Bench press increased and is now decreasing?

timstevens1993

Hi!

About a month and a half ago I had just moved on to 100kg bench press for 2 - which led me to PB'ing at 102.5kg. However after a couple of weeks of being able to do that I took a week off bench because of a lack of my spotter/gym buddy being there and did volume on dumbbells. Now I can only lift 90kg for 4 at a push.

Any one got an explanation for this? And how can I fix this? I assume the apparent fix is building up again, so my real question is what is an effective program to building up again?

psuLemon

Sometimes, you just have bad days... unfortunately for me, it was on my PR day, lol. Try again in a week or two.

sammyliftsandeats

You can look into Wendler's 5/3/1 to get get stronger at benching (or any other lift).

Basically, you take your max lift and deduct 10% of that and that's your 'training max'. You work in percentages of your training max each week.

One week it's 3x5, then it's 3x3, and then it's 5/3/1. And the idea is for you to get more reps on your last set. So in 5/3/1, it's actually 1+ so you'd be going for 1 or more reps of 95% of your training max.

There's a book available, but this article explains the program pretty well.

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/531-how-to-build-pure-strength

timstevens1993

I've struggled at bench now for a few weeks, not just one day!

psuLemon

Have you tried a 1RM? Because you are comparing 90x4 vs102.5x1.

timstevens1993

I haven't tried one recently, but after struggling to lift 90x4 I don't think I'd be able to much more than that.

I have read about the 5/3/1 so it may be worth giving that a go.

What are people's experiences of it?

psuLemon

timstevens1993 wrote: »

I haven't tried one recently, but after struggling to lift 90x4 I don't think I'd be able to much more than that.

I have read about the 5/3/1 so it may be worth giving that a go.

What are people's experiences of it?

If your goal is strength, it's a solid platform.

sammyliftsandeats

timstevens1993 wrote: »

I haven't tried one recently, but after struggling to lift 90x4 I don't think I'd be able to much more than that.

I have read about the 5/3/1 so it may be worth giving that a go.

What are people's experiences of it?

I am in my second cycle right now and I am enjoying it.

It is not as fast progressing as Stronglifts 5x5 which was my program prior to 5/3/1 but you definitely do make progress. I do one lift per day 4x a week with assistance exercises, rather than squatting 3x a week which can get hard when you're doing it heavy (for me anyways).

It includes a deload week, which is nice to give your body a rest, and it helps your body prepare for the next cycle.

I am definitely noticing strength gains, even in bench, which was my weakest lift in Stronglifts.

TR0berts

timstevens1993 wrote: »

Hi!

About a month and a half ago I had just moved on to 100kg bench press for 2 - which led me to PB'ing at 102.5kg. However after a couple of weeks of being able to do that I took a week off bench because of a lack of my spotter/gym buddy being there and did volume on dumbbells. Now I can only lift 90kg for 4 at a push.

Any one got an explanation for this? And how can I fix this? I assume the apparent fix is building up again, so my real question is what is an effective program to building up again?

How did you build up to your previous PB? Did you like it? If so, you could probably do that again/more.

timstevens1993

I was literally just thinking the same thing! It would definitely make sense to try that.

Half the problem is choosing a good program!

psuLemon

Do you have goals outside of a bench number? The way i look at it, doing a program solely to increase your 1RM is like having a car that is a dyno queen. Ita good for conversation but it doesn't support what you really want.

timstevens1993

My goal is to gain some size all over my body really. My chest has always lacked in that department.

All other exercises I have made progress with, I'm eating more and exercise the same amount.

Chieflrg

timstevens1993 wrote: »

I haven't tried one recently, but after struggling to lift 90x4 I don't think I'd be able to much more than that.

I have read about the 5/3/1 so it may be worth giving that a go.

What are people's experiences of it?

If your using it for a novice program its fine as most any program will get you stronger.

If your using it for an intermediate program, its poorly written and their are better ones out there depending on your goals.

blackcomaro

Never lost that sort of weight after a week.
Maybe your spotter was helping with your lift?
Did you also loose body weight in this period?

sijomial

The very knowledgeable and helpful SideSteel set up a bench press program for me which you may like to incorporate into your overall routine.... Can be found here:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10492467/january-q-and-a-thread/p1

I'm making slow progress after being stuck around 100kg for ages but you have a considerable advantage in your age.

BTW - don't make snap judgements from one bad session in the gym. We all have good days and bad days.

JB035

I wouldn't worry about how much your 2RM is, you need to worry more about how testing your 2RM and 1RM in excess is negatively effecting your ability to get stronger.

You shouldn't be testing that much. At the least you should test a 1RM every 10 - 13 weeks on a solid progression program.

If you continue to put stress on your central nervous system all the time by testing the your max abilities it's going to stunt your strength gains. You need to get on a program and even though it's tempting to test early; wait!

diezel67

Dead bench press try it.

JonDrees

You're kind of comparing apples to oranges. See if your 1RM is the same. On a side note, you wouldn't lose your strength in 1 week - you actually become stronger after a few days off.

timstevens1993

Thanks for the replies everyone!

barbellsandbellydance

If you are a novice you will gain both muscle and strength with a simple linear program. The more advanced you are, the more complex your program will need to be. A hypertrophy program will help you put on muscle mass and the key to this is volume and tempos. A strength program will use much lower volume and your SOM will be much faster so that you can lift as heavy as possible. They are two different goals that require totally different programs, but they work well if you alternate between them as a bigger muscle has more potential to become stronger and vice versa. You need to choose one type of program and see it through for now. If you're trying to put on size right now, you shouldn't even be worrying about your 1rm and instead tracking your progress by measurements etc. If you have any other questions, let me know

AnvilHead

barbellsandbellydance wrote: »

If you are a novice you will gain both muscle and strength with a simple linear program. The more advanced you are, the more complex your program will need to be. A hypertrophy program will help you put on muscle mass and the key to this is volume and tempos. A strength program will use much lower volume and your SOM will be much faster so that you can lift as heavy as possible. They are two different goals that require totally different programs, but they work well if you alternate between them as a bigger muscle has more potential to become stronger and vice versa. You need to choose one type of program and see it through for now. If you're trying to put on size right now, you shouldn't even be worrying about your 1rm and instead tracking your progress by measurements etc. If you have any other questions, let me know

You've copy/pasted this answer to two different threads. So is it your opinion, then, that no hypertrophy will occur on a strength program and no strength increase will occur on a hypertrophy program?