Bench Has Stalled

I’m currently following the Simplest Strength template. What can I do to break through this plateau? My bench is struggling big time. I really need to find a way to strengthen it. Should I add some specific exercises? Follow a different template similar to Simplest Strength?

I personally wouldn’t take this path , but that’s just me. BBB can do you no harm , unless you don’t eat, to get your bench up along with the rest. 5/3/1 is supposed to be simple. No thinking an just attacking the weights. Or do his newer 20 week template beyond 5/3/1 1.1. This is just my opinion do what works for you best but I’ve seen these posts a million times an I’ll say it for jim on this one, he wrote his templates for a reason, they work! Good luck

[quote]Rupert531 wrote:
I personally wouldn’t take this path , but that’s just me. BBB can do you no harm , unless you don’t eat, to get your bench up along with the rest. 5/3/1 is supposed to be simple. No thinking an just attacking the weights. Or do his newer 20 week template beyond 5/3/1 1.1. This is just my opinion do what works for you best but I’ve seen these posts a million times an I’ll say it for jim on this one, he wrote his templates for a reason, they work! Good luck [/quote]

Thanks man.

Maybe add in floor press instead of close grip bench on OHP day?

Gain 5 pounds

What weight are you stuck at ? how long have you been training, how long on 531 template ( two different questions) how much do you weigh, how old are you ?

All these aside, stick to the program, it’s worked for others it will work for you. Consistant hard training, consistant eating, givin enough time, will make you bigger, and stronger, especialy with a proven program.

The only way to screw this up, is to start over thinking, and doing a bunch of crap that takes your focus away from basic progression. If in doubt, take a little weight off the bar, and take another run at your max.

Thats my 2cents, without knowing more, Jim may have some better sugestions for you. Goodluck

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
What weight are you stuck at ? how long have you been training, how long on 531 template ( two different questions) how much do you weigh, how old are you ?

All these aside, stick to the program, it’s worked for others it will work for you. Consistant hard training, consistant eating, givin enough time, will make you bigger, and stronger, especialy with a proven program.

The only way to screw this up, is to start over thinking, and doing a bunch of crap that takes your focus away from basic progression. If in doubt, take a little weight off the bar, and take another run at your max.

Thats my 2cents, without knowing more, Jim may have some better sugestions for you. Goodluck[/quote]

I started this program about 10 months ago. I’m 6’6" @232, and I’m 24 years old. My 1RM before I started the program was 255. This week I just started the Simplest Strength template. My template for the past 2+ years was - Day 1- Chest and Back, Day 2-OFF, Day 3- Deadlifts and core work, Day 4- arms , Day 5- Legs and Shoulders. Ten months ago is when I started 5/3/1 and I just applied the percentages and actually still made decent gains, with the exception of my bench. Today I did Bench on Simplest Strength (the first week running, not sure if I will keep doing it yet…), and I only hit 205 for 5 reps. I probably cold have squeezed out 2 more reps but I didn’t have a spotter. I feel so fucking discouraged when I get to bench. I just feel like, “shit, how bad am I going to do this time?”. I need to find a way to build my bench. Different variations, different template, better tricep work?

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
What weight are you stuck at ? how long have you been training, how long on 531 template ( two different questions) how much do you weigh, how old are you ?

All these aside, stick to the program, it’s worked for others it will work for you. Consistant hard training, consistant eating, givin enough time, will make you bigger, and stronger, especialy with a proven program.

The only way to screw this up, is to start over thinking, and doing a bunch of crap that takes your focus away from basic progression. If in doubt, take a little weight off the bar, and take another run at your max.

Thats my 2cents, without knowing more, Jim may have some better sugestions for you. Goodluck[/quote]

^
That

Also, as somebody else said; you need to make sure you’re eating.

CG BP versus FP: I guess it depends on where your bench is stuck. If you’re stuck getting it off your chest then FP isn’t going to do much for you. If you get it to midway then yeah there might be some value.

How can you make a decision after just one week? I would say give it at least 3 cycles before you ditch it. Run it as Jim says for a few cycles and then decide.

[quote]Jaynick77 wrote:

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
What weight are you stuck at ? how long have you been training, how long on 531 template ( two different questions) how much do you weigh, how old are you ?

All these aside, stick to the program, it’s worked for others it will work for you. Consistant hard training, consistant eating, givin enough time, will make you bigger, and stronger, especialy with a proven program.

The only way to screw this up, is to start over thinking, and doing a bunch of crap that takes your focus away from basic progression. If in doubt, take a little weight off the bar, and take another run at your max.

