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Thread: Frustrating progress for the upper body!! Me MAD!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    732

    Default Frustrating progress for the upper body!! Me MAD!

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    Today i finally hit 91kg (200lb) 3 x 5 squats

    But the thing that gets me down is the lack of progress in my upper body lifts (press and bench). No matter how hard i try and everything i just can't get them up. Went for 58kg on the bench press today and only managed 5/4/4. And as you know my press is screwing up at like 37kg. Why can't i make progress on these lifts?!!?

    As far as eating goes, i'm gaining weight so that's gotta be good. Just weighed in today it 70kg, so i've gained like 1-1.5kg over the past week. And sleepwise i'm getting enough (8hours). I just dunno why and it's really annoying the crap out of me.

    To top that off, i couldn't get 115kg deadlift today (failed to break off ground after 2-3 tries). If you fail to even get 1 rep, what should u do?? Usually i try to just drop the weight by 10% and do that for 5 reps, but it's really strange that even if i do that, the weight feels insanely hard as compared to when i did that weight like a 3-4 workouts ago.

    ARGHH!!! I just want to get my bench and press up, my upper body is a joke!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    394

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    Just keep eating as much as you can, and be patient. In terms of a failed lift, just try it again next time.

    Exactly how much are you eating? Are you drinking a 3L bottle of milk every day? Bacon, sausages and eggs every morning? And two other big, fatty meals for lunch and dinner? I assume you're on uni holidays now, so you should have time to eat...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    732

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    I'll give a run down on what i eat daily:
    Brekkie:
    2 glasses of milk
    3 eggs with a cup of oatmeal
    can of tuna (about 110-120g) with about 200g of boiled mixed vegies
    2 pieces of fruit

    Morning tea
    glass of milk
    piece of fruit
    hanful of mixed nuts
    fish oil tablet
    1 weetbix

    If i have a workout, instead of a morning tea i'll have a post workout meal:
    2 glasses of milk with 1 scoop of ON 100% whey
    banana
    1 weetbix
    fish oil tablet

    Lunch
    2 sandwiches (4 slices of bread) with lettuce, carrot, cucumber, beans, and chicken (about 200+g)
    glass of milk

    Arvo tea
    glass of milk
    1 weetbix
    piece of fruit
    handful of nuts

    Dinner
    basically what my mum cooks - bowl of rice usually and then vegies and meat and stuff

    Before bed meal
    glass of milk
    100ish grams of cottage cheese
    table spoon of PB (around 20 or so grams)
    piece of fruit

    And that's basically my meals for the day.

    On an additional note, if i miss that rep, like for the deadlift today. Since i have a powerrack at home, should i try again later on in the day? Or should i just leave it until next time's workout like i usually do?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Weymouth, MA
    Posts
    1,459

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    I'm wondering if it's form related. Are you gripping the crap out of the bar? Keeping everything tight?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    732

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    Yeah trying to do. I've posted the form a few times for my press and benches. Well all my lifts really.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Mid-Atlantic
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    1,623

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    Are you doing starting strength?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Weymouth, MA
    Posts
    1,459

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    Just watched your press video with 35kg. First thing I noticed was your wrists. Do not let them bend. Keep your wrists straight and squeeze the bar as hard as you can to create tension in your arms. You may also want to widen your grip just a bit (try it during warm-ups and see how it feels),

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ft Worth, Texas
    Posts
    245

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    How long are you resting in between sets? I need to rest for at least 7 minutes between each in order to do 5 full reps.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    TX
    Posts
    1,421

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    confuzled, you are not eating enough and that's why you are stalling.

    everywhere you see weetbix (wtf?)in your diet log, insert a BK Stacker or equivalent. then you'll be getting closer.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    17

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    starting strength coach development program
    confuzzl3don3, how much do you weigh and how much weight are you gaining a week? You look like you're eating pretty clean, you may need some more calories.

    I looked at some of your old benching videos and you look pretty flat on the bench. Get your arch and get your shoulders back. Also, where are your feet? Try to get a video that shows your foot position, that may help us work out the issue.

    For both the bench and the press, you should be feeling a groove. I don't know how to explain it, only that when you get it right, you will feel it. If the weight is moving all over the place and you're struggling to keep a vertical path, you're not in that groove and you won't lift as much. Find that groove with a good arch in the bench and getting your press form straightened out.

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