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How to Gain Strength on Incline Bench Press

The problem with most videos and articles covering plateaus is that they’re made for advanced lifters. The authors talk about tweaking exercise form, implementing paused reps, using bands to strengthen your lockout, etc.

While these methods are great, they’re not what most guys need.

Look in any gym. Most people are stuck at a novice/intermediate level. Fixing their plateau doesn’t involve advanced tweaks and tricks, it involves the basics.

From this article you’ll learn exactly why you are plateaued and what to do to start making progress again. Let’s get started!

Strength is an Effect

Here is the most important message you need to remember:

Strength gains happen automatically if you’re doing a few basic things right. If you are plateaued, by definition one of those basic things is off.

To progress on the Bench Press (or any exercise for that matter) you need to:

  1. Do enough heavy reps for chest every week
  2. Eat enough to permit muscle growth
  3. Use an effective progression model
  4. See yourself in your mind getting stronger 
  5. Use good Exercise Technique
  6. Allow proper recovery between workouts

If your bench is stuck, I guarantee it’s because one of these points is off.

Over the years I’ve talked with tens of guys who had this issue, while following Kinobody programs. I noticed that the Bench Plateau usually has these symptoms:

  1. Strength fluctuates a lot from workout to workout – one week you may easily complete the required reps and next time you may barely hit 2. This goes on and on and on for weeks.
  2. You hit failure frequently, especially in the first heavy set. The next workout usually sucks.
  3. You make good progress for a few weeks but then suddenly you lose a bunch of strength, having to start all over again

Do these symptoms describe your current situation? If yes, pay close attention to the practical steps we’ll discuss next. Put these points to action in the order given and I guarantee you’re going to make progress again.

Point #1 – Eat more calories & steadily gain bodyweight

radu antoniu before greek god program

This may seem too basic but I found that not eating enough is the most common reason people plateau on the Kinobody muscle building programs.

If you’re skinny and you haven’t gained any weight for months, this is probably the reason why you’re not making progress. You may say: “But I gained strength no problem until now, without gaining bodyweight.”

Yes, you can gain strength without gaining bodyweight, but only up to a certain point. After that, muscle fibers must increase in size in order to be able to produce more force. This is the reason why skinny guys must make sure their bodyweight steadily goes up every month. To allow muscle growth to occur.

Luckily the solution is simple, you just have to eat more. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. If you’ve been lifting for less than one year, eat enough to gain 2-3 pounds per month
    this will maximize muscle growth and minimize fat gain
  2. If you’ve been lifting for 1-3 years, eat enough to gain 1-2 pounds per month
  3. If you’ve been lifting for more than 3 years, gain 1 pound per month
  4. Eat 0.9-1 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight every day

Now, if you’ve been gaining weight every month and are still plateaued, don’t eat more. Your plateau is caused by something else. Move on to the next points, to find what.

Point #2 – Stop grinding reps (if you are)

In 2015 when I was struggling to make strength gains I used to grind my last reps like it was my mission on earth. I craved strength gains so bad. Every set was maximum effort. The problem with that was my strength fluctuated a lot from workout to workout.

I used to be thrilled about a great PR one week only to come back weaker next time.

Consistently training to failure leads to strength fluctuations. There are two reasons for that:

  1. Consistently training to failure develops a condition that is similar to overtraining. Your central nervous system gets exhausted with time and can no longer recruit the muscle fibers properly.
  2. It can make you think you’re stronger than you actually are. Here’s how:

In the great training book Never Let Go, coach Dan John tells The Story of 5. Let me quote him:

In a group of five workouts, I tend to have one great workout, the kind of workout that makes me think in just a
few weeks I could be an Olympic champion, plus maybe Mr. Olympia. Then, I have one workout that’s so awful the
mere fact I continue to exist as a somewhat higher form of life is a miracle. Finally, the other three workouts are the punch-the-clock workouts: I go in, work out, and walk out.

Every once in a while you’re going to have an amazing workout. Because you push to the max all the time, you’re going to set an amazing PR that day. That’s great! But you may assume that is now the norm. You may assume this is your new strength level.