Thats my 2cents, without knowing more, Jim may have some better sugestions for you. Goodluck[/quote]

^
That

Also, as somebody else said; you need to make sure you’re eating.

CG BP versus FP: I guess it depends on where your bench is stuck. If you’re stuck getting it off your chest then FP isn’t going to do much for you. If you get it to midway then yeah there might be some value.

How can you make a decision after just one week? I would say give it at least 3 cycles before you ditch it. Run it as Jim says for a few cycles and then decide.
[/quote]

True. I suppose I should give it a chance. I get so damn antsy as soon as I change my template up and feel like I don’t like it, I always try to change it up again. I know I will never progress if I don’t stick to one for a few cycles like you said. I know bicep/tricep work isn’t necessary, but I like to throw them in there, along with one or two extra shoulders exercises for side laterals or front.

Getting stronger and training (not working out) takes patience and dedication. You need to commit to it.

You seem to think its the program’s fault but you need to take responsibility. One “I’m not happy” workout doesn’t constitute failure. You are 6’6" tall too - at 230 pounds…you need to gain weight.

[quote]Jim Wendler wrote:
Getting stronger and training (not working out) takes patience and dedication. You need to commit to it.

You seem to think its the program’s fault but you need to take responsibility. One “I’m not happy” workout doesn’t constitute failure. You are 6’6" tall too - at 230 pounds…you need to gain weight. [/quote]

I’m up to 235 now. I’m trying to slowly gain lean mass. I could eat as much as possible but I don’t want it to affect my MMA training. I’m trying to remain fairly lean, and up my calories. I’m taking in about 3200-3400 calories daily at the moment.

[quote]Aches89 wrote:

[quote]Jim Wendler wrote:
Getting stronger and training (not working out) takes patience and dedication. You need to commit to it.

You seem to think its the program’s fault but you need to take responsibility. One “I’m not happy” workout doesn’t constitute failure. You are 6’6" tall too - at 230 pounds…you need to gain weight. [/quote]

I’m up to 235 now. I’m trying to slowly gain lean mass. I could eat as much as possible but I don’t want it to affect my MMA training. I’m trying to remain fairly lean, and up my calories. I’m taking in about 3200-3400 calories daily at the moment. [/quote]

That’s definitely not enough food dude. I’m 5’11" 216 to 218 and I’m eating about 3800 calories I believe. My goal right now is to put on some muscle and gain strength but I’ve actually managed to stay lean, by BF% is actually down year-on-year. You’re 6’6" @ 230lbs, you should be eating a fair amount more than I am. You should talk to your coach about what you should do. Your sport requires you to manage your weight more, so you have a small challenge there for sure. What weight class do you fight in?

[quote]Jaynick77 wrote:

[quote]Aches89 wrote:

[quote]Jim Wendler wrote:
Getting stronger and training (not working out) takes patience and dedication. You need to commit to it.

You seem to think its the program’s fault but you need to take responsibility. One “I’m not happy” workout doesn’t constitute failure. You are 6’6" tall too - at 230 pounds…you need to gain weight. [/quote]

I’m up to 235 now. I’m trying to slowly gain lean mass. I could eat as much as possible but I don’t want it to affect my MMA training. I’m trying to remain fairly lean, and up my calories. I’m taking in about 3200-3400 calories daily at the moment. [/quote]

That’s definitely not enough food dude. I’m 5’11" 216 to 218 and I’m eating about 3800 calories I believe. My goal right now is to put on some muscle and gain strength but I’ve actually managed to stay lean, by BF% is actually down year-on-year. You’re 6’6" @ 230lbs, you should be eating a fair amount more than I am. You should talk to your coach about what you should do. Your sport requires you to manage your weight more, so you have a small challenge there for sure. What weight class do you fight in?[/quote]

Heavyweight division. Yeah, I need to find a way to stuff more food into my diet. I can get fat quickly if I’m not eating right, haha. I really need to buckle down and have a diet set. To give you an idea of what I eat:

Meal 1- 1 large egg, 1 cup of egg whites, scrambled. 1 cup of oats mixed with water and 1 tbsp of natural PB and 1 Greek yogurt.
Meal 2- 2 scoops of whey, 1 banana, 1 cup of almond milk, 1 cup of blueberries
Meal 3- Tuna in whole grain wraps with spinach or chicken/fish/steak, sweet potatoe/brown rice, veggies
Meal 4- chicken/steak/fish, sweet potatoe/brown rice, big salad/veggies
Meal 5- 2 cups of cottage cheese, 2 tbsp of natural PB

I might try to throw in 2 scoops of whey, and a handful of almonds in between meal 4 and 5

[quote]Aches89 wrote:
I’m currently following the Simplest Strength template. What can I do to break through this plateau? My bench is struggling big time. I really need to find a way to strengthen it. Should I add some specific exercises? Follow a different template similar to Simplest Strength?
[/quote]

I thought you were injured and had bad elbows - and had to take time off? I’m so damn confused now.

