Adding Weight on the Press and Bench

[skid]

I couldn't get above 27.5 Kg the micro plates have allowed me to get to 36 Kg so far. The same for the bench which I used micro plates continually from 30Kg up to 56Kg now-mainly because I don't have a spotter, or safety bars so wanted to be certain I was safely handling the weight.

That makes sense since your weight increases percentage-wise would be too big of a jump with 2.5kg or 10% jumps. For people with heavier presses of say close to 150-200 pounds, a 1-2% increase would be almost meaningless, or easily within the error margin of the plates.

[Nockian]

That makes sense since your weight increases percentage-wise would be too big of a jump with 2.5kg or 10% jumps. For people with heavier presses of say close to 150-200 pounds, a 1-2% increase would be almost meaningless, or easily within the error margin of the plates.

FWIW as a rank novice that seems right to me. However, what do you do when reaching the outer limits of your strength at say 225 ? Would you then add assistance type exercises, or continue trying for 5 or 10lbs ? It's such a massive weight to even consider at my age, strength and experience it's beyond contemplation. I'd be more than happy if I could one day press 130 and even that seems a million light years away.

[skid]

I do variations of intensity and volume, and accessory movements such as high incline pressing and dumbbell pressing. I'm no spring chicken either at 54 years old. To press well you have to do a lot of it, although I just did 245 for 1 not having done any BB overhead pressing for a while.

[blues]

That makes sense since your weight increases percentage-wise would be too big of a jump with 2.5kg or 10% jumps. For people with heavier presses of say close to 150-200 pounds, a 1-2% increase would be almost meaningless, or easily within the error margin of the plates.

Unless you work out at home (as I do) with the same plates left on the bars. Then at least you have a known quantity with which to gauge your increase. But yeah, otherwise it's a crap shoot for sure. I have found that the microloads have helped with occasional sticking points.

[skid]

Unless you work out at home (as I do) with the same plates left on the bars. Then at least you have a known quantity with which to gauge your increase. But yeah, otherwise it's a crap shoot for sure. I have found that the microloads have helped with occasional sticking points.

I work out at home as well, and have also weighed all my plates. However, unless you load the exact same plates every time the discrepancies add up. I have 12-45's, 4-35's, 6-25's, 10-10's, etc., and I rarely use them in the same order since other family members mix them up on the weight tree and I can't be bothered to restack them all in any particular order. Then again I'm not doing a linear progression either.

[blues]

I work out at home as well, and have also weighed all my plates. However, unless you load the exact same plates every time the discrepancies add up. I have 12-45's, 4-35's, 6-25's, 10-10's, etc., and I rarely use them in the same order since other family members mix them up on the weight tree and I can't be bothered to restack them all in any particular order. Then again I'm not doing a linear progression either.

I hear ya. My wife doesn't use my equipment and I leave three bars loaded with the current workout's weight, but since I haven't weighed each and every plate that remains on the tree, the twenty five I add to the bar might be more (or less) than the pair of tens and five it replaces.

Still, I think the microload comes in handy since I can add just a bit to the last workout's total and know it's less than adding a 2.5 on each side if I'm near pushing my limit.

It's almost time for hockey so gotta go. (Well, if the Rangers stink it up, I'll be back sooner than later. LOL!)

[Nockian]

I believe micro loading to be as much mental as physical. If we consider the goal of training is to get stronger by objective increases in load capacity then we must consider the organism of man as a combination of mental and physical. Muscles don't lift weights without the mind commanding them. The point of any goal is that it is a self selected value which produces a sense of happiness when it is achieved. To an extent it really doesn't matter if weights are exact, because the mind/body organism is not a machine. If exact weight is important - then that's incorporated as part of the sense of value by proof of not cheating, or not being cheated if the weights are actually heavier than the markings. For most of us it simply doesn't matter that much-the weight written in the plate is all the proof we need to continue lifting and getting incrementally stronger. Micro plates provide a nice mental as well as physical bridge - I can tell they are lighter than a 1.25Kg plate whether or not either the plate, or the micro plate are exact it doesn't matter.

[Royce Nichols]

I'd be interested to know if anyone has added much to their press linear progression with only micro-loading once 5 pound increases stop.

Worked great for me and a couple of my buddies on both our benches and presses. Both started microloading around 150ish for press. I didn’t fail until 185ish. Bench worked well too. But microload won’t unstick you. At least that’s been my experience. Microloading hasn’t been very effective as an intermediate for benches though. It’s been okay for presses I think but I think the biggest thing that got everything moving after LP was volume not trying to eek out 1-2 pound jumps. It has been super helpful for my girlfriend though