I've been plateaued on bench press for months around 240-245. All my other compound lifts have been progressing nicely, been adding another 5 lbs every 1-3 weeks. But not bench. If I fail my 250 PR today I'm gonna shit my pants. Any tips, brothers?
>>75713541wear a diaper, dyel
>>75713541add more tricep and shoulder accessory work. Close grip bench and overhead press helped me a lot.
numbers dont matter, only looks
>>75713541You gave no helpful information whatsoever. Consider traveling back in time to when your mother was pregnant with you and preventing her from drinking so much so that you can be born with a serviceable IQ.
>>757135412pl8 is all you need
What does your programming look like?
>>75713541deload 20%, form reset
maxing out does not make you stronger it is just a test to see how strong you arevolume makes you strongerjust do lots of volume
>>7571354120rep warm up sets of 135lbsBar to chest200g protein
>>75713541Mirin' your chest What's your chest routine?
>>75713593>>75713602>>75713631Will give more info in a bit when I’m done at gym.Just PR’d 170 OHP so idt the issue is OHP strength. And my incline bench I just PR’d 215 and fully expect to hit 220 this week or next.
do JM Press™
>>75713541Have you tried adding more weight?
>>75713634Been doing a ton of volume lately to try to surmount this plateau. Been doing crazy volume on pyramids for all compounds. It’s paid off with huge gains and strength increases to everything except flat bench
>>75713541Deloading or increase volume. Those are your best tools for busting plateaus. If deloading scares you, then try doing way more sets.
>>75713541bulk
>>75713541Strengthen your upper/middle back and your plateau will crumble. Think about the antagonistic muscles that must support the weight and be strong enough to push off of and then your problem will be solved.
>>75713898Without a video we can't judge week points. Aside from weakpoint assessment, I've never seen someone not improve their bench press from doing heavy dumbbell bench presses and rolling dumbbell extensions
>>75714290That's what I've been doing, I increased volume by a ton using pyramids. All the other exercises I did that with went up by 5-10 in 4 weeks, but bench has stayed the same. I also did deload recently. >>75714301This makes sense, but the weird thing is that my deadlift and barbell rows have been going up by a lot during this same time period, so clearly my back is getting stronger. My incline bench also went up too, fwiw. >>75714469Yeah that's fair. I've been doing flies and incline bench as my chest accessories but maybe adding flat bench dumbbell presses would help strengthen my stabilizers or whatever.
>>75714608I’m chasing a 315 PR at the end of March and I’m currently at 250x3, my friend recommended picrel. I’m on week 2 and did 185x3 with a 3 second pause, will do singles with a 1 second pause next week. I’d guess your triceps and your upper back are the weaknesses, how much do you DB bench? I dropped the exercise after I got to 100lb DB’s just because it’s too tedious:awkward to get set up etc
>>75714608>>75714633I like doing lots of chest accessories and variants personally but I use a bench style that benefits from minimal tricep work. Do you have a video with your current bench sticking points? Also just in general a bench video would be helpful because it could also be a form issue.
>>75714633Yeah I don't even do DB press so I'm not sure. Maybe that's part of the problem.But my current deadlift PR is 425 (gonna hit 430 this week) and my current barbell row PR is 255... so I don't think it's a back weakness issue?? I also have pretty strong triceps so I don't think that's it either?
>>75714638I don't have a video but I can try to take one next week.
>>75713541I have pretty good chest hairBut I wish I had really dense chest hair like that.
>>75714643Well, somethings not adding up.. Go see what you can DB press, that’s probably the best indicator of chest strength.>>75714638My stick point is about mid way up
>>75714746That's usually shoulders but if you get explosive enough off the chest you can also blow through that sticking point.
>>75714813That’s basically my reasoning with the pause work. I’m not going to grind the 315, it’s either going up or it isn’t. That’s catastrophic failure weight and it isn’t all that important to me.
>>75714746My sticking point is about 3/4 of the way up. I can get it to the lower rack but struggle to get it up to the upper one. I assume the weak point here Is my actual chest?? Lmk if this info helps at all
>>75714819If you set your safeties in the power rack properly then it's no issue either way>>75714875That's weak triceps. Off the chest is a chest weak point.
>>75714875No, that’s triceps. That’s same as me dude and that’s why I’m doing pause sets with close grip instead of DB press.>>75714886I’m not concerned about safeties, I’m concerned about bicep tears or something you can’t really see coming or prevent.
>>75714901Bicep tear from bench? Practically unheard of. Real risk would be tearing a pec or a tricep but that's really rare if you're not a roider, and properly set safeties will save your ass.