Next time, you expect to do the same number of reps and fail. You trow your hands up in frustration. You think you got weaker.

radu antoniu strength plateau fix

What happened is not that you were unusually weak this workout, you were unusually strong the day you set the PR. If most of your workouts are disappointing, you’re probably trying to replicate a workout when you were unusually strong. In other words, you’re now using weights that are too heavy for you.

To stop strength fluctuations, here’s what you need to do:

  1. Reduce the weight by 10%
    You may feel you’re taking steps backwards but trust me, you’re not. It’s the only way to fix strength fluctuations.
  2. Progress back up using microloading, independent set loading or double progression
    Here’s how you do it: Please pause the video to read these instructions. The key is to not hit failure in any set and to not grind the last rep.

By always saving some strength you create the confidence that you can be stronger next time. What you’ll find is that you’ll quickly progress back to your initial strength and easily surpass it.

Point #3 – Increase your work capacity for 8 weeks then go back to the RPT minimalistic routine

Several great powerlifting coaches pointed out that when you change from a high volume routine to a lower volume-higher intensity routine you always gain strength very fast.

I always noticed this when working with clients online. EVERY SINGLE TIME I took them off their high volume routine onto Kinobody Programs they made outstanding strength gains.

The reason for that is because the high work capacity built with volume was aiding their recovery.

work capacity volume radu antoniu

Think of it like this: On a high volume routine your body is used to recover from let’s say 8 units of volume. If you then reduce volume to 5 but keep intensity the same, the 3 extra units of recovery can now be used for super-compensation. For a while, you make great strength gains.

In powerlifting this called peaking. Steadily reducing volume and increasing intensity in order to reveal your true potential for the competition.

If you’re currently stuck on a low volume routine, your work capacity may be what’s bottlenecking your progress. This was the case for me. I noticed that after following the GGP for 2 years, although I had great relative strength my work capacity was very low. I could lift heavy weights for a set of 5 but my performance went down very quickly after that. I couldn’t do several sets of 5 with weights that were 80% of my 1RM. My low work capacity was making my progress very slow.

What you can do to fix this is to increase volume for a period of 8 weeks to build work capacity – handling more volume at high intensities. Then you go back to a Kinobody routine and you’ll see very rapid increases in strength.

Not only that but the higher volume period will also make your muscles much bigger. That is because you increase the amount of glycogen you store in your muscles.

Here’s how you do it:

Volume Phase

1. Keep using the same Kinobody routine + add one more pump exercise
There’s no need to change the training split or exercises.

2. Do straight sets instead of Reverse Pyramid Training

Doing 5 x 6, 5 x 8 or something similar allows you to accumulate a much higher volume load than Reverse Pyramid Training. To build work capacity we’re going to use straight sets. Remember, the main goal here is not to build strength (although it will probably happen) but to adapt your body to a higher amount of work.

I recommend doing 5 sets of 6 reps with the same weight. For this you’ll use 15% less weight than you did in your first RPT set.

3. Use a linear progression model

You are going to increase the weight when you can perform 5 sets of 6.

Let’s say this workout you did 5 x 6 with 200lbs:

6 x 200
6 x 200
6 x 200
6 x 200
6 x 200

Next time you’ll add the smallest plates you have to the bar and try to maintain 5 sets of 6:

6 x 202.5
6 x 202.5
6 x 202.5
6 x 202.5
5 x 202.5

You may lose a rep in your last set. That’s fine. You’ll add it back the following workout. When you reach 5 sets of 6 you increase the weight again.

Going back to high intensity

After 8 weeks of increasing work capacity, you go back to a low volume, high intensity routine. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Add 10 pounds to your working weight to determine the first RPT set
  2. For your second set reduce the weight by 10%
  3. For your third set reduce the weight by 10%
  4. Progress using microloading, independent set loading, or double progression

When you reach a plateau, you can repeat the whole process.

Point #4 – Increase the amount of volume you do for chest

A few months ago, Greg and I did an interview with Eric Helms where we talked about how training volume affects muscle growth.

