Trying to push through plateaus while bench pressing

I've been lifting weights for the last 13 years. I still remember starting out as a skinny little kid in the weight room only able to bench 135. For some reason, it was a big priority for me to build muscle and get into good shape.

I guess, at the time, it was so I could build confidence in myself and not feel inferior to the kids around me. Man, I remember how awful school was.

At the time, I was also watching a lot of Dragonball Z. So to be funny, I tell my friends I started lifting weights because of it.

For anyone that lifts weight regularly, the absolute worst feeling is getting to the point where you get stuck. Where you hit a plateau. It is that point where you stop seeing progress and no matter what you do, you cannot increase the amount of reps you do or the amount of weight you can lift.

Today, my one rep max on the bench press is somewhere between 260 and 270. The problem is that my one rep max in 2011 was also somewhere between 260 and 270. A lot of this is my fault. When I started working as an accountant, I started working 60 hours per week and cut back on the intensity and frequency of my workouts. This is pretty disheartening considering all my workout equipment is in my house.

Back in 2010, I remember how proud I felt when I finally benched 250 for the first time. My next goal after that was to increase my max to 300.

At a max rep of 260 to 270, I am relatively close to my goal. I just have to stack another 30 to 40 pounds on top of my best. So, earlier today, I did a quick Google search.

How to bench press 300 pounds.

This link from Bodybuilding.com was the first thing that came up.

He details a 12 week program of the exercises to do in order to finally max out at 305 on week 12. After looking at the comments section, I saw a lot of positive feed back and decided I should make a go at it. In the next 12 weeks, I'll document my progress here by posting the results and how well I was able to stick to the program.

If I am successful with this goal, then this post will be one piece of evidence that can suggest that personal trainers can be replaced with Google searches and buying your own workout equipment.