Bench Press Stall/Upcoming Powerlifting Meet

[DaddyMantz]

Yup that's what I'm thinking. Ride the 4's for a while then move to 3's when you either fail on the fourth rep or the fourth rep is a ridiculous grinder. This would eventually get you to where you are adding a couple lbs to your 1RM each week. You could do the same with your squat and deadlift but force the issue by making bigger jumps. For example try squatting 305x5, if you grind on the 4th rep maybe stop. Next week go for 310x4 etc until you are setting PRs for 1 rep.

Please keep in mind I'm not an advanced lifter, nor am I very strong. I took most of these ideas from KSC, but I don't know if he'd endorse them...

Thank you for the advice. I feel like my bench is going to be stuck here forever and this sounds a lot better that what I have been doing...failing at 245x4 three weeks in a row.

[sedition]

Never heard of this. Have you had similar success with it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R39aAqXYcCg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw48pWMs76o

[elVarouza]

What are your volume day worksets? Are you alternating bench with press every week or just doing bench?

As a side note, if you're hitting 245x5 or so you'll be able to hit quite a bit more than 265 in competition even with the pause, especially with 10 weeks till the meet.

[Oldster]

It just doesn't progress fast enough for me to hit my goals I think. Do you agree?

You are 44. Concentrate on hurrying along very slowly.

That is when great progress is made.

[DaddyMantz]

What are your volume day worksets? Are you alternating bench with press every week or just doing bench?

Last 3 VD were:
5/13 Bench 205x5x5
5/20 OHP 130x5x5
5/28 Bench 195x5x6 (A coach I work with thought lowering the weight but upping the sets would help.)

Last 3 ID were all Bench 245x4. I probably should have done OHP for the 2nd ID but I did bench instead.

As a side note, if you're hitting 245x5 or so you'll be able to hit quite a bit more than 265 in competition even with the pause, especially with 10 weeks till the meet.

I wish I had your confidence on the bench. I feel like I am stalling more than my Dad's old VW Beetle.

[DaddyMantz]

You are 44. Concentrate on hurrying along very slowly.

That is when great progress is made.

I know you are right but the last of my young guy ego says that I can do this.

[Oldster]

I wish I had your confidence on the bench. I feel like I am stalling more than my Dad's old VW Beetle.

Part of making fast progress is the time when you aren't making progress. There is a time for everything.

If your best is 256 for 5 reps, is it best to continue beating your head against the wall if you didn't back off far enough to work back upward? You are talking about backing off to 235x5, from a previous best of only 21 more pounds. Does that build momentum?

I like to use myself as an example. And sometimes my lifting partner as he and I are who I have the most experience with over the past 30 years. My close grip bench PR is 410x1. Right now I am in about week 5 or 6 after backing up to 290x5 sets of 6 and have worked back up to 315 for 5 sets of 6 as of yesterday. That was a reduction of 120lbs. Now which would you think would give one more momentum, backing up to approximately 70% or backing up to approximately 92%? Granted, you have a meet 10 weeks from now so that makes a slight bit of a difference, but with me backing up to about 70% I plan to be in PR territory in about 11 weeks. Like I said, make haste slowly.

Besides, if I were preparing for a meet, I'd be using high volume and very low reps.

I know you are right but the last of my young guy ego says that I can do this.

Heh, I have bad news for you. That young guy ego stays with us old(er) guys too. Thats the bad news. But the good news is that as we get older we get so damned tired we don't care to get off the couch to answer that young ego call anymore. Silver lining and all...!

[DaddyMantz]

Part of making fast progress is the time when you aren't making progress. There is a time for everything.

I appreciate the advice. I plan to lift 3x/week for years to come and I shouldn't be in a hurry. I just want to see if I have a powerlifting meet in me and the prep work that comes with it. Back to ego. And this is MUCH cheaper than buying a sports car.

Besides, if I were preparing for a meet, I'd be using high volume and very low reps.

So, even at 10 weeks from a meet, you would switch to 5 singles for Intensity Day? Or something even more dramatically different? Would you do Squat/Bench/Dead every ID for singles up to the meet?

Thanks again.

[elVarouza]

I think your intensity day work set is too heavy compared to your volume day. 40lbs over your volume day of 205 is quite a bit. Maybe it works for some people, but that would be too heavy for me. My intensity day bench is just 20lbs over the volume day and I still have issues making it (last volume day 250x5x5, intensity 270x5). I frankly don't think 205x5x5 is heavy enough to drive progress to hit 245x5 and so on. I disagree with the coach who thinks going to 195 will help. I think you need to push harder on the volume day. If you can do 245x4 you should be able to easily hit 215/220x5x5 and work from there.

[DaddyMantz]

I think your intensity day work set is too heavy compared to your volume day. 40lbs over your volume day of 205 is quite a bit. Maybe it works for some people, but that would be too heavy for me. My intensity day bench is just 20lbs over the volume day and I still have issues making it (last volume day 250x5x5, intensity 270x5). I frankly don't think 205x5x5 is heavy enough to drive progress to hit 245x5 and so on. I disagree with the coach who thinks going to 195 will help. I think you need to push harder on the volume day. If you can do 245x4 you should be able to easily hit 215/220x5x5 and work from there.

Thank you for the advice. I agree with you on all counts. I will see how 215 goes for VD tomorrow night.

As a follow up, do you always do squats first? I feel like 5x5 squats take 10-15 lbs off my 5x5 bench.