Bench press - How fast should I see improvements?

As I explained above, I intentionally did not state my workout. I am currently, while not doing the entire program, doing a shortened version of the one I started with from 0 which included alternating highrep/lowweight to lowrep/high weight. Back then I was making regular progress, although with the bench press it was also then not as quick as with other muscle groups.

My goal is not to look like a skinny wuss. More or less. And yes, that excludes legs, because, no offense if you have them, I actually think big legs are repulsive. And yes, that might make me prone to looking like a lopsided idiot, but since I do not even intend to get that big up top, that will not be a problem.

Should be repping 2 plates by next week mate.

As I explained above, I intentionally did not state my workout. I am currently, while not doing the entire program, doing a shortened version of the one I started with from 0 which included alternating highrep/lowweight to lowrep/high weight. Back then I was making regular progress, although with the bench press it was also then not as quick as with other muscle groups.

My goal is not to look like a skinny wuss. More or less. And yes, that excludes legs, because, no offense if you have them, I actually think big legs are repulsive. And yes, that might make me prone to looking like a lopsided idiot, but since I do not even intend to get that big up top, that will not be a problem.

Two plates of sushi?

Well, pretty much as I said above, bench press is one of the first exercises to suffer if your programming is poor. Back muscles, arms etc. tend not to suffer as much from overlap, particularly if you're not training legs. Even then, as I also said, as a beginner you can really get away with a lot, but as time goes on a poor programme will seriously hinder your progress.

No offense taken, if anyone has ever been genuinely repulsed by my muscularity then I know what I'm doing is working But isn't the whole point of training to build muscle to build a balanced, well-rounded physique? If you don't plan on getting very big up top then you don't need to get big legs either, but you'd still be best training them to get a little bigger like you are with your upper body. The result will be that the first thing people notice about you will be how skinny your legs look otherwise.

We've all been there btw - we've all said "I don't want to get very big" when we first started. Come a couple of years down the line, you'll be kicking yourself for not training legs for the last couple of years

In terms of the weight I can lift.

I am currently doing reps of 45kg on the bench press. Should I expect to do say 50kg in 2 weeks time? Or 4 weeks time?

I am asking because I feel like while I can do one more on the same weight fairly quickly or then two more, but putting on more weight seems quite a step up every time.

Also, in other exercises, I feel % wise my improvements have been much faster so far, e.g. barbell curl I can almost do the same number of reps with current weight than with the weight I started with, which was 25% less.

Assuming you're new to the weight lifting game have you heard of 5x5 stronglifts routine? it's ideal for someone like yourself looking to build a good base

I actually incorporate 4 of the 5 into my routine already. Though MKC has got me thinking if I should not add the squats back in, too.

If you had said that in the first reply, this thread would have been so lovely.

And yes, I do appreciate big legs, as in I can see a lot of hard work has gone into them. It's just, I don't know why, but I find the yuck. Same with traps. Looks unnatural in my eyes I guess. Or something.

And no, I am a cyclists, getting huge would not work. When I get to the point where I feel that I have a good body, and my arms are nice (I mainly started because when I stood sideways in a mirror my arms, and delts and especially the area between tricep and delts, looks so freaking skinny man, I was like nah, you gotta do something) then I will cut down til I find a routine that allows me to maintain the physique, but won't keep pushing.

I did say it in my first reply, but I said the "big legs" part first and you probably stopped reading there

Well, either way round, I'd still recommend training the entire body for the best result. A balanced physique is an aesthetically pleasing one

I don't think big legs are necessarily hard to build, i find its the easiest part of my body to train for size, i seem to struggle around my forearms, but we're all different haha!

This may not be the advice your looking for but i find i get some of the best improvements if, after a bench/dumbell press, i do pressups with weights on my back.

Mine is arms haha, though my legs are responsive but I've not been able to train them very consistently due to lifelong knee problems, so they're not as well developed as they could be.

This may not be the advice your looking for but i find i get some of the best improvements if, after a bench/dumbell press, i do pressups with weights on my back.

Genetics are a bitch

I actually incorporate 4 of the 5 into my routine already. Though MKC has got me thinking if I should not add the squats back in, too.

With regards to squats - they are the most difficult and most gruesome of the compound lifts. People who do squats generally get a higher "high" after the gym and it also releases more growth hormone than other exercises. This, of course, leads to more muscle growth. So squats, while making you a much more well rounded gym go-er, also help your other lifts.

Mind if I ask you a quick question?

If not, I'm now 16 currently at sixth form. I have never attended Gym consistently and only did so occasionally with a few of my friends from school, which was in Year 9/10. Back then, I was able to bench press about 5 reps with 30kg on each side of the bar. Now I attended gym last week for the first time in ages, and was unable to do more than 5 reps of 10kg on each side. At first, I thought it would take a few days to get used to it again, but this has not been the case... I tried again and was only able to comfortably lift 10 reps of 5kg on each side of the bar...

WTF is happening to my body??