clueless on the bench press

[Gary]

I have a problem. My bench is stuck, really badly and frustratingly stuck. I weigh around 170 lbs and I can put up 215 once . Right now i dont care at all about definition, i just want to build some upper body strength.

 

i think a problem is my job. i handle heavy boxes for a living, most of the time i am pressing them above my head onto converyor belts. it really kills my shoulders and chest.

 

i have been doing around 9 sets per body part, 2 body parts a day. monday through friday. is this too much? i feel exhausted. i eat as much as i can, but funds are a little dry as of late so rice and lentils are my meals. my friend that lifts with me is gaining fast on the same schedule but his job is not a physical one. any input is greatly appreciated because my lower body gains fast but my entire upper body is weak. thanks!

[jonathan]

Yeah that is too much really. I would try and avoid thinking of your body as individual parts and think instead of planes of movement. A classic idea is to have a push day, a pull day and a leg day. I would try to stick to three, or a maximum of four days of training a week. What I do at the moment is this:

 

Tuesday:

Push press 2-3working sets

Power cleans 2-3working sets

Deadlifts 2 working sets

 

Friday:

Squats 2-3 working sets

Bench 2-3 working sets

Narrow grip bench 2 sets

 

Sunday:

Strongman training with yoke walks, farmers walk, stones, tyre flipping, log press and other random things.

 

As most people obviously do not have access to strongman equipment I would take deads off Tuesday, and do them on Sunday. I would add bent over rows to tuesday, and on Sunday add some chins/curls and some core work.

 

I seem to find that the lower volume suits the heavier workouts that I do. That said, I do want to experiment with higher volume, lower intensity in the future so I will keep you posted

 

Jonathan

[Gary]

yeah that seems to make more sense, maybe i will have some energy left for the rest of my day. one last question for you, how many warm up sets per exercise is good?

[CollegeB]

I had a similar problem when I lost weight, changed gyms and routines, the bench went down. I have not gained weight but im back up to my old bench weight. Resting the body certainly helps. Eating some food about half an hour before you go might also help a little. when I did have a spotter I was making gains quickly since they could save me if I failed so perhaps a spotter is available to you. I dont really warm up much especially if you are doing the planes of movement, one warm up set of 10 reps is my usual.

[Gary]

wow, i started the routine(changed a little bit to better accommodate my week) that you gave me jonathan. i've never done power cleans before, what a humbling experience. i basically just tried to get the movement down this week with 165 lbs. i am more sore than i have been in a long time. im excited. and its soreness and not pain like i have been feeling the last few months. time to eat like crazy and probably get fat haha.

 

the one problem is my friend i lift with is going for complete opposite. he wants to lose fat and cut up, he's gotten soft over the years. it sort of conflicts with my workout. he's not vegan and he's clueless about exercise. after we lift he refuses to take a protein shake because it has "extra calories". ten minutes later he's drinking a soda and eating meat loaf. ugh frustrating. sorry for getting off topic by the way.

[wannalift]

if you are just learning power cleans than 165 is way way too much to be using. i can pretty much guarantee that you are not using good form and am muscling up the weight. most people don't have the patience, but you should really be using an empty bar to start out with and build up slowly. otherwise you learn/use very little technique and will not go very far with the exercise. you have to learn properly the concept of "jumping with the bar". re: almost all of the power should be coming from your legs/hips.

[jonathan]

Agreed. But I would say that you have to move to using a reasonable weight fairly soon as it's quite hard avoiding reverse curling a lighter weight. I would say stick with 135lb for the moment.

 

Jonathan