Certainly you have to do the bench press, but to improve upon it you need to make sure that you strengthen the accessory muscles. By doing the bench press alone will not strengthen your back or rear delts. Another important thing that sometimes gets overlooked is technique. Keeping your elbows tucked in and not allowing them to flare out, proper bar path, and engaging good leg drive all help. Thank you for your comment.

How is your training going Bill ? As I recall you were fighting some nagging injuries too. Have you taken some time off from training to rest these areas ?

@@fitman046e Hi Stephen. I haven't actually taken any time off. I suppose I'm trying to manage the niggles. Though taking time off is a good move, it's one I still resist if I possibly can😃

Very good question Tom. For each compound movement I do accessory exercises. For the bench it is important to have strong triceps, back and rear delts. I will do close grip presses for outer tricep and overhead cable extension for inner. I will do pull-ups and T-bar for my back and bent over dumbbell extensions for my rear shoulder. There are other exercises that I will rotate into my workout to switch from.

I'm 5'8" and about 198.

@@fitman046e thank you !

Welcome to the channel. Feel free to leave any comments.

@@fitman046e will do. I really appreciate your channel. I’m 36 years old. And you inspire me to lift for another 30 years ! Keep up the great work!

That's exactly what I thought after watching the video.

Thank you sir.

I'm hoping that I can continue to improve and stay injury free. I feel I can continue to improve in the squat and deadlift, which will certainly improve my total. How's your training coming along Bill. Are you ready for your Nationals ?

@@fitman046e If you have put 20 or 30 k on your total through better squat and deadlifts in a few months, I'm sure you have a lot to come. My training has been varied. Still lots of niggling injuries. I have made a bit of progress on squat but I've gone backward on bench and deads. So I've decided to skip nationals and do a local total comp later in the year.

@@billwestwater3098 I'm sorry to hear that you're missing the Nationals, but I get it. When battling injuries it's hard to keep a good mindset. Best of luck with your recovery and feeling better.

Thank you Tom.

Thank you sir.

Thank you sir.

Thank you Bill. Keep me posted with your upcoming event.

@@fitman046e Will do, Stephen. I'm actually having 2nd thoughts about doing it now🙄I'll decide this weekend if I'm going to do it

Thank you sir.

How has your training coming along ? Are your numbers improving from last year ? It definitely makes it challenging when you're fighting nagging injuries. Are you planning on going to South Africa if you prevail at this years UK Nationals ?

@@fitman046e Training has been mixed. Squat Good, Deadlift OK, and bench not ok. I would go to South Africa, if I got the chance, but my chance of winning nationals is very small, as there is more opposition this year. How about you?

@@billwestwater3098 I think I have a fair chance if I can hold it together. I'll have a better idea after the 17 of this month. I really won't know until then how others perform. I can look at the past and see what they did a year or two ago, but you never know where they are currently at.

@@fitman046e Excellent, that's positive then. Best of luck at Nationals💪

Thank very much

Hey Tom, Recovering from a sinus infection that has sapped my strength. Not sure when the next video will post. I have the Nationals coming up May 17 in Austin Texas. I may post one before that event. How are you sir ?

@@fitman046e I’m doing well. I hope you get well soon. Thanks for your response.

Thank you.

I think anything is possible. Benching 335 at 63 is a pretty good bench press. Things that always help are strengthening stabilizer muscles, staying tight and using proper leg drive by engaging your glutes. Incorporating pause reps may help you with getting the bar off your chest. Also consider overloads with a slingshot.

@@fitman046e thank you 👍

Great tool for lockouts.

That's funny.

Actually I turned 65 three days after this lift which was last Saturday. Thank you for the comment.

Thank you sir. It was a real grind. I started back powerlifting after almost a 30 year absence hopefully to encourage people as they get older not to give up on life.

Thank you sir.

Thank you sir.

Thank you sir.

Thank you Fred.

The great news is that you're training and improving your muscle strength. Unless you're powerlifting and competing it really doesn't matter if you're lifting heavy. Before I started powerlifting 3 years ago I did not lift heavy. There are many things that can help you increase the amount of weight you're lifting. First is technique. With the bench remember to bring your elbows in like you're bending the bar. Don't let your elbows flare out. Make sure that you set up in such a manner that you can drive your knees out as you push the bar up. Work to increase the strength in your stabilizer muscles especially your rear delts and your lats. Most of all make sure you're having fun with it and don't see it as a job. Train hard and stay safe.

