Bench Press has Plummeted

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

Wtf?!

I have been running an 8 week training cycle leading up to a powerlifting meet which is on October 20th using block periodization. All of my lifts have been increasing accept for my bench press which took a big dive in the last few weeks.

I generally use 12-16 week training cycles but I had to use an 8 week cycle because of the timing of the meet. At the end of my last training cycle I benched 415x1 and now I can barely get 365x1 and this is after I came back from a deload! My bench press training for this cycle has been as follows:

-Accumulation Mesocycle

-Week I: Illegal Wide Bench Press: worked up to 335x5 PR Behind the Neck Press: 135x5x5 Narrow Grip Bench Press: 225x5x5 Barbell Row: 275x5x5

-Week II: Bench Press: 345x5 PR Behind the Neck Press: 145x3x5 Narrow Grip Bench Press: 245x3x5 Barbell Row: 295x3x5

-Transmutation Mesocycle

-Week I: Bench Press: 365x3 PR Behind the Neck Press: 155x3x5 Narrow Grip Bench Press: 265x3x5 Barbell Row: 315x3x5

-Week II: Bench Press: 370x3 PR Behind the Neck Press: 165x3x5 Narrow Grip Bench Press: 285x3x5 (Failed on 2nd rep of last set) Barbell Row: 335x3x5

-Deload Week

-Realization Mesocycle

-Week I: Bench Press: 365x3x1 (These were slow singles) Narrow Grip Bench Press: 225x3x5 Barbell Row: 275x3x5 Rack Lockouts: 405x3x1

-Week II: Bench Press: 365x2x1 (I had to lift my ass off of the bench to get these) Narrow Grip Bench Press: 225x3x5 Barbell Row: 275x3x5

My diet hasn’t changed and I haven’t been doing any more or less physical work outside of my training sessions. In the last week I hit PR’s on my overhead press and also on my deadlift but my bench has just died. What the hell is going on?

2

Sounds like your burnt out on 1rm lifts. You PR’d a shitload. Take a week and do a bunch of high rep sets with like 50-60%. Then deload for the meet.

3

I’m thinking the OHP’s and the close grip bench has fried your tri’s and they just couldn’t make your bench happen. How different is this 8 week program from what you “normally” do? or what you were doing when you pressed that 415?

I know for me when I work heavy board presses and bench with chains, I have great bench progress. When I simply do off the chest work, old school, my bench stalls and goes backwards. I ran Wendlers program for 8 months and I went backwards slowly on Bench and squat.

Anyways, don’t let this shit get too far into your head man. Maybe you just had a shitty week?

4

Starting to realize as far as making strength improvements in training, many things are a delayed response…

Such as I will do something training related in the gym, and 2 weeks later will reap the benefits from it…but then i never write anything down or keep much track of what i have done, so i dont learn from it.

5

My bench always sucks after a deload. Other lifts don’t, I dunno why.