Destroy the Opposition: Programming for Powerlifting Read online

  THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD START REVERSE GRIPPING.

  That is not my point. Instead, you should 1) confirm that a suspected rotator cuff injury isn’t simply knotting in your biceps at the insertion point, and 2) experiment with every part of the bench press to ensure that your form is optimal. Blindly following the recommendations of a stranger will only serve to remove thoughtfulness from your training, and if you’re simply going to be a mindless automaton, you might as well sit in from your computer and play Farmville until a comet smashes into your house and wipes your shame from the Earth.

  You’re left, then, with the task of re-examining every single facet of your bench press if it is lagging, including your grip width, your elbow flare, your arch, your foot placement, the bar path, the strike point on your body, the assistance exercises you do, and the number of times per week you train the lift and accessories. Over the last year, I've played with every possible permutation of my new form and frequency to arrive at what I think works best for me, and it's nothing whatsoever like 1) people would generally suggest, or 2) what I started with. Thus, this is one more instance wherein you'll stop taking advice from every half-assed guru on the planet and fucking figure it out for yourself.

  Know which form is the right form? The form that gets white-lighted at a meet and allows you to move the most weight. If your current form fails to meet either of those criteria, you're fucking up.

  I'm glad you asked, nameless moron who makes idiotic statements in public forums. Nice back, by the way. Allow me to elucidate all of the reasons you should get good at the bench press.

  You should bench because:

  Like it or not, the bench press is one of the most basic standards of measure for physical strength in the gym. It's a universally accepted measure of upper body strength for lay people and lifters alike, and it's consequently utilized everywhere you go, from the grocery store checkout line (I'm constantly asked by customers and employees how much I bench) to the NFL Combine to the gym. Thus, it doesn't fucking matter what any pencil-necked pussy on a message board thinks about the efficacy of this measure— it's the standard. Refusing to adhere to the standard would be like trying to pay for your Jamba Juice with back issues of Hustler— no matter how much better a measure of personal wealth you might think they are, you're fucking wrong.

  The bench press is an event in one of the three most popular strength sports in the Western world. Sucking at it limits your ability to prove your mettle and compete in competitive sports that don't involve stupid pants played by people who are waiting to die. (For those amongst you who are confused by that sentence, I’m referring to golf. Golf courses are nothing more than waiting rooms for people ready to die.)

  Sucking at the bench press is generally evidence that you're either an average woman or are considering becoming one. It is, again, the most accepted measure of upper body strength, and upper body strength is associated with manliness. If you are a woman, consider this— kicking ass at an upper body lift like the bench makes you pretty much the top of the fucking food chain. Case in point: 132 lb. natural female powerlifter Jennifer Thompson has benched 315 in a non-sanctioned meet, raw. That sound you're hearing is thousands of guys violently opening kitchen drawers in search of anything sharp with which to slit their wrists. Remember, fellas— horizontal’s a bullshit cry for help. You want to go down the road, rather than across the street, if you want to get the job done right.

  Putting aside the necessity of your suicide if you’re getting outlifted by a tiny female, benching is a good idea irrespective of your strength level or your gender. You’re read a lot of diatribes by people so self-important they make Chuck Palahniuk seem self-effacing by comparison wherein they decry the bench press as useless, but they’re merely doing so to excuse their shit performance at that lift. There are plenty of instances wherein you need to have the brutal strength necessary to violently shove objects away from your chest— never mind shit falling on you or holding up the car while someone changes a tire, fellas. Having a strong chest, shoulders, and triceps means you will fuck better. If you cannot envision how this is possible, you're either a virgin or retarded. In either case, just focus on the aforementioned reasons.

  If that wasn’t a poignant enough point, consider this— Arnold Schwarzenegger had a huge chest, and everyone reveres Arnold. The bench press will give you a better developed chest, just like Arnold. Arnold benched often and he benched heavy (he hit 540 lbs at one point). His physique is renowned as the benchmark by which everyone gauges their own physique, even in an era where he couldn’t get his pro card in a natural meet. Therefore, benching would be a good idea, if for no other reason than Ahnold says so.

