Still struggling with two lifts.

[WilldBill88]

I'm a little over 3 months in my starting strength 5x5 routine (Reg Park's) and it seems all my other lifts are going up but, my Bench and Shoulder Presses are still staying the same. I know I made a similar post about this, but it seems like I should of seen some increases by now?

I don't know if its my progression, flaw in my form, mental issue, need to gain weight, or not pushing myself enough. Or maybe the problem is I don't have a goal of how much weight I want to aim for.

I guess its not a huge issue where I'm loosing sleep over it, I just don't understand why I'm not improving on those two lifts. Still, after 3 months.

This is what my Bench sets look like... (In Pounds)

1 set of 10 reps w/ bar (Warm-Up)

1x5x70
1x5x90
3x5x110

Sometimes I might throw in a extra set and add 5-10lbs or deload and do higher reps

Shoulder Press

1x5x50
1x5x60
3x5x70

OR (Lately)

1x5x30
1x5x50
2x5x70
1x5x80 (Push Press)

Any advice or opinions are welcome.

[jhew]

are you doing assistance work for your triceps? Tricep press, Pin Press, and dips should help you out (although I would just pick one). Another issue could be your form
These vids have helped a lot of people correct their form:

Dave Tate's Six-Week Bench Press Cure - YouTube

Dave Tate's Six-Week Bench Press Cure - YouTube

Elitefts.com: 5 Biggest Bench Mistakes - YouTube

Elitefts.com: 5 Biggest Bench Mistakes - YouTube

[leefarley]

are you getting enough food and sleep?

[big valsalva]

Originally Posted by WilldBill'88

I'm a little over 3 months in my starting strength 5x5 routine (Reg Park's) and it seems all my other lifts are going up but, my Bench and Shoulder Presses are still staying the same. I know I made a similar post about this, but it seems like I should of seen some increases by now?

I don't know if its my progression, flaw in my form, mental issue, need to gain weight, or not pushing myself enough. Or maybe the problem is I don't have a goal of how much weight I want to aim for.

I guess its not a huge issue where I'm loosing sleep over it, I just don't understand why I'm not improving on those two lifts. Still, after 3 months.

This is what my Bench sets look like... (In Pounds)

1 set of 10 reps w/ bar (Warm-Up)

1x5x70
1x5x90
3x5x110

Sometimes I might throw in a extra set and add 5-10lbs or deload and do higher reps

Shoulder Press

1x5x50
1x5x60
3x5x70

OR (Lately)

1x5x30
1x5x50
2x5x70
1x5x80 (Push Press)

Any advice or opinions are welcome.

Same problem with the same two lifts for me. The only difference would be to change your 3 months to my 3 years. I don't know what to say. I did have some sucess with adding more volume to BP (about 100 reps total per session), but I still plateaued quickly. I went from 165 to 185 in four months, and haven't budged one iota in over a year. I don't know what to tell you.

[BendtheBar]

I would like to see you switch to my rep goal approach, where you are trying to push for more reps on every set. This will allow you to better monitor progress, and create an environment where every set and rep matters.

The goal is to add a rep every workout on one on the sets. Do this 3 out of 4 times and you'll get strong very quickly.

3 working sets with a rep goal of 20 total reps. Yes the same weight for these sets. Push, but stop a set when your form goes bad or you feel like you will fail on the next rep.

When you can hit the rep goal total for the 3 sets, add weight the next time you perform that lift.

For example...bench press. You use 155 pounds and your 3 sets look like:

155 x 8 reps
155 x 6 reps
155 x 5 reps

That's 19 total reps...shy of your rep goal. Next week you perform:

155 x 9 reps
155 x 7 reps
155 x 5 reps

That's 21 reps! Your rep goal was 20. Time to add weight.

Beyond this, you need to tell us about your food intake....calories and grams of protein per day. This is the next thing that may need fixing./

The rep goal system is not magic, but it will make every set count. Sometimes on 5x5s the first couple of sets aren't really as taxing because they aren't close to failure. Therefore, a lifter isn't working with a high percentage of challenging sets. This can make it harder to progress for some because they aren't getting enough challenging work in.

[big_swede]

I agree with btb, thats a good idea to go for a repgoal instead. I would also suggest that you put some attention into your lat and upper back work. Do you do enough heavy rows? Rows and presses work together!

[bamazav]

Was reading a Louie Simmons article just last night. He advocates tricep work as an assist to the bench. Just a thought. I think BTB and Swede also makes some valid points too. Don't stress, just keep working. If it is any consolation, if we took a poll, the large percentage of those on this site would tell you that OHP is probably their weakest lift. Small muscles pushing big weight is hard. Keep at it my friend.

[IronWill]

What is the plan for progression? Are you pressing 70,90,110 every time? I would recommend adding weight on a regular basis. For instance your max bench this week is 110. Next week add weight, go to 112.5 or 115.

[WilldBill88]

Thanks for the replys guys.

I'd say I'm getting atleast 3,000 calories a day. As far as protein, probably not as much as I could be getting. Unfortunitly I havent been able to afford protein powder for a little while. Most my protein comes from milk, eggs and meats throughout the day. For sleep, I usually get 7 hours of sleep on average and once in awhile I'll take naps during the day.

@BtB, I'll seriously consider trying the 20 rep goal routine. I think I want to continue my current program for atleast 1 more month then, go from there.

[BendtheBar]

I strongly recommend taking a week and counting everything you eat. Most people eat less than they think. This will at least give you a baseline.

I know it sounds trivial, but getting the fundamentals to a consistent point will help smooth out the rough edges. If you need help with calories, check out calorieking.com.

Gaining is a rather simple process. When it's broken it usually comes down to missing too many workouts, not doing enough challenging work, unrealistic expectations or sub-par nutrition. Sometimes the thing holding people back from stagnating and gains is getting calories up a bit. Not too sumo level, but up slightly.

As Clint Darden says, better to eat junk than no food. Same goes with protein. If you can't afford quality sources, at least be eating something.

In a pinch, it's also better to eat healthy, high fat foods. They are calorie dense. If choosing between 2% milk and while, get the whole!

Eat more food, push yourself on every set. I really think maximizing every set will help.

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