Break on Through...

[adrenalytic]

I'm looking for some advice to get through some nagging plateaus. A little background first:

Me: 5'9" Male, 45 years old

I have been lifting for about 2 years regularly and doing Fierce 5 Intermediate 4 day upper/lower faithfully for about 13 months with great results. I have lifted on and off my entire life but have been most consistent with it these past 2 years. The only supplement I take is creatine.

My bench seems hopelessly stuck at 285 3x5 (I have no idea what my 1rm is). I am currently on my 4th deload at this weight and cannot seem to break past it. One week I will be able to do all three sets cleanly at 285 and then I will come back the following week and fail on the last set. Should I just add weight and take the lower reps or are there other strategies I should consider? Is it possible that this is my natural limit?

Happy to provide more info if you want it. I just wasn't sure what else would be pertinent. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[air2fakie]

Without knowing your bodyweight, gain some if this is a priority for you.

You also don't need to keep doing the same program beyond 2 years, especially if increasing your bench is a priority for you.

[tommy4life]

3x5 @ 285 is pretty heavy

If you up the weight the next week and get the first 2 sets but not the 3rd you probably arent resting long enough

You can also try ramping those 3 sets (the creator of Fierce 5 approves of this), so set 1 (-20% of last set), set 2 (-10% of last set) and then the final set. This is something i had to do with squats once they got pretty heavy.

[adrenalytic]

Without knowing your bodyweight, gain some if this is a priority for you.

You also don't need to keep doing the same program beyond 2 years, especially if increasing your bench is a priority for you.

Sorry, I thought I put my weight. I am 250 lbs. so I could stand to cut a bit. I thought I read that Fierce 5 could be done indefinitely? Or did I misunderstand? I really like the program and my body is used to the routine but it makes sense that this is why I'm stalled.

3x5 @ 285 is pretty heavy

If you up the weight the next week and get the first 2 sets but not the 3rd you probably arent resting long enough

You can also try ramping those 3 sets (the creator of Fierce 5 approves of this), so set 1 (-20% of last set), set 2 (-10% of last set) and then the final set. This is something i had to do with squats once they got pretty heavy.

I am only following the Fierce 5 schedule of 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off, repeat. So my bench day would always land on Mondays. Should I have another day of rest in there somewhere?

I do like that suggestion of ramping. I will definitely give it a shot and see how it goes. Thanks!

[air2fakie]

Sorry, I thought I put my weight. I am 250 lbs. so I could stand to cut a bit. I thought I read that Fierce 5 could be done indefinitely? Or did I misunderstand? I really like the program and my body is used to the routine but it makes sense that this is why I'm stalled.

Doing F5 indefinitely doesn't mean your bench will continue going up indefinitely to 1,000 lbs and beyond. It's not necessarily the program's fault that you're stalled, particularly at your height/weight combo.

Your current BP number is likely largely a result of your high bodyweight, so there are probably plenty of reasons that have to do with you specifically why you can't get past 285.

That being said, my point was that F5 isn't a bench-specific routine so if that's your priority you can certainly do something else. My guess would be that your squat & DL are also not skyrocketing at this point either, but you don't seemed to be concerned about that.

[tommy4life]

At 5'9 and 250lb you could easily cut 20-30lb, and then add bodyweight back up. This might be enough to drive the bench up.

I meant rest betwean the sets, not betwean workouts.

These 2 points, and the ramp sets, might be enough for you to squeeze another year from the fierce 5.