How to Increase your Bench Press Fast: 10 Key Exercises for Max Gains

Want to how to increase your bench press fast? Boost your max with these 10 key exercises that target the muscles used in benching. Build strength and power fast.

If you want to increase your bench press fast, you need to train the primary muscles involved in the lift through targeted exercises. Adding adequate volume through these key movements will translate to bigger numbers on the bench.

Why Your Bench Press Matters?

The bench press is one of the big three lifts in powerlifting and a staple in most strength training programs. Having a strong bench demonstrates upper body strength and can boost confidence and motivation in the gym.

More importantly, increase your bench press fast requires strengthening the muscle groups used like the:

Chest (pectorals)
Shoulders (deltoids)
Triceps
Upper back

Focusing on these areas through compound and accessory lifts creates the ideal muscle activation to drive up your max.

The Importance of Proper Bench Press Form

While grinding through heavy weights may get you PRs, using an improper form on the bench press can be extremely dangerous and counterproductive. Prioritizing technique helps:

Engage the right muscle groups
Prevent injuries to the shoulders, elbows, and wrists
Improve force transfer and power output
Set you up for long-term, sustainable progress

Mastering the setup, grip, bar path, and full range of motion is crucial before attempting max lifts. Let’s break down the steps:

10 Essential Exercises for How to Increase your Bench Press Fast

1. Barbell Bench Press:

This bread-and-butter exercise is the most direct way to increase your bench press fast. Lie on a flat bench, grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width, and lower it to your mid-chest before pressing back to lockout. Focus on keeping your entire body tight and driving through your heels to engage your leg drive. Barbell bench press variations like close-grip, wide-grip, and pause reps can also be utilized.

2. Close Grip Bench Press:

Taking a shoulder-width or slightly narrower grip on the bench press puts more emphasis on the triceps, which are crucial for lockout strength. The close grip bench helps build bench press fast by adding dedicated triceps overload into your program.

3. Incline Bench Press:

While the flat bench emphasizes the pectoral mid-fibres, the incline variation shifts more focus to the clavicular or upper pec fibers. Strengthening this area creates a thicker, stronger base to balloon your bench press.

4. Overhead Press:

The overhead press is one of the best exercises for building powerful, stable shoulder strength – a key component of a huge bench. Master the strict press to improve stability, then incorporate push press and push jerk variations to overload.

5. Pushups:

This classic bodyweight exercise hits the chest, shoulders, and triceps in the same push pattern as the bench press. Higher rep ranges with perfect pushup form will increase your bench press fast by improving endurance and pushing muscle.

6. Dips:

Whether using a dip station or bench, dips are an excellent compound pushing exercise that hammers the triceps and chest. Leaning forward slightly increases chest emphasis. Use a dip belt to add weight for increased overload.

7. Face Pulls:

This rear delt exercise seems counterintuitive for the bench, but developing the upper back and rear shoulder strength is crucial for a rock-solid press platform. Face pulls keep your shoulders healthy and improve force transfer.

8. Bent-Over Rows:

Bent-over barbells or dumbbell rows are a potent backbuilder that will increase your bench press in multiple ways. Bigger last mean a thicker base to press from, and rows improve upper back stability and strength.

9. Skull Crushers:

As a pure triceps isolation exercise, heavy skull crushers will directly improve lockout power and bench press performance. Use an E-Z bar or straight bar and focus on keeping elbows perpendicular to the floor.

10. Pullups/Lat Pull-downs:

While seemingly unrelated to pressing, vertical pulling exercises play an important role in upper body structural balance and maintaining healthy shoulders. Strong lats provide a stable platform to bench press fast off of.

Don’t just stick to the flat bench if your goal is to increase your bench press fast. Intelligently rotate several of these exercises into your training plan, progressively overloading the weight and/or reps each week. Allowing sufficient recovery between sessions is also key.

