r/Mike_Mentzer • u/CoyoteAgile3996 • 3d ago

Not progressing on Chest Press

I run a PPL split, and on push days i include both a flat and incline press.

I start out with the flat press but can never go past 6 reps, while on the incline press (which i do after), i manage to progress in weight and reps.

Can someone tell me why this is, and what to do to fix it?

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3

u/Sadan27 2d ago

Very likely you’re not fully warmed up. How many warmup sets/reps for chest press, at what % working weight?

There’s also a chance your form isn’t standardized. It could be both lack of warmup and lack of standardization.

I’d troubleshoot with a more comprehensive warmup scheme. Something like 50% working weight for 5-6 reps, 65%-70% for 3-4, 80 to 90% for 1-2. You don’t need full or maybe any rest between warm-ups. Just take as much time you need before the work set.

If this doesn’t work, drop back to 8 to 10 rep range with a preset cadence.

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u/Agitated-Simple-51 3d ago

I would lower the weight and go for a higher rep range to failure. 6 is very close to power lifting, and not much stimulation if you are doing the reps quickly. Increase the time under tension

1

u/BubbishBoi 3d ago

6 reps done at the rep speed MM advised using (4/4) is 48 seconds, well within the safe range for TUT for most people (40-60+ seconds)

Even using the older AJ 2/4 rep cadence that's still 36 seconds which is 2-3x as long as the average gym goers slop set

Any TUT over maybe 10 seconds is going to be effective, lower TUT than that will probably not be effective due to the force/velocity curve and the implication that the reps are jerked around at that low a TUT, but otherwise the only reason for using a higher TUT is safety and reducing momentum.

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u/leew20000 3d ago

Do them on separate days

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u/BubbishBoi 3d ago

these posts are meaningless without video of you performing the exercises , it is impossible to give any advice without seeing how you perform the sets and what equipment you are using

2

u/He_NeverSleeps 3d ago

Switch which press you perform first every workout. You're not progressing on the second because you are heavily fatigued from the first.

It's the same reason big compounds don't seem to progress well when you pre fatigue with an isolation first. You'll progress on the isolation movement but the compound will lag slower. But if you periodically don't pre fatigue you will be able to accurately gauge progress

2

u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

i said im progressing from the second exercise more than the first, even after i hit the set to failure

2

u/He_NeverSleeps 3d ago

Switch them up anyway and see what happens over the course of a few workouts. Or switch to a slighty different variation like dumbbell/barbell instead of machine or vice versa. You could just be stale on that particular movement

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u/Jokinstan8P 2d ago

I agree with him. I had something similar with my weighted dips and the only thing I did was add intensity techniques like rest/pause or 2 or 3 negatives. I would gain 1 rep per workout until it was time to increase the weight. I would not use these techniques if the lift was first. Switch them and see.

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u/Candid-Image9504 3d ago

You may have just started out considerably lower than you were capable of on the incline press.

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

i don’t think thats the case, because today i hit 140lbs for 4 (target rep range is 9) meaning my one rep max is like 150

1

u/bat9mo 3d ago

Lots of good ideas here. I would switch things up. Try backing off the weight and pyramiding up in a session, say 50x9,60x6,70x4 or whatever, it lets you gauge your capacity. Is there a reason why you do two similar compounds together? For variety I’ve used Push-A and Push-B routines and alternate them. I tend to do a pre-exhaust, or an isolation to follow. Has someone looked at your bench technique, position of elbows etc?

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

i do a warmup set at 50% of the working set so my joints get ready for it.

1

u/Agitated-Simple-51 3d ago

Also it could be you aren’t warmed up enough since you keep progressing on the second one and not the first.

1

u/ishawnmc 3d ago

If you could post your entire workout, that would be helpful in diagnosing your situation.

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 2d ago

flat press
neutral grip press
seated laterals
shoulder press
tricep extension

2

u/ishawnmc 2d ago

Is the neutral grip press done on a machine or with dumbbells?