Eric explained that the amount of volume you need usually goes up with your training experience. After each plateau you may need to do more volume than you needed to progress before the plateau.

If you’re following the Greek God Program, you noticed that it is structured in this way. As you get more advanced you do routines that are higher and higher in volume. You start with the Strength & Density routine, then you progress to the 3 day split or to specialization routines, both of which include more reps per body part per week. And finally you get to the MEGA workouts which are the highest in volume.

So if you notice you plateau often on the Strength and Density Routine, move up to the MEGA workouts. The increassed volume will keep you progressing for months, maybe even years.

If you’re plateaued on the MEGA workouts, add one more RPT set to each exercise. Use the same weights as in set number 3.

eric helms flow chart

When people hear that volume needs to go up with time, they usually make the mistake of increasing it too fast. In a matter of 2-3 months they do twice as much volume as before. It’s best to keep volume as low as you can while still making progress.

So when you’re plateaued and well recovered, increase volume by 15%. This will usually be enough to produce an adaptive stimulus again.

Point #5 – Surround yourself with people who are stronger than you  

strong guys powerlifting

A few years ago, a study was made in powerlifters to see how much the placebo effect could improve their performance. One group was told they were given a fast acting steroid in the form of a pill. They were told they’re going to get stronger immediately because of it.

Guess what happened? The group that thought they were on steroids added 11 kilograms to their total on the very same day! Keep in mind these were national-level athletes not some newbies. 11 kilograms is a ton of progress.

Now listen to this. Two week later, half of them were told the pill was fake. Their new strength gains vanished, while those who still thought they were on steroids maintained their strength.

In another study athletes were told they are given a pill that will decrease their performance. In reality, that was a sugar pill. Guess what happened? They lost strength and power.

If you apply what we talked about in this video and still don’t get stronger, the obstacle is almost certainly in your mind.

Do you see yourself as weak and frail? If you do, unconsciously you don’t allow yourself to get stronger. Do you see yourself skinny? If you do, you’ll have all sorts of thoughts that justify why it’s ok to have a bad workout.

I used to have this problem. I couldn’t see myself big and strong and I was always finding excuses to stay at my current level. “I’m just not feeling it today”, “I didn’t sleep well last night”, “I didn’t eat right yesterday” excuses all of them.

You need to replace this negative talk with motivation and inspiration in order to make progress.

Here’s how you do that:

Change gyms

It’s a well known fact that the people we surround ourselves with influence our results. If you take a lazy person and put them in a group of high performers, that person’s productivity will improve immediately. If you take a high performer and put him in a group of lazy people, that person’s results will decline.
This also applies to training. Go to the gym where the strongest guys train. You need to be surrounded by success models at every turn. If a guy is benching 315 right next to you, you’ll realize 185 is pathetic.

But in a gym filled with students, old people and women, 185 may actually be pretty impressive.
If you want to make progress, put yourself in an environment where people are better than you. The best case scenario would be to train with someone who is much more advanced than you are. Unconsciously, he will pull you up to his level.

Conclusion

This is it. Four ways to break through your incline bench press plateau:

Apply these steps in order

1. Eat more
if that doesn’t work
2. Stop grinding reps
if that doesn’t work
3. Build your work capacity
if that doesn’t work
4. Increase training volume by 15%
if that doesn’t work
5. Visualize yourself getting stronger
and change gyms

Put these points to action and I guarantee you’re going to make great progress.


Kinobody Greek God ProgramThe Greek God Program

This is the training program I used to build my current physique.

It’s based around building strength on a few key exercises that will give you the look of a Hollywood actor. The incline bench press is one of those exercises because developing the upper chest is essential to looking great.

Check out my one year transformation with this program. You can also read more success stories here.

 

79 Comments

  1. Sal Marotta on April 30, 2016 at 5:38 pm

    You read my mind! This video/article was so helpful. You rock, Radu.

    • Radu Antoniu on April 30, 2016 at 6:27 pm

      Glad it you found it helpful!

