Hi all,
I've been on Starting Strength for about 8 months now. My deadlift has gotten up to 150+kg and my squat is 130+kg. I'm quite happy with the progression in these lifts but my bench and military press have seen very little progression (70kg and 50kg+ respectively). I am also only able to do a few chin ups and am unable to do wide grip pull ups without assistance.
If you compare the amount of (or lack of) muscle I had before, I guess I shouldn't be complaining but after reading some of the training logs on here, I feel my upper body strength should be greater.
I just wanted to ask if people have had similar experience with their progression on the same program and see if people have any possible solutions. I have two other friends that are on starting strength and also lack the strength in their upper body. I know Markos said that a beginner should be able to bench 100, squat 140 and DL 180 and I feel like I will not be able to meet the bench. I don't think I have form issues but I can try and record myself next time if requested. Perhaps I just need to grow a set and push harder.
Any comments would be appreciated
Bodyweight is pretty important for the bench press
Eat more sleep longer train harder...
You are correct that is a weak press to squat/dead ratio. You could try and add more volume and give it 8 weeks and see how you progress (5x5) or increase the frequency of your MP and BP. What was were your numbers before you start training?
Every beginner has form issues. Post up some videos, mate.
How much do you weigh and how tall are you big fella?
If it were me i wouldnt worry just yet - technically you could do some more upper body work but it would completely bastardize the program. You have much further you can get out of it. You should be able to get to 150-160kg in the squat for 3x5 and 180-200 in the deadlift for 5 reps. by then you should manage a 100kg bench easy.
curious did you do cleans or rows?
You could try focusing on the presses, by performing them first each day (before squats). It is possible that you are not recovering fully between exercises, so putting the upper body movements before squats/deads (the most taxing exercises) will ensure more energy can be put towards them.
I figured someone was going to say something like thatI'm on my break from uni and I've really put in the effort to straighten up my diet and get 180 grams of protein a day. Being Asian, I get plenty of carbs too. I know my rest is great because I'm able to sleep in everyday
I'm not so keen on changing too much of the program. I've tried different repetition patters like 5x5 and 4x8 but always end up going back to 3x5 because I want to stay consistent. My working set started at 40kgs 3x5
I'll try get some videos up asap
Currently, I'm at 183cm weighing 84kg (23% body fat)
Yes, these are my thoughts exactly but it seems like all the kids care about nowadays is the bench. When I mention the progress I made on my squat, I often get a stupid sarcastic remark like "Oh, good for you. Girls really like looking at big legs".
Sorry, I should have made it more clear in my initial post. Yes, I do clean and row. My row is roughly on par with my bench and I just started doing power cleans recently. Form is a tricky thing to grasp for the clean though and I just look like an idiot when I do them. As for the accessory work like chin ups and dips, I do these but recently have not been able to because I've started going to the gym in the evening when it is busy. I would go earlier if I could but for work reasons with my gym partner, I can't. I can almost do 2x8 dips unassisted but there is only one place to do dips in my gym and I figure it would be better to just take my whey protein and get out of there than to wait 20 minutes for accessory work.
I haven't thought of it that way before. However, if I do this, it would mean that I would be doing a press, squat and a pull in that order. I'm not so sure if I should be squatting before a deadlift.
"Oh, good for you. Girls really like looking at big legs"
I've been on Starting Strength for about 8 months now.
Okay, at 84kg with 7 months of training, its clearly obvious your program is not working.
You seem dead against changing it.
Good luck with your 70kg bench press.
Things I have found with bench are:
- You need plenty of volume - we will hit bench/variations 2-3 times a week. (speed and max effort) - I do chuck in some higher volume db press from time to time also - i.e anywhere from 15-50 reps.
- Heaps of tricep work - myself and most of my guys will hit triceps 3-4 times a week - heavy board pressing, JM press, close grip, higher volume with band press downs.
- Upper back work - I do alot of face pulls, rear db raises - again done 2-3 times a week.
- Heavy heavy back work
Most importantly learn how to bench right - I honestly think its the hardest thing to teach - most of the time a form correction can lead to a good 10kg increase in bench right away.....but if your not benching right you wont go anywhere with it.
theres your problem. fix it. im not saying SS is crap, i started out on it and loved it, but after 3-4 months you need to move onto something else.
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