re: OT gym krewe, advice on how to improve bench press?

The best way to increase your 1 rep max is heavy sets 2-3 times a week depending on your body. Just do a warm up and then do 3-4 sets of 2-3 reps. That's it. Do that 2-3 times a week.

Also, freaking eat. You must be pretty small right? i see a lot of guys trying to lose weight and get lean, then they also complain about 1 rep max problems. You can't focus on both.

Now if you are having a particular weak spot like getting it off your chest or straightening your arms, that's a different story and you need to focus on that muscle.