old skool progressive bench press routine

[JP]

my current bench routine is loosely based on this, so wanted to share it and discuss it.

This routine is a linear progression routine with some built in waving of load and tonnage.

Basically you start your routine with going to that days 8 rep max, doing 8 reps all the way up. You stay on that rep range for three weeks, trying to improve that 8 rep max.

You then drop to 5 reps, and repeat that for 3 weeks, you then drop to triples for 3 weeks, doubles for 2-3 weeks and then singles. Always doing all the build up sets apart from your first "loosening up set" with the rep range of the day.

After you have reached that daily max you do a rep out with a weight you can nail for 10-12 reps, increasing the weight when you have that in the bag. keep doing that till the doubles weeks start at which time you drop it out.

So it looks roughly like this:

week 1: 8 reps
week 2: 8 reps
week 3: 8 reps
week 4: 5 reps
week 5: 5 reps
week 6: 5 reps
week 7: 3 reps
week 8: 3 reps
week 9: 3 reps
week 10: 2 reps
week 11: 2 reps
week 12: 1 rep
week 13: 1 rep

This routine combines the idea of getting some volume in, but with trying to hit daily maxes. It doesnt work on percentages at all because some days you just are stronger, some not, that doesnt matter on this routine.

The volume is there to work the form and get used to the movement. It also creates muscle growth with the higher reps and then moving towards heavier lower rep weeks building up your new maxes on the way.

The back off set is there for muscle growth as well, and also to pump some blood into the muscles for joint etc health.

What i love about this type of training is that the 8s feel really horrible to me, and when i drop to 5s it felt like a holiday, and after getting used to that, dropping to triples felt easy again, eventhough i upped the weight considerably and in many ways was working much harder.

So thats the main bench day, you can add some tricep work on it as well. The other pressing session of the weeks could have board pressing, speed benching, and/or overhead work.

If anyone gives this a stab, it would be interesting to hear some feedback on how it went.

[ninearms]

Looks very solid. Actually looks very similar to what I'm using for my squats at the moment, albeit my top weights are based on a 1RM rather than a max from a previous week. Obviously I don't do 8s because they're for bodybuilders, but I do 4s as 4 is supposedly the number of the beast or something. And I have 2 sessions a week instead of 1 (well 4 really - 2 each for front and back). Like this:

Weeks 1-3
- Monday - 5 reps at 50%, 60%, 70%, 75% and 83%
- Thursday - As Monday but take 5kg and 1 rep off each set

Week 4
- Monday - deload for 3 reps at 50%, 60%, 75%, 75%, 75%
- Thursday - As Monday but take 5kg off each set

Weeks 5-7
- Monday - 4 reps at 50%, 75%, 85%, and 87%
- Thursday - As Monday but take 5kg and 1 rep off each set

Week 8
- Monday - deload for 3 reps at 50%, 60%, 75%, 75%, 75%
- Thursday - As Monday but take 5kg off and add 1 rep to each set

Weeks 9-10
- Monday - Doubles at 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%
- Thursday - As Monday but take 5kg off each set

Week 11
Monday - Triples at 55%, 65%, 75%, 75%, 75%
Thursday - As Monday but add 5kg and take 1 rep off each set

Week 12
Monday - off
Thursday - 50% x3, 65% x3, 80% x3, 92% x 1, 105% x 1

So basically nothing at all like your plan. But your plan looks good - solid mix of hypertrophy, mid-range and heavy-ass work.

What assistance are you running alongside?

[SpugFab]

going to that days 8 rep max, doing 8 reps all the way up.

So you're at the triples stage now.

How many sets was it taking you to find your 8 rep and 5 rep maxes?

How long were you resting between sets?

Don't make me read your log

[JP]

9arms: aye, not much like yours I like this one because it doesnt have percentages, some times you go to the gym and feel shit, sometimes you feel fantastic - and i think you should train accordingly.

Though i am not knocking percentage routines either, can be very good and i have used many and got great results.

the assistance movements have been haphazard for me, but generally some tricep work, even pulldowns for muscle growth, narrow grips, board presses, overhead work etc, i guess you could just work your weaknesses if you know them.

also have to be said i dont know this routine personally very well yet, but have seen it used by others so can draw some info from there as well.

Also have to say i had to cut this routine short for myself because of the bench press competition coming up so soon, so i did two weeks of 8s and 5s, 3 weeks of triples and will do 2 weeks of doubles, one singles + comp (singles obviously!).

I had a pretty good idea what my top set would be for any given day, so far it has always worked that way. So i planned the build up accordingly, like first week 8x70, 8x90, 8x100, 8x110, 8x115, then next week same build up but 117.5 as the top set.

yesterday i did the triples with big jumps, maybe too big.

If the top set would be easy, i would add 2.5kg and do another one. But they havent been that easy so far

rest: normal powerlifting style, do the next set when you know you will nail it.

read my log, its class.