adding weight and how much

[nobody]

Hi Mark,

I have been on the novice program you suggest in PP for seven weeks. I am having problems with the bench press. I started conservatively for the first workout and added 5lbs per workout for the first 3 weeks, then 2.5lbs per workout since then as I felt the last rep was getting a bit too slow. I switched from 5 to 2.5 lb jumps in the press as well at the same time. I am still comfortably adding weight to the press each workout, but the bench press I am having problems, and can only raise the weight every other workout before getting every rep complete. After making sure I was rested and eating right, I did a little better than before, getting 5/4/5 last time, but not 5/5/5. Should I experiment with adding less weight, like 1.5lb increases, or is it okay to add 2.5 lbs overy other workout, or perhaps some other option I haven't considered. Perhaps I should switch from doing pullups and chinups to doing power cleans for a while and see if that changes my recovery ability?

[Mark Rippetoe]

How much time do you rest between sets? If the press is still going up at 2.5/workout your BP should be too. And if you're doing pullups/chins every workout, that would be too much as well. Why would you think pullups/chins are a sub for cleans?

[nobody]

I rest about 4-6 minutes between sets. Chinups on mondays, pullups on fridays, as you suggested in PP, 2nd edition. I don't think they are a substitute for power cleans. You wrote that one can wait until a back off period is necessary for the squat to introduce power cleans... I was curious about one thing though, regarding power cleans, you said somewhere to start with 45lbs.. is that a weight for the work sets of the first power clean workout or for the warmup?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Where exactly have I said this shit?

[nobody]

page 162 I believe

[Mark Rippetoe]

This is an interesting interpretation. Have you read Basic Barbell Training? Page 289? This is, of course, the King James Version. And where precisely did I advise beginning the clean with an empty bar for work sets?