Some people can put in the “hard work” on the bench press.
But if you bench press is “off” and you try to put in the “hard work” or “get the volume in” on the bench press, you will have problems. You have to fix it!
Base your bench press weights on what you can move correctly, without 1 side tipping. It sucks to work super light, but you need to Train your bench properly. Not crush yourself getting pinned under heavy weights. Develop a plan to get quality reps in.
Another great Wendler quote is something about getting volume in with small exercises.
Figure what moves will “fix” your bench press, and work hard on those small exercises. Dumbbell benches, iso- rows, 1 arm dumbbell rows, facepulls, pull-overs, incline Dumbbell presses, triceps…
Pick the ones you struggle with, and you’re automatically working harder.
If you can’t get the work in using a “volume on the main lifts approach” You have to find another way.
It’s not tipping anymore with bench pressing twice a week. (I used to bench press 5x5 thrice a week during a period, to make changes. This is when this appeared, needless to say I don’t do this anymore).
This is still a problem, because this will probably happen if I ever get the horrible idea of adding 5 lbs, and that’s what my plan is all about.
Focusing on the small exercises worked recently in gaining some slight definition very quickly, but no strength gains at all.
I don’t anymore, but I used to, because everyone does it and it works for everyone, except me, so now I lift in the 5 rep range with 155 and in the 8-10 rep ranges with 135 (on different days). I have also recently tried the wave thing (3 2 1, 3 2 1) that I read from an article there. I could complete the first two waves (155x3, 160x2,165x1 then 160x3,165x2,170x1) but failed the third wave. I am a bit disappointed because the 170x1 felt really easy, and read from another article that waves aren’t a very smart thing to do when working in the very low rep range. (I should have done a strictly decreasing amount of reps I guess, like 5,4,3,2,1 or just 3,2,1,1,1) but I will only do this like once every month max, as I heard doing it too often isn’t a good plan.
What I have noticed through, is that the higher the amount of reps, the longer I need to recover from it, it seems… 135x (8-10) >155x5 >170x1 to me, for some reason. Maybe because I’m accustomed to low rep ranges.
Anyway, I have tried this very recently and can’t draw conclusions right now, even if I’m certainly still not adding 5 lbs every week like a very slow gainer girl should at this stage.
Describe how you execute each exercise. Do you create tension and lift with the intent to accelerate for each rep regardless of bar speed and fatigue level from the 1st to the last or do you lift like a little girly man and only consider grinding and making a silly face on the last 2 reps a display of effort?
I’m trying my best to lift at the same speed within each set, but it always decreases to some extent* (first rep is faster than the last one). I create tension by squeezing the bar and my shoulder blades. My face is contracted from the get-go, because it helps me stay focused. I am grinding on the last few reps of the last set (if I struggle early, like in my first or second set, then it’s too heavy for me to go on, and I have to deload. I have tried going on anyway, this only led to failed reps.) I still lift like a little girly man because muscles just don’t want to grow, so adding weight isn’t sustainable. Neural adaptation can only go so far…
*Unless I am focusing on doing very slow reps with a light weight (say, 135 lbs for 5), in which case I keep the exact same speed, but this didn’t prove very helpful
I’m not sure if you understand. You should be lifting with the “intent to accelerate” the bar. This means you are applying full force on the bar regardless of how slowly the bar actually moves. If the bar is decreasing in speed “to some extent”, you are either not lifting fast enough from the start or you are not going close enough to technical failure to elicit gains.
No one will call you a little girly man if you look like you are putting in the effort (I’m just joking with the girly man term btw). It doesn’t matter how much you are lifting or how developed you are.
I’m not sure what your objective is. Why slow reps?
Hypertrophy work is meant to build muscle, which I can’t do due to genetic limitations. I am currently trying alternating with a 8-10 reps scheme, but I can’t draw conclusions since I’ve tried it only one month. I’ll probably need a year or two to see if I can add 5 lbs, meaning it worked, or 0 lbs, meaning it didn’t work. The latter being much more likely…
I used to aim for 0.75-1kg of lean meat a day (beef, chicken, fish for good fats…) which provides around 200g of proteins and 1500-2000 kcals, olive oil (hard to say… maybe 200 kcals ?), eggs from time to time, and pasta for carbs. Pastas is where I make the most variations depending on bf%. No pasta and I can either be on a slight deficit or at maintenance (but have less energy). Pastas help me get above maintenance. Right now, it’s still basically the same except I’m not getting over 2500 ever, because of how fat-to-muscle ratio gains is high. I don’t get fat anymore, and don’t get muscle growth (as opposed to fat gains and no muscle gains).
Also, a recent problem I have is that I am doing an internship preventing me from eating healthy at noon (I am not poor nor wealthy, and live like 5 mins away, but because of ‘friendship’, ‘respect’ and all the boring stuff, I am forced to eat with my team in a poormans uni where only mentally ill vegans eat and where 50g of food is a luxury). So I have to eat a lot after that, i.e. 6 or 7pm, when I go to the gym at 7.5pm. Nice…
Slow reps were supposed to help build muscle by focusing on a slow descent. (I would still get the bar up quickly, just slowing down significantly during the descent)
I am assuming this because anyone can build muscle in two years even doing everything wrong. I have seen people build muscle doing nothing but machine exercises and eating when they feel like doing it.
My personal trainer suggested it too when I told him I wasn’t making any progress
Also, most people don’t need to ask for help desperately, even if they’re doing something wrong they’re gonna build muscle, just more slowly. And there’s that too that kinda confirm my claim http://main.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/1056/What_To_Do_When_Muscles_Dont_Grow_.aspx
(point #3)
They’re not much smaller than the average. Dad isn’t big, but had some eating disorder and is a vegan, so he’s skinny. (especially now he’s getting a bit old). Mom decided to have me when she was 38. Who in their right mind would wait 38 to get a child. They did and now I am miserable with shitty genes.