Bench Press

[ston5]

Hi I am looking to get back to gym after 2 years off. I haven't lifted a single weight or ran during my time off, so needless to say I am a bit out of shape. I was wanting to know if someone could recommend a good bench press workout
that I could do several times a week that would put some lean muscle on me. My max bench press 2 years ago was 275 lbs. Thanks for the help.

 

[devidmike]

how much do you weigh? i'm fairly sure you lost most of your strength since 2 years ago at 275 max.

if i were you.. i'd get a spotter, throw on 25's (95 lb total) - do a couple, see how it feels, then go from there.

I find it very comical when guys are like "yea.. i did this much several years ago".. and then they put too much weight on there and end up injuring themselves, and also look like a fool b/c their form is WAYYY off.

start over from scratch. put vvvvvvery little weight on there. i know it doesn't look impressive. SO WHAT! get your form down, and once you do that, then you can add weight accordingly

 

[barkingspider]

Myself I would get a spotter and start to pyramid the weight and try to add either a rep or a 2.5lb plate on each side each or every other workout. Start off with 12 reps and make your way all the way down to 2-4 reps. The Bigger, Faster, Stronger program has always worked well for me also.

 

[hossdiesel]

If you want to get strong, I love the 5x5 plan. Do 5 sets of 5, most weight you can rep 5 times. You will notice gains quickly.

Monday
5x5 Decline Bench

Friday
5x5 Incline Bench

I do the whole routine 5x5, but this is concerning bench so I only posted the relevant portions.