I need help with my bench press routine. I'm 15 and 144lbs. I have been trying to do 3 sets of 5 of 135lbs. for about 4 months now. I try once or twice a week. The first 2 sets I can do 5 but in the last set I can only do 4. I don't know if it is in my head or if I'm doing something wrong. Any help?

sounds like your one of the kids at school who only care about bench.
not saying you are.
if you arent working your whole body with the compounds and eating perfectly clean(diet can make or break your routine),
you probably plateud(sp?).
you have to periodize your routine. try changing it up.
throw in some dumbell benching, speed pressing, incline benching, chain bench...ect.

get good at squats and deadlifts too. a strong powerful back can also help with bench.

No, I am not one of those kids. I mix it up with decline and incline and tons of other exercises besides the bench too. Any routine maybe?

well if periodization wont help, then it must be diet which is holding you back. that or sleep. i dont see why you cant progress if you have a solid compound dominant routine if your diet is great. maybe try some speed training.

ask yourself if you can be eating better. i bet you thats the problem. fix that up and you'l be pushing tons more weight, bro!!!

NOW GO OUT AND KEEP YOUR DIET LIKE A QUITE RIOT!!! (thankyou chillen LOL)

Post up your routine and maybe we can find out the culprit.

Yeah, without seeing your routine it'd be hard to give advice but the last time my bench stalled for a long period I got passed it by not benching for quite a while and increasing my chins and dips. I must have had a weak spot somewhere which got addressed by taking all focus away from the chest.

What kind of stuff should I eat? Probably stuff loaded with protein, right? I don't have any specific routine except for an attempt 3x5 of 135lbs once or twice a week. I do mix it up every so often with dumbell presses, static contraction, decline, and incline.

i thoguht you said you werent one of the kids who dont care about anything but bench yet you just said you dont have any kind of routine ecept benching 1 or 2 times a week...

well you have to work your whole body. dont expect any real results only training bench. you should be doing (imo) a fullbody workout with compound lifts like squat, deadlifts, pullups, rowing, overhead pressing AND bench. you REALLY shouldnt only train bench. who cares about being able to push weight off your chest when real strength comes from being able to lift huge weight off teh floor with deadlifts and being able to squat like a viking!

do a search on this site for "fullbody" and you will find TONs of threads with fullbody workouts. good luck bud

I'm not one of those kids. I just thought that they meant a bench press related routine. I run, cycle, swim, play basketball, do curls, abs, leg presses, and so forth.

Yeeeeeah, that's not a routine there buddy. Follow Proteinboy's advice and get a good diet going.

your chest can't grow without a strong base to start WORK YOUR WHOLE BODY

I'm shocked that it only took a little over a week but I got that last rep up. Thanks everyone!

more tips i learned for a stronger bench press

When you lay down on the bench, position yourself under the bar comfortably.

Now, about your feet(yes, your feet are important in the bench press):
you normally have them just on the ground, right?
well now you have to wiggle your feet back towards yourself, while keeping your heels on the ground to create tension in your quadriceps. they will feel tighter, like springs.
now to have the same effect on your glutes, you must move your feet away from the bench(to the sides). this gives you even more tension and a wider, stronger base.
you will feel pretty tight after doing this correctly.
well, now that you have your feet set, you need to set up your "arch".
the way i learned it, is to move your upper traps towards your glutes WITHOUT moving your feet(they are already set up).
this will create a supporting arch in your back.
think about digging your upper traps into the bench.

now that you have everything set up, you should feel much different then if you usually just plop down on the bench and start pushing.
you have your supporting arch, and your tight lower body ready to push like crazy. you should be able to get more weight up if you do this correctly.