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Build A Bigger Bench by George Petrides, Jr., CSCS

Having been involved in the weight training game for more than 20 years now, I can't tell you how many times I've been asked "How much can you bench?" It's never "how much can you squat?" or "how much can you curl?" It seems that every time a weight training discussion starts, the question is brought up within five minutes.

These days, the question comes up even more now that I work as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with high school athletes. Not only do the kids ask me the question about three times a day, they ask each other constantly. I can honestly say I know the "supposed" bench maxes of about 50 teenage boys.

Why is it that every male who enters a weight room feels the need to ask this crucial question? Answer . . . EGO! That's it . . . ego! How many times have you answered the question with a number that is a good 10-20 pounds more than you know you can do? Think about it. Reason? EGO!

But really, why is this the most common question asked in any weight room? The real reason is that the bench press is the ultimate test of upper body strength. It's really simple; the one that benches more has a stronger upper body! No wonder guys tend to cheat a little when answering the question.

Sure, technique has a lot to do with it. Leverage and body weight does too; but, in general, the one that benches more has the stronger upper body. The guy in the gym who benches the most weight is often idolized. Who cares that he has toothpicks for legs, a big 'ole beer belly, and a big fat butt! The fact that he can bench the most makes' him THE MAN!

So what can you do to increase your bench and perhaps your ego? Below is a sure fire plan to add major pounds to your bench. This routine is performed two days a week (Monday and Thursday) and is based on the program that Ed Coan, the greatest powerlifter of all time, used to bench press 573 pounds in 1998 at a body weight of only 239 pounds.

It is the same routine I use to train the members of my Powerlifting team The Iron Power Team. Each of them have added anywhere from 30 to 60 pounds to there bench in less than a year. Stick to the routine exactly as it's written and I promise you will add anywhere from 10-20 pounds to your max in 10 weeks depending on your experience level.

By the way, what is my answer to the question? At a recent powerlifting meet, I benched 415 lbs in the 220lb., lifetime drug free division.

THE ROUTINE

Step 1: Find your current max.

• warm up with a weight you can handle easily for 10 reps
• next, pick a weight just below your estimated max and do it for 1 rep
• wait 3-5 minutes and repeat until you find your max

Step 2: Estimate what your max will be in 10 weeks

• novice lifters (under a year experience) can expect a 10% increase. Example: If your current max is 150 (150 X 1.10 = 165), the estimated max would be around 165.
• more experienced lifters should expect a 2% to 5% gain

Step 3: Set up your training cycle using the following percentages based on your estimated max:

Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10

66%x10x3 68%x10x3 72%x8x3 76%x5x5 80%x5x5 70%x10x3 85%x3x4 88%x3x4 92%x2x3 95%x2x3

1 minute rest between sets 1 minute 2 minutes 3 minutes 3 minutes 1 minute 4 minutes 4 minutes 5 minutes 5 minutes

Follow the bench press with 2 sets of close grip benches using 90% of your bench weight for the same number of reps, and 2 sets of incline benches using 80% of your bench weight for the same number of reps (example: If on week 5 you benched 200 lbs. for 5x5, you would then do close grips with 180x5x2 and inclines with 160x5x2). Then do one all out set of flat DB flyes for 10 to 15 reps.

We bench press on Mondays only! The other day that is used to focus on the bench is Thursday, yet the bench is not performed! Let me explain. The primary muscles used in the bench are: triceps, shoulders, and pecs; therefore, we use this day to really focus on our shoulders and triceps by performing the Behind the Neck Press (BNP), shoulder fly movements, and heavy triceps movements. We set up a cycle for the BNP identical to that of the bench cycle and perform it using the same rest periods in between sets. Thursday's workout looks like this:

BNP DB front raises Shoulder fly Rear shoulder fly Weighted dips Cable triceps extension

cycle 2 x 10-15 reps 2 x 10-15 2 x 10-15 2 x as many as possible 3 x 6-10

Remember to keep accurate records of your workouts and set up your cycles a week before you start this routine. Even though some weeks may seem easy (especially the first week or two), remember that this routine does get progressively heavier and your body will almost trick itself into getting stronger due to the small, but steady, increases in the weight being lifted.

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George Petrides, Jr. with powerlifting legends Bill Kazmaier and Kirk Karwoski.

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