Bench press vs OHP

Want advice? add 4x10 bench press on your OHP days as you are obviously doing 5x5 stronglifts. This will greatly improve your bench while also growing your chest.

Did i fall for the 5 rep= strength meme? I just want to reach 1pl8 bench so badly ;_;

It's not a meme it's just that upper body strength is more highly correlated with muscle mass in the prime movers for the movement than lower body.

I've been stuck at 115 for like a month now. I genuinely don't know what accessories to do to help gain more strength beyond just benching more and more. Also I'm on a cut because im a bit overweight so I know that's playing a role, but every other lift has increased significantly.

Whats your level? Iv been lifting for about 10 months and got a 185 bench and 135 ohp???

>claims bench form is correct
>no form check video as proof

My level is DYEL level m8, weak as shit. Pic related
Believe me, it's correct. Shoulders pinned, correct grip position, elbows at a good angle not flared like a retard, bar motion from top to right under nipples etc. I just can't into bench whatsoever.

At 115lb it's not form, though his form is probably dogshit compared to what he thinks it is, it's just plain not lifting enough

For fast bench results:

>3x per week at 3x8+ and 1xF
>Take a rest week every 2 months, this matters for bench
>OHP 3x8+ and 1xF 3x per week too. Both your bench and OHP are laughably week so you should be improving both
>Change grip and find whether you're weakest in triceps or pecs, add relevant accessories

Also add in some incline bench when you reach double what you're at just now

t. 60kg to 110kg bench in 3 months and growing

again, we have no way of knowing if your form is actually correct without a form check. you may *think* you know the correct positioning when in fact you are completely wrong.
>shoulders pinned
do you just pull your shoulders back horizontally or do you actually know how to and have the physical awarness and mobility to depress your scapula?
>correct grip position
grip position can vary, but the chest is maximally contracted the closer your grip gets as the chest is meant to adduct the arm. of course you don't want to use a grip that puts you into a mechanically disadvantageous position, so I usually use a grip that puts my forearms perpendicular to the ground
>elbows not flared
you obviously don't want them flared while coming down (45 degree angle works well), but when you push up you need a bit of flaring to activate the lateral deltoid for its role in abduction. advanced benchers will have the bar moving horizontally to their face as they also push vertically during the concentric phase
On top of all this there are many mental ques you should be using and other little fixes you may not be doing. For example, you didn't mention anything about leg drive timing, which is necessary for progression to big weights as the bench is a full body movement believe it or not. As the bar comes down you want to imagine yourself bending it, and as it comes up you imagine yourself bending it back into postion. Your forearms are you contact with the bar after all. Do you squeeze your glutes and diaphragmatically breathe to get max pressure in your core? Do you do any mobility work for your scapula to get a good arch? The lying tricep extension as Mark rippletits teaches it is very useful for gaining an awarness of this, as well as hanging scapular depressions. just some things to think about

Super interesting OP, pls tell me more.

Cheers, I'll try that.
Yeah, although most of what you said flew over my head, I've done a lot of research on proper form because it's the first thing I thought was limiting my benching. I used to go narrow and flare which fucked up my shoulders, did a ton of research on leg drive, breathing, bar motion etc. to perfect form. I think im just naturally weak as shit. When I started, I could barely do 20lb dumbbells so 115 is actually a huge improvement.

I can elaborate on any terms I may have used that you don't understand btw. If your form truly is on point then your mental que's might be holding you back a bit, but if that isn't a problem either, it could be diet or sleep. However, at such a low level, you can get away with poor habits and still make progress simply because of noob gains, so you would have to be REALLY lacking on that part to stall very hard, especially since you claim to have made progress. Is your OHP progressing very easily? If it is then I doubt diet and sleep are the problem although having them in check always helps and at a certain level they become a requirement. I doubt programming is a problem at that level as long as there is progression. The frequency of your chest workouts as opposed to OHP may be unbalanced. Another possibility is the quality of your repetitions. When you bench, your form may be correct, but do you ever feel as if you have to grind to complete a rep, even if there is no form breakdown. Are your reps slow rather than explosive? The chest is also very prone to being tight so perhaps you have a lot of knotted up fascia which is preventing growth. I should also ask, what was your OHP when you started lifting? Perhaps you played a sport with heavy shoulder usage, and when it came to working out you just had a head start in that department. I highly doubt the problem would be any single one of these, but possibly a combination of several which could be enough to slow progress.

>115 bench

That's puny. If you had someone to spot you I bet you could bench at least 185

The guy calling you puny actually does have a point now that I think about it. I find that Having someone help my lift off on work wait puts me in a much stronger postion and helps me keep full body tension as well. I don't know why I didn't include that in my first two book posts. It won't increase it by 70 poons, but it generally makes a difference by a good 10lb on work weight for me

I do OHP and bench 2x a week at 5x5. I haven't really been progressing at either for a while, but I do get enough sleep. I think my biggest issue is the fact that I'm cutting. I'm unfortunately at a point where i simultaneously have high body fat and very low strength. I've been unironically lifting for 4 months now and have went from around 192 lbs to 169. I know it seems like a long time relative to my lifts, but I came from such an incredibly low base.

