Bench Bodyweight For Reps

Dynamic Effort Day: The goal of today, Get the bar from Point A (your chest) to Point B (full lockout) as fast as humanly possible.

A1- Flat Bench Press 8x3
Increase the weight after each set if possible, but do not lose bar speed.

B1- Dumbbell Floor Press 4x3
Pause for a half-second at the bottom. Use a 5RM weight.

C1- 1-arm DB row 4x10
Using a neutral grip. Nothing fancy, using a 12-15RM weight.


Repetition Day:Probably the most entertaining day of this routine. It offers a break from intensity, while still stimulating accessory muscles.

A1- Flat Bench Press 10x2
Think of this as a DE day-exercise variation. Less weight and reps, more sets. Also, bar speed is less “explosive”, more “fast while maintaining tension”, if that makes sense.

B1- Neutral Grip Pull-up 3x10
Nothing fancy. Either on parallel pull-up handles, or a close-grip row attachment held over a pull-up bar. 15RM weight.

C1- Lateral Raise 3x10
Standard issue lateral raise. Bring DBs to shoulder-height or slightly above. Technique can be “assisted” by some body swing. 15RM weight.

D1- Seated French Press 3x10
A strict overhead barbell extension, using a straight or EZ curl bar. 15RM weight.


Maximum Effort Day:The goal for today is to put a bunch of weight on the bar, and move it. Sounds easy enough.

A1- Three-Board Press 5x3, 5x1
Use a half-beat pause on the boards. If you don’t have boards, improvise (textbooks, phonebooks, whatever). Work up to a 1-rep max, over those last 5 sets sets.

B1- Tricep Pressdown 3x8
Use any handle: rope, straight bar, v-bar. Just working the movement, getting blood to the muscles. 15RM weight.

C1- Seated Cable Row or Chest-Supported Row 3x4
Overhand (pronated) grip. Preferably same grip-width as bench press. 6RM weight.


Other Stuff, Maintenance Day: Maintenance work for the rest of the body. We don’t want to stress the pressing muscles much, as they get plenty of attention during the other workouts. Note the use of supersets here, unlike the other workouts.

A1- Squat 4x4
A basic ass-to-grass Squat. Nothing fancy. Bear in mind, this is the only lower body exercise you get. Make it count, but we’re not trying to break any records. 5-6RM weight.

A2- Hammer Curl 4x6
Yay for arm work! We’re using it to reinforce bar grip. You can be a little “loose” with form, within safety limits. 8-10RM weight.

B1- Russian Twist 3x10
From a crunch position, use a DB or plate held half-an-arm’s length from the abs. Rotate as far to either side as is comfortable and controllable. 12-15RM weight.

B2- Hanging Pike/Leg raise 3x10
Rather than using weight, focus on bringing the legs as high as possible by rotating the hips under. The closer your toes get to eye-level, the better.


Very High Rep Day: Today will help to teach the body how to perform a bunch of reps in a row, and will be a nice break from the rough and tough workouts of the past few weeks. A nice transition to the actual competition.

A1- Flat Bench Press 4x12-12-12
Standard issue flat bench technique. Casual tempo, not super fast. Nothing fancy. We’re going to use a modified Thibaudeau concept, the cluster set. Basically, do 12 reps, rack the bar, count to 15, do another 12, repeat a third time. That’s 1 “set”. Rest a full 3or 4 minutes between “sets”. The last two sets should be using your bodyweight.

B1- Seated Cable Row 3x15
Standard issue seated row. Pronated (palms-down) grip. Don’t stress over tempo. Just an easy 15 reps per set. 20RM weight.


And that, is that. It goes without saying that I’m open to comments/questions/critique. However, do remember that this was a successful program, in that it accomplished the client’s goal, and caused no injuries. (In retrospect, I may have wanted to to some more pulling, but, it worked as what it is). Enjoy.

1 Like

DeFranco’s theory brings to mind the contest between Hatfield and Platz back in the day. Hatfeild’s max squat was higher, but Platz performed more reps at a somewhat lighter weight. This would seem to, at least, contradict DeFranco’s ideas. The correlation between limit strength and endurance is not a direct one.

