We often say that if we want to be better at something, we should do it more often – so should we be bench pressing every day if we want to be better at? Do the benefits outweigh the costs?
Should you bench press every day? Yes, you can bench press every day if the goal is to improve technique, break through a plateau, or prioritize the bench press over other lifts for a period of time. However, it is not recommended to bench press every day if the lifter is prone to injuries, and/or cannot consistently train 7 days a week.
While bench pressing every day is not for everyone, maybe it is right for you! Bench pressing every day could be the training method you need to take your bench press to the next level. In this article, we’ll discuss the pros and cons, how to implement it safely, and provide a sample program.
Other helpful guides on high-frequency training:
- Squatting Every Day: Pros, Cons, & Should You Do It?
- Can You Deadlift Every Day? (Pros, Cons, & Sample Program)
- Squat, Bench Press, And Deadlift 3 Days Per Week: How To Do It
- Is It Okay To Do Bicep Curls Every Day?
- Can You Overhead Press Every Day? (Pros and Cons)
- Can Forearms Be Trained Every Day (Yes, Here’s How)
Table of Contents
Bench Press Every Day: An Overview
While it is not necessary to bench press every day, there are some lifters who employ this high-frequency training style for a period of time. It is often employed for shorter durations in a training cycle to enhance the benefits of training every day while minimizing the negative effects that could occur from bench pressing every day for long periods of time.
There are individuals who should avoid this high frequency training of the bench press – these individuals are those who struggle to keep their upper body healthy and pain-free. These individuals may have a long history of nagging injuries, or are perhaps lacking experience and are therefore more vulnerable to injury.
Other reasons to avoid bench pressing every day is if we know we will not be able to keep up with the training schedule consistently. For some, the everyday training sessions might be a benefit as the training sessions will be of shorter duration – but for others, the need to be at the gym 7 days a week may be unrealistic.
If we are our muscles and joints are relatively healthy, we are able to commit to 7 days a week of being at the gym, and our program is in need of a change (if our bench is still progressing with our current program, there is no need to change) it may be worth experimenting with bench pressing every day.
To learn more about how the muscles work in the bench press, check out our Complete Guide For The Muscles Used In The Bench Press
The Pros Of Bench Pressing Every Day
Improves Technique
Bench pressing every day should help to improve technique, and fix “bad habits” that we have developed over time. The more we bench press, the more consistent with our technique we can be – which will lead to better movement patterns and ultimately a bigger bench.
In addition when we are bench pressing every day, multiple of those days will be technique focused – as we cannot bench press maximally every day or we would not properly recover. This increased attention to the technical aspects of the lift, would correct areas of the lift where we are experiencing technical breakdown and help us to lift more efficiently.
To learn more about the important elements of the bench press, check out our 13 Bench Press Cues For Max Strength
Break Through A Plateau
Bench pressing every day can help lifters whose progress has stalled, to break through their bench press plateau. If our bench press progress has come to a halt, it is likely that our body has adapted to our current training program and is in need of a change in programming, to provide a new stimulus to adapt to.
Bench pressing every day would increase the frequency and volume of the movement, as well as provide more opportunity for us to improve our technique – all of which should help us to break through a plateau.
Still struggling to break through a plateau? Check out these 9 Tips To Break Through A Bench Press Plateau
Limited Time To Workout
Bench pressing every day is great if we have a limited amount of time to train every day (i.e we only have 15-30 minutes to train). Training every day allows us to avoid long training sessions, by spreading them out over the week while still getting the necessary training volume to make progress.
For those that only have an hour a day, whether it be because of a hectic work or life schedule or having to book a timeslot at the gym, bench pressing every day could be the solution for them to see gains in strength and technique despite limited availability.
One of the best ways to get extra volume in a workout is by doing Back Off Sets (click to read my full guide).
The Cons Of Bench Pressing Every Day
Allocating Less Time To Other Lifts
Bench pressing every day causes us to prioritize the bench press over the other lifts, because there is only a certain amount of work that we are able to recover from (often called “Maximum Recoverable Volume”). If we are trying to train multiple compound movements every day of the week with no days off, we may compromise our performance by exceeding our maximum recoverable volume.
If we are training the bench press 7 days/week, that lift should be our current priority and we should keep the other lifts at a maintenance level of volume/frequency to avoid “burnout” or overtraining (I talk more about these concepts in my article on deloading).
The downside to this is we may not be able to make as much progress on the squat or deadlift, but we may be able to maintain them, depending on how much we train them compared to what our minimum effective volume (the minimum amount of work we need to do to maintain fitness) is for each discipline – which will be different for everyone depending on their current level of fitness.
Frequency Of Training Sessions
The need to be at the gym every day can be an issue for many people due to busy work/life schedules, or simply lack of motivation. The stress of trying to make it to the gym every day when it is not realistic for our lifestyles, will cause more issues and mental fatigue than is necessary.
