5x5 bench lagging behind?

[Iceman1680]

Hey all, novice lifter here. Was looking for a strength building program and stumbled upon the 5x5, Stronglifts version. It says to start with just the bar for squat, bench, and presses and add 5 pounds every workout. Well at the end of 12 weeks all the numbers would be personal records by a quite a bit, except for the bench. At 5'5" 140, I can currently do 130lb 5x5 on the bench. But at the end of the 12 weeks, while all the other numbers are far more than I've ever put up, the bench JUST hits 130lb. Can this be right? I'll probably struggle on all the other exercises about half way through the 12 weeks but the bench will still be a joke. Doesn't seem right. Thanks in advance.

 

[Iceman1680]

Bump.

 

[deejleos]

5x5 works well. But I found that if i do the three day split. Day 1 all push exercises, day 2 all pull exercisesand day 3 legs. Take a day off and do again. I found this routine made my bench stronger. And I also figured for myself that if I don't bench every week if I skip bench a week my numbers go up


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[zipzopzippity]

You should read, understand and analyze the 5x5 program, then read another, and another and then form your own program based on your own goals and what makes sense to you.

In my personal opinion, bench press can be trickier to increase than squats and dead lifts. You really need to find that perfect grip, hold the bar tight, drive with your legs and explode with your back. Really, the leg drive and back explosion are going to be extremely important in benching heavy.

Try and think about how you would push a heavy object in real life standing up. You'd put your legs and back into it. Try and translate that horiontal explosion to the flat bench. For me, it helped me to use those hammer strength machines for vertical and horitonzal presses. What id do is, pick a heavy weight I could rep 3 times, and id focus on the leg and back drive to explode up.

Then when I became familiar with using my whole body to bench, I started progressing much better. Remember, squats, rows, deads, pullups, triceps will immensely help your bench press. Its not just your chest.