    • Strong Dude on October 4, 2019 at 1:45 pm

      thats crazy guys, I can bench 125Lb at 400Lb body weight, I am strong as hell, I walk around like Arnold Schwarzenegger! Im a bad ass guys! {: O

  2. Cameron on May 1, 2016 at 2:53 am

    Great article. I have had this problem before and have lightened the loads and used more volume. In using the straight sets methods, what recovery time due you suggest between sets?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:22 pm

      Hey Cameron!
      2-3 minutes between sets.

  3. Aman on May 1, 2016 at 4:16 am

    Superb stuff !!! Had plateaued on my lifts for a month and i was thinking what was i doing wrong…….this article was a life saver !!!! Would like to know while doing linear progression , can we take 2 min rest between the 5 sets ?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:21 pm

      Hehe glad to hear it Aman!
      Yes, 2-3 minutes between sets.

  4. Min on May 1, 2016 at 4:31 am

    This is a life saver! Thanks Radu! This article really helps me a lot in WSP! You rock man!

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:21 pm

      Glad it helped Min !

  5. Mark on May 1, 2016 at 8:12 am

    This article is a god send! Thank you Radu! Keep up the good work!

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:20 pm

      You’re welcome Mark!

  6. Min on May 1, 2016 at 10:47 am

    How about the resting periods?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:20 pm

      Keep them the same, 2-3 minutes between sets.

  7. Andrei on May 1, 2016 at 12:30 pm

    Salut Radu,
    Foarte bun articul.
    Doua intrebari, usor off topic.
    Ce parare ai despre ceasuril/bratarile de fitness (cele care ti masoara constant si pulsul, gen Firbit, Garmin). Te poti baza pe estimarile calorice pe care le fac?
    Iar a 2 a era legata de Crossfit. Poate ajuta la dezvoltrea musculara facut moderat, o data pe saptamana, in zilele in care n ai antrenament?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:20 pm

      Salut Andrei!

      Nu prea. Am si eu un Jawbone si din ce am observat estimeaza cu 10-20% in plus sau in minus.

      Adaugarea unei sesiuni de Crossfit la un program bun de sala ar inrautati rezultatele. Ridicatul de greutati pentru forta e cel mai eficient mod de a creste masa musculara. Crossfit-ul e bun pentru cei care vor sa fie in forma – conditie fizica buna + forta decenta. Dar strict pentru estetica, antrenamentul clasic e mai bun.

  8. Sam Marrero on May 1, 2016 at 2:56 pm

    Brilliant article and youtube video. Very sound, well-thought out, and well delivered advice. Also a pleasure to watch! I’m looking forward to your videos more and more, and love to watch them immediately after they are published.

    Question – do these same methods work for a plateau on shoulder press?

    Follow up: …what thoughts do you have about ‘exercise rotation’ (ie, dumbells instead of bar) as a method to break through a plateau?

    Second follow up: …if I am plateauing on one exercise only (eg: shoulder press) but am making steady gains on another exercise (incline press), should I increase work capacity for just shoulder press? or should I wait and increase work capacity for all upper-body days?

    …I ask because I am using Warrior Shredding Program, and am currently plateauing HARD on shoulder press, but making good gains on incline press and weighted pull-ups.

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:16 pm

      Yes! They should work for shoulder press as well.

      Exercise rotation worked decent for me. Unlike Greg, when I switched back to the main movement I had to spend 2-4 weeks regaining strength and only then pushing past my previous plateau. Varying the rep range or training style worked better for me (and I’m sure more many others as well).

      Yes, you should increase volume only for the lift that is plateaued. Keep volume the same for everything else.

      • Sam Marrero on May 5, 2016 at 12:51 am

        Thanks so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Big fan here!

  9. Oldschoolrh on May 1, 2016 at 11:02 pm

    Radu, your videos and the content are excellent! I always enjoy watching them. Thank you!

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:07 pm

      Glad you like them!

