WESTSIDE TRAINING
January 2010 - Vol. 33 No. 3
WESTSIDE BENCH WORKOUTS
by Louie Simmons | 614.801.2060
www.westside-barbell.com
Westside has 30 members who bench more than 700 pounds and four who bench more than 800 pounds. We also have Laura Phelps, with a 505 at 165 body weight, who has the greatest female bench coefficient ever. Five members have held all-time world records in the bench. They all use a speed day, commonly referred to as the dynamic method. The weight is relatively light, but force = mass x acceleration. You must use bands or chains to accommodate resistance. This develops a fast rate of force development, which is essential to develop a fast start. This is done on the weekend, and 72 hours later is max effort day. Here, a max weight is lifted in a variety of special exercises.
Here are some of their workouts: floor press with weight, bands,
or chains; rack press off pins at different heights; band press
with three band tensions; board press using 1–5 boards, doing
incline, wide, or close grip; decline presses with a wide or close
grip; flat presses with a max 6 reps close grip while constantly
changing the weight or the amount of bands or chains or weight
releaser weight; three sets of dumbbells to failure (for example,
use 100, 125, 150, and 175 pounds. Westside uses heavy dumbbells
every 3 or 4 weeks.)
This system is built on special exercises. Our best benchers use
a bench shirt every fourth week, on average.
Let’s start with Tony Bolognone, who has a 2700-pound total at
325 bodyweight and an 860-pound bench. He explains some of his
workouts: speed bench for 8 sets of 3 reps with 225 pounds of
bar weight and a light band for the first 4 sets. Add choked monster
mini-bands for the last 4 sets. Starting hand grip is close, working
all the way out to competition grip for the last two sets. He
believes that adding the monster mini-bands for the least 4 sets
teaches you to push through all the way to the top. Before adding
the mini-bands, he noticed in his speed sets he was letting off
three-quarters of the way up, so he would not over-extend his
elbows. This caused him to mimic that in a bench shirt and get
stuck three-quarters of the way up, trying to grind the weight
out as he forgot to keep pushing. This problem seemed to go away
after he added the mini-bands, and he consistently pushes all
the way through the lift in his speed sets and with a bench shirt.
After he started this, he hit his biggest benches of all time.
His favorite bench accessory exercises are all types of triceps
extensions and skull crushers. One of his favorite skull crushers
is using the football bar with hanging kettlebells. He believes
this helps him build stabilization and hits his triceps very well.
Another one of his favorite triceps exercises is dumbbell extensions
off his chest. When he does these, he tries to keep the dumbbells
touching and use nothing but triceps. This is one of his personal
tests to see where he is in his bench. He knows if he can do 120-pound
dumbbells strictly for 3 sets of 10–12 reps, his lockout should
be strong and well over the 800-pound range.
One of his favorite max effort exercises is benching off of foam
blocks. When he does this, the weight comes real close to, if
not touching, his chest and clears the foam blocks by about 2
inches at lockout. This usually gives him a good idea of what
he can lock out in a bench shirt. For example, when he did his
first 830-pound bench press at a meet, he did 815 pounds off of
the foam blocks. He did 855 pounds in the gym in a bench shirt.
He always tries to set personal markers to tell where he is on
his bench. His favorite is when he is warming up; he goes up to
500 pounds in a t-shirt full range. He knows if it goes up easy,
it should be a very good bench day. If it is slow or sluggish,
it is probably not going to be a very good day. The last workout
prior to going to a meet he tries to pick something like a floor
press and goes up to the 500-pound mark with straight weight.
If it feels bad or slow, it usually tells him that training has
been good and he should be healed and ready to compete by meet
time. If it feels good, it’s a good guess that he is peaking at
the wrong time.
For both workouts, on max effort and speed day, he tries to do
at least three triceps isolation exercises. He usually does 3
sets of 10–12 reps per set on these exercises. After he is done
doing these triceps exercises, he does a triceps burnout usually
on the lat machine with a push-down bar; he tries to do 40–100
reps depending on the weight. If he is using a bar, he moves his
grip every 10 reps.
For a typical speed workout, he does 8 sets of 3 benches. Next
he does 3 sets of 10 skull crushers, then 3 sets of 10 triceps
extensions. Sometimes he does push-downs on the dip machine. He
normally increases the reps to 15–20 and still does 3 sets. Then
he would be burned out on triceps. Next he would do some shrugs,
different delt work, light pecs, and biceps. This would be a basic
speed day or max effort day. He tries to never repeat exercises
twice in one week. Occasionally for volume he will do a cycle
after speed sets at maximum reps with straight weight starting
at 315 the first week, 365 the second week, 405 the third week,
455 the fourth week, and 495 the last week.
