u/wakari2

I've been thinking about changing how I progress my main compound lifts (squat, bench, and deadlift) and wanted to get some feedback.

My goal with these lifts is strength only. I do my hypertrophy work separately with accessories.

The idea is:

- One heavy top set in the 3–5 rep range.

- Drop the weight by around 10–15% and do 4 back-off sets, also in the 3–5 rep range.

- I aim for 5 reps on every set over time. If I miss reps, I keep the weight the same next session and try to beat my previous performance.

- I only increase the weight once I've hit 5 reps on all 5 working sets (the top set + all back-off sets).

For example:

Week 1:

- Top set: 85 × 3

- Back-offs: 75 × 3, 3, 3, 3

Week 2:

- Top set: 85 × 4

- Back-offs: 75 × 4, 4, 4, 4

Week 3:

- Top set: 85 × 5

- Back-offs: 75 × 5, 5, 5, 5

Then I'd increase the weight (e.g. 87.5 kg top set and 77.5 kg back-offs) and repeat.

Does this seem like a good progression for maximizing strength, or is there a better way to structure it?

When I bench press, I get pain in the biceps tendon near the elbow crease. It happens during the pressing movement, especially near the bottom of the rep.

My biceps themselves aren't sore, it's specifically the tendon area near the elbow. I also have hypermobility, if that's relevant.

Has anyone experienced this before? Is it usually a technique issue, overuse, or something else? Any ideas on what could be causing it? It's new, I've been benching for a while now never had this, just the last 2 sessions

I used to do pyramid 12/10/8/6 and Increase the weight each set , but it has many problem and when I reach top weight am already fatigued, am thinking about doing straight sets and increase weight across all when feeling stronger but gpt says that won't work for compound movements like bench, squats and deadlifts how should I make my progression method