For these reasons, it may be better to commit to 3 to 5 training days per week and spread out our bench volume across these days, rather than failing to get to the gym every day and losing out on bench gains by not reaching the minimum effective volume dose.
I wrote a similar article answering the question: How Many Times Per Week Should You Bench Press. I cover more individual factors on deciding your bench press frequency.
Risk Of Injury
Bench pressing every day could lead to more issues than solutions if we have nagging upper-body injuries, or are just more prone to injury. The added stress from bench pressing every day, could be too much volume and/or frequency for the muscles, joints, and tissues of the upper body.
When we bench press every day, especially if we are not smart about it, it can be difficult to recover from the added frequency and/or volume as we are constantly loading the upper body, without time for the musculoskeletal system to fully recover between training sessions.
If we push the tissues over their threshold, they will struggle to recover and are more likely to be injured. Therefore, those who already have upper body issues with their current amount of training volume, should not increase further by bench pressing every day.
Check out my other article on Do Powerlifters Train Every Day? We talk about whether this approach can work for novice, intermediate, and advanced powerlifters.
Want to get advice on programming, technique, or competing? Speak with one of our coaches.
Does Bench Pressing Every Day Mean Maxing Out Every Day?
No, benching every day does not involve maxing out every day.
In fact, we will not be performing 1 rep maxes during this time, and we will avoid going until failure. The reason for this is that we need to recover enough between sessions to be able to perform well enough for subsequent sessions in the week.
If we push until failure on Monday, the rest of our training sessions for the week may suffer. We would not get the same benefits as we would if we had not maxed out, because we would be experiencing residual fatigue from Monday’s session and the quality of the work would decrease.
Instead, bench pressing every day would incorporate more technique work to focus on specific areas of weakness within the movement, some speed work to control the tempo of the lift and build explosiveness, and some general strength sessions as well.
All of these sessions work to improve the bench press, so that when the time comes for us to test our 1 rep max, we will be injury free and possess the skills to express as much strength as possible.
Are you missing out on bench press progress by neglecting accessories? Try these 10 Bench Press Accessories.To Improve Your Strength And Technique
How To Bench Press Every Day Safely & Effectively
To ensure we are working safely and effectively while bench pressing every day, we should incorporate more technique work to focus on specific areas of weakness within the movement, some speed work to control the tempo of the lift and build explosiveness, along with some general strength sessions.
We should also limit the amount of accessories for the chest, shoulders, and triceps to avoid additional fatigue that may impair the training sessions throughout the week. Although stability exercises for the muscles that position the pectoral girdle (the bones that connect the upper extremities to the body) should be considered to promote injury prevention.
It is also important that we monitor for symptoms of overtraining, which include excessive fatigue, muscle strains, lack of motivation, difficulty sleeping, and prolonged heart rate elevation following exercise. Noticing these symptoms early can help us to avoid further physiological and psychological distress.
Prioritizing recovery by balancing training volume and intensity and monitoring frequently for signs of overtraining, sets us up for success so that when the time comes for us to test our 1 rep max, we will be injury free and possess the technique to express as much strength as possible.
Are you warming up effectively for the bench press? Check out our science-based approach for The Most Effective Bench Press Warm-up.
Bench Press Every Day: Sample Program
The following is a sample program that focuses on improving technique and building strength, specifically strength off the chest, as the exercise variations on technique days focus on the bottom to mid-range of the bench press. These exercises could be substituted for exercises with a focus on the bench press lockout instead of off the chest, if necessary.
Day 1: Strength
Regular Bench Press
- 1×5 @ RPE 7 (leave 3-4 reps left in the tank)
- 2×5 @ 10% off topset
Day 2: Technique
Tempo Bench Press (3-2-2-0)
- 2×3 @ 60%
- Stability Exercises (YTWs, Scapular Pushups, Face Pulls…)
Day 3: Technique
3 Count Pause Bench Press
- 3×2 @ 65%
Day 4: Strength
Regular Bench Press
- 1×3 @ RPE 8 (leave 2 reps left in the tank)
- 2×3 @ 10% off topset
Day 5: Technique
- 2×3 @ 65%
- Stability Exercises (YTWs, Scapular Pushups, Face Pulls)
Day 6: Speed
Tempo Bench Press (3-1-0-0)
- 3×3 @ 55%
Day 7: Technique
Spoto Press
- 2×4 @ 60%
- Stability Exercises (YTWs, Scapular Pushups, Face Pulls…)
Interested in learning more about high-frequency powerlifting programming? Check out my article discussing the 6-Day Powerlifting Split.
Final Thoughts
While bench pressing every Day is not for everyone, it can help to improve technique, work around a busy schedule, and introduce a new stimulus to break through a plateau. The key is to be realistic with how much volume we can recover from, and to listen to our body to recognize when it is being pushed past its limits.
Other helpful guides on how many times per week you should lift:
