My Journey to a 315-Pound Bench Press: From Start to Success
Table of Contents
Introduction: My Journey to a 315-Pound Bench Press
How long does it take to go from a 225-pound bench press to 315 pounds? For me, it took twenty-five months. Reaching a 225-pound bench press, however, took twenty years. At twenty-two years of age, I finally bench-pressed 315 pounds. This milestone is one to be remembered, but it only motivates me to aim for even greater heights. Here is my journey to a 315-pound bench press.
The Genesis of the Goal: When Did This Goal First Appear?
Not long after I started lifting, I developed a mindset that everything is a process. To me, lifting is not a race but a marathon. I believed that I could achieve many things that seemed impossible as long as I maintained routine and consistency. Roughly one and a half years after reaching a 225-pound bench press, I began considering the 315-pound bench press. I never thought it was impossible, and therefore, I started pursuing this goal near the end of 2023.
Preparation: What Sort of Preparations Did You Have to Make?
Since my primary style of training was hypertrophy, I set a goal as the cutoff for my hypertrophy training: 225 pounds for eight reps over three sets. After achieving this goal, I began focusing more on strength training for my chest.
Evolution of My Workout Program: From Then Until Now
At first, I followed Ken Lain’s 10-week Bench Press Routine, which involves one heavy chest session per week with a deload session in between. Additionally, there are two back days—one heavy and one light—and a leg day per week. Initially, the 5% increment in weight each week was manageable as the program started with lighter weights. However, by the 7th or 8th week, the weights began to feel uncontrollably heavy, and I experienced inconsistent progress. After ten weeks, I was stuck at around 295 pounds. The pressure from school, assignments, projects, gym, and insomnia took a toll on my mental and physical health. I became impatient and often felt disappointed for not meeting my expectations. I started doing heavy bench presses with very few reps even on deload days, which resulted in stagnant progress.
I shared my struggles with a classmate, and he suggested that I take more rest and implement the 5/3/1 program. This program follows a four-week cycle: week one consists of 3 sets of 5 reps, week two has 3 sets of 3 reps, week three includes 3 sets of 5, 3, and 1 rep, followed by a deload week. After completing the cycle, you start the next one with a higher starting weight. I began resting more and reduced my bench sessions to one per week, dedicating another day to accessory work. After two weeks on the 5/3/1 program, I bench-pressed 315 pounds on the third week, almost five months after starting my journey to 315.
My Modified Version of the 5/3/1 Program
Bench Press Only
Week 1
65% 1RM x 5
75% 1RM x 5
85% 1RM x 5
95% 1RM x 1
Week 2
70% 1RM x 3
80% 1RM x 3
90% 1RM x 3
95% 1RM x 1
Week 3
75% 1RM x 5
85% 1RM x 3
95% 1RM x 1
95% 1RM x 1
Week 4
50% 1RM x 5
60% 1RM x 5
70% 1RM x 5
80% 1RM x 1
My Training Split
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Back
Day 4: Chest & Triceps
Day 5: Legs
Day 6: Rest/Back & Biceps
Day 7: Rest
Nutrition: Fueling the Journey
I am not a healthy eater by any means and often order takeout. I do not track calories because it's too tiring, but I always ensure I consume sufficient protein—1 gram per pound of body weight. My protein sources include beef, chicken, fish, and lamb. Occasionally, I drink 30-40 grams of protein powder, but I prioritize real food over processed products.
Additionally, carbohydrates from oats, bread, rice, and fruit are essential in my diet as they provide the energy needed to fuel my workouts. I intentionally increased my daily intake from the start of the program, weighing around 210 pounds when I bench-pressed 315 pounds. Remember, the more you weigh, the stronger you are. This doesn't mean eating junk food every day, but a 160-pound person will find it much harder to bench 315 pounds than someone who weighs 200 pounds.
Mistakes and Takeaways: Lessons Learned
The biggest takeaway from my experience was to treat rest days with respect and train reasonably. While training hard is necessary, your body and central nervous system need to recover from heavy loads. A mistake I made was training too heavily and frequently, which led to failing many of my top sets. I saw the most progress when I did one heavy bench press session a week. Of course, there are multiple effective ways and programs, but the consistent factor is being patient.
Additionally, tracking your workouts is important for remembering your training details and progression. You may also discover patterns that suggest your lagging exercises or movements, which you can target to optimize your training.
Finally, trust the process and believe in achieving your goals. You may be discouraged by how far you are from your goal, but as long as you stay consistent, you will accomplish more than you could imagine. I am not content with a 315-pound bench press and will strive for greater accomplishments. Make your goals part of the journey and enjoy the process of reaching them. It doesn't matter how quickly you get there; what matters is how far you can go.
Mindset and Motivation: Staying Focused
With any fitness goal, it's not only about the physical aspect; the mental factor must also be included. I've set many fitness goals, including personal records in deadlift, squat, and most recently bench press, all of which I achieved. Trust me, it wasn't easy. I had to struggle a lot, both physically and mentally. Sometimes I thought, "Wow, the progress has been really good." But then, the next session, I regressed, leaving me wondering, "What is going on?" To me, it was more pain than enjoyment, but I didn't care because it's my passion, and I knew I would achieve it—whether today, tomorrow, two weeks from now, or two months from now. You have to trust the process and believe to achieve. That's what I like to think. You will face challenges and struggles; that's inevitable. Most importantly, you must be consistent to achieve your goals.
Injury Prevention and Recovery: Staying Safe
I've had some injuries and many pains. For example, during the bench program, I hurt my right shoulder during a back session, and it was debilitating. I would lie in bed with a hurt shoulder, wanting to cry, but my eyes were dry. It caused anxiety and almost depression. It really comes back to maintaining your routine, and as long as there's consistency, you don't have to rush anything. Injury is as much mental as it is physical. Looking back, I would rather take an extra rest day than lift heavy one day prior to the scheduled date. Make sure you have good form, lift safely, and listen to your body. You will get injuries, and you will get hurt. Unfortunately, they cannot always be prevented. You just have to remember to bounce back and be better than ever.
The Moment of Success: Hitting the 315-Pound Mark
On the day that I bench-pressed 315, I wasn't planning to do it. I was thinking of maybe 310. I had maybe five hours of sleep at most because, for whatever reason, my sleep that day was atrocious. I'd had sleeping problems for a while at that point. But I thought to myself, "Why does it matter if I fail 315 now? I can always come back and do it next week. And if I can't do it then, I'll do it two weeks from now. I can just try it." I knew I was extremely close, so I just wanted to try. I was prepared to fail. I told my spotter, "Get ready to lift the bar off my chest when I fail."
I remember my spotter helping me lift the bar off the rack. I felt the tension in my triceps and my back pressed up against the bench. I fought with the weight. It approached the sticking point roughly halfway up, shifting to the right. However, I anticipated that from numerous times of benching. The weight started moving up… I did it.
I would always look at those people who achieved a PR, how excited they looked, and some people would even cry. I thought it was too dramatic and they only did it for show. But, at that point, my dry eyes got wet. I jumped off the bench, covering my face, wanting to stay calm, but my adrenaline kept me thrilled. I threw my wrist wraps on the floor and hugged my spotter.
I did it, at the age of 22.
Future Goals: What's Next?
Not long after the bench PR, the excitement completely went away. I know this is just the beginning of my journey, and there's much more to come. This is not the end of my fitness career; I'm capable of achieving greater heights. I’m aware that a 315 bench is nothing in some people's eyes, but I am proud of myself, the hard work I put in, and the battles I fought. This achievement motivates me to continue progressing. A 405 bench in the future? Maybe, maybe not. But what I know is that I will never stop.