  10. Antonio on May 2, 2016 at 8:24 am

    How can I contact you private? I have a question about your website…

  11. Chris on May 2, 2016 at 8:59 am

    great and very practical advices!

    when switching to higher volume should we keep the rest periods the same ?
    I am thinking if I keep the same rest periods than the workout will become too long right ?

    currently I am doing

    inclined press 3min rest
    5 6 8 10
    flat press 3min rest
    6 8 10
    literal rises 2min rest
    3 x 8-12
    skull crushers 2min rest
    3 x 6-10

    if i understood right the switch should look something like

    inclined press 3min rest
    6 x sets
    flat press 3min rest
    6 x sets
    shoulder press or Dumbbell Flyes
    6x sets

    literal rises 2min rest
    3 x 8-12
    skull crushers 2min rest
    3 x 6-10

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:05 pm

      Yes you should still rest 2-3 minutes between sets. Even if the workout takes longer, you get better results.

  12. luke h on May 2, 2016 at 12:13 pm

    Hey radu. Awesome video! What about if your cutting and hitting a plateau. Should I still increase workout capacity and do 6×5 on key movements, or should I reduce the sets?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:04 pm

      I wouldn’t do that. Wait until the cut is over.

  13. Robert Kinnan on May 2, 2016 at 1:09 pm

    Hi Radu. Great video. Would this apply if you are cutting? I am doing Aggressive Fat Loss through Kinobody. I do generally increase in strength or reps each workout but it is very slow. Is this just to be expected on a cut?

    Thanks,

    Robert

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:04 pm

      Hey Robert!

      Progress is slower when you’re cutting. My advice is to keep doing what you’re doing. Then, when you focus on weight gain you can use these strategies if you plateau.

      • Robert Kinnan on May 3, 2016 at 7:26 pm

        Thanks Radu.

        • Radu Antoniu on May 4, 2016 at 3:39 pm

          you’re welcome!

  14. Matt on May 2, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    Awesome video Radu! Your content is really amazing man, keep it coming.

    Recently I’ve realized that I’m still at a point where I progress better on 5×5 rather than RPT (my form/technique on exercises still needs work and the extra volume should help that) and it’s something I should still continue to do. Do you have any suggestions for a 5×5 Kinobody style routine (or even a 3×4-6 as Mike Matthews over at BLS suggests)? Almost all 5×5 out there emphasize wayyyyyyy to much lower body shit (SL 5×5, I’m looking at you). I think a 5×5 using the Kino and Greek God principles could be very effective.

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:03 pm

      Hey Matt!

      I hear you. I feel the same way.
      You can adapt any Kinobody routine to straight sets. You just replace RPT with 5×5

      • Matt on May 4, 2016 at 12:36 am

        Gotcha! It actually fits in quite well with MEGA training. Will have to see over time if the volume is too much but really, it looks like this and isn’t that bad.

        Workout A
        Incline Bench 5×5
        OHP 5×5
        Close Grip Bench 5×5
        Incline Cable Fly SPT 12,10,8,6
        Lateral Raises Rest Pause
        Face Pulls Rest Pause

        Workout B
        Weighted Chins or Pullups 5×5
        Leg Press or Squat 5×5
        Barbell Curl 3×6
        Seated Cable Row SPT 12,10,8,6
        Hammer Curls SPT 12,10,8,6
        Calves Rest Pause

        Seems decent no? I find with three presses on workout A tricep SPT/RP work would largely be unecesary, and Overhead Shrugs are there to help with a problem I’m having with weak upper traps that are being tweaked/discomfort at times with heavy overhead press weight.

        • Radu Antoniu on May 4, 2016 at 3:37 pm

          Actually I wouldn’t do 5×5 for all exercises. For the second exercise on a muscle group I would do 3 sets of 8 or 3 sets of 10. 5×5 is pretty hard and after a few weeks you can start to get bored with your workouts or even get burned out from the high intensity.

          • Matt on May 5, 2016 at 2:31 am

            Awesome, thanks man!



  15. Stefan on May 3, 2016 at 8:38 am

    Hei Radu! I found your youtube chanel recently and im surprised i didn’t find it earlier. You offer so much good information for free, that you should get a reward :). Acum, o dau pe romana ca doar suntem romani :)). Momentan am o inaltime de 1.86 m si 80 de kg. Am masa musculara decenta, spun eu, in conditiile in care am tot facut flotari si running pentru 1 an aproape si recent tractiuni(1 luna). Cu toate acestea, inca am grasime pe abdomen, talia mea masurand 90 de cm. As vrea ca macar putin sa se vada abdomenul, nedorind ”shreded abs”. Ce imi recomanzi?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 2:57 pm

      Salut Stefan!

