I’m not a beginner I have a decent squat and deadlift. However I wasn’t remotely gifted in the bench press. I’ve read that low reps high weights put too much stress on the nervous system. Then I hear something contradict that assumption so which is it?
Intensity, density, volume, frequency. Work through the various combinations of those and find what works for you. Adjust as needed.
What have you done so far that hasn’t worked?
Don’t know your if you’re a tall lanky guy like me, but when I got injured I decided to prioritize my bench so that I could at least progress in something. I benched heavy twice a week and pressed heavy once a week. And I ate like a madman.
[quote]Justliftbrah wrote:
I’m not a beginner I have a decent squat and deadlift. However I wasn’t remotely gifted in the bench press. I’ve read that low reps high weights put too much stress on the nervous system. Then I hear something contradict that assumption so which is it?[/quote]
What are you doing now? Give details for the last 3 months or so, with what progress you have experienced.
It sounds like you need to be on a real program. Look up 5/3/1.
Also, like you I was not gifted in the area of pressing either. I know you can make up for a lot of the inadequacies by adjusting your form, like retracting your lats, not overpressing, going to a wider/narrower grip, etc.
[quote]pcdude wrote:
I know you can make up for a lot of the inadequacies by adjusting your form, […]not overpressing[/quote]
What is overpressing?
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]pcdude wrote:
I know you can make up for a lot of the inadequacies by adjusting your form, […]not overpressing[/quote]
What is overpressing?[/quote]
Extending your arms beyond what is considered lockout by letting your upper back come forward.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
Intensity, density, volume, frequency. Work through the various combinations of those and find what works for you. Adjust as needed.
What have you done so far that hasn’t worked?[/quote]
For about two months now i’ve done 5 3 1 and have seen very minimal gains. I have a very weak bench press 165lb max (I know embarrassing) I’ve always had the mind set of Strength>Size any day of the weak. I can deadlift about 350lbs and squat 365lbs. I know not that’s not impressive but i’m just getting back to lifting after a long layoff. Could it be my rotator cuff muscles?
[quote]Justliftbrah wrote:
[quote]LoRez wrote:
Intensity, density, volume, frequency. Work through the various combinations of those and find what works for you. Adjust as needed.
What have you done so far that hasn’t worked?[/quote]
For about two months now i’ve done 5 3 1 and have seen very minimal gains. I have a very weak bench press 165lb max (I know embarrassing) I’ve always had the mind set of Strength>Size any day of the weak. I can deadlift about 350lbs and squat 365lbs. I know not that’s not impressive but i’m just getting back to lifting after a long layoff. Could it be my rotator cuff muscles?
[/quote]
Right now it’s everything.
Rotator cuff muscles aren’t holding you back that much, although I would likely say unless you’re build like a short stocky barrel your squat is probably too high to be legit if it’s greater than your deadlift. However, that is not your question. Your question is bench press.
Need exercises/sets/reps for your past training, along with assistance exercises you picked and some other info–namely, height/weight/wingspan
Justlftbrah, whilst I haven’t got a big bench my bench does feel like its improving. Like yourself I did a couple of cycles of the 531 BBB program and my bench didn’t go up at all, then I switched to a basic Brooks Kubik style 5x5 program and added 5kgs/11lbs on my bench. At the moment I’m following a Doug Hepburn style program which has me benching twice a week and I think I’m definitely on track to get a new PB soon 
[quote]Justliftbrah wrote:
[quote]LoRez wrote:
Intensity, density, volume, frequency. Work through the various combinations of those and find what works for you. Adjust as needed.
What have you done so far that hasn’t worked?[/quote]
For about two months now i’ve done 5 3 1 and have seen very minimal gains. I have a very weak bench press 165lb max (I know embarrassing) I’ve always had the mind set of Strength>Size any day of the weak. I can deadlift about 350lbs and squat 365lbs. I know not that’s not impressive but i’m just getting back to lifting after a long layoff. Could it be my rotator cuff muscles?
[/quote]
When I did 5/3/1, my dead went up by 100 lbs in the length of about 4 months, but I kept getting injured. My bench went DOWN in that same amount of time. Here is my theory as to why:
I benched to failure, bad idea. Dead I didnt’ go to failure, just one short. But, I would end up doing 10-15 reps on the 5, 3, or 1 set of deadlift, and eventually form would go out the window, and bam, break my back.
What I’m getting at is if you do 5/3/1, make sure you don’t do bench to failure, stop one short. If you fail, you won’t get strength gains.
