How to increase your bench press

Start with the setup

Most of the "free" kilos in a bench are in the setup: shoulder blades pinched and down, chest up, feet driving into the floor, the bar coming down to your lower chest. That keeps your shoulders safe and shortens the bar path. Detailed technique with photos is on the bench press page.

Grip a little wider than your shoulders, with vertical forearms at the bottom. Elbows at 45–70 degrees to your torso, not flared. Film a set from the side and behind: where the path breaks shows right away. You can send it to me — I'll review the set.

Bench more often

The bench is a skill, and skills grow with practice. Once a week is too little: most people do better with two or three sessions, one heavier and one lighter. In Grgic et al.'s 2018 meta-analysis, more frequent training produced more strength — largely because more sets were done per week; with volume equated the difference became small.

In practice: if you bench once a week for five sets, split them into two days of three. Slightly more sets, and each one is better quality. That's how "Upper / Lower" and full body three days are built.

Heavy sets and volume

Strength for a single needs heavy sets: in the meta-analysis by Schoenfeld, Grgic, Ogborn and Krieger (2017), the one-rep max grew more with heavy loads, while muscle grew similarly with any. Hence the scheme: a heavy bench for 3–5 reps first, then volume at 6–10 so the chest and triceps grow.

Ready schemes: 5×5 to start and 5/3/1 for those no longer adding weight every week. The 1RM calculator gives you the percentages.

Accessory work

• Triceps carry the lockout: the close-grip bench, skull crushers, dips.
• Chest in a stretch — the dumbbell press and incline press.
• Back and rear delts keep your shoulder blades in place: rows, face pulls.
• Weak points — the floor press if the middle and top are hard; a pause on the chest if you bounce the bar.

Small steps

2.5 kg on the bench is 3% of 80 kg. A step like that every week doesn't last. If your gym has 0.5–1.25 kg plates, add 1–2.5 kg at a time. If not, grow by reps: 3×5 → 3×6 → 3×7, then weight. In Plotkin et al. (2022), adding reps grew muscle as well as adding weight.

Double progression and "as many as possible" sets are a normal way to grow once +2.5 kg a week stops working.

If your bench stalls

Check in order: sleep and food, technique on video, frequency (are you benching at least twice a week) and volume for chest and triceps. If it all checks out and the weight has stalled for 3–4 weeks, take an easy week and restart 10% lighter — the old record often goes after that.

The strength standards show where your bench sits among competitive lifters at your bodyweight. More on plateaus in the plateau guide.

A sample week

Two bench days a week. Monday is heavy: bench 4×3–5 with three minutes' rest, then incline dumbbell press 3×8–10 and skull crushers 3×10–12. Thursday is volume: bench 3×8 at 15% less weight, close-grip bench 3×6–8, dips 3×8–12. In between, rows and pull-ups for your back.

Each week, try to add a rep on the heavy day, or 1–2.5 kg once every set hits the top of the range. After 6–8 weeks, an easy week, then start the cycle again. If you want a scheme that plans the weights a month ahead, try 5/3/1.

Common questions

How much should a man or woman bench at their bodyweight? There's no single norm. The strength standards show how your bench compares with competitive lifters at your bodyweight — but remember those are people from the platform, not random gym-goers.

Do I need a big arch? A small arch from pinched shoulder blades is a normal part of the setup. A huge arch where your hips leave the bench is no longer a bench press and isn't needed in the gym.

Does a pause on the chest help? Yes: a paused bench teaches you not to bounce the bar and to stay tight at the bottom, where many people are weakest. Do it on the light day.

Read next

• Barbell Bench Press
• 1RM calculator
• 5/3/1 calculator
• Form check on video