>>75714935A buddy of mine did benching 350 (no roids). Point being, things can fail that you wouldn’t ordinarily think can fail when you’re pushing that much weight. Support ligaments/muscles especially.. I’ll go with a spotter over safeties because safeties can’t keep a bar moving when it’s stuck.
>>75713541whenever I hit a plateau I add 5 lbs and see what happens. I usually break through it.
>>75713541The reason you can add weight to your other lifts without an issue but not bench indicates that your bench is now in the intermediate stage of programming. What's your height/bw? You have an 170 OHP which is a decent starting point. Without any additional info, I'd recommend sticking to a Texas-Method like progression system. Do a day of 5x5s by a weight you can do, then a day where you do heavy triples, then each week add 2.5lbs to both. If you want more useful advice then explain->Your weight>Last 4 chest workouts>Squat/Deadlift for comparison
>>75714990He might also be too autistic to ask for a spotter, which you 100% need for benching heavier.
>>75713541Here's a few options you can try.-eat more, sleep more.-deload 10% and focus on making the eccentric part of the lift very slow-add more total volume by increasing sets, reps, total exercises, days you bench-add assistance exercises, both compounds and isolation -overcomming isometrics -if you are lifting on a high rep range for muscle growth (see first point) switch to a purely strength rep range, if you are lifting on a strength rep range, switch to hypertrophy.
>>75713593>>75713632>>75713653>>75714290>>75715372listen to these dudes
>>75714990>weight: 185 lbs>last 4 chest workouts: been doing pyramids to increase volume in the hopes of breaking the plateau. On day 1 I do flat bench and on day 3 I do incline bench and flies. That's all I do for chest. >Squat: 315; Deadlift: 425 (planning to hit 430 this week)>>75715000Nah I'm fine asking for spots. I can and do. Problem is I go to the Y and not everyone knows how to spot well. I almost had 250 today but the spotter helped me a tiny bit so I'm not sure if it counts or not :(
>>75715372I'm currently doing pyramid for a mix of volume and strength. I guess I could do one or the other for a few weeks and then switch to the other.5x5 -> 3x3s -> 5x5 -> 3x3s sounds interesting could be worth a try. I added some extra info though fwiw.
>>75715444I intend to. >>75715372Any assistance exercises you'd recommend in particular? I just do bench, incline bench, and flies for chest as of now. Sounds like it might help me to add dumbbell chest press. I'm also open to other exercises that you think might help though.
>>75714990According to exrx.com (idk if it's trustworthy or not but whatever)I'm at advanced for press, very close to advanced for DL, but still firmly intermediate for bench press and especially for squats (for my weight and age range)
>>75714886Huh weak triceps eh? And here I was thinking they were one of my strengths.
>>75713541Can I suck on your nipples and fuck your asshole
>>75715653That website is cool for gloating, shit for actually giving you good advice about programming. At your bw, you have a good press and decent deadlift, but your squat is shit, and your bench is dogshit. the fuck are you doing for lower body? Your deadlift should not be more than 100lbs what your squat is.For an immediate bench press improvement, (and what you should be doing anyways) is a modest bulk, 0.5-1lbs per week. While that's happening, aim to get 200g of protein like that one anon said. A good rule for strength related shit is to get your current bw + 40g in terms of protein. When I was 185 I was trying to get 225. When I bulked to 205, I was trying to get to 245. In terms of pyramids- drop that shit. Doing volume for volume's sake is going to fuck you up, especially if you're doing chest three times a week. Some anons respond well to volume (hence why pyramids CAN work but often not for long) others respond well to lack of volume (why deloads work).In your case, you need to figure out what you respond well to, and that will be the baseline for programming for the rest of your life. To do this, do a texas method variation. Start by doing 5x5s and heavy triples for intensity day. At first, the volume will let you add weight easily, but once a workout gets hard, it lets you figure out WHY. Try reducing volume day to 4 sets of 5. Then try doing heavy doubles/singles instead of triples. By fucking around with this, you get to see how your bench responds. For your OHP, do whatever the fuck you're doing because it's working. Once that stalls, just press more often. It's better to do more OHP than bench because OHP responds well to really high volume/high intensity, but bench tends to prefer one.A good metric for consistnet progress is adding roughly 7.5lbs-10lbs a month.
>>75716396>B-b-but... I want a 315 bench NOWIdk what to say. I know some anons can "rush" it, and get a 315 really fast, but every fucking time I hear about it, it always ends up in some shoulder pain shit. Because you OHP (unlike some faggots on ths board) your shoulders will be less prone to that, so you might be able to have more bursts. As an OHP specialist myself, my bench was always shit, and I was happy to get 5-7.5lbs a month, because even if it was slow, it never slowed down, unlike the anons who wanted to kill themselves every 2 months after they inevitably plateaued. I'd rather, and you PROBABLY would rather, consistent progress that doesn't stop, instead of start. Stop. start. Stop. Type shit.
