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Anonymous
I've been stuck at a 285 bench for 2 months! I don't supplement and I've tried everything from dumbells, to incline decline flat, to a 10 week matrix upping weight and reducing reps week by week and none of it works.

(pic related to job)

I'm ready to break done and start a supplement but what is the best thing to do. No protein, I get plenty from my diet. I am 160, 5'4" and an endomorph.

Please help.
>> Anonymous
i'll assume you're talking about a 1rm

change your workout. regularly.

the inclines and decline work is fine for support. but if you're on a 3x10 plan, try something like this:

month 1: 5 sets, 12 reps @ 70% of 1rm
month 2: 5 sets, 8-10 reps @ 75% 1rm
month 3: 5 sets, 6-8 reps @ 80% 1rm

end of month 3, re-test your 1 rm

month 4: 5 sets, 4-6 reps@ 85% new 1 rm
month 5: 5 sets, 3-5 reps@ 90% new 1 rm
month 6: 3 sets, 2-3 reps @ 95% new 1 rm

you should be hitting the bench once per week. rest and eat blahblahblah.
>> Anonymous
Check out Westside Barbell, they have their ways to break plateaus
>> Anonymous
I did this once and broke through a big plateau on the bench:
1. pick a very slow/quiet day (out of consideration)
2. set up a flat bench inside the squat rack
3. set the pins on the squat rack to about 3" lower than your full hight of a press
4. put about 50 lb (or so) more than you can bench
5. do these "lift offs" until you care more comfy with them
6. then start lowering the pins every week or so, and continuing the process

obviously, this is a pretty brutal workout on your tendons and joints, but it does shock your body into accepting more weight. After a month or so, I broke out of my rut by about 15 lb...
>> Anonymous
You probably have to step up your other lifts, and you'll break your plateau. Deadlifts at 2-3 reps (preferably 2) a set as heavy as you can handle without failure. Squats and pullups too. These compound moneymakers are about as basic as you get (and really all you need if you do variations of those exercises) and a great place to start. Your body works as one whole machine not a bunch of separate ones.

If you want to champ it out and stubbornly stick it out by varying your tricep/pectoral movements, try to get access to a fat-bar/thick-bar. Wrapping a towel and securing it with tape is a decent ghetto solution, although you can order Ivanko grip assists that attach to a regular barbell or dumbbell. Give it a solid 6-8 week cycle, and blast your flat bench again. This worked FANTASTICALLY for me, although it's difficult depending on how well developed your grip is. Went from 275lbs by 5 reps to a solid 295 by 3 reps after 7 weeks. I was surprised it made that much of a difference, and I haven't made gains like that since I was in my first year as a newbie lifter.

Just curious, OP, outline your diet? I know you say you get plenty of protein and whatnot but it can also help if you outlined your diet to see if anything can be improved on that.
>> Anonymous
more muscle, get heavier
>> Anonymous
Creatine.