Everyone hits a bench plateau and immediately thinks "I need more chest volume." Wrong.

It's almost always your upper back.

Here's why: your scapulae are the foundation of the bench press. Weak upper back = unstable base = leaked force = stalled numbers. Simple physics.

The fix takes 3 weeks:

• Add 4 sets of heavy barbell rows 2x/week (match your bench weight if possible)

• Superset every pressing movement with band pull-aparts (25 reps)

• Face pulls before every bench session — 3x20, light weight, slow eccentrics

I've seen this break through 6-month plateaus in under a month. Your back is your bench.

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