Anyone have any tips for bench press plateus? It's by far my weakest lift and seemed to have hit a wall.

Just started the program today. Wanted to get this on my watch list.

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Just started the program today. Wanted to get this on my watch list.

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I'm about 6 workouts back in. FORM. FORM. FORM. I forgot that on one workout and had to start over due to injury.

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Anyone have any tips for bench press plateus? It's by far my weakest lift and seemed to have hit a wall.

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Are you consciously maintaining form during the lift, or are you just laying down and pushing the barbell?

This thread has impressed me with its longevity so I'm going to do my part to keep it alive, too. I won't be posting after each workout, but I will try to post at least weekly with progress updates. I'm going in to this with a couple of minor nagging injuries (left shoulder and right biceps), so hopefully the low starting weight will allow mr to get through those.

Workout A today-
Squat 5x5 @ 95
BP 5x5 @ 95
Row 5x5 @ 65

All were very light and I rushed through, but I'm going to make myself stick to the prescribed weight increases. I always plateau earlier than I feel like I should and I am hoping this gets methrough those.

The app is pretty cool, by the way.

This time I'm bumping up the weights faster if the workout is easy, and doing multiple sets at once if I can.

Those days are rapidly coming to an end, but if there is someone who's been working out, then I'd say if you can do multiple sets at once with good form at the lighter weights then go for it. I've also been running after the workouts also, to burn extra calories until I start missing reps.

yeah I try to post every month or so.

Last update I was able to even out my lifts a bit, but since then I have got uneven a little bit again. Bench is getting way ahead of Squat and DL.

Logged on 9/15/2015:

• Bodyweight: 182 lbs
• Age: 28
• Back Squat: 305 lbs x 5
• Deadlift: 345 lbs x 5
• Bench Press: 275 lbs x 6
• Overhead Press: 160 lbs x 5
• Pendlay Row: 180 lbs x 5

https://symmetricstrength.com/

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I know this thread is dead but screw it.

I'm on week four or so. My last weights were:
Squat 130
Bench 130
Deadlift 155
OHP 85 - should be 90 but my gym lacks 2.5 lbers
Row 90

I didn't start at the bottom on everything, and generally the weights have felt light. I'm starting to have to do some legitimate work now.


Not having 2.5 lb weights makes for some interesting jumps and such. I don't mind being uneven on weights a little on the row, but won't do it on something I'm lifting over my head. I'll generally do two days at the same weight and jump 10 lbs instead of five to keep the linear progression.

I get off my ship at the end of November and I'm hoping to keep going with something similar but tweaked when I get home.

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Please never do that.

Just make the jump up.

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I know this thread is dead but screw it.

I'm on week four or so. My last weights were:
Squat 130
Bench 130
Deadlift 155
OHP 85 - should be 90 but my gym lacks 2.5 lbers
Row 90

I didn't start at the bottom on everything, and generally the weights have felt light. I'm starting to have to do some legitimate work now.


Not having 2.5 lb weights makes for some interesting jumps and such. I don't mind being uneven on weights a little on the row, but won't do it on something I'm lifting over my head. I'll generally do two days at the same weight and jump 10 lbs instead of five to keep the linear progression.

I get off my ship at the end of November and I'm hoping to keep going with something similar but tweaked when I get home.

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http://www.amazon.com/Body-Solid-Olympic-Iron-Weight-Plates/dp/B003EUVHN2

buy your own 2.5LBS plates and keep them in your gym bag.

You shoukd try filming yourself.

I recently got back into it. I saw real gains in my maxes back when I did it so I figure why not try it again.

Video is king, but most likely it's range of motion in the posterior chain limiting you. Hips/knees more likely ankle ls deep in the squat coming off the bottom?

When I lacked range of motion in the ankles, I had to bend more at the waist to compensate. Spooky when pushing a PR with too much lean in my back.

Have you seen this?
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1856085

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26252837

I think the lifting bros are sort of coming around to the idea that unless you are a power lifter that maybe low back squats aren't for everyone. Front squats sure are easier, yeah you don't get to throw on 3 plates and grunt but it seems a ton more natural for me.

Just started this workout. Started workout A
Squat 65
Bench 65
Row 55

What does everyone do as a warmup?

