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benchpress plateau

mrsym0r

By mrsym0r
in Powerlifting & strength

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mrsym0r Junior member

mrsym0r

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Lately I have been having trouble pushing through a benchpress plateau. I'm in week eight of the intermediate 5x5 program, and while my squats/shoulder press have been steadily increasing I haven't seen similar gains on the bench. I think that what I bench is a very light weight and would have expected this to be one of the most rapid areas of improvement. Should I try dropping the weight for a while and increasing the reps? Would it be worth changing the routine up, perhaps throwing in decline/incline bench press or maybe switch back to dumbells?

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joey pineapples Member

joey pineapples

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Smolov Jr for bench has been the only thing to work for me. Used it twice and gained 15kgs 1rm first time. Just finished second time, adjusted it slightly put 1 day of rest in between each session stretching the time frame slightly. Also put in a lot of cardio (12km runs 3 times a week) just to see what happened, in terms of gains. Second time around has been far better in for strength under the bar and ease of finishing sets. Trying my new 1rmax on monday.

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snoopy Member

snoopy

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I used 5x5 and sets of twos and three's for a couple of years and my bench failed to increase after a period of time.

The technique I learned was that different training techniques are better suited to different physiques with different muscle fibre make-up and your individual neural recruitment. The training fundamentals for strength are:

Acceleration(speed) method:

Submaximal method: 5x5

Post maximal method: Negatives

Repetition method: 12 -16 reps

Repetition works for me personally. Also flat dumbells will convert to bench strength but it dosn't work the other way. Dumbells are crucial for scapulae activation. See what works for you and get plenty of food

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ohjoshua Veteran member

ohjoshua

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Also flat dumbells will convert to bench strength but it dosn't work the other way. Dumbells are crucial for scapulae activation. See what works for you and get plenty of food

Who told you this?

I never use dumbells for benching (maybe 3-5 times per year).

But every time if my BB bench has gone up so is my dumbell bench.

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snoopy Member

snoopy

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Also flat dumbells will convert to bench strength but it dosn't work the other way. Dumbells are crucial for scapulae activation. See what works for you and get plenty of food

Who told you this?

I never use dumbells for benching (maybe 3-5 times per year).

But every time if my BB bench has gone up so is my dumbell bench.

Charles Poliquin

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Dr Squat Senior member

Dr Squat

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Also flat dumbells will convert to bench strength but it dosn't work the other way. Dumbells are crucial for scapulae activation. See what works for you and get plenty of food

Who told you this?

I never use dumbells for benching (maybe 3-5 times per year).

But every time if my BB bench has gone up so is my dumbell bench.

Charles Poliquin

If Poliquin said so, it has to be right! :roll:

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snoopy Member

snoopy

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If Poliquin said so, it has to be right! :roll:

You not keen on Poliquins methods?

I like a lot of what he has to say. I just get annoyed when people blindly follow him.

I never blindly followed him, I always prefered Ryan Kennely's method of benching 9 times a week, 2 heavy, 2 light, and the rest boards, bands and chains :nod:

Huge amount of volume, but it works

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Wyldfyre Junior member

Wyldfyre

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You not keen on Poliquins methods?

I like a lot of what he has to say. I just get annoyed when people blindly follow him.

I never blindly followed him, I always prefered Ryan Kennely's method of benching 9 times a week, 2 heavy, 2 light, and the rest boards, bands and chains :nod:

Huge amount of volume, but it works

Nine times a week? Is this real life?

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Best Bench Member

Best Bench

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my squats/shoulder press have been steadily increasing I haven't seen similar gains on the bench.

Is your bench still going up? If so stick with it and give it time.

Has your technique stayed strict with all the core lifts? It's natural to start cutting squats high or not coming down as low with shoulder press but you know if you haven't touched your chest when you are benching.

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ohjoshua Veteran member

ohjoshua

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If Poliquin said so, it has to be right! :roll:

You not keen on Poliquins methods?

I like a lot of what he has to say. I just get annoyed when people blindly follow him.

I dont think Charles Poliquin would have ever said this...

you may have not properly understood what he said or taken his words out of context.

If I have a bb bench of 60kg and I can use 25kg dbs for reps. Then over the next two years I do bb bench and get to a 100 kg bench are you saying I could still only use the 25kg dumbells?

come on snoopy.

Charles may have ment if you only train bb ur dumbells will not increase at the same rate as if u only train and want ur bb to increase.

any way im sure u get the point.

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mrsym0r Junior member

mrsym0r

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my squats/shoulder press have been steadily increasing I haven't seen similar gains on the bench.

Is your bench still going up? If so stick with it and give it time.

Has your technique stayed strict with all the core lifts? It's natural to start cutting squats high or not coming down as low with shoulder press but you know if you haven't touched your chest when you are benching.

During the first month I saw a quick 15kg increase; since then I haven't been able to increase the weight or reps. I've never had much success doing negatives so I may try increasing the rep range and see if that helps - or perhaps throwing in decline/incline benchpresses too?

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snoopy Member

snoopy

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You not keen on Poliquins methods?

I like a lot of what he has to say. I just get annoyed when people blindly follow him.

I dont think Charles Poliquin would have ever said this...

you may have not properly understood what he said or taken his words out of context.

If I have a bb bench of 60kg and I can use 25kg dbs for reps. Then over the next two years I do bb bench and get to a 100 kg bench are you saying I could still only use the 25kg dumbells?

come on snoopy.

Charles may have ment if you only train bb ur dumbells will not increase at the same rate as if u only train and want ur bb to increase.

any way im sure u get the point.

I have never found barbell to increase my dumbells.

The only way I ever got Dales 75kg dumbells was to train with them.

It is awkward, uncomfortable and the bench didnt improve my reps on these.

However, after switching to only dumbells I was able to bench more. This is because I develop a lot more stability muscles with Dumbells and have more scapulae activation and the nervous system works harder as I have to keep the bells from landing on my face.

When I switched back to barbell It was almost a sigh of relief as I no longer had the nervous struggle.

Also, when you train with your hands in a normal position which is angled, you get greater muscular activation and this takes the pressure of the glenohumerol joint.

When you rotate your hands in front of you which is unnatural as the wrists are externally rotated you stress the shoulder capsule and lose the ability to use the entire back musculature and shoulder girlde.

Just my 2c

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ohjoshua Veteran member

ohjoshua

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all that may be true.

But you can not deny that just using BB bench will increase ur DB bench.

Because it did for me and its sound logic.

but I think what ur trying to say is DB bench press has more carry over to bb bench then the opposite.

Suggesting there is 0 carry over from BB bP to DB BP is absurd.

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Dr Squat Senior member

Dr Squat

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What are the heaviest dumbells down in Christchurch? I've seen 90g's up here in Auckland.

Whats the heaviest bells you've done Dr Squat?

An ugly set with 70s is the best I have done. I've never seen anyone use heavier weights than this but I'm sure there are plenty of guys who can DB bench more than me. I take my hat off to them. :nod:

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snoopy Member

snoopy

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What are the heaviest dumbells down in Christchurch? I've seen 90g's up here in Auckland.

Whats the heaviest bells you've done Dr Squat?

what would some one do with a 90kg dumbell???????

wow

DB rows?

No mate, some of the Polynesian guys use them for flats.

Its a shed gym in south Auckland if someone can verify the name?

There is a big fat ex-inmate who uses them, and he got 220kg's flat bench for 3 at Don Olivers. Weighs 170 and only 6 feet tall but very overweight.

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