>>75713541How much did your deadlift and squat progress and what does your routine look like
>>75716466Hey, guys, OP here. I decided I'm a huge faggot for asking the original question, and now I'm....>Stewie enters the room>"Bri, what are you doing?">"Oh Stewie, hey uh... didn't see you there">YahtzeeI fucking hate /fit/ only two guys on this board know how to program.
>>75716396>squat is shitI was up higher with squat in the past but I decided to start again from scratch because I noticed my form was shit and I wasn't getting down low enough. >bench is dogshitThat's what I'm trying to fix>Modest bulk, ~200-225g proteinThat's exactly what I've been doing this month. >Drop the pyramidsOK, fair.>deloadI did one of those in December>chest three times a weekI only do chest twice a week, on my Day 1 (bench) and on my day 3 (incline bench and flies)>Figure out what I respond well toThat's fair. I had been doing 5x5 for the longest time and deadlift and barbell row had been responding but everything else was slow to gain. So I decided to switch to pyramids this month, and OHP, Deadlift, Squat all responded well (plus incline bench and barbell row for that matter which I also do). What I thought was cool with pyramids is that it has high volume but also heavy doubles/triples so I'm doing everything possible to encourage progress. The problem is it takes fucking forever.
>>75716396>>75716466I figure I might as well go into more detail on my programming. Since September 2023 I've been 5x5s for all the compounds.>BenchFrom September to December '23 I went from 5x180 to 5x200. After that my progress on 5x5s stalled considerably. In all of 2024 I only went up to 5x210 and 1x245. I should probably have noticed this issue sooner. I was basically on a light cut though for all of 2024, so it didn't ring any alarm bells at the time. Since December 23, 2024, I've been experimenting with pyramids alongside a light bulk, but I'm still struggling to hit 250 on bench. >OHPI was doing 5x5 on OHP since Sept '23 as well. Started at 5x120 and was up to 5x135 by December. Throughout 2024 I didn't make a ton progress, capping out at 5x145 and 1x155. Again, I didn't think much of it since 2024 I was at a light cut all year. Since starting pyramids and a light bulk at the end of December I've seen my 1RM for OHP go from 155 to 170. So OHP has been a huge success story for me as far as the volume approach goes, I think. >SquatI was doing 5x5s for squat as well since Sept '23. with 5x5, I went from 5x230 to 5x285 by the end of '23. I peaked at 5x315 in Feb '24, before I realized that my form was shit and I needed to go back to the basics (get way the fuck lower). By Nov '24 I was back to 5x265 and 1x290 with actual proper form. Since starting pyramids in late December, I've seen my 1RM on squat go from 1x290 to 1x310, so my squats seem to be responding quite well to the pyramid programming as well. >DeadliftI was doing 5x5 for deadlift as well. This is my one lift where I've seen consistent progress throughout. I was at 5x230 in Sept '23 and it just kept going up and up ever since. I was at 5x365 in Dec'24 with a 1RM of 410. Since starting a light bulk and pyramid programming in late Dec'24 my 1RM has kept increasing and I expect to hit 430 today (up from 425 last week). So as far as deadlifts go I seem to be responding well to both programs.
All of this to say, I've been progressing at a more or less favorable pace on all of my compound lifts asides from flat bench. Yes, I know, my squat is way behind where it should be, but at least I figured out my form issues there and there's nowhere to go now but up.
>>75718177What part about close grip bench press with a pause at the bottom did you not understand you fucking sperg? You were given tons of advice, what more do you want?
