Bench Lagging Behind Squat & Dead

TeddyBear

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Hey,

I’m scheduled for a powerlifting competition in March 2021.

I’m about 201-207 lbs, so I’m gonna aim for the 205 weight class. 5’10, 29YO, if that’s relevant.

Anyways, my lifts are currently:
Overhead Press (sitting) 190x2
Bench 250x3 (hit two months ago. I got 1x250 this week)
Squat 390x3
Deadlift 430x5 (I hit that today).

I would love to hit the 1200lb club by March. But at the very least, I would like to bring my bench up to par with my other lifts.

I have naturally strong and defined shoulders, so I think that accounts for my OHP.

But otherwise, I’m a very average build (predisposed to be thin). I just have the flattest chest and no power behind it.

Has anyone improved a lagging bench? What have you done?

Additional details: I had an online coach who nationally ranked and had me do a program. But he wasn’t helpful in details, just programming. So I’m ditching him.

Ive been doing pause bench to address my slow descent, it’s usually 3 seconds slow. But I was told that tempo doesn’t matter as long as it’s controlled.

My last 250 took a full 17 seconds to fail. I lowered it in 3 seconds and fought it at the 25% mark for the remaining 14 seconds before failing.
 

tinymk

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I have roughly 27+ years of competition experience in powerlifting, about the last 6 years have been in raw(sleeves) full power.

Your bench should always lag behind your other numbers it is just as simple as that. I a lot 1 day for chest and 72 hours later I do an all tricep/core day. So I work by bench indirectly build my bench at least 2x a week. This is not including all the core and upper back work
during the week.
You wanna big bench, build a bigger stronger back and rear delts.
i use basically a Westside BB template using chains, bands, speed work, blocks and partial max effort bench like exercises. Built my raw bench from 275 to 535 in several years of consistent training
So work on upper back, trap and tricep work and your bench should start moving. I have only seen it 2 times in my life on the platform where a lifter hits the same number on all 3 lifts and both were in the World Championships. One hit 500-500-500 at 198 and the other hit 601-601-601 at 308. Both world class benchers entering in their 2nd full power meets.
hope this helps you brother
 
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TeddyBear

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I have roughly 27+ years of competition experience in powerlifting, about the last 6 years have been in raw(sleeves) full power.

Your bench should always lag behind your other numbers it is just as simple as that. I a lot 1 day for chest and 72 hours later I do an all tricep/core day. So I work by bench indirectly build my bench at least 2x a week. This is not including all the core and upper back work
during the week.
You wanna big bench, build a bigger stronger back and rear delts.
i use basically a Westside BB template using chains, bands, speed work, blocks and partial max effort bench like exercises. Built my raw bench from 275 to 535 in several years of consistent training
So work on upper back, trap and tricep work and your bench should start moving. I have only seen it 2 times in my life on the platform where a lifter hits the same number on all 3 lifts and both were in the World Championships. One hit 500-500-500 at 198 and the other hit 601-601-601 at 308. Both world class benchers entering in their 2nd full power meets.
hope this helps you brother

thanks for the response.

I wasn’t clear, I understand that bench will be lower. But proportionately it’s barely an “intermediate” level compared to my more “proficient” lifts.

But training back is what I started doing and will continue to do. It helps that I’m widening my back quite a bit, I’m predisposed to a decent back build which is motivating. Even if chest lags, shirts fit well.
 

dreamscraper

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Are you sure it really took 14 seconds to fail? 3 seconds down then like a 13.5 second isometric at 25%?
Normally, I don't think you would have to bother with strength-speed work at 250lb max but if that is what happened some explosiveness I am sure would go a very long way. Maybe you have turned this into some really slow twitch kind of movement.
If you look up westside dynamic effort bench there is a ton of stuff. I think there is a whole westside podcast on it too but that might get boring if you dont like listening to Simmons.
You can look on youtube to see what the bar velocity looks like.
 
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TeddyBear

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Are you sure it really took 14 seconds to fail? 3 seconds down then like a 13.5 second isometric at 25%?
Normally, I don't think you would have to bother with strength-speed work at 250lb max but if that is what happened some explosiveness I am sure would go a very long way. Maybe you have turned this into some really slow twitch kind of movement.
If you look up westside dynamic effort bench there is a ton of stuff. I think there is a whole westside podcast on it too but that might get boring if you dont like listening to Simmons.
You can look on youtube to see what the bar velocity looks like.

it felt like an eternity.

i know that’s how long, because I filmed it lol. I expected a PR. Not James Cameron’s “The Titanic Fail”.
 

Joliver

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Honestly, that bench (I'm going to call it 275lbs-ish) isn't disproportionate to your other lifts. I see no huge issues.

Also, the weight class you'll probably want will be the 198 class. You won't have much trouble getting there from where you are.

Frequency over volume, my dude. You'll get it.
 

Adrenolin

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It's good you're doing a pause to break momentum, but you don't need to take 3 secs on the descent. A controlled descent yes, but not 3 secs, not for powerlifting. Regardless, after the brief pause, and you begin to explode the weight back up, where do you fail... ? That weakness is what you'll need to determine so you can strengthen it.
 

TeddyBear

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USAPL has weight classes at 183 lbs and 205 lbs. which is why I’m aiming for 205.

I did drop from 210 to 200 way faster than I wanted to, but I have three months to level off.

I stall out just off chest, 10-25% of the way through the press. At least it’s not on descent, which used to be too slow.

Ive been incorporating the tips to work on back and just hammer it with rows and stuff. It should be fun to do it that way anyways: I really enjoy trying to build my back since it’s the most growth responsive.

But I’m coming off of a cycle, so I’m declining in size already too. (22 days off).
 

BrotherIron

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You need to work your lats and build those triceps. That's a common place to fail a lift for raw lifters.
 

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