Veeky Forums, is it time for me to finally move onto an intermediate routine? I am starting to fail more and more, progress is back to every second session. If so, which would be a good one to emphasise power and strength, rather than aesthetics? Current stats: Height 183cm Weight 86kg Squat: 3x5 @ 115kg Deadlift 1x5 @ 140kg Bench 1x5 @ 75kg OHP 3x5 @ 50kg Pendlay row 3x5 @ 70kg
How is your bench and OHP so low? Your form on the other lifts is probably utter shite
Dylan Perry
I've always had shit shoulders due to playing a sport which requires a heap of throwing. The training volumes destroy all my gains
Parker Smith
Changing routines becomes necessary when you're no longer making progress despite training as hard as you can, getting plenty of rest and sleep and eating well.
If you're doing all of the above and still struggling to add weight, change to a routine that adds weight at a slower rate.
If you could be eating more and assisting your recovery better, than its better to deload 10% and keep pushing for as long as you can.
If you want a good intermediate routine look into Hepburn. I've been running it for the last year and it's been a never ending gains train, no failure or deloads at all for over 11 months.
Brody Reyes
Thanks friend. I am gaining weight but it won't translate to the bar. I tried getting 3x5 bench press @ 75kg yesterday and failed my last 2 sets at 3 reps. Shameful display
Jace Rodriguez
What is your current routine?
Evan Brown
GSLP, I left out the chins though on my stats. They're +8kg for 3x5
Zachary James
If your bench is stalling at 75kg when you weigh that much it's possibly because you're not doing enough horizontal pulling. Try switching to dumbbell bent over rows as your main back movement (2 times a week) and do chins on deadlift day as you normally would with your lats warmed up. Also if you like incline bench, switch to incline bench instead of bench for a month.
Owen Nelson
>flat bench stalled? >do everything but flat bench You're such a fucking idiot
Levi Price
Would your recommend flat benching 2x per week instead of 1.5x? How do I fix my pathetic chest and triceps?
Ryan Anderson
Do you expect to get through a stall by not benching? Horizontal pulling will increase the weight your lats carry during a typical arched bench press and I picked dumbbell rows because I like them more than barbell rows and in my experience they're just a better way to train the lats. I doubt his weakness lies in the decline portion of the movement so I suggested incline bench over adding dips. Adding dips or an extra pressing movement on top of his normal benching would affect recovery. While some beginners wouldn't have a problem, OP has already stated that his recovery is affected by his non-lifting fitness goals. Therefore it makes sense to work on those two weaknesses and see what happens over an extended period of time during which it's possible to progressively load his incline bench.
Nathaniel Ward
My horizontal pulling is almost as strong as my flat bench, and that's after a heavy deload due to a fractured/dislocated finger. Apparently that's slightly disproportionate towards a relatively stronger back
Colton Gray
strengtheory.com Click on "28 free training programs" on the right near top side of the screen.
Download the zipped folder which has a excel and pdf file.
Inside are some of the best bench programs I've ever seen. A lot of people in the powerlifting general are having great success.
I'd recommend the 3 day intermediate program. The one with weekly progression. (First one)
Read the PDF for extra information if you want to still do OHP for example.
Zachary Hernandez
You might be cheating on your form on your rows, have a serious muscle imbalance in your chest and triceps, or you're benching wrong.
Kayden Ramirez
I can't be bothered to read all of this so I skimmed through and sww you're just isolating problems areas.
To bench more you literally must bench more. This is an undeniable fact. Bench variations are only for problems areas such as a poor lockout, and really only intended for those with a bench strong enough to have issues such as a poor lockout.
At 75kg he can just literally bench more
Ian Nguyen
I can always get the bar off my chest, but it slows once my arms hit right angles with the ground. If I bench heavy to failure, I always have bad DOMS through my chest and anterior deltoids. More pulling and incline work will help me push through this?
Wyatt Lopez
DOMS are usually a sign that you've been neglecting a muscle and you've recently hit it harder than usual. Are you just pussying out when you bench? As a novice on GSLP you're meant to be lifting heavy to failure every workout. In my opinion the deloads are kinda excessive but you can increase reps across all sets to compensate.