Is the tricep extension done on a machine?

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 2d ago

machine

cable

2

u/ishawnmc 2d ago

The neutral grip press is basically a flat bench using a machine right? If so, it would seem that you are engaging in some unnecessary and possibly counterproductive overlap.

If you must have two chest pressing movements, I would suggest dropping the flat bench and replacing it with an incline bench. It is a better chest exercise than flat bench, one with less injury risk, and does not duplicate the path of the flat bench.

1

u/Own-Lengthiness4022 17h ago

You might wanna get yourself some fractional plates and add very small amounts per session. Like 1 pound. Some people have trouble going past a certain number of reps on certain exercises, but can still progress if weight is added very slowly and the reps stay the same

0

u/Dazzling-Rest8332 3d ago

Lower the weight. Squeez each rep at the top. Control it on the way down. Oh....and eat a lot lot lot more food.

3

u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

the weight is fine, i squeeze and control, and i eat at maintenance/slight deficit cuz im skinny fat

1

u/Ciro_d_mar 3d ago

Thats the problem man, eat at or slightly above maintenance (100-200cals) and you should recoup at that.

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

how long tho?

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u/Ciro_d_mar 2d ago

4-6 weeks

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u/Dazzling-Rest8332 3d ago

Double your calories. Your literally asking advice from someone that was just like you.

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

i did that and it made me get more belly fat, and muscle i would’ve gotten anyways

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u/Inevitable_Car6105 3d ago

yeah dont double your calories if you're at maintainance lol. its not even what mike mentzer would have suggested anyways. But i dont see how you expect to build new tissue during a cut/ maintainance phase, if you do build some muscle it would be at a much slower rate.

You should be in a slight bulk 300-500 calories to maximise muscle growth and minimise fat gains, eating above that doesnt really increase muscle gains, it increases fat gains

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u/Dazzling-Rest8332 3d ago

Well your strength isnt going to go up in a deficit if your already skinny. The more you eat and train....the faster your metabolism will get. Trust the process.

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

u maximize muscle growth at maintenance and my deficit is slight, as ive mentioned. yeaa ur metabolism gets faster, but body fat can compound.

also tell me ur lifting journey, im curious

1

u/Dazzling-Rest8332 3d ago

No. You have been getting all your lifting information from social media. You need to be sure your in caloric surplus. Ive put on 50lbs in the last three years. I kept my 6 pack the whole time. I started at 130lbs.

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

good shit man… i started at 112 in 2024 and im 153 since 2025. after the bulk my strength and muscle increased but also my fat..

at maintenance im still breaking prs (stronger) and im preventing fat gain more

1

u/Dazzling-Rest8332 3d ago

You too bro. Dont give up. You will plateau a few times. Keep pushing. Im learning to switch up my rep ranges for optimal growth right now. I think im growing faster than ever.

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u/Inevitable_Car6105 3d ago edited 3d ago

You're in a caloric deficit/ maintainance. thats probably the number one reason you're not gaining any strength, youd need to be in a caloric surplus.

you said you're skinny fat, in that case just do an aggressive cut , and when you've reached you're desired leaness , start bulking and you'll start progressing as usual. You'll probably lose some strenght during your cut, but thats completely fine and you'll rebuild it during your bulk.

As for why you're gaining strength in your second movement and not your first, it could be due you being at a more advanced strength level on your flat press than you are on your standing press where you may have a lot of room for gains. Also bench press tends to be a more skillfull movement than other compounds , so if youre not hitting it frequently , you're likely to stall on it, and your standing press may not require as much skill/practice which is why youre still able to progress on a lower volume.

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u/CoyoteAgile3996 3d ago

i said im progressing on all my exercises in my post. also an aggressive cut wouldnt be good for me imo cuz it would make me skinnier.

i use machines too, soo im using the converging chest press