      Mersi frumos!
      Cheia e sa slabesti grasime. Faci asta prin alimentatie. Scoate-ti pe telefon aplicatia MyFitnessPal si spune-i ca vrei sa slabesti grasime. O sa-ti arate cate calorii trebuie sa mananci zilnic ca sa dai jos grasimea de pe abdomen.

      • Stefan on May 3, 2016 at 3:52 pm

        Multumesc frumos. Mult succes in continuare.

        • Radu Antoniu on May 4, 2016 at 3:39 pm

          Mersi! Si tie la fel!

          • Stefan on May 10, 2016 at 2:53 pm

            Hei Radu. Am facut cum ai spus tu si m.am pus pe slabit. Mai am si eu o intrebare totusi: cam ce procent de grasime ar trebui sa am ca abdomenul sa fie vizibil putin?



  16. Stephen on May 4, 2016 at 3:39 am

    Radu whats the rest period on linear stage which is 8 sets? thank you

  17. BM on May 4, 2016 at 9:42 am

    Hey Radu, which email should i use to send you some questions?
    Cheers

  18. Rob on May 4, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    Have you ever tried the “less” volume approach, like Greg has outlined before?

    Like only 2 RPT sets?

  19. Siddharth on May 5, 2016 at 12:20 pm

    HI Radu,
    I am Siddharth from India. I found your youtube channel today and I am pretty much impressed by it and I am planning to implement your suggestions. I have started gyming for past 6 months but I do not take any kind of supplements not even Whey protein. So my questions are
    1. Should I start taking whey protein
    2. Which whey protein should be good for me.
    I wish you good luck for the work which you are doing.

  20. Igor on May 7, 2016 at 3:52 am

    Radu, what, more specifically, would be a grinded rep?

  21. Dante on May 7, 2016 at 1:48 pm

    Radu,

    I eat less that 1000 calories for caloric deficit but I found it didnt work.. What should I do ?

  22. Pandava on May 11, 2016 at 8:34 pm

    Hello Radu,

    Thank you for your great content. I used the search tool about a topic that I can’t find any information and I think it is important in the reverse pyramid method. I don´t know how to warm up properly. I understand that as you start with the heaviest weight first, you have to do a good warming up. Specially interested in warming up for the incline bench press, as It is an exercise I used to do with dumbells doing an ascending pyramid method, so I had no problems with the warming up, as the lower weights were the warming up. If you can give me some tips, like how many series, weights, reps and so on. Regards from Spain (My gym is full of your compatriots by the way!)

  23. Catana Andrei on May 12, 2016 at 7:33 pm

    Hi! I wanted to ask you:1) if its good to skip breackfast for agressive fat lose?
    2) can you gain muscle with calisthenics(exercices with only your body weight)?

  24. Mateusz on May 13, 2016 at 9:39 pm

    Hi Radu!
    Your content is absolutely fantastic. You’re explaining the Kinobody philosophy and programs in a much more approachable way, your point of view correlates ideally with what I’ve been looking for, and many other people as well.

    I’ve got a question to you, relating to hang cleans, ’cause I’ve seen you perform them in one of your videos. In my last workout I haven’t been able to progress with the weight on them (50 kg, pretty pathetic), and moreover, I was for some reason scared of pulling the bar up. I was certain I won’t be strong enough to get it up to my collar bone, that it would fall out of my hands. I could basically move it up until the point of where the lockout of a standard deadlift should be. Therefore, I immediately lowered the weight to the one from my previous workout, and the same thing happened. Only after I did a few reps with an empty bar was I able to finally move it with the weight from my previous workout, with a very crappy form, too. It’s surprising to me, because although I’m cutting, I keep seeing improvements in my weighted chin ups, I’m at 20 kg and going up by 2,5 kg per workout, even though I’ve never been able to perform them weighted before starting the Greek God routine.
    I’m assuming it might have to do with self-image and expectations, my incline bench is starting to stall a bit too, as it’s always been, and I’ve never actually learned how to perform hang cleans with a strict form. However, on chin ups I basically demand improvement in every single workout, because I know how easy it was the last time.
    Thanks in advance, and keep doing what you’re doing, ’cause you’re amazing at it.

