Originally Posted by
Will Still
Thank you Coach Rip and Coach Nick for this interesting and informative video. I am a 51 year old lifter ramping back up after a couple of months off due to the covid gym closures. Currently: squat is 275 lbs, deadlift is 355 lbs, press is 145 lbs and close grip bench is 195 lbs. I am also chinning with 27.5 lbs on a belt for 3x5. I weigh about 187 currently, up from 158 at the start of my LP. I have been using the post novice Monday/Thursday program for older adults on p. 235 of PPST 3rd edition. My problem is and has always been the bench. Due to my old, beat up shoulders, I cannot bench with a standard grip without substantial pain during and after the workout. Close grip has solved that problem, but I tend to consistently stall around 195-200 lbs. As directed in PPST 3rd edition, I am benching one set of 3-5 reps using a rep progression, followed by 2 back-off sets at a 10% reduction in weight. Should I try to do singles to get up to 5 reps in my work set when I get stuck, followed by the back-offs, or try to get to 15 reps with the work weight, and forget the back-offs because I may not be getting enough stress to drive progress? My last bench workout was disappointing as I lost a rep in my bench work set, going from three reps in the previous w/o when I moved up 5 lbs, to two. As stated, stalling at, or around this weight is an ongoing issue for me that I would very much like to overcome. Thank you for your time and commitment to strength.
Will