Stuck in 100kg 1RM, how to improve

Question

I was stuck into 85kg benchpress for a while (like 10 reps for 3 sets). Few monthes ago, after watching a youtube video from an Italian body builder I've used the strategy of "micro loading" in order to lift more weight.

Essentially what I did for a while was starting, say with a first set of 65kg then in the next sets I would add a very small load (like 5kg or 2.5kg) until I can only do no more than one rep.

Adopting this strategy for few months I am now able to lift 100kg as 1RM however I do struggle to do more than one however. I did manage few times to lift such weight for 3 reps but not consistently.

When I got to this target I've retried to micro load again but I still cannot pass the threshold of 1RM.

Any suggestions or something I can look up so I can at least manage for few reps consistently?

To clarify now my typical routine (when it comes to bench press) is something like.

1. First set of 85 kg for 8-10 reps
2. Increasing of 5kg and perform 6-8 reps for 2 sets.
3. Increasing of 2.5kg and perform 4-6 reps for 2 sets.
4. Increasing again 2.5kg but this is where I struggle.

I also tried to do less sets but still I cannot pass over that threshold of 1RM.

I think this strategy this dis something to increase my strength but I think I need something a bit different or complementary.

Any suggestions or something I can look up? Essentially I think the strength is fine but the volume is too low.

Answer 1

If you've been training for 10 years I'm going to assume your diet is adequate for muscle growth and your form is good throughout you exercises. The only thing I can suggest is a slightly altered training method that really helped me break a plateau in my bench.

You just stated that increasing the weight isn't your goal but whether you want to increase the weight or volume, you need to increase your strength, so the method to get there is essentially the same.

This method I used that was very effective goes as follows: if you know your 1RM, take roughly 85% of that. With that weight you want to do sets of 2-3 reps with slow eccentrics and then driving up with as much power of possible, focusing on a fast rep. You want to do this for roughly 6-7 sets, but more importantly, you want to stop when the speed of your reps drops by 20% or when you notice the reduced speed. This will focus on your fast twitch fibres which are essential for heavy lifts and continuing when your reps start to slow while just be piling on junk volume.

This method was very effective for me and got me from a 100kg 1RM to to repping 100kg for 6 in a matter of weeks.

Answer 2

Using an online One Rep Max Calculator I find that 9 reps of 85 kg equals a 1 RM of 109 kg. In practice this means that on the first set you should theoretically be able to lift 109 kg once. Also I find that 7 reps of 90 kg equals a 1 RM of 108 kg and 5 reps of 92.5 kg equals a 1 RM of 104 kg. So it seems that your performance decreases for each set due to fatigue.

It sounds like you are always aiming for 10 reps in the first set. I guess this means that you could not have done 11 reps if you wanted to? In other words you are going to failure. If the max number of reps you can do in the first set is 10 I think you should do (way) less since the last reps cause extra much fatigue.

According to the popular 5/3/1 program for instance you would do:

• Set 1: 5 x 82.5 kg
• Set 2: 3 x 92.5 kg
• Set 3: 100 kg for as many reps as possible

The combination of training further from failure and doing fewer sets before the heaviest set should cause less fatigue which in turn should increase the likelihood of you increasing number of reps on the heaviest set.

After the heaviest set you should then according to 5/3/1 do more sets with a lower weight to accumulate total weight lifted. You could for instance aim for 30 reps of 70 kg spread across as many sets as you want.

I think you could take two clues from 5/3/1:

• do not go to failure in the sets leading up to your heaviest set
• do fewer sets before your heaviest set and instead do more sets after your heaviest set

Anyways I think it is worth trying and it should only take 1-2 workouts to see if it is working.

Answer 3

If you've been training for 10 years and have progressed from benching 40kg to 100kg, then there's a real chance that you've just reached the limits of your genetically potential.

There are some things you can try to break through this plateau, like benching more often (especially if you happen to be currently only training bench once or twice per week), or introducing more variety, such as isolation chest and triceps exercises. You may also be able to lift heavier by seeing a powerlifting coach in order to improve your technique. Or deliberately gaining weight could allow you to progress further. But if none of these things work, then it's likely just that you've gotten as strong in this lift as you're ever likely to be.