Next up is Mike Wolfe, a bench-only SHW with an 859-pound bench.
His speed day is 225 pounds with a mini or monster mini or light
bands much like Tony’s. Both have a 600-pound raw bench. Mike
likes 9 sets of 3 reps, with 3 sets with the index finger touching
the smooth, 3 sets 2 inches out from the smooth, and 3 sets with
the little finger touching the ring. After speed benching he will
do 2 sets of dumbbell presses with a moderate weight or 100 or
110 pounds for 15 reps, then do triceps extensions. Mike likes
dumbbell roll-backs and extensions with the elbows out to the
side. Mike uses 125 pounds for a lot of his dumbbell extensions.
You have to have a strong upper back to handle 800 pounds in the
bench. Lots of rows with dumbbells or a barbell, chest-supported
rows, and low-pulley rows are rotated in and out during the weeks
of training. Shrugs, side and rear delt work, and hammer curls
round out the speed day.
On max effort day some of Mike’s favorite exercises are raw two
and three-board press, two and one-board presses with a shirt,
reverse band press with and without a bench shirt, max 6-rep ultrawide
benches, and heavy dumbbell pressing. Mike has undergone a huge
weight loss from 420 pounds to 255 pounds bodyweight. So the next
chapter is yet to be written for Mike.
Dave Hoff has a 2615 total at 260 pounds bodyweight, a 1005-pound
squat at 19 years old and 252 pounds bodyweight, and an 825-pound
bench at 262 pounds bodyweight. On speed day he does 205–275 pounds
for 9 sets of 3 reps using the three grips Mike Wolfe uses. The
band tension ranges from 85 with mini-bands to 125 with monster
mini-bands and 200 pounds with light bands, and he also will use
120 pounds of chains on occasion. A lot of work on speed day is
with the football bar, with the palms-facing-in grip and a lot
of board presses on boards. A lot of rep work is done with kettlebells
hanging under a special bar that vibrates or a regular bench bar
for no less than 10 reps. He does a lot of dumbbell extension
roll-backs and with elbows out to the sides and shrugs for the
upper back and side and rear delt raises. He finishes with hammer
curls.
On max effort day he does a lot of board presses with close grip
and no shirt or regular grip with a shirt, rack lockouts on high
pins with a 6–8 inch lockout, lightened method benches and floor
presses with 200 pounds of chains, and a large amount of upper
back work three times a week to support those 800-pound-plus benches
and his 800-pound pulls. He constantly changes special exercises.
I believe he will bench 900 pounds in a full meet in two years’
time.
Greg Panora, who totaled 2630 at 242 pounds bodyweight, has a
world record total. He also pulled an 815-pound deadlift. His
speed day is very similar to Dave’s. Both raw bench around 550
pounds. Greg does a lot of his speed work wearing a 10-pound weight
on his wrists. He does 9 sets of 3 reps with three grips. The
weight is 225 to 275 depending on the amount of chains or band
tension he is using. After speed sets he does a wide- and close-grip
bench for 15–20 reps. The weight may range from 185 to 250 pounds.
This cannot be done at the end of a workout. Next he does triceps
extensions with a football bar. The reps are 5–8 per set, sometimes
supersetted with light push-downs on a lat machine or a Jump-Stretch
band hung over the squat rack. He also does front plate raise,
light for high reps, lots of heavy shrugs, incline and decline
dumbbells for delt and chest development, and always hammer curls.
He continually changes all small exercises when necessary for
further progress.
On max effort day his favorite core lifts are floor press with
chains or band tension, board press (two or three boards without
shirt and one and a ½ boards with a shirt), and some heavy close
grips with a 2-inch foam pad on the chest. About 2 ½ years ago
Greg had a 600-pound bench and a 2255-pound total. What’s in the
future for Greg? Time will tell.
Jason (Jay) Fry has broken the 181 all-time record twice with
707 and 725 pounds. He has now made 750 pounds at 181 and is in
hot pursuit of Jason Coker’s 771 pounds. Jay’s best is 770 pounds
at 198 pounds bodyweight. He has jumped 250 pounds in three years.
Here’s how: on speed day he does 9 sets of 3 reps with 205 pounds
plus bands, chains, or both, with three grips, like many at Westside.
