Reply With QuoteHow long are you resting between your sets. That is puzzling being you are 25 years old. You are not running like 50 miles a week are you.
Member
Early Bench Stall
I’m currently a 5’9”, 191 lb, 25-year-old man who has failed to hit 140 lb 3x5 for 3 attempts in a row on the bench. I currently make 5 lb jumps on the bench.
I have just recently decided to switch to 2.5 lb increments on the press, which I'm not worried about, but this seems really early to be stalling on the bench also. My last successful attempts on each:
Squat: 225 lb (expect to keep 5 lb increments for awhile more; bar speed is consistent each workout)
Deadlift: 285 lb (expect to keep 10 lb increments for awhile more; bar speed is consistent each workout)
Bench: 135 lb
Clean: 130 lb (still at 5 lb increments but might have to switch to 2.5 lb increments soon)
Press: 100 lb (this took 3 attempts)
I eat between 3000-4000 calories per day (I was 173 lb when I started this program), always hitting at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. I rest about 7-8 minutes between work sets on the upper-body lifts. I only sleep 6-7 hours per night, but I never wakeup to an alarm.
While I’d be fine switching to 2.5 lb increments on the bench, it seems way too low compared to my squat, deadlift, and clean. Should this be cause for concern?
Member
How long are you resting between your sets. That is puzzling being you are 25 years old. You are not running like 50 miles a week are you.
Member
7-8 on the bench and press. Less on the other three, but those ones are progressing fine.Originally Posted by Griffin727
No cardio at all.
Member
If you have never bench pressed before in your life, yes, this can happen. All of your other numbers are on the low side, and your body weight is still coming up, so there’s not enough stimulus for growth all around. Plus, you understand now the need for fractional loading.
We don’t know anything about your anthropometry or technique, so those might be confounding, although to a lesser extent.
Member
What was your bench when you first started? I would start using the 2.5 pound plates. Are all the reps in good crisp form, like ass not coming off the bench ect.
Member
I fucked around a bit with the bench in high school, but never seriously trained it.
Do you think it'd be worth temporarily doing the bench every workout (after the deadlift in workout A) to up the intensity or just wait for the squat, deadlift, and overall bodyweight to go up?
I wasn't keeping logs to start, but it was something like 75lb or 85lb for 3x5. I hadn't missed a rep until I tried 140, which I've failed to hit it for 3x5 three times.
I have more trouble keeping the arch than the ass coming up, but even on sets where I keep it, I still tend to miss. In the failed reps, I just start pushing it off my chest, but can't keep it moving (about a couple inches before my strength gives out).
I do use the 2.5 lb plates (I meant 5lb total increment), but I can drop down to the 1.25 lb plates like I am going to do with the Press.
Member
Yeah man go ahead and try the micro loads with 1.5 pounds on each side. So use the 1 pounders with the blue half pounders. See if you can do 3 pounds a workout. I just know you still have good bit more novice in you before you do a texas method.
Member
You should make a video of your bench and show us.
Posting Permissions