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Just started this workout. Started workout A
Squat 65
Bench 65
Row 55

What does everyone do as a warmup?

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Right now, that is the warm up. Get the app, there is a warmup set unlock for it, but for now, just focus on FORM

you will thank yourself later. If you are not feeling worked out enough, do some cardio after the workout to burn extra calories for now. You'll know when it's time to quit doing it on workout days soon enough.

I have the app. Is it worth paying the $10 to unlock it? Prior to starting I had not worked out for a few years and I definetly can feel it even with the light weight.

Not worth it IMO

Worth it to me because I don't feel like doing the math. I just do what it says and off I go. Nothing fancy, but an all in one solution.

I've worked out for years and years so it's all second nature to me.

Second day of squats feels like my legs are on fire

Did you start empty bar? If not do so.

I never had soreness until I took a 6 month layoff and came back too heavy. Hurt for 3 days. Pride in this program early will get you hurt.

Follow the program to the letter for 6 months and you will be out lifting just about everyone in the gym.

Yeah, I started with 65lbs and lifted 70lbs yesterday. I will drop back down to 45lbs on Friday.

So I've been at this for almost a month now and I'm really pleased with the program. The weights are not challenging yet but they are getting close and I'm really feel like the slow, extremely linear progression will benefit me down the road.

It's all about form right now. Every day you are getting 25 reps of 3 exercises with good form because it is low weight. If you jump up weight too fast, you will start having reps with bad form. Then you will be teaching your body poor form just to speed up your progression. Once it actually gets heavy, you will need all those good mechanics you've subconsciously developed to lean on.

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I thought about that but it getting mail on my ship is spotty at best. Ive been looking around wherever I go but no dice. Looking some more places tomorrow. On the row with the weight I'm using, it isn't hard to hold the bar so the difference in weight is offset, but I'm about done with this method as things are getting heavier.

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Get creative with it... Might look dumb, but get a couple of plastic grocery bags, and find a couple things that weigh around 2.5 pounds and put it in there.

When I went thru the first time it got real about week 7, which is also the week that began the streak of leaving the gym each day with a PR in every lift, and eventually a few failures.

I had to basically start over due to a long stupidity induced injury layoff during week 10, and I will tell you this about form: If I don't like the form on the rep, it's a missed rep for me now. The goal is no longer getting the rep, it's perfect form for the rep, every rep. The weight will come when the weight will come, and it is coming back fast.

What really blows my mind about the program is the strength gains with no soreness. Well no soreness unless you take time off and don't deload enough. Worst soreness I ever had was not deloading enough the first workout back from my injury, 3 full very long days of every step letting me know I'd done more than I should have. 4th day, nothing.

Had a 3 week layoff recently because I decided to not pay to workout on my trip, even the 20% deload let me know it was there for a couple of days, (I'd also tweaked my form a bit which engaged a few more muscles that hadn't been before), so from now on, even if it's only 1 or two workouts a week on the road, I'm there.

I guess the moral of the story for folks new to the program, even if you have lifted before is to start light, be a fanatic about form, especially on the squats. I posted above, even if you run the program from bar only on day one, in 12 weeks you will be lifting more than 90+% of the people in your gym, for the simple reason that you will progress faster than all of them on the program.

The body always amazes me. Little boy kept us up several times last night and I was still able to survive the snooze button at 4:50 this morning. One of the best 5x5 workouts I've had on 5 very interrupted hours of sleep. Really pleased with the progress I'm making in squats. Super tempted to jump this morning to my ultimate goal of 305. I'll just wait.

Logged on 10/27/2015: (CHANGE SINCE 9/15/15)

• Bodyweight: 180 lbs (-2 LBS)
• Age: 28
• Back Squat: 325 lbs x 5 (+20 LBS)
• Deadlift: 385 lbs x 5 (+40 LBS)
• Bench Press: 285 lbs x 5 (+10 LBS)
• OH Press: 165 lbs x 5 (+5 LBS)
• Pendlay Row: 195 lbs x 5 (+15 LBS)

https://symmetricstrength.com/

Finally got past my nagging 125# plateau on OH Press. Also get to put on 300# for squats next workout which I'm pretty excited about.

Good job. Three plates is where the fun begins.