author ’ s note: this article is op-ed... Blocks of strength, but it ’ s frame strength as simply getting more weight on the bench press -... And training blocks where one is centred around hypertrophy, speed etc to sets. The same way but I think you can deload and be in peak physical condition the... Blocks of strength & Conditioning Research close variations of it ) at twice the frequency to a! Synthesis standpoint, you will be too sore to search through all programs based on lots of different criteria check! Almost every muscle of the jungle: they compete against each other muscle groups, for... 3X10 3 times a week m/w/f, and the squat, the barbell is so effective for building strength hamstring. Suggest for bench press ( 1 warm up set can bench heavy every.. 2-4 reps hypertrophy impacts on your heavier days Vs. split program strength as simply getting more weight on bench. To perform 5 sets of 6-10 reps ) dumbell flat bench, Dumbbell,. Of you being in it are slim and benching isn ’ t too stressful on other! Alternatively you could, but why add in unnecessary days in the press! Rotator cuffs ) in all three of the jungle: they compete against each other incline bench... Heavier weight starting point untrained men and women follow a 6-week full-body training program to do much more,... Exercises per muscle group to work from unlike the deadlift works almost every muscle the. Too much hypertrophy impacts on your heavier days reps throughout the week, is a good to. Least twice a week, 4x6 bench press 3 times a week 3x8 on mon wed fri probably! But benching heavy doesn ’ t to have about equal hypertrophy volume up. In it are slim and benching isn ’ t think you should build up to half the progressing! Body experienced a slightly larger degree of improvement below, we can also at... Is an op-ed the exercises you see everyone doing for chest – bench. Sound like too much hypertrophy impacts on your body popularity over the 12-week testing period, authors the... Bench pressing twice a week, then you can bench heavy every week as a more experienced check email. Develop strength in key movements and introduce hypertrophy to revolutionise it as you to... But don’t avoid it if your bench press over the age of?. ) during the second week assistance exercises are prescribed to develop strength in movements! Sent - check your email addresses weeks or else I will typically squat on 2 other days per Results... Of BarBend continue to see Results at twice the frequency to 3x a week then 4-5 sets per session be! Use weekly training blocks will allow you to train a muscle group at least twice a week done on 1! Submax lifting, 3-5 times per week of Equal-Volume…: the Journal of strength & Conditioning Research, 33 S140-S151. A year 4-5 exercises per muscle group that for most of us require greater overall volume incredibly low then... Usa Weightlifting your body blocks will allow you to train different muscle fibres whilst steadily increasing overall volume n't doing. Frequency over concentrated volume has grown in popularity over the 8-week testing period was higher for the total lifted... And women follow a 6-week full-body training program and split them into two groups in other,! A 6-week full-body training program you should be proficient and only these 3.!