Why are squats easier than bench press?

flashy0070

Hi, I am doing the stronglifts 5x5 program and I am finding that the squats are a lot easier to go up in weight than the bench press which I find a struggle, is it down to form or is it just normal for squats to be easier? Thanks.

usmcmp

Legs are stronger than arms and chest. It's that way with almost everyone. Usually you plateau on bench press and overhead press far earlier than squats or deadlifts.

DaddieCat

Because your lower body is stronger than your upper? More muscle mass down there? Could be form, could be a million other things too. Only way for anyone to evaluate would be for you to post some form videos.

flashy0070

Thanks a lot for your replies! I will check my form and just keep on trying!

FrankWhite27330

I bench more then I squat

usmcmp

FrankWhite27330 wrote: »

I bench more then I squat

Do you squat and bench at the same frequency and volume or do you train bench more?

flashy0070

On the stronglifts 5x5 program you squat every workout and you bench every other workout, so I am squatting twice as much as bench pressing?

DavPul

FrankWhite27330 wrote: »

I bench more then I squat

unless you have an infirmity that you're waiting to unveil after someone responds, it sounds like you need to squat with more weight, with more frequency, and with more focus.

cwolfman13

generally speaking, people's lower bodies are stronger than their upper bodies...your legs carry around a lot of weight all of the time.

Willbenchforcupcakes

DavPul wrote: »

FrankWhite27330 wrote: »

I bench more then I squat

unless you have an infirmity that you're waiting to unveil after someone responds, it sounds like you need to squat with more weight, with more frequency, and with more focus.

Yup. I do know many benchers who clearly bench more than they squat or pull, but their leverages are simply perfect for benching. I'm happy to have finally moved off of team bench more than I squat in the last couple weeks.

As for the original question, for the very vast majority of people, your squat will be a stronger lift than bench. More muscle moving the weight.

flashy0070

But why is it easier to go up in weight?
I understand that in general you will lift more with your legs but I find my squats go up every time but my bench does not go up as frequent?

Willbenchforcupcakes

flashy0070 wrote: »

But why is it easier to go up in weight?
I understand that in general you will lift more with your legs but I find my squats go up every time but my bench does not go up as frequent?

I'd be willing to bet on a form issue. It's far easier to muscle out a couple kg on a squat with not fantastic form than it is on bench.

jemhh

I'm not sure what you're doing diet - wise but I've found that upper body lifts tend to stall more quickly than lower body when I'm in a deficit.

nossmf

When I started lifting, it took me a year to double the weight I was benching. In that same span, I tripled my squat.

DavPul

flashy0070 wrote: »

But why is it easier to go up in weight?
I understand that in general you will lift more with your legs but I find my squats go up every time but my bench does not go up as frequent?

because that's how it is? like the same reason the sky is blue and water is wet? would you be happier if you struggled more on squats so that they were just as hard to progress on as OHP?

your legs are a much larger muscle mass system than what you use to bench. they're also better adapted to recover and improve. but trust me, you will eventually hit a wall where adding a 1 pound plate to each side brings failure. you just aren't there yet.

so while the good times are flowing, enjoy it and keep progressing on the good stuff and keep fighting on the hard stuff. other than that i don't understand what type of answer you're looking here. just go work out.

natecooper75

I think the answer has more to do with the muscles involved. Typically, the largest muscles in your body (barring some genetic issues or traumatic injuries) are the ones that are the main movers in the squat. By comparison, the main movers in the bench press are a smaller set of muscles.

giantrobot_powerlifting

The shoulder is a messy, contrived complex of muscle, tendon, and ligaments and is just not as efficient as producing the force it takes to move as heavy of weights.

jacksonpt

flashy0070 wrote: »

But why is it easier to go up in weight?
I understand that in general you will lift more with your legs but I find my squats go up every time but my bench does not go up as frequent?

Either (1) Because you're closer to your max weight on the bench than you are on the squat, (2) because of your form/technique, or (3) the nature of the lifts... muscles involved, range of motion, etc etc.