  Now that we've got that ridiculousness out of the way, I'll address the fact that there is no universally perfect bench press form, no matter what anyone fucking tells you. If anyone argues, treat them as you would any noisome blight and cave that fuckwit’s head in with a rock or hammer.

  Presenting… The Bench Form Of The Greats!

  Ted Arcidi- Virtually flat back, wide grip, elbows flared feet away from bench and slightly wide. Ted was the first person to officially bench 700 lbs, and was an all-around bad motherfucker at the bench.

  Ryan Kennelly- Hard arch, fairly close grip, elbows in, feet a little tucked. He benched 1074 shirted and at least 650 raw.

  Marvin Eder- Practically a snatch grip, completely flat back, and legs nearly straight. Eder benched 515 at 203 lbs in a time when he had to have someone hand him the bar because bench pressing benches were rare.

  Jennifer Thompson- Wide grip, elbows flared, hard arch, wide, tucked feet. She benched 297.5 at 132, fellas, and 315 at an unsanctioned meet.

  Rick Weil- Close grip, elbows flared, back totally flat. He holds world records at 165 and 181 that have stood for over 25 years, in spite of the fact that he’s doing everything “wrong” by most internet gurus’ standards.

  The Barbarian Brothers- Ultra wide reverse grip, hard arch, wide foot placement. In the video from which I snagged this still, one of them hits 200kg for 5 bounced reps, and they both had 500+ lb benches for singles. Before you talk shit about their form, consider the fact that none of you could get within shouting distance of that feat, with any form and the gear in the world.

  Big Jim Williams- Fairly wide grip, super flared elbows, flat feet and a close stance, with a very low arch.

  I think at this point we’ve established fairly concretely that there is no standard by which you should gauge your form in the bench press, and a fairly obvious reason why I won’t be including any kind of form tutorial within these pages. Provided you get three white lights in a meet, whichever form you use to move the most weight is the best form. No two people are built exactly alike, and there are so many factors that come into play (forearm vs. upper arm length, position of muscular insertions, tendon and ligament strength, muscular imbalances, past injuries) that no one can do more than offer passive suggestions about your form after seeing you bench.

  That is not to say that you should post a form check video online and take advice from idiots on the internet— I’m referring to advice from knowledgeable people, perhaps at a meet. Additionally, deviation from the standard from about which you read in the training manuals du jour and on the internet extends beyond the setup and execution of the competition bench. The greatest benchers of all time have wildly different routines and styles of execution of the bench itself in training. Some of the best benchers I know, for instance, train with a touch-and-go method and the occasional massive single bounced off their sternum. This includes two guys I know who bench over 500 and incline in the mid 400s but don’t compete because they have no interest.

  [Side note: It’s been said before by people with more time in the gym than even I have, and it’s absolutely true— the strongest people on Earth do not compete. I have no idea why this is the case, but I’ve seen some insane lifts in the gym that have never been duplicated on the platform by anyone, and the people perfor
ming them were so strong that they had no idea they were unofficially breaking world records as a regular part of their workouts. For instance, the chick in the pic above regularly did doubles with 335 on the squat at a bodyweight of around 135, and the record in that class currently stands at 330. Neither of us had any idea what the record was, and her performance as so commonplace that we never gave it a thought. As such, she never competed in a full meet, and is remarkably nonplussed at the fact that she could have held a world record in powerlifting.]

  Additionally, the aforementioned benching duo do all of their rep work with partials, basically doing bottom-half reps throughout. This does not, however, prevent them from putting up big numbers when they try paused benches. For myself, like Ken Fantano, I have to practice the paused bench to be good at it. If I practice touch and go in the gym, my form breaks down, and I then lose the tightness I need to move big weights. Other guys seem to find that the looser form yields greater strength when applied to strict form.