I constantly feel like my reps are a huge struggle past 3 sets, even at 5 reps, with frequent form breakdown as the sets increase. I decided to deload this week and do 4x10 at 105 on the bench.

OHP at the start was like 65lbs at 2 reps, and 20lb dumbbells (which I preferred at the time at 3x10)

I've tried to bench 135 once, couldn't even lower the bar after a tragic horrific struggle to even lift it up.

It's the psychological effect. You know you're safe since you're being spotted so you can lift harder and not have to worry while you're lifting

My best bench was like 120 kg @ 70 kg BW. My Press is 80 kg which is near elite. This are numbers you can hit after anything between 2-5 years of intense training.

Ask someone to spot you, I'd bet you $100 right now that you could bench that weight (1 pl8). That's what high school kids bench on their first day at the gym.

You know what I think your problem is? You're thinking WAY too much about your bench and it's affecting your performance.

You're literally 20 pounds away from a 1 plate bench, this is a psychological problem, has nothing to do with your form or strength.

Get a spotter

not for me. I usually just tell them to lift it off for me and then they leave because I usually just do the roll of shame if i cant get it up. Actually, i find not having a spotter gives me more motivation to get it up, since i know im not going to snap my shit, but i will have to do a bit of extra work

>That's what high school kids bench on their first day at the gym

No it's not. They don't even teach weightlifting in gym class, at all.

You're a beginner lifter. Beginners don't know if their form is correct or not.

I benched 135 for a couple shitty, shaky reps my first day ever touching a barbell.

Yes, high school kids lift weights at school in some gym classes, and they sure as fuck do for sports and athletics. Most schools have a fucking weight room.

Well then thats your problem right there. You aren't going to get much stronger on a defecit and you sure as hell won't be gaining muscle. Unless you are a lardass don't even worry about cutting. Strength training and HIIT will improve your body composition dramatically as long as you progressively overload. If you really are highly overweight then go ahead and try to maintain your lifts at most. All the other shit I said still stands, but at least we know your problem now. I know I said diet isn't as big a deal at your level, but if you're specifically going out of your way to lose weight, then I can see it being a big problem. I assumed you were trying to get heavier in which case you would at least be trying to eat in a substantial surplus and if you came short a little, it would be okay until you get advanced

>I can do it, therefore literally every human can do it

Ah yes, I always forget that every person is physiologically identical. Oh and if you do it with shitty form, it doesn't count as a rep.

Yes, yes it is. High school kids go to my gym and bench 1 plate on their first day

>60kg to 110kg bench in 3 months and growing
You forgot to tell us about your diet of dbol and test

Unfortunately for your hypothesis, I have a spotter.

.8 t-e/week after reaching 100kg, probably would've taken an extra month or so though.

Form is everything with bench.

I'm 5'10 169 with mantits, gut, love handles etc. basically a muffin top. I look alright with a shirt on but take it off and it's horrendous. I think im at like 25% body fat. I've been making gains on every lift since I'm on noob gains, losing fat and gaining strength, but the bench is my major struggle. I used to increase my dl, squat, row nearly every session, and OHP until recently when I finally got 95lbs down, but the bench stubbornly stays at 115.

Btw, any recommendations on a HIIT routine?

Literally every high school kid benches 135 on their first day huh? Even the nerds and lanklets? How about you stop trying to stroke the egos of high school kids and start trying to help OP?

Lol wtf is this meme. Then why doesn't every workout program tell you to start your bench at 135? I believe stronglifts even tells you to start with the empty bar.

wouldn't be able to help you on HIIT. I know it has a lot of benefits (best for heart health, improve muscle to fat ratio) but I never bothered because my lifestyle was already filled with cardio. now that i'm on house arrest awaiting trial however my only exercise time is at the gym so as soon as I get my lifts back up (i lost a lot of weight in jail before a judge reviewed my bail) i will begin including it in my routine for time sake, because I have to be accompanied by a surety who has to stay with me and it is more efficient, so it saves them time out of their day. Honestly, perhaps you should stop trying to go on a big cut and focus on improving your body composition. You will lose fat either way and it will help to avoid lose skin. Just don't eat TOO much above maintanence. If you really want to know the best route, get your body fat tested

OHP should be around 60-65% of bench. Mines around 70% at the moment.

I've tried that for a while and lost weight, but then plateaued. I have to either cut and then bulk, or just explode in size get strong and then cut.

OP, are you a male?

Honestly, noob gains should carry you to over 1pl8 pretty easy as a male.

Yes of course.

Are you saying I'm a weak bitch?
t.weak bitch