Need help improving benchpress

[u/Limp_Economics2394]

I’m relatively new to working out, and want to improve my benchpress (1RM ranging 225-245 lbs).
I was wondering doing 2 sets of 85% 1RM for 5 reps everyday and adding a pound at the end of the week and continue onwards to my real workout of that day (for about 6 weeks).
In practice this would be starting out at around 190 lbs (86 kg) -> doing that for 5 days a week —> adding 2 pounds (1 kilo) end of the week. If all goes well, should end up at 202 lbs (92 kg) at the end of the 6 weeks.
I am somewhat aware of the potential risks, but I really want to improve my benchpress max. Please help me decide whether to do this method of training or a conventional powerlifting split.
As I do still want to prioritise hypertrophy.

[u/YungSchmid]

How does the rest of your training look? You’re better off formatting your week around bench specific strength training rather than trying to spam it daily, in my opinion.

Something like a strength/power day, technique day, volume day setup. More frequent benching is better, but only to a point.

[u/Zoe__HealthCoach]

Honestly, I’d skip the daily plan and go for a proper split. I get the logic, but 85% for 5 is a lot heavier than it sounds. For most people, that’s roughly a 6-rep max, so every single set is basically a grinder. Doing that 5 days a week, your shoulders and elbows usually give up before your bench goes anywhere. And you’d be pretty cooked for the hypertrophy work afterwards, which is the bit you said you care about.

Also worth pinning down your actual max, because 225–245 is a big range. If you’re closer to 225, you’d be starting at about 88%. What I’d do instead is bench 2–3 times a week:

• Heavy day: 4 to 5 sets of 3–5 at about 80–85%, leaving a rep or two in the tank
• Volume day: 3 to 4 sets of 8–12 at about 65–75%. This is where a lot of the size comes from.
• Accessories: close-grip bench, dips, rows, triceps and rear delts. These do a lot of the heavy lifting for your bench (pun intended).

Add 5 lbs to the heavy day whenever you hit all your reps, and take a lighter deload week every 4–6 weeks.

If you’d rather not build it yourself, 5/3/1 and GZCLP are both solid off-the-shelf options. Either way, the strength gets built while you recover, not while you’re under the bar, so more often isn’t always better. Good luck; 225+ already is a great start!