[quote]Jim Wendler wrote:

[quote]Aches89 wrote:
I’m currently following the Simplest Strength template. What can I do to break through this plateau? My bench is struggling big time. I really need to find a way to strengthen it. Should I add some specific exercises? Follow a different template similar to Simplest Strength?
[/quote]

I thought you were injured and had bad elbows - and had to take time off? I’m so damn confused now. [/quote]

Haha, Sorry Jim. I’m even confusing myself.

My elbows are feeling better, but I’m going to use the Simplest Strength template, and maybe do a 5’s pro with joker sets, or first set last - AMRAP for the main lifts.

Is it okay If I switched my Bench day to Monday instead of Thursday? And Overhead press to Thursday. I just like hitting my chest before shoulder work since I want to break through this stalled bench.

So maybe like this…
Monday- Bench
Tuesday- Deadlift
Wednesday-OFF
Thursday-Press
Friday-Squat

My other question is, If I deadlift after some back work on Bench day, will it make a difference or should I switch deadlift and squat day too?

[quote]Aches89 wrote:

[quote]Jaynick77 wrote:

[quote]Aches89 wrote:

[quote]Jim Wendler wrote:
Getting stronger and training (not working out) takes patience and dedication. You need to commit to it.

You seem to think its the program’s fault but you need to take responsibility. One “I’m not happy” workout doesn’t constitute failure. You are 6’6" tall too - at 230 pounds…you need to gain weight. [/quote]

I’m up to 235 now. I’m trying to slowly gain lean mass. I could eat as much as possible but I don’t want it to affect my MMA training. I’m trying to remain fairly lean, and up my calories. I’m taking in about 3200-3400 calories daily at the moment. [/quote]

That’s definitely not enough food dude. I’m 5’11" 216 to 218 and I’m eating about 3800 calories I believe. My goal right now is to put on some muscle and gain strength but I’ve actually managed to stay lean, by BF% is actually down year-on-year. You’re 6’6" @ 230lbs, you should be eating a fair amount more than I am. You should talk to your coach about what you should do. Your sport requires you to manage your weight more, so you have a small challenge there for sure. What weight class do you fight in?[/quote]

Heavyweight division. Yeah, I need to find a way to stuff more food into my diet. I can get fat quickly if I’m not eating right, haha. I really need to buckle down and have a diet set. To give you an idea of what I eat:

Meal 1- 1 large egg, 1 cup of egg whites, scrambled. 1 cup of oats mixed with water and 1 tbsp of natural PB and 1 Greek yogurt.
Meal 2- 2 scoops of whey, 1 banana, 1 cup of almond milk, 1 cup of blueberries
Meal 3- Tuna in whole grain wraps with spinach or chicken/fish/steak, sweet potatoe/brown rice, veggies
Meal 4- chicken/steak/fish, sweet potatoe/brown rice, big salad/veggies
Meal 5- 2 cups of cottage cheese, 2 tbsp of natural PB

I might try to throw in 2 scoops of whey, and a handful of almonds in between meal 4 and 5[/quote]

Brandon Lily mentioned this in his book and I adopted it as well, but drinking a 1/2 gallon to gallon of chocolate milk a day. A 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk by itself is ~1,200 calories I forgot the fat content but something like 160grams of carbs and 72 grams of protein. I could be off a little on the macro’s there. It’s not entirely easy to drink that much but it can be easier than having to eat it the food, better than nothing at the very least.

I’m sure Jim will have a better answer but for me it’s all about what I want to take priority. For me, my first workout of the week is Squat day and then OHP day. Those are my worst two lifts right now, I want to improve them the most, so I do them first. Then I have my off day, followed by DL day so I’m DL’ing on a day that’s somewhat fresh. Bench day is last and my upper body minus some tendonitis is pretty fresh to do a whole lot of pressing.

Random thoughts - I just dropped my food a little and average about 3200 a day at 5’7" and 165. You hit 5 reps at less than body weight. What are your other lifts? Without knowing anything else, my guess is you should drop all your maxes (a lot), run the basic 5/3/1 without any additions, BBB assistance, eat and get back to us in a year.

I am 5’6 148 lb and I eat a solid 3500 kcal per day. And I am NOT trying to gain weight.

Do exactly what jim says . Check your ego, back the weights off a little and keep at it. Backing weights down sucks but it’s worth it in the long run. Hope this helps