text: how can i increase my bench press so i won't get made fun of in the weightroom by my teammates? i want to know do i need to go to the gym or can i jus use the weights in my basement if you've got a bench press in your basement, work on that until you feel comfortable. the first thing you need to do is figure out what weight you max out at (the absolute most you can lift 1 time). once you've figured that out, your bench workout should be 3-4 sets.  set 1) 6 reps of 75% of your max set 2) 6 reps of 80% of your max  set 3) 5-6 reps of 85% of your max set 4) 4-5 reps of 85% of your max obviously, make sure you have someone spotting you while you do this, because it's not going to be easy, especially the first few times you do it. do not do this two days in a row...make sure you have at least one day off in between so your muscles have time to recover. if the 4th set it too much, then just do the first three. the sets should be difficult, but if they are too much, drop the %'s down by 5%. i'm not a trainer or anything, i just used to lift for football and that's approximately the plan they had us use. hope it helps.