How to Bench Press Two Plates (225 lb): A Training Guide (2024)

To be able to lift "two plates".bench pressis one of the most common strength training goals for men.

It refers to the use of two 45 lb (or 20 kg) plates per side, including the 45 lb barbell, which can hold up to 225 lb or 100 kg.

For women, an equivalent strength level is around 110-135 pounds (or a 45-pound plate per side) and this guide is equally valid for achieving that goal.

Let's start by tackling:How difficult is this goal?

Let's go to the data of our app.

This is evident from training data from 17,296 male users of our appStrengthLog, a 225 lb bench press is just above an intermediate lift.

(Click here to view our complete, data-driven bench press strength standards ikiloofpondfor both men and women.)

Average means it's right in the 50th percentile of male users. But remember that:

1. This is a demographic situationa lot ofinterested in strength training.
2. The bench press is by far the most popular exercise among our app's 50,000+ active users, and we have tons of thembench press training programsaimed at increasing your bench max.

Meaning?

That our data is somewhat skewed due to a very bench-oriented demographic.

That said, the data states that a bench press of 225 pounds is a...

• Intermediate lift for a 200 lb lifter
• Advanced lifting for a 170 lb lifter

(Intermediate = stronger than 50%. Advanced = stronger than 75%)

Men's Bench Press Standards (lb)

By body weight.

Obviously, your body weight has a major impact on your strength.

Or rather: yoursmuscle massshall.

This means that if you are small and light, this goal will be more challenging. And on the contrary if you are a big boy.

While we're at it, let's talk about the bench press muscles.

Muscles used in the bench press

You mainly bench press with your:

• Pecs
• Front parts
• Triceps

Of these, the pecs and front delts contribute 74% of the joint torque at the point of contact in the bench press, while your triceps contribute only 26%.1

Read more:How much do triceps contribute to bench pressing?

Furthermore, there is a strong correlation (r=0.866) between the thickness of the pectoral muscle and the 1RM bench press (max. one repetition).2

Do you want a big sofa?

Build a large chest.

We'll find out. But first let's talk about the technology.

Correct bench press technique

By developing proper bench press technique, you can hopefully gain strength faster and reduce the risk of injury.

You will need to develop your own bench press technique that suits your anatomy over time. That said, there are still some best practices you should try.

Onsbench press guidestarts with a brief overview of the elevator, but goes into many details later in the article. I suggest you read it all and try it during your next few workouts.

Also: record yourself!

Hold up your phone and record your bench press. Study your technique during your rest periods and try to improve it.

Decide what you want your lifts to look like and aim to make every replica look like this.

Consistent. Checked.

Training for a 225-pound bench press

Finally, let's talk about the actual training.

If you're brand new to the bench press, start with an empty bar and do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Two or three days later, bench press again, but increase the weight a little depending on how easy it feels, and do 3 sets of 10 reps again.

For the next few weeks you should bench press twice a week, doing 3 sets x 10 reps each workout, adding 2.5kg/5lb to the bar each time you manage to complete all 3 x 10 reps .

If you can't hit 3 x 10 reps, hold that weight for a few workouts until you do.

Within a month or two this starts to get quite tough.

Now that you have a strength goal in mind (100 kg/225 lb for a single rep), you can now move on to doing 3 sets x 5 reps.

This allows you to continue adding weight to the bar during each workout.

You should really use a training log to keep track of what you lifted and when. Our appStrengthLogwas built for this purpose. It's also free.

Read more about StrengthLogher, or download it from the links below.

Now it is enough to sit on the bench twice a week, do 3 sets x 5 reps and add 2.5 kg / 5 lb each time you complete all the reps.somefrom you all the way to putting two plates on the bench.

If you can do 3 sets x 5 reps at 85 kg / 190 lb, you should be very close to a single rep at 100 kg / 225 lb. (You can use our1RM Calculatorplay with this)

Especially if you practice lifting heavy by doing a few singles in the workouts leading up to it.

But what if that's not enough to reach that level?

If you've tried and tried and tried several times but you can no longer add 2.5kg/5lb and complete 3 x 5 weighing around 190lb or more and you're alsoto eatand sleep enough to supportmuscle growth, then you probably need to adjust your training.

