How to bench press two-plates (225lbs=100kg) as a Japanese guy in 1 year

Pursuing a Two-plates bench press is one of the most common goals for many guys at the gym and it was mine too.

When I started lifting, I was a very-very skinny Japanese guy. I was 175cm tall but my weight was only 55kg.

I’ve been struggling to build my muscle mass and strength, but I’m still proud of myself that I hit Two-plates in 1 year by myself.

In this post I will share the tips and training methods that helped me this milestone.

If I can do it, you can definitely do it.

Contents

Steps

Steps

Step 1 : frequency
Step 2 : program
Step 3 : gears

Step 1 : frequency

In order to achieve Two-plates bench press, the most important factor is to focus on your “frequency” of bench press.

Many people think that doing more sets or doing more volume is the key to progress, but I don’t believe it’s that true… especially for beginners.

In the early stage of training, your body does not cause hypertrophy right away.

Instead of hypertrophy, you gain strength through “neural adaptation“. This means that your brain and nervous system are learning how efficiently perform the movement.

For example, imagine two boys practicing a baseball swing.

Boy A practices by swinging the bat 150 times in one day every week.
Boy B, on the other hand, focuses on perfect form with each swing. He only does 20 swings per day, but he practices every single day.

Who do you think will improve faster?

In most cases, Boy B will make better progress because he trains his body and brain more consistently.
This same principle applies to bench pressing — it’s all about quality and consistency, not just quantity.

I recommend benching at least twice a week to improve your technique and reinforce your motor patterns. Of course focus on your perfect form every time.

Step 2 : basic muscle

I wrote about how crucial the neural adaptation is to be stronger, but this principle will never change, which is “The more you gain, the more you are strong“.

In order to lift two-plates bench press, you need to build a solid muscular foundation.

Bench press mainly targets chest, but it also heavily hits triceps and front deltoids too.

To build muscle mass, you have to intake calories surplus.

Step 3 : gears

For my opinion, some gears helped me a lot to make it.

Especially, I strongly recommend you to prepare the following equipments for upcoming bench press session.

Wrist Wrap

Wrist Wraps will help you to hold your wrist stable.

This also helps to avoid wrist injuries during bench press.

Anti slip sheet

Anti slip sheet is a “must” for power lifters and bench pressers.

While doing bench press on a training bench without an anti slip sheet, your body is sliding towards your head when you do leg drive so that you cannot build arch.

This might lead to feel your shoulder pain,,,,

Trust me, once you try benching with an anti-slip mat, you won’t want to go back.

筋トレ成功への道

かっこいい体を手に入れてモテたい！好きな服が着れるようになりたい！

など、全ての目標を持って筋トレを始めようと思っている筋トレ未経験者の方に向けて、筋トレの正しい情報発信を心がけ、私の経験と科学的根拠を紹介しつつ成功に向けた道を示します。