KenDowns wrote:This post has been bothering me because it seems, to put it bluntly, impossible. I'm pretty sure something is missing from the story.
1) weight and reps. You are benching 105 since day 1 for how many sets and reps?
2) you have been unable to improve the reps or the weight?
3) are you going to failure or simply going to some sense of comfort or safety before stopping?
4) Do you have a spotter who is handing off the weight?
4a) If no spotter, do you have pins or other safety gear to prevent getting stapled to the bench?
4b) If no spotter and no pins, are you afraid? Well if you have any brains you are afraid of having 105 hovering over your chest and face, but does the fear hold you back?
5) Why are you doing flat-back? Just wondering. If the answer is something like, "I don't know really just kind of started that way" or "My friend showed me that way" then you might look at powerlifting style. (That's what Oscar was heading for)
6) Your improvement on every other lift has been steady?
7) Normally we might go after diet and sleep, but you say the other lifts are improving.
8) OK, stretching here, but is bench day different in some way from the other days, like:
-- Have to work overtime night before
-- G/F won't let you sleep a wink, and you ain't got nothin left for her but she keeps coming at you
-- No time to eat that day because of work/life/something
Lots of good questions. Here we go:
1) i am (and have been) benching 105 since day 1. I started out shooting for max 6 reps for 3 sets in all exercises (to list for strength) so i chose a weigh i could accomplish that and feel like i could only do 1 maybe 2 more reps on my last set. After about 6 weeks i moved to shooting for 8-12 reps for 3 sets (just to mix my routine up). Since i've been told lifting 1-6 reps is good for strength, and 8-12 is good for hypertrophy, i kept the bench at max 6 reps. I figured i needed to focus more on strength before size for my (sadly weak) chest. So i kept the same weight i was lifting before.
2)neither the weight or reps have improved, and when lifting my body fatigues right at the same time. (Meaning benching 105 for 3 sets of 6 has not gotten easier)
3)i am lifting with 6 rep max and stopping when i feel like i could only do 1 or 2 more reps on my last set
4a,b) i don't have a spotter. And i do use pins but am always a little nervous of trying do push myself too hard out of fear of muscle failure and being "stapled to the bench" haha
5) i've always done flat bench. No real reason other than i want to be able to bench a 45lb plates on eah side haha. I'm open to different styles and incl/decl but i just started out on a flat bench so stayed.
6/7) bench is the only exercise i haven't been improving on
8) as far as i can tell, bench day is no different than any other day. I encorporate it in my Push days (2per week) but besides that i can't tell any difference in the day.
Thanks for all the thoughts!