The JM press is a very good exercise. It's just my opinion that the close grip is better for bench press lockouts because you can add more weight to this pressing movement.

Thank you sir.

Thank you.

Like to see the program setup for bp..

@@andrewp1998 Since hiring a coach we max out about every 6 weeks then drop down to 70% of the new max and start over. Every week after the bench portion of the workout he makes sure that we train the stabilizer muscle groups and changes these exercises weekly.

Thank you sir.

Well thank you. My birthday is this coming Saturday. I'll be 65 on the 16th.

@@fitman046eHappy 65th Birthday Steven! Great work in this video as always. You’re an inspiration to me- I’ll be 65 in October. 👍

@@GYM-Tom Thank you sir. Having a coach is helping. He's able to correct my form and push me to be better.

Thank you Cindy. Now it's time to set a new goal. lol

Thank you sir. Hopefully with now having a coach I'll continue to see improvement. Best wishes with your training.

@fitman046e I think if your coach keeps putting those sneaky wt increases on your lifts, you will be squatting 500lb in no time 🤣👍

@@dansmith9724 That would be excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing how far my coach can take me. I never had a coach, but I see how important it can be having someone that can assess my weaknesses and make corrections.

Thank you Bill The Nationals are coming up in a couple months and I have registered to compete there and hopefully return to the World Championships in October. What about you Bill ? How's your training coming along and when will you be competing ?

@@fitman046e His Stephen, I'm hopefully going to compete at our nationals in June (injuries permitting), and then we'll see about Worlds, that depends on a number of factors beyond my control. My biggest goal for the year is to try and squat 200kg by the end of the year

@@billwestwater3098 Squating 200kg would be an excellent weight for our age and weight division. I'm hoping that I get a chance to return to the Worlds this year. Last year I knew that I was still a year away from being competitive, plus when I got there I was dealing with an injury. I'm hoping things work out for the both of us, it would be good to see you again my friend.

@@fitman046e Yes, it would be great to go to World's again, Competition for a place is much stiffer for me this year. Like you, if I go again I'd like to be a bit more competitive. We shall see. Good luck Stephen!☺

Thank you sir.

Thank you Fred. I think hiring the coach will pay dividends.

Thank you baby.

I'm still learning as I go. Just recently learned how to keep my elbows from flaring out by pretending to bend the bar. Hope that makes sense.

@@fitman046e ah. my main thing for me is just how far down should i let the bar go. it doesn't feel right on a smiths machine to let it touch my chest honestly so i usually bench above that by an inch or 2. i see people usually want the full range of motion though so not really sure what "counts" as a full bench. i bench mainly for my chest and not for my back so i lay mostly flat.

@@Some_Idiot_Online It really depends on what you want to achieve. If you want to develop your chest there are many exercises that you can do without even getting on the bench that will give you the same benefits. If you're wanting to improve your bench then technique is very important. With elbows in the bar should come down below your chest in a natural motion. Leg drive is very important and beneficial when done correctly. Believe it or not strengthening your back and shoulders will really help too. Good luck with your training and stay safe.

@@fitman046e thanks m8

I'm sorry, but what does natty mean ? When I looked it up this is the definition that I got. Natty means current in style, both of dress and manners.

There is a site I use to determine where I stand along side my peers for squat bench and deadlift. It's a powerlifting calculator and based on the info you gave me it shows that you would be in the top 2% for your age and weight with a # 235 bench press.

@@fitman046eWow -thanks. Much appreciated.

Thank you Tom. I feel blessed that I am able to encourage others no matter what extra curricular activity they choose. Hope you're doing fine Tom. I just registered for this years Nationals which will be the third weekend in May. Hopefully the coaching will pay dividends.

Hey Bill, How's your training coming along ? Can you believe that 58 year old woman squatting 188K for triples and 215K for a single rep ? I was pleasantly surprised. I would love to be able to squat that much.

@@fitman046e Yes, it is amazing. I would too!! Mind you, begs the question; why doesn't she compete? That must be over the world record at whatever IPF M2 weight class she would be in

@@billwestwater3098 She does compete but not in the IPF. She competes in the USPA and holds a World record. My coach told me that he first started coaching her 5 years ago and at that time she was squatting around 102K.