Sometimes that’s what training has to be though dude, you can’t bang off the rev limiter 24/7 and expect anything good to happen.
3 Likes
I’ll join in the parade of folks that appreciate the tag. I do not think there would be anything of value to be had from my log in this particular instance.
5 Likes
I’ve seen your logs, its good stuff but seems to have a lot more non-traditional style lifts
I’ve seen your log too.
4 Likes
Oh we both know that 
1 Like
Mostly from the “shut up and train” aspect where you keep your head down and do what you plan to do with 100% conviction. Also didn’t tag @throwawayfitness because that log would cause OP to have an aneurysm just reading it. It would be inspirational for most, but daunting in this case.
2 Likes
Oh, I fully understand, and I appreciate the sentiment.
1 Like
I have seen ejones log actually, the first time I read it I was quite surprised seeing his logs with bench in the low 100s (I thought it was kg first) then I found out it was due to injury and it started to make more sense.
It took me months to reach from 45 to 135 on bench lol. I dunno what you’re talking about lol
Male?
I just took a look at your log.
Seems like your bench was 55kgx5 in 2019 and 60kgx8 2 days ago.
That is a very minor increase (even by my low standards), were you inconsistent in the 2.5 years or was there something else going on?
Edit, unless that is 135kgx8 then wow…
You seem to be a bit obsessed about how fast people can make bench gains and then picking apart the reasons for those gains (or lack thereof). Long story short, 135 to 225 is mostly still in novice territory, and the gains there can be extremely fast if you work consistently hard. Spoiler alert: most people who think they are working hard absolutely aren’t, and probably all of the experienced lifters in this log have been the same way at some point in their past.
8 Likes
I’d say for my case the intensity is too high to keep doing linear progression.
For instance even if I get 3x5 with 155, it is full RPE 10, I have also had to do the “roll-of-shame” once. The problem as ppl here mentioned is that with this intensity it isn’t possible to keep progressing. I’m gonna have to drop the weight a bit and not try to jump the gun on weights I am not fully ready for.
3 Likes
On the bright side though if I truly max push out myself (all out on one set), my max right now is 155x6 with no cheat (all out RPE 10).
Still decent-ish progress, when I started the log I was weighing 181lb with 1RM of 155, 6 weeks ago.
1 Like
Covid happened, as you can see below.
And nope, that’s 135 lbs, not kg. Had to shift to freedom units.
Also, it’s interesting that the only thing you focused on in my log was bench press, which is honestly the barbel lift I care about the least (and it shows).
I don’t think you will like the advice I have, but I’ll offer my 2c anyway for what it’s worth.
If your goal is to really just increase your bench, then that’s fine, your goals are your goals, and your reasons are your reasons. But you have to understand, the currency of the iron game is time. I made the best gains on 5/3/1, which always had me training at submaximal weights (the weights even looked embarrassing in the gym at times). But I took the advice of other strong people - to not chase the numbers. Instead, I focused on putting the work in consistently (as best I could). The numbers were just a short to medium term goal - something to make me happy every now and then once I hit them. I always had my long term goal overarching my training. I guess I’m just lucky that I set my long term goal early on.
As I write this, I came from an overnight 12 hour shift in a physically demanding job, currently 6 nights a week. I still trained after. I have 4-5 hours to sleep, come back to work, and do it all over again. One of my lifts sucked today, and that’s okay. I still put the work in. I only train twice a week because it literally boils down to choosing sleep vs choosing to train. Again, numbers are nice to look at, but there are things that are more important than the numbers. Mental fortitude, discipline, progressing in the gym despite the demands of life…among other things.
Stop measuring your progress by the bench press. And stop comparing yourself against others. The only person you are competing with in the gym is your former self.
Stick to an intelligent program. Put in the work. Embrace the grind. The numbers will follow.
11 Likes
Well said!
May I ask, what are you using to track? Those graphs give a neat visual over the years.
1 Like
Thank you!
Sure! It’s
strengthlevel dot com
symmetricstrength dot com
2 Likes
I do not have enough experience with your log to conclude anything, but I would add two things:
-Staying away from RPE 10 is a generally a good idea, as others have said.
-Hitting RPE 10 is not at all the same as working too hard. You can very well be over doing a set or two and still far well short of doing enough work.
2 Likes
@supercardrives If you want to have big lifts, swallow your pride, reduce your weights (according to your program) and stick to it. Doing unplanned max lifts does nothing but stroke your ego and fuck over your own progress. Focusing on your beginner numbers while comparing them to others who may have been chasing the same lifts for years before you, is stupid.
I think you undervalue your progress. My 1RM bench is ~305… if in 6 weeks i put up 305x6, do you still think that is only decent progress? As has been said repeatedly before, you need to stop measuring yourself against others and focus on your own progress.
I do not believe additional advice is needed from me, or most other people on this forum. The only thing to do from here is for you to develop some tenacity and consistency.
I found that in my journey, heavier lifts came far more consistently and faster when I stopped paying attention to the weight itself, and started paying more attention to the progress I was making.
P.S I’m going to look into the sites you recommended - i would be interested to see this over time as well. Thank you!
4 Likes
I have recently dropped my weights and decided to do smaller jumps per week. I was being to aggressive and training too heavy.
It’s a thought a lot of lifters have. That the grind is what builds strength and muscle. I’ve gotten the best progress when I train sub maximally.
I have used a technique where I progress for 4 weeks, then drop down to 10 lbs above my starting point for the previous 4 week block and start again. 10 lbs a month progress. It feels slow, but it is not in the big picture. For bench consider 5 lbs a month increments.
For bench, I would drop down to about 135.
Week 1 135
Week 2 140
Week 3 145
Week 4 150
Week 5 140
Week 6 145
Week 7 150
Week 8 155
Week 9 145
For Bench, you might only go up 5 lbs in a month not 10. It’s okay, that is 60 lbs in a year.
I think that strategy works well, but stick to your program for now. Try that down the road if you want.
2 Likes