  25. Ovidiu on May 16, 2016 at 7:50 pm

    Salut Radu,
    Am descoperit de curând saitul tău şi îmi place foarte mult. Felicitări! E remarcabil tot ceea ce faci!
    Nu am fost niciodată la sală şi probabil că nu voi ajunge prea curând pentru că mi se pare un obiectiv mult prea îndepărtat. Acum am 1,74 înălţime şi 78 kg. Vreau să îţi urmez sfaturile legate de nutriţie şi am început o perioadă de deficit caloric. Mi-am setat limita maximă de 1600 kcal / zi cu 53g grăsime, 108g carbohidraţi şi 171g proteine.
    Problema e următoarea, cu toate că nu depăşesc limita caloriilor, consum carbohidraţi aproape dublu iar proteine nici măcar jumătate din cât ar trebiu. Se pare că preferinţele mele alimentare sunt nepotrivite.
    Ce e de făcut?

  26. Basel on May 20, 2016 at 6:30 pm

    Hey Radu, it’s a while since you posted any video or article. What’s up? xD

  27. Ronan corrigan on May 21, 2016 at 4:03 pm

    Hi Radu, your videos and articles really helped me to clarify a few doubts I had about the Greek God program. After watching your video about the GG physique I’m not sure if I should be pursuing it. I’m about 20%body fat and I’m in a calorie deficit and fasting for up to 18hrs a day. Am I too fat for the GG program at the moment? Should I be doing a different program to get lean first and then go onto GG?

    Thanks,

    Ronan

  28. Trifu Andrei on May 22, 2016 at 2:15 pm

    Salut Radu,stiu ca nu pun intrebarea la articolul potrivit,dar voiam sa te intreb daca ti se pare metoda 16/8 la IF mai buna decat 20/4 datorita rezultatelor sau datorita stilului de viata si mancat?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 26, 2016 at 8:58 am

      Da 16/8 e mai bun pentru ca susține mai bine antrenamentul și creșterea musculară.

  29. Prateek Kapoor on May 23, 2016 at 2:45 pm

    Hey
    I’ve been following your videos and your program has given me good results.The problem is that I can’t lift or work out because of a broken hand so I’m not really in a deficit
    Would cardio help?
    Walking or anything?
    Great videos btw

    • Radu Antoniu on May 26, 2016 at 8:53 am

      You didn’t say what your goal was. But yes doing some exercise is always better than doing nothing.

      • Prateek Kapoor on May 27, 2016 at 3:33 am

        I wanna reach 15% body fat
        I’m currently somewhere around 19-20
        Is it possible with cardio?

      • Jodie on July 19, 2016 at 12:17 pm

        Enithglening the world, one helpful article at a time.

  30. chris on May 23, 2016 at 3:25 pm

    Hello Radu .. I am chris, greetings from greece!
    I want to thank you for everything, you and greg did the change to my life..
    its been now 8 months and i ve lost like 20 something kilos .. now i am 1.90cm and 76 kg
    but i have a problem .. i eat around 1500 cal a day and when i workout maybe close to 2000.. my scale seems to be stuck for like 1 month and my lifts don’t go up any more .. i am in a plateau on incline bench at 60 kilos for like 2.5 months .. what should i do?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 26, 2016 at 8:51 am

      Hey Chris!

      Increase your calories to maintenance for two weeks. If you are lean enough, after those two weeks you can start lean bulking.

      • chris on May 26, 2016 at 9:26 pm

        Radu .. thanks for the reply!
        i am thinking that i don’t have a full sixpack as you say at the lean bulking guide.. so ? i look very skinny already .. should i do this 2 week thing and then return to the deficit until i have a full sixpack?… can i send you a picture somewhere?