>>75718047>I was up higher... I wasn't getting down low enough.So it was never higher. Got it.>I did one of those in DecemberYou're nearing the end of your beginner gains on bench, so frequent deloads won't do much. It's better to find consistent intermediate-style programming, meaning you add weight once weekly rather than on a certain number of sessions.>I only do chest twice a week, on my Day 1 (bench) and on my day 3 (incline bench and flies)That's only doing chest once a week. The incline bench is an accessory movement. This is surprising. If you can make gains on such a shitty program, then here's how I would re-structure it:Monday: BenchWednesday: Incline or OHPFriday: BenchIdeally it would look something like thisMonday: 5x5 on BenchWednesday: OhpFriday: Triples on bench, aim for 2-3 sets of a target weight for a PR. DO NOT TEST 1RM's...For squat you should be doing 3 sets of 5. You do not need anything more than SS-novice style progression for your pathetic squat. You should be ashamed that your deadlift and squat are so different (but not really, just fix your programming)
>>75718159>From September to December '23 I went from 5x180 to 5x200. After that my progress on 5x5s stalled considerably. In all of 2024 I only went up to 5x210 and 1x245. I should probably have noticed this issue sooner. I was basically on a light cut though for all of 2024, so it didn't ring any alarm bells at the time. Since December 23, 2024, I've been experimenting with pyramids alongside a light bulk, but I'm still struggling to hit 250 on bench.Doing 5x5's once a week probably won't make you gain that much without an intensity day. Also, try doing 4 sets of 5. The problem could literally be too much volume. My program looked weird as fuck but it worked, I combined 3 sets of 5 one day with an intensity day of singles/doubles. No clue WHY it worked, but it did, because I'm a low volume/high intensity responder. You MIGHT be the same.>OHPcan you define what a "Pyramid" is in your case? I've seen so many variations. Continue doing them for OHP. That's an exercise that responds to lots of different shit, if it works, it works.>SquatsLook up Starting Strength programming for that. 3 sets of 5. That's literally all you need, that alone should get you to a 315lb single in 2 months. When you cna't do 3 sets of 5 each session, include a light day. 5x5 on squats does jack shit unless they're in the 300lb range, it's way too much volume at the current moment. Your 5x5s should probably START at 275lbs once your 3x5's stall out in the early 300's.>I was doing 5x5 for deadlift as well.You are retarded. That is the dumbest shit you could possibly do. That's so much god dman volume. I'm wondering if it's affecting your other lifts due to fatigue/exhaustion. You don't need more than 1-2 sets of 5, going above three does absolutely nothing. The deadlift should be the easiest thing to progress bc of how little volume it needs
>>75718159>But 5x5 deadlift workedFair. can't argue with that. But it's still a stupid high volume you probably don't need. Try lowering to 2 sets of 5 at a heavier weight, see how it responds. If you can do all your sets with perfect form and no residual fatigue, then ig keep being retarded. If something works, and does not hurt you, no reason to stop. But It's still fucking insane.>I was cuttingNo wonder you struggled. Look, ignore the "gains on a cut" thing. The gains slow down to a FUCKING crawl, essentially making you an advanced lifter, in the sense that you'd be adding weight every 3-4 weeks instead of every week. Just bulk modestly and loose the fat>But I'll get fatBro you're a fucking skeleton right now, you need meat on your bones. Here's what you should be aiming for:Bench: 3 sets of 5 at 225.Squat: 3 sets of 5 at 315OHP: Literally just keep going. Once it stalls, OHP 3/4 times a week.Deadlift: 1 set of 5 at 480.All of this injury free ofc. Once you hit the top 2, consider yourself a TRUE intermediate lifter, then start adding hypertrophy shit and accessories then watch your body explode with gains.
Keep benching 3x/week If your bench technique is good just hit a hard set of 4-8 every session. If your technique is mid just do a couple extra warm up sets and be conscious of your tech. After the 1 set of bench pick something like a smith flat press, or a machine press or a db press and do 1 hard set. Do a couple sets for triceps every session.
>>75718624>So it was never higher. Got it.Right, not only was it never higher but I gimped myself by doing it wrong for a while lol>Just bulk modestly and loose the fatAt the same time? Anyway here's my program as written:Day 1: Bench 5x5, OHP 5x5, Chin ups 5x5, Barbell Row 4x6, Cable Close Grip Row 3x12, Bicep Curl 4x12, Lying Tricep Extension 5x5, + both types of wrist curls at the end for fun Day 2: Squat 5x5, Deadlift 5x5, Calf Raises 3x15, Cable Kneeling Crunch 3x10, Hanging Leg Raise 3x10Day 3: Barbell Shrug 4x10, Barbell Incline Bench 5x5, Pull Ups 5x5, Dumbbell Flies 3x15, Cable Rows 3x15, Lat Pull-downs 3x15, plus Wrist Curls for funDay 4: Smith Squats 5x5, Machine Hamstring 5x15, Hack Squat 3x15, Single Leg Calf Raise 3x15, Cable Crunch 3xAMRAPDay 5: Arnold Shoulder Press 5x10, Dumbbell Upright Row 5x10, Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3x15, Dumbbell Rear Lat Raise 3x15, Alternating Bicep Curls 5x15, Cable Tricep Pull-downs 5x15, Hammer Curls 3x15, Overhead Tricep Extension 3x15, plus wrist curls for fun. >Bro you're a fucking skeleton right nowI never said how tall I was lol. Def not skellymode trust me.
