I’ve been lifting for 7 years. Always been a fat kid. Gyno from puberty. Got lean in the Army. Tits never went away. Since I got out I got fat again but as I gained weight I got stronger. A lot stronger. Jumped from 265 bench to 340 in 2 years. Hit a wall. Figured I’d take something to help. My dad’s been on for 15 years so I asked him. He told me I had to loose weight or he wouldn’t help me out. I can accept that. Started cardio and diet. Lost about 15 lbs in 3 months and lost 25 off my bench in the same time frame. There has to be a way to loose the weight without dropping power so dramatically. It’s not worth losing the weight to be able to take something to get me back to where I was before I lost the weight… Those gains were tough to get and now gone… Any advice would be much appreciated.
No shit sherlock.
Sounds pretty standard if you ask me. Whenever there’s any amount of weight loss, the lifts that usually get hit the hardest are the bench/overhead press. Just cut calories at a slower pace and you should be good to go.
It’s not dramatic, get over yourself.
That does seem like more than I’d expect especially considering it was over 3 months.
What weight did you start at and how has your training changed?
What does your diet look like? Have you been tracking it closely? What does your workout look like?
on what?
So 340 is your all time max correct?
You have to work heavy occasionally while you losing weight to keep up your strength. Working the nervous system works well too, so work speed 50-80% and 90% occasionally.
I think you need a high protein diet. From time to time I read articles saying that high protein, low carb diet maintains muscle while leaning out, including at least one on this site.
But you might just be tired because you are trying to diet and lift weights at the same time. Have you looked at articles about weight lifting exercises that are better for losing weight than cardio? Personally I’ve found the lower the ass goes during squats the better the fat burner it is. Other people swear by loaded carries. I also lost fat without losing muscle when I took a boxing class, but it had a really serious coach and lasted longer than most gym classes will.
To be honest @forced_exile need a little more insight regarding you , for anyone to give you any educated advice.
Was 250 down to 235.
Only training change is i do treadmill 3 days a week.
He won’t tell me exactly.
Yes 340 was my absolute max single.
For a little added info:
I’m 5’5-6 235lbs
29 yrs old
i workout every day for about 45-1hr
power rack in my basement i do:
flat and decline bench every other day
squats (very light for reps) twice a week
deadlifts (very light for reps)twice a week
Cardio:
youtube vids for aerobic cardio (like 10 min abs stuff like that) twice a week)
tradmill in the house three or four times a week (less than two miles a rip)
Diet:
eggs or cereal for breakfast
w/e i can grab for lunch
meat n veg (most days)
(no soft drinks/sugar)
TL;DR the weight loss caused you to lose a bit off your bench so you now can only lift 315 lbs instead of 340 lbs - which was an all-time max, so arguably what you could get for a single on any given day was probably closer to 320-330 lbs at the time. That means you’ve probably lost no more than 5-15 lbs off your bench, which is very reasonable considering you’ve lost 25 lbs (well done, btw).
Now, at 5’5-6 and 250 lbs you were really quite fat - probably 30% bodyfat or so, maybe more. At 235 lbs and 5’5-6 you’re still fat unfortunately. That means you’re not carrying that much muscle, so any bodyweight you lose is REALLY going to hit your bench.
I wouldn’t worry too much in that case, because you’re still benching a respectable amount (three plates is respectable as far as I’m concerned unless you’re a PLer) and getting leaner. When you reach the leanness you want, you can start building your bench back up. Clean up your diet, train a bit harder and things will fall into place over time.
FYI when you make comment like[quote=“forced_exile, post:1, topic:227071”]
My dad’s been on for 15 years so I asked him
[/quote]
on a forum like this they assume you mean gear
over kill
Define light?
Less frequently?
135lbs 1 set 10
225 2 sets 10
possibly… what does your actual Bench routine looks like on average sets reps and working weight?
Start with bar as a sort of stretch
on a light day:
135 lbs 6 reps
225 lbs 5 reps
275 lbs 3 reps
225 lbs 8-12 reps
Heavy day:
225 lbs 3 reps
275 lbs 2 reps
295 lbs 1 rep
315 lbs 1 rep
(used to try for a max after that but now 315 is max so…)
I’m about to go in the basement and lift. I can post video of my fat ass struggling with 315 if it would help you get your head around my situation.
Do you do any squats or dead lifts?
“If your goal is to lose weight, then you should focus on that. The focus should not be on increasing your bench press. You can’t serve two masters, at least not for very long. This is how stupid people act; they say one thing and do another.”
-Jim Wendler
is Bench squats and deads all you do?