  31. Samad on June 6, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    Hi Radu, im very new to workiing oout, i dont know how to do press ups, and i dont know what exercises i need to do to become wedge, i dont know where to start, can you give help me out thanks.

  32. Ed on June 12, 2016 at 9:14 pm

    Hi Radu,
    Great article!

    I’m current doing the WSP and I too have run in to a plateue with bench press.

    The WSP program is inclined press for 1 x 4-6 reps then a set for 1 x 6-8 reps, the same set/rep range for Flat bench press.

    My question for you sir, should I incorporate your 5 x 6 to both incline and flat bench press routine (making it 10 sets altogether)?

    Thanks.
    P.S. Looking forward to your new program tomorrow!!

  33. Mike on June 13, 2016 at 4:03 pm

    Hi Radu, I am doing the Greek God program and stalled on incline bench so I am doing what you suggested and doing 5 sets of 6 instead of RPT.

    How does this apply to the 3 day split or specialization phases though? Should I do 5×6 for incline bench and then 3 sets of RPT dips right after that? Or since you are doing more volume, do you just focus on bench for a while and do chest specialization later?

    • Butch on July 19, 2016 at 12:19 pm

      So that’s the case? Quite a reialetvon that is.

  34. AJ Robertson on June 13, 2016 at 7:31 pm

    Radu, your podcast with Fit Pro is amazing and validates you as a awesome person. Featuring and/or sharing it more would help people understand who you are and what you are about.

    Part 1:
    http://fitpropodcast.com/index.php/2016/06/06/fpp-ep004-1-be-a-student-of-the-game-with-radu-antoniu-fit-pro-podcast/

    Part 2:
    http://fitpropodcast.com/index.php/2016/06/07/fpp-ep004-2-be-a-student-of-the-game-with-radu-antoniu-part-2-fit-pro-podcast/

    • Radu Antoniu on June 16, 2016 at 6:35 am

      You’re right. But I plan on making a video about what I shared in those podcasts.

  35. Prateet Panda on June 18, 2016 at 11:53 am

    Ur ebooks and vids have hlped a lot. Cleared all confusions. Just one doubt. What if someone does strength training 5times a week starting from chest on monday, shoulders on tuesday, followed by back, arms and legs.?? Right now i am at 20percent fat level and slightly above novice. Your reply will surely help. Thnx brother.

  36. Donato on June 23, 2016 at 2:51 pm

    I was wondering two question: one regarding incline bench and one regardind exercise in your program.
    1)I’ve browsed your website a lot and see that you advice incline bench as main exercise, any motivations to do that instead of classic flat bench press? Furthermore if there is someone like me that train at home and don’t have access to gym is it possible to substitute incline bench with weighted dips?
    2)Since I train at home and I can only use a barbell for deadlift, rings and weight dip belt. Is it possible to achieve one of the physique you propose with deadlift, weighted pull-ups and dips ? maybe with also weighted pushups and rows?

    • Crissy on July 19, 2016 at 12:49 pm

      Such a deep aneswr! GD&RVVF

  37. Andrew on July 3, 2016 at 1:43 pm

    Hi Radu!
    Do you think varying the rep range is more effective than exercise rotation?

    • Johnie on July 19, 2016 at 12:32 pm

      Arlitces like this make life so much simpler.

  38. Betsey on July 19, 2016 at 11:02 am

    Sm-kcadab what I was looking for-ty!

  39. Rose on July 19, 2016 at 11:17 am

    I had no idea how to approach this berfeo-now I’m locked and loaded.

  40. Jason on July 24, 2016 at 2:35 pm

    Hi Radu, do you think the volume for incline bench is high enough in the Strength & Density protocol of GGP?

  41. Daniel Breez on October 20, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    If you switch to straight sets of 6 instead of RPT for 8 weeks (to break through a plateau), how long should you rest between sets? 2 minutes?

  42. Hans on May 17, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    What if you hit a benchpress plateu while cutting and when you are still a beginner? If I dont increase soon I might do a maintance fase

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