What the other user said is also a good idea. You can try benching twice a week and do flat bench one day and a variation like spoto press the other day. Your ohp will still go up. The sticking point you're describing is pretty common for most people, on its own I wouldn't say that's indicative of any kind of muscle imbalance.
Michael Cooper
This is such indicative and unserious advice
>hurr durr bench an arbitrary amount of figures a week >do arbitrary bench assistance >have no planned sets or reps >have no planned progression
This is such shit advice. Follow a fucking program.
Nicholas Phillips
Does it really matter if I tell him to bench flat 1 day and spoto the other day or if candito tells him to do it?
Jose Richardson
You're seriously not recommending him one of canditos programs for bench are you?
Holy shit I'm about to shoot up this thread
Joshua Allen
I normally try to work right on the edge of failure without actually failing. I seriously struggle with increasing intensity though. I can squeeze out 3x5 at 72.5kg, but it's hard work. Once I go up to 75 even the first set is a serious battle grinding the last 2 reps out I've put on 10kg in the last 2.5 months which has helped push my lifts up but it just isn't helping anymore
Brandon Price
Are you seriously recommending a weekly progression program to someone who can't bench their bodyweight?
Luis Reyes
Please tell me more about how you're a better PLer than Candito. What would you recommend, given you're clearly the strongest and most knowledgable person ITT
Daniel Phillips
Are programs not arbitrary themselves?
Austin Thompson
I recommended him the entire section of bench programs It may be weekly progression but you can add 7.5lbs a week so I wouldn't say that's a small amount.
There are only two powerlifting approved programs
Sheyko Nuckols
Christopher Richardson
I always found it really hard to break plateaus with big jumps as a novice. I ended up making 5lb jumps twice a week and just dropping some ohp volume for bench volume on a modified madcow program. My ohp made progress no matter what I did and so did my deadlift so it helped me a lot. That's why I recommended a slightly modified GSLP for 3 days a week using candito's 1 day flat 1 day spoto scheme from his linear UL program, it fits the program format in the GSLP book which recommends alternating between incline/decline/ohp in one of the example training plans, which is almost the same as what I told OP to do.
Landon Martinez
OP here. So:
Mon 3x5 normal bench
Wed 3x5 OHP
Fri 3x5 spoto
Along with the other regular programming?
Jeremiah Price
What percentage of 5RM flat bench are we talking for spoto presses?
Adam Nelson
Progression is based off your AMRAP sets, not set in stone.
Don't criticise the program without reading it
You'll get nowhere with this shit
Zachary Nelson
I knew Veeky Forums would confuse the fuck out of me
Anthony White
See Everyone I know who's struggled with their bench has had success with this program
Carter James
It really doesn't matter as much as you think it does.
Try 70% spoto and increase or decrease as needed or just do the other user's program so he doesn't get angry that you're not autistically following a linear program by the book for the entirety of your novice lifting career. Either way I'd say all you need is a switch up of exercises, volume and/or frequency. You're fairly new so any well designed program will give you results when you first start it unless the volume is too much for you and you go to failure every session.
Carter Ortiz
Different fucker here same question
6'4" 215 lbs
OHP 155 x 5 Bench 245 x 5 BOR 195 x 5 Squat 265 x 5 Deadlift 385 x 5
Chase Howard
Hey OP I'm almost in the same boat like you. Height 185cm Weight 84kg Squat: 3x5 @ 120kg Deadlift 1x5 @ 140kg Bench 3x5 @ 90kg OHP 3x5 @ 55kg Barbell row 3x5 @ 82,5kg
Thinking about switching to an upper-lower split like P.H.U.L. (google that), but im not sure yet
John Fisher
Your bench is great senpai, your lower body lifts are behind if you're shooting for 1/2/3/4
Isaiah Bell
whats your eating like? if possible, write down everything you ate (and the amounts) on your last workout day
Gabriel Long
currently 1/1.5/3/4
is this normal? feels like my bench is lagging quite badly
Justin Flores
When someone goes "I can lift X/Y/W/Z", is the order OHP/Row/Squart/Deadlift?