Could it have something to do with your body’s efficiency at flushing lactic acid away from the muscle? Those who train for max strength don’t generally get enough reps in for acid build-up to be a problem.

[quote]Donut62 wrote:
human743 wrote:
tveddy wrote:
I’m training for the 225 rep test, it comes up this friday. What I do is to do a normal workout, and then after I’m done use 225 like I would and rep it out. I realize that this is kinda like training to failure, but i don’t think that its the same because I don’t feel like I’m overtraining.

How many reps are you shooting for?
I’ve always wondered what the record is for reps with 225.

During the Fiesta Bowl they mentioned that Mike Kudla, OSU’s graduating defensive end, was trying to break the NFL Combine record which is 43 reps of 225 set by Scott Young in 2005.

I’ve read that Kudla has done 46 in the weight room, and he has a legit 550 raw bench. I imagine there are powerlifters who can get well over 50.[/quote]

I’m a big OSU fan, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer just ran an article about him saying he actually got 52 over the summer. He is actually my age and grew up about 20 miles from me; he actually got a life threatening infection during his junior year, I believe, so it is a pretty cool story.

[quote]AZMojo wrote:
DeFranco’s theory brings to mind the contest between Hatfield and Platz back in the day. Hatfeild’s max squat was higher, but Platz performed more reps at a somewhat lighter weight. This would seem to, at least, contradict DeFranco’s ideas. The correlation between limit strength and endurance is not a direct one.

Could it have something to do with your body’s efficiency at flushing lactic acid away from the muscle? Those who train for max strength don’t generally get enough reps in for acid build-up to be a problem.[/quote]

It doesn’t contradict DeFranco. Max strength, is the MOST important, but not the only thing that matters.

If you aren’t able to lift a significant amount more than what you have to rep out, you have no shot. It is not the only quality that you need to possess, though in order to be extremely successful.

I’m not sure of the record, I’m shooting for 30-35 range.

[quote]human743 wrote:
tveddy wrote:
I’m training for the 225 rep test, it comes up this friday. What I do is to do a normal workout, and then after I’m done use 225 like I would and rep it out. I realize that this is kinda like training to failure, but i don’t think that its the same because I don’t feel like I’m overtraining.

How many reps are you shooting for?
I’ve always wondered what the record is for reps with 225.[/quote]

[quote]Mr. Bear wrote:
AZMojo wrote:
DeFranco’s theory brings to mind the contest between Hatfield and Platz back in the day. Hatfeild’s max squat was higher, but Platz performed more reps at a somewhat lighter weight. This would seem to, at least, contradict DeFranco’s ideas. The correlation between limit strength and endurance is not a direct one.

Could it have something to do with your body’s efficiency at flushing lactic acid away from the muscle? Those who train for max strength don’t generally get enough reps in for acid build-up to be a problem.

It doesn’t contradict DeFranco. Max strength, is the MOST important, but not the only thing that matters.

If you aren’t able to lift a significant amount more than what you have to rep out, you have no shot. It is not the only quality that you need to possess, though in order to be extremely successful. [/quote]

But, that doesn’t explain why Hatfield, who had more of the MOST important element, wasn’t able to do as many reps as Platz. Platz apparently wasn’t able to lift that much more, but he repped the shit out of it. Evidently, max strength wasn’t the most important in this case.

Somebody please explain to me how this jives with DeFranco’s ideas.

Charles Staley has also said that one of the “easiest” ways to get a player more reps with 225 is to dramatically increase his 1RM.

The whole Platz-Hatfield contest has alot to do with muscle fiber content. If I remember correctly (which, we’ve seen I may not), individuals with more fast twitch muscle fiber can get fewer reps at 80%1RM than someone with more slow twitch fibers.

ESPN did a story on a lineman from a D3 school that got over 50 on the 225 test, but I guess it wasn’t at the combine. I think Jackass on these boards said he got over 40.Ya’ll are some hossed out motherfuckers.