I’m on a regular linear progression program. I do 5x5 on Monday, then Friday I do 4x5, then add 5 pounds to the last set of 5 on Monday’s workout for set of 3. The, the next Monday, I do 5x5 with the weight from Friday.
Monday: 5x140, 5x150, 5x160, 5x170, 5x180
Friday: 5x140, 5x150, 5x160, 5x170, 3x185
Monday: 5x150, 5x160, 5x170, 5x180, 5x185
Those are not real numbers and are nowhere near the correct percentages, but is there to illustrate how to do them. I’ve since gained about 30-40 lbs in bench in around a 3 month spam doing this program, and about 80-100 lbs on both dead and squat in the same amount of time. I’m still getting newbie gains though as I’m over 300 lbs, and haven’t reached the 500lb plateau yet on squat or dead.
So, try a straight linear progression. Do 5x5, add 5 lbs every week. If you aren’t able to do all 5 reps one week, don’t fail, stop at 4 reps, then Friday, try to get all 5, and repeat the week’s weight over again until you are able to accomplish it.
[quote]pcdude wrote:
It sounds like you need to be on a real program. Look up 5/3/1.
Also, like you I was not gifted in the area of pressing either. I know you can make up for a lot of the inadequacies by adjusting your form, like retracting your lats, not overpressing, going to a wider/narrower grip, etc.[/quote]
If you’re naturally a poor bencher 531 ain’t gonna cut it. The volume is way to low. You need to be benching MINIMALLY 2x a week. Ideally I would suggest building the work capacity to bench3-4x a week. This doesn’t mean death by bench every session. Focus on quality total volume. That being said simply benching should increase your bench at this point. Don’t major in the minors.
[quote]Aragorn wrote:
[quote]Justliftbrah wrote:
[quote]LoRez wrote:
Intensity, density, volume, frequency. Work through the various combinations of those and find what works for you. Adjust as needed.
What have you done so far that hasn’t worked?[/quote]
For about two months now i’ve done 5 3 1 and have seen very minimal gains. I have a very weak bench press 165lb max (I know embarrassing) I’ve always had the mind set of Strength>Size any day of the weak. I can deadlift about 350lbs and squat 365lbs. I know not that’s not impressive but i’m just getting back to lifting after a long layoff. Could it be my rotator cuff muscles?
[/quote]
Right now it’s everything.
Rotator cuff muscles aren’t holding you back that much, although I would likely say unless you’re build like a short stocky barrel your squat is probably too high to be legit if it’s greater than your deadlift. However, that is not your question. Your question is bench press.
Need exercises/sets/reps for your past training, along with assistance exercises you picked and some other info–namely, height/weight/wingspan[/quote]
Oops I meant to say squats is 350lbs and deadlift is 365lbs. Height is 6ft weight is 170lbs. I just began lifting again about 4 four months ago after a two year lay off. Everything else is going up except my bench. I never really kept track of my past workout i.e. sets and reps I just did them.
[quote]clutz15 wrote:
[quote]pcdude wrote:
It sounds like you need to be on a real program. Look up 5/3/1.
Also, like you I was not gifted in the area of pressing either. I know you can make up for a lot of the inadequacies by adjusting your form, like retracting your lats, not overpressing, going to a wider/narrower grip, etc.[/quote]
If you’re naturally a poor bencher 531 ain’t gonna cut it. The volume is way to low. You need to be benching MINIMALLY 2x a week. Ideally I would suggest building the work capacity to bench3-4x a week. This doesn’t mean death by bench every session. Focus on quality total volume. That being said simply benching should increase your bench at this point. Don’t major in the minors. [/quote]
wait what? I’m totally mind phucked now. So you’re suggesting I bench press up to four times a week? You see what I meant by my OP about theories contradicting each other. My never system will be fried right?
[quote]dzirkelb wrote:
When I did 5/3/1, my dead went up by 100 lbs in the length of about 4 months, but I kept getting injured. My bench went DOWN in that same amount of time. Here is my theory as to why:
I benched to failure, bad idea. Dead I didnt’ go to failure, just one short. But, I would end up doing 10-15 reps on the 5, 3, or 1 set of deadlift, and eventually form would go out the window, and bam, break my back.
What I’m getting at is if you do 5/3/1, make sure you don’t do bench to failure, stop one short. If you fail, you won’t get strength gains.