  I could go on, but I think at this point it should be fairly apparent to those of you with nervous systems more complex than that of a starfish that there is no one golden bench press technique or routine, and that anyone who claims to know of one is a fucking liar worthy of a full-on Islamic stoning.

  Bench press badass (he benched 545 at 242 in competition with 3 broken ribs) Doug Young says, "Stop making excuses and go bench, pussy. Just know you'll never have chest hair like this."

  The Bench Routines of the Greats

  There are many ways to skin a cat, and the bench press is absolutely no exception. Given the fact that many of you were shamed into depression with the news that a 130 lb girl out-benches you, I was initially planning to start with her and work our way through some of the greats. Instead, I'm going to start with Rick Weil, who's got a lengthy but really insightful look at the bench press and methods for fixing failed attempts based on the part of the lift in which you fail. Before I do, however, I'll mention that I noticed two striking similarities between the approaches of the two lifters I will outline— one, they don't seem to be overly preoccupied with limiting their volume, and two, many of them have backgrounds in bodybuilding.

  I suppose that should come as no surprise, given that bodybuilders often list chest and arms as their favorite body parts to lift, but it's worth noting for those of you who eschew either or both. After you drink in the goodness that's next perhaps you should consider the possibility that you're not doing enough volume or enough variety for your chest and arms to facilitate an optimal bench press. I'm sure that news is about as welcome as the teeth of a bath salt smoking homeless fucker on your cheek, but after reviewing the following programs and checking out their chest and arm development, you will most likely agree.

  Doug Young

  Suspend your incredulity for a moment and indulge me— the story goes, according to powerlifting historian Terry Todd, that Doug Young actually started powerlifting after getting teased by his coworkers for being fat and making a subsequent bet to lose weight thereafter. After cutting to 178 from 240 in two months, Young benched 305 the day of his weigh-in. Six months later, he stepped on the scale at 260 and benched a completely ridiculous 540. That’s right— the catalyst for Young becoming one of the greatest powerlifters of all time was none other than one of those retarded intra-office Biggest Loser competitions. This would be akin to Red Baron joining the German Army after winning a paper airplane design competition. To say the man was a freak doesn’t do him justice— he’s something else altogether. He eventually benched 612, raw, and posted a total of 2017 lbs. at 242 (Todd, Texas USPF) in spite of the fact that he infrequently and grudgingly practiced the other two lifts. His program was just as ridiculous as his story. Every other day he did the same program, varying it only with the occasional inclusion of doubles instead of singles if he was too sore (Todd).

  Bench Press (32-inch grip)

  135 x 10

  225 x 8

  315 x 6

  405 x 2

  455 x 2

  500 x 2

  550 x 2

  570 x 1

  Bench Press (22-inch grip)

  405 x 10

  Bench Press (36-inch grip)

  380 x 10

  Triceps Press (which I assume is a pushdown)

  225 x 6 for 4 sets

  Young also utilized a competition prep routine for full meets in which he wanted to go for a big total. For the first three weeks of this program, he switches between the program above and the one below. Each of them is done once a week, so he’s dropping his total benching volume to two days a week to incorporate other shit. To say he was singularly focused on the bench would be a ridiculous understatement— he makes modern day bench bros look like lazy, shiftless, non-benching layabouts by comparison.

  Bench Press (32-inch grip)

  135 x10

  225 x 8

  315 x 6

  405 x 2

  455 x 2

  500 x 2

  530 x 3 for 5 sets

  Bench Press (22-inch grip)

  405 x 10

  Bench Press (36-inch grip)

  380 x 10

  Triceps Press

  225 x 6, 4 sets

  If you’re questioning his percentages, the weights listed above are calculated using his 6 rep max over four sets. If that wasn’t weird enough, his percentages don’t appear to have any fucking relation to one another, as he attempted to keep his 5 sets of 3 about 50 pounds higher than his 4 sets of 6, on which he used 480. Thus, he was doing 4x6 with the above poundages are figured on the basis of a top weight in his alternate program of 4 heavy sets of 6 with 480 pounds. He attempts to keep his 5 sets of 3 about 50 pounds higher than his 4 sets of 6. 480 is about 80% of his eventual best competition bench of 612, and 530 is 82% of his 1RM. Given that the standard for 3 rep sets seems to be 90%, this would point to the fact that a workout rigidly based on percentages is definitely not going to work for everyone.