Sample Bench Specialization Routine

Exercise	Sets x Reps
Barbell Bench Press	5 x 5
Close Grip Bench	3 x 8-10
Incline Bench	3 x 6-8
Overhead Press	3 x 6-8
Bent-Over Rows	4 x 8-10
Push-ups	3 x Max
Dips	3 x 10-12

Perform this routine twice per week with at least 2 days’ rest between sessions. Increases weight or reps weekly.

Crucial Tips to Boost Your Bench Press Fast

Exercise alone won’t guarantee a bigger bench press fast. Implement these training tips:

Eat enough calories and protein to build muscle
Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night for recovery
Perfect your bench press form with a pause, control the descent
Delord every 4-6 weeks to avoid burnout or injury
Use lifting shoes and wrist wraps for better force transfer

When to Bring in the Accessory Lifts

Once you’ve built up your baseline strength on the big lifts, integrate bench-specific accessory exercises like:

JM Presses
Spoto Presses
Floor Presses
Board Presses
Feet-Up Bench

These variations overload different ranges of motion and strengthen any weaknesses holding you back.

Expectations for Increase Your Bench Press Fast

How quickly you increase your bench press will depend on your:

Training age (beginners progress faster)
Muscle memory from the previous lifting
Nutrition and recovery
Mindset and intensity in the gym

With consistent, smart training, most can expect to add 25-50 lbs to their bench in the first 6-12 months as a beginner. Intermediate and advanced lifters may see increases of 10-20 lbs in that timeframe.

The key is progressing gradually while giving your body time to recover and grow stronger. Don’t ego lift – focus on form and control the movement.

Sample 4-Week Bench Press Peaking Program

To bring all these elements together into rapid bench press gains, try out this 4-week peaking routine:

Week 1:

Bench Press: 4×6 @ 75%
Overhead Press: 4×10
Incline Bench: 3×8
Triceps: 3×12

Week 2:

Bench Press: 5×4 @ 80%
Pause Bench: 3×3
Bent Rows: 4×10

Week 3:

Bench Press: 3×3 @ 85%
Close Grip: 3×6
Face Pulls: 4×12

Week 4:

Bench Press: 2×2 @ 90%
Bench Press: 1×1 @ 95%
Bench accessory of choice

Hit this program while pushing food and focusing on recovery. You should be primed to hit a new bench PR after the reload in week 5!

The path to a bigger, faster bench press involves much more than just benching itself. By incorporating the exercises, variations, and form cues, you’ll rapidly develop the full-body strength to shatter plateaus. Commit to the process and watch those bar weights climb!

FAQs: How to Increase your Bench Press Fast

How do I increase my bench press quickly?

To increase your bench, press quickly, and focus on heavy compound lifts like the bench press, close grip bench, overhead press, and rows. Progressively overload weight each week while eating enough calories and protein. Prioritize form, use proper grip widths, and allow adequate rest between sessions.

How long will it take to increase the bench press?

How quickly you can increase your bench press depends on your training experience. As a beginner, you may add 25-50 lbs in the first 6 months with proper programming. More advanced lifters may see increases of 10-20 lbs over the same timeframe by pushing past plateaus strategically.

Is a 20 kg bench press good?

For an untrained individual, a 20 kg (44 lb) bench press may be an acceptable starting point. However, with consistent training, most people should be able to progress beyond this relatively quickly as a beginner.

Is a 60 kg bench press good?

A 60 kg (132 lb.) bench press could be considered an intermediate level of strength. For a 180 lb. man, this would equate to benching around 75% of their body weight, which is respectable. With focused training, this could increase body weight or more.

Conclusion

Increasing your bench press fast requires a strategic combination of compound exercises, smart programming, progressive overload, and patience. By targeting the prime movers like your chest, shoulders, and triceps through the exercises above, you’ll rapidly develop the strength to bust through plateaus.

Stick to your plan, prioritize recovery, and make these core lifts a priority. With discipline and hard work, you can wave goodbye to those stuck bench numbers and see your max skyrocket fast.