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Bench Press Powerlifting / Strength Program

Vitruvian Man

Vitruvian Man

Member
Sup y’all recently stalling out on the Texas Method with a 5x5 at 260 and 5RM at 280. Max is probably between 320-330lbs.

What should I move onto?
 
I like 5/3/1, it makes it fun when you use different weight % and rep ranges from week to week.
 
Yeah, @Resolve10 worded that well. TBH, any program you pick can work. I'd investigate the reason you stalled out. Diet, fatigue, technique, life, ect. If you believe it's the program that made you stall, then what aspect of it?
 
There are other strength programs or powerlifting programs you can try, but what I have found to be true regarding bench is it’s only going to go up if you get better technique, gain muscle, and/or gain bodyweight (which increases stability, leverage, and muscle almost by default).

So every program can be used to increase your bench if it satisfies one or more of those conditions. What will be harder is if you lose bodyweight.

Increasing bench frequency can help by giving you more practice. And more frequency can stimulate more muscle, as could increasing total weekly pressing volume (irrespective of frequency). But you also need to recover from that so the ability to increase these is finite - more is not always better. It’s not going to do you any good pressing 3 times a week and getting tendinitis, or press so much volume you strain your pec. Bench once or twice per week, and be pressing twice per week somehow.

You basically just need to keep training hard, consistently, for a really long time on any mindful strength program and you will slowly get stronger. Avoid injury and show up to bench every week for 10 years. I have only benched 369.3 in a competition, but I could not press the empty bar when I started 10 years ago. So I have put 330+ lbs on my bench in that time. I also got heavier and more muscular. And upper body takes longer to develop than lower body. The best benchers are jacked and have been benching for years.
 
Resolve10 said:
Honestly your best bet is to "evolve" into building something yourself that is a little more advanced (and more individualized, I think a lot of the e-book programs of the past are pretty meh) or finding one of those cheaper services that offers "guided" programming (that is like a bridge between full coaching and doing it yourself, something like what Juggernaut or Reactive Training Systems offers).

Starting with something Invalid Link Removed or something similar to get thinking about your training is a very big "investment" of time and thinking, but I think is important in evolving past just plugging into random programs and going. Or go hit up guys like @Hyde @jswain34 @Sean1332 and their logs for ideas and programs they've done. There are other great guys on the boards but those 3 pop into my head as some of the most consistent on here.
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Thanks a lot man. Just not sure if it’s time to move onto a more advanced program/techniques. I should mention I’m about 175 BW and going to start a bulk (today actually). So I’m sure that will help move back into the right direction but I will check the link you sent.
 
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