Bench press plateau

[exter]

Hello everyone,
First off I have read the bench chapter of the book and neither technique nor sleep nor food are a problem.
I have started SS 4 months ago , and have been training consistently for 7 months.
3 first months of total BS and on a low calorie diet.
Bench went from 23KG to 35KG.
Then I discovered SS but I didn't know I had to start low.
Instead I started heavier than I could , I started at 47KG and I didn't even touch my chest.
I progressed though until I reached 55KG and failed.
I stayed there for a month until I could touch my chest.
Since then , progress has become extremely slow , even though I went through a deload and focused on form.
I am now at 59KG , I have only been able to add 4kilos in two or three months.
I can still add 2KG from workout to workout to the squat.
I am weak at the lower part of the lift.
I have been thinking of switching to dumbbells or doing smolov JR.
What are your suggestions ?
Please don't tell me just eat more and sleep more , the bench press is very important to me and has to do with my self-esteem.

PS: I am 70KG /1m73cm and 16 years old

[aron]

Hello everyone,
First off I have read the bench chapter of the book and neither technique nor sleep nor food are a problem.
I have started SS 4 months ago , and have been training consistently for 7 months.
3 first months of total BS and on a low calorie diet.
Bench went from 23KG to 35KG.
Then I discovered SS but I didn't know I had to start low.
Instead I started heavier than I could , I started at 47KG and I didn't even touch my chest.
I progressed though until I reached 55KG and failed.
I stayed there for a month until I could touch my chest.
Since then , progress has become extremely slow , even though I went through a deload and focused on form.
I am now at 59KG , I have only been able to add 4kilos in two or three months.
I can still add 2KG from workout to workout to the squat.
I am weak at the lower part of the lift.
I have been thinking of switching to dumbbells or doing smolov JR.
What are your suggestions ?
Please don't tell me just eat more and sleep more , the bench press is very important to me and has to do with my self-esteem.

PS: I am 70KG /1m73cm and 16 years old

It will be a dissapointment to you when you find this out, but noone will have a magic answer for you. First, you should make sure your technique is down by posting a video. You may think your technique is great, but when your actually doing the lifting its very easy to forget things, or to misinterpret things and get the technique wrong. If your self esteem is riding on your bench press, you need to have a serious word with yourself. I would advise you to look at other bench routines, but keep your squat as it is. Maybe look at moving to 3 reps, or higher volume or something. Noone knows how your body will react to these routines, so the only thing to do is try things out for yourself and see how it works.

[Róbert Kovács]

Hey exter,

Bench is not my strong side either. I won't tell you that obviously you don't want to hear, but let me give you my own example: my bench was stuck on 77.5kg for months until I started to actually do the program (with the eating part, you know). Just 1 week later I managed to do the dreaded 3x5 80kg, and since then I put 11 more kilos on it. Since you've stuck on 59kgs, I'm guessing you have washers or micro plates. If not, get some! I use them too (for 1kg steps in the bench press).

Other stats (if you're afraid of weight gain):

I'm 30, so out of your much more advantageous age for SS.
Went from 80kg to 90kg in BW in 4 months.
Bodyfat went from 15 percent to 17 percent.

That estimates roughly to +3.5 kg fat and +6.5kg lean body mass. (I was at 93 kg with more bodyfat circa 2 years ago, so that 6.5kg lean body mass gain is partly from "muscle memory", but I never was this strong as I'm now)

So don't be afraid to grow.

[MazdaMatt]

You think you're eating enough, but how much weight have you gained in the past 2 weeks? If it is less than 2-3lbs, you're not eating enough.

You're too skinny for your height.

Also, post a video.

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

neither technique nor sleep nor food are a problem

Actually, at least one of them could be:

PS: I am 70KG /1m73cm and 16 years old

As my fellow sissy bencher Matt says, you have plenty of room to grow more.

And posting a video of your bench will not do any harm, trust me.

IPB