stalling a bit on my presses...don't worry?

[mike0292]

This is my 3rd week of Ripptoe and my presses have been progressing much slower than my other lifts.

I started my bench press at 105. The 3 sets were fairly easy and I thought I had good form so I moved up to 115 the next A day workout. Now keep in mind my form could still be a little off since I have not been lifting free weights for very long. The 115 went pretty well, my very last set I could only do like 3 reps so I figured I'd do 115 again my next workout and finish up all 3x5.

Next workout, the 115 feels like a pound of bricks. Just feels so heavy. I drop down to 110 and do my 3x5 but I'm smoked by the end. So I decide to try 115 again next A workout. I was only able to do 3x3x115 this time.

For military press, I started at 95 and was able to all 3x5 without too much effort and what I thought was good form so I decide to try for 105 next time. My left shoulder was a little sore next workout, and as I was doing my warmups I get to 65 and can barely clean it off rack. Even my presses exert me more than enough so I do my 3x5x65. It was weird, almost like I got weaker between workouts. Next time I am able to do 75, but my left shoulder is still a little sore. I took memorial day off to rest up a little bit hopefully it will start feeling better.

Now I am new to lifting, so maybe my body is just upgrading it's weakpoints. My left arm is quite a bit weaker than my right so maybe it is just getting up to speed. My pecs have gotten noticably larger since I started so I thought it was weird that my bench press gains don't seem to be keeping up with my muscle growth.

Just thought it was odd that my presses are going up so slowly while my squat has gone up 30 pounds, deadlift gone up 50 pounds, etc.

[Rootabager]

Where you lifting before the ripptoe program ?

[Colt McCoy]

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Where you lifting before the ripptoe program ?

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
I started my bench press at 105.

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I'm guessing no.

OP, Stop going to failure. You're on week three, for chrissake. Just get comfortable with the movements and don't worry so much about the weight. You'll start gaining strength very, very quickly. Beginners almost always do. One thing I have noticed about the bench press is that sometimes at the beginning it takes a new lifter awhile for all the stabilizing muscles to catch up before they start seeing the rapid progress. Do you have trouble keeping the bar from wandering sometimes when you're benching?

[mike0292]

I had bought a kettlebell in the winter and from the end of February to beginning of May I was following Pavel's Enter the Kettbell Plan. Basically, ladders of Clean and Pressing and then swings or snatches depending on the day.

I made very good gains on that program, was able to clean and press a 1.5 pood (like 60ish pound?) kettlebell 4 times with my right and 3 times with my left arm.

Also I don't think nutrition is the problem. I have been getting 3500-4000 calories and 200+ grams of protein usually more on 95% of days and have gained about 5 pounds.

EDIT: When I can say I can do it 3 times with left 4 times with right, i mean ladders. So 3+2+1 = 6 times with left, 4+3+2+1=10 times with right.

[Rootabager]

I figured not at so low. I was just thinking even if he came in before and messed around in the gym he had done bench presses before so he was more used to it than squats and deadlifts that he had prolly never done.

So those lifts were blowing up more since he was completely new to them.

[mike0292]

I had done very limited bench pressing before, just fooling around in the gym basically like you said and had never really squatted or deadlifted before.

[Colt McCoy]

[ QUOTE ]
I had bought a kettlebell in the winter and from the end of February to beginning of May I was following Pavel's Enter the Kettbell Plan. Basically, ladders of Clean and Pressing and then swings or snatches depending on the day.

I made very good gains on that program, was able to clean and press a 1.5 pood (like 60ish pound?) kettlebell 4 times with my right and 3 times with my left arm.

Also I don't think nutrition is the problem. I have been getting 3500-4000 calories and 200+ grams of protein usually more on 95% of days and have gained about 5 pounds.

[/ QUOTE ]

1.5 pood is 52.5 lb. I don't know what your fitness level was like prior to that but I'm honestly surprised you're not benching quite a bit more if you were doing ETK with the 1.5 pood. The carryover from overhead pressing to benching is usually pretty high. What made you decide to quit ETK and go to Starting Strength?

[mike0292]

I just wanted to switch it up. Everyone was raving about starting strength so I figured I'd try it out. Also, kettlebell lifting has been a solitary experience for me. I don't know anybody else who owns a kettlebell so it's usually me just working out alone in my yard. When I go to the gym I can go with my friends and we can socialize, etc.

[arbuthnot]

I'm a week and a half into Rippetoe (thanks to this forum) and I can say that the presses have been the most difficult for me as well. Mostly because it really strains my wrists even though I try to keep them pretty straight and not flexed back. Also, this last time, I felt a really deep, deep stretch in my left upper-arm through to the top of the left pectoral that I hadn't felt before.

I also think I started a bit too heavy on the press the first time, and therefore have kept it at the same weight the last two times. (115 lbs. for my work sets) This last time was still bit of a struggle to get all 5 reps in on the last set, but I did it.

I'm sure that a majority of OP's problem, as well as mine, is really no problem at all, but simply that the stabilizing muscles are just trying to catch up to the shoulders and triceps.

FWIW, my military presses have been pretty light too, 65 and 75 were my last two working set weights where I could keep good form and decent bar speed.

Also make sure that you're resting enough between sets. I often rest longer than I think I need to just so I can make sure I get my reps in and I think that helps.

['Chair]

OP - do you eat before working out or do you sometimes go into the gym on empty? If you do eat before working out...what kind of foods are you eating? I notice a fairly significant strength/endurance boost in the gym on days where I eat more carbs as opposed to days when I don't.