  In the last 5 workouts prior to a meet, Young modified his routine slightly. He’d use the 5 sets of 3 program for the first three sessions, then cut back on his reps in his final two workouts to 5 sets of 2 reps. The last two workouts would then look like this:

  Bench Press (32-inch grip)

  135 x 10

  225 x 8

  315 x 6

  405 x 2

  455 x 2

  500 x 2

  550 x 2 for 5 sets (90% of his 1RM) [He’d attempt to get 3 or 4 reps on the last two sets.]

  He’d stop training on Tuesday or Wednesday for a Saturday meet, and would be mixing in limited and infrequent (once a week) squat and deadlift workouts consisting almost exclusively of singles.

  Rick Weil

  In a time when an afro and a ‘stache didn't necessarily mean you raped small children in the bushes behind an elementary school, Rick Weil had both, and wore them proudly. In spite of his incontrovertibly terrible taste in above-the-neck hair, Weil was a badass on the bench. The records he set in 1983 and 1986 at 165 (485 lbs) and 181 (556) have remained untouched since he set them, and he's within 9 lbs of the world record bench at 198 with his lift at 181. According to Powerliftinghub, "this is not only the record for the 181's but the biggest triple bodyweight unequipped bench press of all time across any weight division." In other words, when Rick Weil opens his mouth about the bench press, you should fucking take heed, because he's the Ed Coan of bench pressing and can likely bench more with his semi-erect penis than you can with your entire upper body.

  Interestingly, he is not averse to reverse gripping, either. According to his post on Bodybuilding.com, he “lift[ed] reverse grip, but never benched that way in competition. [He] did a lot of exhibitions reverse grip and actually did a 545 reverse in the gym. [He also] would do exhibitions with 505 for 5-6 reps." He was also a big fan of doing heavy negatives to increase your strength on the bench, though he cautioned that you should limit yourself to one or two singles at the end of a workout (Critical Bench). Doing so will strengthen
your ligaments and tendons, in addition to work with better form on lighter weights, because you'll be accustomed to handling much heavier poundage.

  Weil, who appears to be something of an intellectual, broke down the bench press into four distinct parts: the approach, the drive, the push, and the lockout. Each of these distinct parts of the lift have their own issues, all of which Weil addressed with different assistance movements or techniques.

  "The approach is the part of the lift where you bring the bar down to your chest. This is important because done properly it sets up the rest of the lift for hitting the groove. Remember to stay very tight during the approach, do not relax at your chest. The negatives will help here."

  "When the bench command is given, the drive part of the lift begins. Practice pause benching in the gym because good habits are hard to break as well as bad habits. Also, injury can come from sloppy form, so always train as if a judge is watching. If you are stuck at your chest, perhaps you are forgetting a very strong and important body part at your disposal—your BACK. Remember the bench press is an upper body exercise and your back is part of your upper body. Powerlifters generally have very strong lats, so why not use them? With 135 on the bar, practice using your lats to drive the weight off of your chest. You do this by initiating a lat spread of sorts at the bottom of the lift. Trying is believing. It really works and with practice your lats will drive any weight off of your chest you would normally have been stuck with. Since powerlifters train their backs, only the lifters who strictly bench need to do special back exercises. I recommend doing lat pull downs and cable-seated rows for building the muscles necessary for the drive part of the bench press. Those of you with strong backs need only to work the correct form, getting used to driving with the back."