>>75718654>can you define what a "Pyramid" is in your case? I've seen so many variations. Continue doing them for OHP. That's an exercise that responds to lots of different shit, if it works, it works.Sure. It was 10x55%, 8x65%, 6x75%, 4x85%, 3x90%, 2x92.5% 3x90% 4x85% 6x75% 8x65% 10x55%. Alternating with reverse pyramid which was the inverse of the same. It was a crazy amount of volume but somehow it worked for upping my OHP.
>>75718654I just hit a 310 single this week. I expect a 315 single in another week or two. And the first two sets of deadlift were basically warm-up sets. >>75719037 >>75718624So basically I should be doing bench on all of my upper body days, hitting bench 3 times a week?
>>75719135I'm... so confused. I thouhgt... you were OP? If you're at 310 for a single, that's huge. I'm so god damn confused right now. Was I responding to two different people this entire time?Didn't you LITERALLY just tell me that you were struggling to hit 250? Guess not. I have no god damn clue who I'm talking to now.Anyways>>75719135> And the first two sets of deadlift were basically warm-up sets.Don't include warmup sets when telling people what you do. it makes things confusing.>>75719135>So basically I should be doing bench on all of my upper body days, hitting bench 3 times a week?>So basically I should be doing bench on all of my upper body days, hitting bench 3 times a week?Ideally, yes, but not to the same intensity. Have two primary bench days focusing on intensity, and a light day. Think:Monday: 5x5sWed (light): 2x5-3x5 at a light weight, probably 60-70% what you do on MondayFriday: Heavy triples, or doubles.>>75719108If it works for OHP, keep. Fucking. Doing it. But find a better alternative for every other lift.
>>75713584Rogue is now making bench plugs to address this particular problem, they also help with setting up your back arch by providing the user with a stable support platform with the suction cup at its end. OP is missing out on mad PRs by not using the bench plug.
>>75719135Yeah frequency is the best tool you have. Each subsequent set you do in a session is less effective for the same fatigue cost. Doing more sessions with 1 or 2 sets is the best approach.
>>757195091-2 sets per session isn't going to be enough, ideal is between 9-12 sets PER week. That's why 5x5 on one day (5 sets) and a light day with 2-3 sets (7-8 so far) with a heavy intensity day to finish it off with triples/doubles (9-12) will get the most out of shit. Gives you a good range, intensity, plus volume. That's the beauty of intermediate programming.
>>75719254Yeah I am OP. I was talking about 310 on squats. lol sorry, that was confusing. >Don't include warmup sets when telling people what you do. it makes things confusing.Fair. It's not like they were nothing sets though. I'd warmup let's say like 5x225 and 5x275 if I were doing 3x5x325, (just as an example). Anyway>Monday: 5x5s>Wed (light): 2x5-3x5 at a light weight, probably 60-70% what you do on Monday>Friday: Heavy triples, or doubles.I will be implementing this immediately. I'll report back on how it goes in a few weeks. I will reduce deadlift volume, keep OHP at high volume since that seems to be working for me, and keep experimenting with my other lifts to see what works best for me. Thanks brother. But yeah just the 5x5 alone for bench had been getting me very minimal progression over the past year.
Where is your weak point anon? If it's near lockout that's tricep. If it's at the bottom work on arm angles and leg drive.
>>75714638Maybe you have short arms and a thick chest. There is no one rule that is applicable for everyone. The guy has to experiment and see what works for him
>>75719868This man can actually be taught. holy shit. You're on your way brother. One last thing - for the Wednesday light day bench, focus on being as explosive as possible. Idk why that seems to help people, but it does. If the weight feels light, you can do it slow on the way down, then EXPLODE back up. 2-3 sets of explosive shit on a light day can work wonders. As a rule, start on the lower end, with 2 sets. Also a rule, if you fail a workout, consider lowering volume before simply deloading. For bench, 5x5s won't work forever, that's 25 reps which represents a lot of volume to recover from. Some people progress hella fast on 4 sets of 5. Or sometimes 6 sets of 4 (24 reps) at a heavier weight. You can customize this shit and see what works. Just bulk modestly and grind man. At the end of the day, the dude benching 3 plates has been training for longer than you. The guy benching 4 plates longer than that guy. It's just a matter of time and dedication.
just do more benchpress
>>75719687Light day is just technique work. split up the volume from the 5x5 and the triples/doubles more evenly across the week and you'll grow more. Bench is 90% just getting jacked and having good technique so I don't see much point in doing doubles n shit unless you want to peak.