CW wrote about this in Branding Iron: http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=492600

[quote]rubberduck wrote:
CW wrote about this in Branding Iron: http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=492600 [/quote]

Waterbury essentially says the same thing as DeFranco. Who stole from who, I don’t know. But, it still doesn’t answer the question. Using Platz vs. Hatfield as an example would seem to, on the surface, disprove, or at the very least challenge their premise. Perhaps training with a submaximal load with the focus on endurance is the way to go, a la Platz.

Sure, both have had some success with athletes, but we all know that may not be solely due to their training methods. How good were the athletes before these guys got 'em?
I have a little bit of a problem with trainers taking credit because they got lucky and latched on to a couple of gifted athletes. You see it all the time in sports. That may not be the case here, but who knows?

[quote]AZMojo wrote:
rubberduck wrote:
CW wrote about this in Branding Iron: http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=492600

Waterbury essentially says the same thing as DeFranco. Who stole from who, I don’t know. But, it still doesn’t answer the question. Using Platz vs. Hatfield as an example would seem to, on the surface, disprove, or at the very least challenge their premise. Perhaps training with a submaximal load with the focus on endurance is the way to go, a la Platz.

Sure, both have had some success with athletes, but we all know that may not be solely due to their training methods. How good were the athletes before these guys got 'em?
I have a little bit of a problem with trainers taking credit because they got lucky and latched on to a couple of gifted athletes. You see it all the time in sports. That may not be the case here, but who knows?[/quote]

Your assumption that one of them “stole” this idea from the other tells alot about your comprehension of this discussion. Also, on his website, DeFranco has a ton of pictures of guys like baseball player Jim Burt (still in the minors) and linebacker Dhani Jones. It doesn’t seem he is really riding anyone’s coat tails here, as those aren’t exactly household names.

As for your original question. Most times, someone who is stronger is going to rep out the weight more than an athlete who is weaker. However, muscle fiber composition and endurance training come into play, and you may have a defensive back who presses 405 rep out more than a lineman who benches 500. (This just shows that the test is a piece of shit. It is only by pure laziness that this is the strength test which the NFL administers.) But the thing is, is that both of these athletes can press much more than 225 pounds. Their limit strength is already high, and then other factors come into play.

Also, I don’t know how good of a comparison you can really make between the sqaut and the bench press.

[quote]Mr. Bear wrote:
AZMojo wrote:
rubberduck wrote:
CW wrote about this in Branding Iron: http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=492600

Waterbury essentially says the same thing as DeFranco. Who stole from who, I don’t know. But, it still doesn’t answer the question. Using Platz vs. Hatfield as an example would seem to, on the surface, disprove, or at the very least challenge their premise. Perhaps training with a submaximal load with the focus on endurance is the way to go, a la Platz.

Sure, both have had some success with athletes, but we all know that may not be solely due to their training methods. How good were the athletes before these guys got 'em?
I have a little bit of a problem with trainers taking credit because they got lucky and latched on to a couple of gifted athletes. You see it all the time in sports. That may not be the case here, but who knows?

Your assumption that one of them “stole” this idea from the other tells alot about your comprehension of this discussion. Also, on his website, DeFranco has a ton of pictures of guys like baseball player Jim Burt (still in the minors) and linebacker Dhani Jones. It doesn’t seem he is really riding anyone’s coat tails here, as those aren’t exactly household names.

As for your original question. Most times, someone who is stronger is going to rep out the weight more than an athlete who is weaker. However, muscle fiber composition and endurance training come into play, and you may have a defensive back who presses 405 rep out more than a lineman who benches 500. (This just shows that the test is a piece of shit. It is only by pure laziness that this is the strength test which the NFL administers.) But the thing is, is that both of these athletes can press much more than 225 pounds. Their limit strength is already high, and then other factors come into play.

Also, I don’t know how good of a comparison you can really make between the sqaut and the bench press.