[/quote]
YMMV, but I totally disagree with this. I started 5/3/1 for my bench back at the end of August, and my 2 rep max was 295. A month ago, I hit 295 for 6, and 3 weeks ago hit 325 for 2. I go to failure every week on bench day.
With that, some things that I think have helped me the most is that I do incline as an OHP assistance every week. But I vary my assistance stuff weekly, volume, exercise selection, etc. I throw in a couple weeks of decline press, weighted dips, close grip bench, incline dumbbells, overhead tricep extensions, etc. I also usually go FSL, after my main set to failure, and take it either to or close to failure.
[quote]Justliftbrah wrote:
[quote]clutz15 wrote:
[quote]pcdude wrote:
It sounds like you need to be on a real program. Look up 5/3/1.
Also, like you I was not gifted in the area of pressing either. I know you can make up for a lot of the inadequacies by adjusting your form, like retracting your lats, not overpressing, going to a wider/narrower grip, etc.[/quote]
If you’re naturally a poor bencher 531 ain’t gonna cut it. The volume is way to low. You need to be benching MINIMALLY 2x a week. Ideally I would suggest building the work capacity to bench3-4x a week. This doesn’t mean death by bench every session. Focus on quality total volume. That being said simply benching should increase your bench at this point. Don’t major in the minors. [/quote]
wait what? I’m totally mind phucked now. So you’re suggesting I bench press up to four times a week? You see what I meant by my OP about theories contradicting each other. My never system will be fried right?
[/quote]
Like i said, don’t kill yourself. Don’t fail a rep and you’ll be fine. People are so afraid of “overtraining” but the body is capable of alot more than people give it credit for as long as you’re smart. If you attempt to hit a new bench PR 4x a week you’ll evidently stall. But things like 5s@70-75%, triples and doubles at 80-90% aren’t going to fry your nervous system. If you’ve been benching once a week don’t jump into a program that calls for bench 4 times a week, but over time you can absolutely work to that point and not overtrain.
[quote]clutz15 wrote:
[quote]pcdude wrote:
It sounds like you need to be on a real program. Look up 5/3/1.
Also, like you I was not gifted in the area of pressing either. I know you can make up for a lot of the inadequacies by adjusting your form, like retracting your lats, not overpressing, going to a wider/narrower grip, etc.[/quote]
If you’re naturally a poor bencher 531 ain’t gonna cut it. The volume is way to low. You need to be benching MINIMALLY 2x a week. Ideally I would suggest building the work capacity to bench3-4x a week. This doesn’t mean death by bench every session. Focus on quality total volume. That being said simply benching should increase your bench at this point. Don’t major in the minors. [/quote]
There is absolutely no reason why you cannot bench press more than once a week using 5/3/1, as long as you program it intelligently.
[quote]pcdude wrote:
[quote]clutz15 wrote:
[quote]pcdude wrote:
It sounds like you need to be on a real program. Look up 5/3/1.
Also, like you I was not gifted in the area of pressing either. I know you can make up for a lot of the inadequacies by adjusting your form, like retracting your lats, not overpressing, going to a wider/narrower grip, etc.[/quote]
If you’re naturally a poor bencher 531 ain’t gonna cut it. The volume is way to low. You need to be benching MINIMALLY 2x a week. Ideally I would suggest building the work capacity to bench3-4x a week. This doesn’t mean death by bench every session. Focus on quality total volume. That being said simply benching should increase your bench at this point. Don’t major in the minors. [/quote]
There is absolutely no reason why you cannot bench press more than once a week using 5/3/1, as long as you program it intelligently.[/quote]
Let me rephrase that. The original 531 template. You are 100% correct though, in the beyond 531 template from what I have read, actually recommends an increase in training volume from the original.
Edit: The reason I didn’t suggest a particular program is exactly that… At this point anything should work. However an increase in training stimulus regardless of programming is going to help with a little intelligence. 531 with a minimum two bench days (not substituted for OHP) will make a huge difference over benching only once a week.
I’ve been making decent progress with this but x2 on anything that involves more frequency or size oriented training.
- Bench day + chest. rotating 3 week cycles using 3 sets of 10s first week, 8’s week 2 and 5s on week 3.
- OHP 5/3/1 +shoulders
- Arms day that starts with close grip bench for higher rep (less than 1 foot grip)
I’ve had bad luck trying to improve bench using heavy weight and low reps. I eventually peak out then lose strength. 5/3/1 does this eventually since the weight keeps increasing.
I would recommend increasing frequency. Frequency is really important when it comes to practicing form. Check out dave tate’s “so you think you can bench” videos.