And for the 95% of lifters who eat and sleep enough but don't get stronger, the answer is yesincrease training stimuli.

Encourage your body to grow by asking more of it.

The easiest way to do this is through yourtrainingsvolumeslightly.

There is no one right way to do this. You can do this in countless ways.

But one way is to:

1. Perform a workout where you try to do 3 sets of 5 repetitions, gradually adding weight each time you succeed.
2. And then the second workout can focus on collecting volume.

The goal of this second workout is simply to do a lot of bench presses.

You can do this in many ways:

• 5 sets x 5 reps with 90% of your last 3 x 5 workout.
• Perform a pyramid of sets, up to a heavy single, and then back to a medium rep set of about 10 reps.
• Or hypertrophy-oriented work with higher repetition, such as 5 sets x 10 reps, and maybe morechest and triceps work.

Most importantly, you have to ask more of your body to adapt.

Put more in to get more out.

Do this for a few more months and be obsessive about adding some weight or one rep to your sets from the last workout.

Eat and sleep to support growth.

This should eventually put you within striking distance of two plates.

Time to prepare for the maximum.

Maximize during the bench press

Strength is very specific.

If you want to perform the toughest single rep you can, then you need to practice this.

If you feel like you're going to get the most out of yourself quickly, start preparing by adding some singles or doubles (1 or 2 repetitions) to your training.

You can do these during the second workout of the week, keeping the heavy 3 sets of 5 reps as your base.

Or not. You decide.

The point is thatsubmaximaalpractice lifting for one or two reps. It means you aredoesn'tmaximizes, but leaves a lot of pounds in the tank.

If you can do 3 sets of 5 reps with a weight of 85 kg or 190 pounds, then you can practice singles and doubles with about 5 kg or 10 pounds more.

Three sets of one or two repetitions with plenty of rest in between are about enough for one workout. (Then you might want to do some higher rep backoff sets for volume)

The most important isHowyou train these singles. Remember to be consistent and controlled.

Lift as if the bar is loaded to your maximum capacity.

Be powerful and aware.

After a number of training sessions practicing lifting singles, it is time for a maximum effort.

Safety first:

• Position the safety racks so that you can push yourself out from under the bar if you fail.
• Instruct someone how to see you safely (and don't touch the pole unless you fail).

For best results, make sure you warm up properly.

Warm up to your maximum effort

A good warm-up can make or break youPRattempt.

Use ourheating calculatorto get suggestions for what jumps to make in weights and how many reps to do.

Here's an example of how to warm up for a 1RM attempt with a goal of 100%:

• 40% x 8 reps
• 50%x5
• 60%x4
• 70%x3
• 80%x2
• 90%x1
• 95%x1
• 100% (max attempts!) x 1

And one last thing: make sure you set up your phone and record your attempt. You want it on video.

Good luck bench pressing 225 pounds, buddy!

Take your bench press to the next level

We have tons of programs to take your bench press to the next level.

Here are three programs aimed at different training levels:

• Beginning bench press program. 2x/week.A super simple yet effective bench press program for beginners that will help you progress quickly and get a great start to your bench pressing career.
• Intermediate Bench Press Program. 2-3 times a week.A bench press program for the intermediate lifter who has moved on from the beginner phase, but is not yet ready for advanced bench press training.
• Advanced bench press program. 3x/week.A bench press program for the advanced lifter who needs to train a lot to make progress. For nine weeks, ending in a short peak phase and a maximum attempt.

Or browse through all of oursbench press programs.

More bench press articles:

• The 25 Best Accessory Exercises to Improve Your Bench Press
• Bench Press Grip Width: Closed Grip Bench Press vs. Wide grip
• Chest compressions vs. bench press: 17 pros and cons
• 5 differences between incline bench press and flat bench press

References

1. Front Sports Act Living. 2020; 2: 637066. A biomechanical analysis of wide, medium and narrow grip width effects on kinematics, horizontal kinetics and muscle activity in the gluteal region in recreationally trained men during the 1-RM bench press.
2. J Strength Cond Res. 2014 Jun;28(6):1778-82. Correlation between large pectoralis muscle size in bench pressing and bench throwing.

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