Programming for strength training doesn't have to be complicated. I was reminded of this essential understanding recently in my own training. I had been through a difficult training phase where my Bench Press had stalled, and was searching for the answer to overcoming the plateau. This was my Bench Press/Pressing template at the time:
Monday
Bench Press 1 x 5, 2 x 5 @ 90% of the top set
Press 3 x 5 @ 90% of Thursday's top set
LTE's 3 x 8-12
Chins 3 x AMRAP
Thursday
Press 1 x 5, 2 x 5 @ 90% of the top set
Close-Grip Bench Press 3 x 5
Weighted Chins 3 x 5
JM Press 3 x 5
As you can see, on top of the Bench Pressing, included in my program is a Bench Variant (Close-Grip) and tricep work (LTE's, JM Press) and still, the Bench was paused. This template came about after working through several different Bench Variants, rep schemes, and different tricep exercises. Working through the list of options, I had several choices in front of me: Do I add a third Bench Press day? Switch to another variant? Add more tricep work? Should I just cycle through another round of singles then circle back to 5's? Do I just try to eat enough to bust the plateau that way?
Going through all of these options and weighing the pros and cons, the impending anxiety of adding more training on top of my schedule seemed insurmountable. Somewhere in this process, something clicked in my head that I hadn't tried in a long while: Erasing all the complicated work and just Bench Pressing more. Here is what I settled on:
Monday
Bench Press 1 x 5, 2 x 5 @ 90% of the top set
Press 3 x 5 @ 90% of Thursday's top set
Chins 3 x AMRAP
Thursday
Press 1 x 5, 2 x 5 @ 90% of the top set
Bench Press 3 x 5
Weighted Chins 3 x 5
It was a nice slice of humble pie accepting that my progress doesn't reflect that of an advanced trainee, and that my program was reflecting a level of advancement I hadn't reached. Within three weeks of making the change, I hit a Bench Press PR for the first time in about 5 months.
Sometimes, simplifying the work is the best answer. You don't always need to add complexity. Basic strength training focused on quality, heavy work that you can execute with intent can lead to great results. The basics remain undefeated!
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