[/quote]

Perhaps “stole” was a little harsh, but both use almost identical quotes to justify their reasoning. Regarding DeFranco’s website; maybe he’s not working with household names, but you know as well as I do that merely working with a professional athlete, regardless of caliber, is often enough to draw other athletes who hope to be professionals some day. Is he riding on coat tails? I don’t know. I guess it’s a chicken or the egg scenario. He’s definitely using them to market his business, which is cool if he’s at least part of the reason they got to where they are. Not as cool if he got them afterwards.

As far as my original question goes; I’m just saying that it’s a gross oversimplification to say that those with greater max strength will perform better in an event like this. Of course you need to be able to bench more than the weight itself. If your 5RM is 225, then I guess we can count on…5 reps. There comes a point though, that you need to stop training for max strength and start endurance work.
Oh, and for the record, I agree that it’s a bullshit event as far as football performance is concerned.

AZMojo,

No one is disagreeing with you that endurance strength needs to be worked on in order to do maximally well on the test, and the program Waterbury describes devotes the weeks leading up to the test to endurance strength training.

Nobody is saying that limit strength is the only thing that matters.

[quote]human743 wrote:
I entered the 5K Pump and Run @ the Arnold Expo. I am trying to get my reps up on the bodyweight bench press for the first half of that event. I keep waffling between wanting to train heavy to get my strength up and just shooting for using lighter weights to increase my endurance. It is about 5 wks out right now.

Any ideas about the best way to go?

Right now I am 187 lbs. and the last time I tried that weight I got 12 reps. [/quote]

Bumped like a record player at a disco…

How’d you end up doing, man?

[quote]human743 wrote:
tveddy wrote:
I’m training for the 225 rep test, it comes up this friday. What I do is to do a normal workout, and then after I’m done use 225 like I would and rep it out. I realize that this is kinda like training to failure, but i don’t think that its the same because I don’t feel like I’m overtraining.

How many reps are you shooting for?
I’ve always wondered what the record is for reps with 225.[/quote]

I know I read that a powerlifter got 225 x 60.

[quote]Minotaur wrote:
human743 wrote:
I entered the 5K Pump and Run @ the Arnold Expo. I am trying to get my reps up on the bodyweight bench press for the first half of that event. I keep waffling between wanting to train heavy to get my strength up and just shooting for using lighter weights to increase my endurance. It is about 5 wks out right now.

Any ideas about the best way to go?

Right now I am 187 lbs. and the last time I tried that weight I got 12 reps.

Bumped like a record player at a disco…

How’d you end up doing, man?[/quote]

Sad story…
My shoulder started acting funny about a month out(too much benching too fast, I guess) and I apparently got fat too, because I had to do 195 and I got 9 reps.
My head hangs in shame.

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
ESPN did a story on a lineman from a D3 school that got over 50 on the 225 test, but I guess it wasn’t at the combine. I think Jackass on these boards said he got over 40.Ya’ll are some hossed out motherfuckers.[/quote]

My trainer hit 54 reps on the 225 test, he was a defensive lineman for UW-Whitewater, which happens to be a D3 school. I wonder if the ESPN thing was on him, he was a benching freak. I think he held th collegiate record for bench (for football players, all divisions) at 600lbs. I’d be curious to know what the name of the guy was in the ESPN thing, to find out if it was him. I guess I could just ask him as well.

Regards,

Sensless

[quote]sensless wrote:
I think he held th collegiate record for bench (for football players, all divisions) at 600lbs. [/quote]

What organization keeps track of this record?

I think I just remembered that it was Sebastian Burns who wrote that he did 225 x 60 at one point.

I was wrong, what I read was even harder to believe, I copied this from an interview of Sebastian Burns:

CD: Name some of your other feats of strength?

?SB: Well most of my feats of strength were with other movements than the BIG 3.? I have done my fair share of heavy barbell rows going up to 700lbs for sets of 5.? Also lots of heavy shoulder and incline presses. I have shoulder pressed 130lb Dumbbells for 40 reps when I was a bodybuilder.

END

130 pound dumbell shoulder press for 40 reps? 700 x 5 barbell rows?