After the speed work Jay will do 2 sets of push-ups with his feet
elevated or 2 sets of moderate dumbbell presses, each week changing
the angle from flat, seated, incline, or decline, and lots of
upper back and lat work. For his triceps Jay does triceps extensions
of all kinds, dumbbells, barbells, push downs, and also board
presses with and without a bench shirt. And speaking of bench
shirts, Jay will use a variety of shirts to do his board presses
and full-range benching, unlike many who break world record board
presses but can’t touch their chest when it counts at a meet.
For his max effort work his favorite is floor press of some kind.
He also does lightened method, board presses, incline barbell
press with a close grip, and foam pressing.
Travis Bell shares his workouts that have taken his raw bench
from 430 to 540 pounds at 260 pounds bodyweight in about two years:
Speed Bench – Bar x warmup: add doubled mini-bands or monster
mini-bands. Bar x 3 reps: 135 x 3 (start using close grip, index
finger on the smooth); 185 x 3; 205 x 3; 205 x 3; 225 x 3 (start
using moderate close grip, thumb length from the smooth); 225
x 3; 225 x 3; 275 x 3 (pinkie on the ring or competition grip);
275 x 3; 275 x 3.
Floor Press (for accessory) – All sets done with close grip: 225
x 10 reps; 315 x 10; 315 x 10; 365 x 10.
Dumbbell Press – 120 x 15 reps; 120 x 15; 120 x 15; 120 x 15.
Pulldowns with the Back Bar – 160 x 12 reps; 200 x 12; 230 x 12; 230 x 12.
Chest-Supported Rows – 2 plates x 12 reps; 3 plates x 12; 4 plates
x 10; 4 plates x 10.
Hammer Curls – 45 x 10; 45 x 10; 45 x 10; 45 x 10.
This is what a normal speed bench session looks like for Travis.
The speed training really helps him develop momentum in a bench
shirt. Teaching your muscles to fire as quickly as possible and
all at the same time is imperative. The other thing that he feels
helps his bench the most is floor press. I asked George Halbert
a long time ago what the best thing to do to get his floor press
up is, and he said close-grip floor press for reps. Floor press
greatly helps him develop mid-range power. Many people think of
the floor press as a max effort exercise, but forget to use it
as an accessory exercise. The second thing is lots of upper back
work. Upper back strength helps him maintain the position of his
shoulder blades at the bottom of the lift. When your shoulders
come out of position, it changes what angle your elbows are at
in relation to the bar, as well as increasing your range of motion
because you are flattening out.
For his max effort day Travis will rotate from floor press with
200 pounds of chains to full-range or two or 3-board pressing
with 200 pounds of band tension, lightened method with 150 pounds
or 95 pounds lightened in the bottom, lots of close-grip benching
off his chest or off power rack pins, plus dumbbell pressing of
all kinds. He does upper back work three times a week and triceps
extensions of all kinds, sometimes supersetting light push-downs
for 15 reps with barbell or dumbbell extensions for 5–8 reps.
He always does some hammer curls. What’s next? 800 pounds I am
sure.
Laura Phelps-Sweatt benches 505 pounds at 165 pounds bodyweight,
which is unbelievable. How does she do it? Let’s look at her speed
day. Laura’s raw bench is 335 pounds, so her speed work is 165
pounds plus mini-bands or two sets of chains for 9 sets of 3 reps,
3 sets with index finger touching the smooth part of the bar and
3 sets with little finger touching the power ring. She rotates
from doing 2 sets of moderate dumbbells for 15 reps to 2 sets
of push-ups for 30–50 reps and sometimes one close grip and one
wide grip set of benches for an easy 15 reps. Then she does lots
of dumbbell extension roll-backs or with elbows out to the side.
She works upper back at least three times a week. Laura is the
world record holder in the squat and total in two weight classes,
so the upper back work is a must. Rear and side delt work of all
kinds is done in both bench workouts. For max effort work some
of her future exercises are the lightened method with 200 pounds
of chains for lockout strength in a shirt, bands over the bar
on boards or chest with a shirt, total weight at lockout close
to 600 pounds, the same two exercises without shirts, and floor
press with 120 pounds of chains.
All of Westside max effort exercises are done at some time during
the year. Laura has the number 1 coefficient in the bench and
the total for women. Many of our top benchers at Westside are
or were full powerlifters. All have at least an Elite total. The
system will work for everyone, and all you have to do is follow
the 2 days that wave every 72 hours from low intensity, high volume
on the speed day, to low volume, high intensity, which is hopefully
over 100% or a new all-time record. John Stafford had the all-time
push-pull total, and now Greg Panora does, with 805 and 815 pounds,
respectively, at 242 pounds bodyweight. It’s tough to compete
with a bench specialist, but we try and so can you.