dumbbell bench press question page

[GrockinOut]

I know I have not really posted in a while, but student teaching have been keeping me quite busy!
So lately since my workout partner has been injuried his leg, and no longer goes to the gym I have switched from the barbell bench press to the dumbbell bench press (can lift heavy and not worry about a spotter if I can't lift the weight for another rep)
Usually when I can get all three sets of eight reps with a given weight I will add five pounds to the bar, but when you move up in dumbbells you add 10 pounds to the bar. That is most likely going to drop me from the usual only getting six reps when I up weight to about four reps when I up it today at the gym.
Do you think I should still use the 70s and shoot on working up to three sets of 10 so when I move to the 75s I will be hitting more than 4 reps? or just deal with the 75 nows and accept that the reps are going to be extremely low for awhile?

And please no, "no need to be doing more than 5 reps" I am working on a strength/hypertrophy routine which has been working out great!

thanks for the information!

[iniQuity]

Ever consider a reverse pyramid scheme? Good for high reps/hypertrophy stuff.

Warm up with some lighter weight, then make your first set the heaviest, as such:

1st set: 75s for as many reps as you can, perhaps setting a limit at 8 (assuming you can get to 8)
2nd set: 70s for as many as you can
3rd set: 65s for as many as you can

I’ll be honest I haven’t set foot in a gym in over a year and haven’t done any dumb bell pressing in way more than that. This is the set up I use for weighted bodyweight work, but I think it can work in this scenario.

In this way, you can lift your heaviest at your freshest (thus progressing in weight), and as your muscle fatigues, the weight decreases so you can get your reps up and work the hypertrophy angle. That’s all the advice I can offer.

[GrockinOut]

i have considered rpt (i am a big leangains fan!), and tried it a couple of months ago for a month and was not crazy about it. I really like the way I have been weight training, and it has been working extremely well for me the past couple of weeks!

[Nick "the Caveman" M.]

A little off specific topic, but why not just ask some random gym goer for a spot on your last set. You clearly only going to failure on your last set, since you still have enough in your tank to hit the same reps for sets 2 and 3 after set 1. So all you need is someone for 10-30 seconds to make sure the weight doesn't come down on you.

On the dbs....would your reps really drop down to 4? That just seems like a huge drop in #'s if you're hitting 3x8 right now. Increasing your reps at your current weight, should enable you to give a better transition to the higher weight, since you'll just be increasing your total load lifted for that exercise.

[Velocity]

I've heard of, but not seen/used, magnetic weights that can attach to usual weights in cases when a smaller increment is desired. Perhaps that is an option.

[runnergal]

If you dont like the rp by sets what about a dropset 75 for as many reps as you can then immediately drop to 70 and keep going. It's harder on bench to do the drop unless you have a partner though who can switch you out. .

You can also get wrist weights to help with the increment. Cheaper than magnets.

Other alternatives is one day do the 70 lbs for higher reps and one day do the 75 for lower reps. Mix it up.

[claude512]

Why do you add 10 pounds to a dumbbell, and only 5 to a barbell? wouldn't this be the other way around (barbell -> 2 arms -> 10 pounds, DB -> 1 arm -> half the weight)?
I would say as the goal is to continue adding weight to the press each workout (and do this for as long as possible), you add the weight that you manage to lift for your rep scheme, no matter how much or little that is (or what anyone tells you would be a "standard")

[stewie97]

Why do you add 10 pounds to a dumbbell, and only 5 to a barbell? wouldn't this be the other way around (barbell -> 2 arms -> 10 pounds, DB -> 1 arm -> half the weight)?
I would say as the goal is to continue adding weight to the press each workout (and do this for as long as possible), you add the weight that you manage to lift for your rep scheme, no matter how much or little that is (or what anyone tells you would be a "standard")

dumbbells go up in 5 lb increments, two 50lb dumbbells = 100lbs total weight, two 55lb dumbbells = 110lbs total weight. On a bar you can increimnet by 5 lbs instead of 10 lbs by putting 2.5's on each side.