Blast Your Bench

Copyright © 2009 Lee Hayward
All rights reserved.
Lee Hayward’s Total Fitness Bodybuilding
www.LeeHayward.com
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of
brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the author or
publisher.
Published by Lee Hayward in Newfoundland, Canada.
Editing and Layout: Lee Allen Howard (lee_allen_howard@yahoo.com)
A WORD OF CAUTION: DISCLAIMER
This book is for reference and informational purposes only and is no way intended as
medical counseling or medical advice. The information contained herein should not be
used to treat, diagnose, or prevent a disease or medical condition without the advice of
a competent medical professional. This book deals with in‐depth information on
health, f itness, and nutrition. Most of the information applies to everyone in general;
however, not everyone has the same body type. We each have different responses to
exercise depending on our choice of intensity and diet. Before making any changes in
your lifestyle, you should consult with a physician to discover the best solution for your
individual body type. The author, writer, editors, and graphic designer shall have
neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any damage
or injury alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in
this book.
About the Author
Lee Hayward is a competitive bodybuilder, muscle building coach,
and one of the most sought out f itness professionals online.
For over 10 years he has committed his life to helping aspiring
bodybuilders and f itness enthusiasts build lean muscle, burn off
stubborn body fat, and develop a lean, athletic muscular physique that
they can be proud of.
Lee’s Total Fitness Bodybuilding website has been online since January
1999 and has become one of the Internet’s most popular bodybuilding
and f itness websites, which averages over 100,000 visitors each month.
Whether your goal is to make a complete physique transformation, or
just lose a few pounds of stubborn belly fat, Lee Hayward can help get
the results you want!
Lee Hayward For a limited time Lee is giving away a complete 10‐Part Muscle

Muscle Building Coach Building Tips e‐Course in which he shares some killer training and
nutrition tricks that will help you pack on solid muscle mass, strip
away excess bodyfat, and transform your soft mushy body into a ripped
powerful physique in record time!
This 10‐Part Muscle Building e‐Course has a real world $47 value, but
right now you can sign up and download it for FREE at:
www.LeeHayward.com.
Contents
Thank You! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Before You Begin… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
1. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
PART 1: WHAT YOU NEED TO GET READY TO BLAST YOUR BENCH

2. Understanding Basic Exercise Theory and Training Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Selecting Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Compound vs. Isolation Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Free Weights vs. Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Determining Training Volume and Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Weight and Repetitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Utilizing Rest Time Between Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Understanding Your Body’s Energy Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Adenosine Triphosphate and Phosphocreatine Energy System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Lactic Acid Energy System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Aerobic Energy System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Maximizing the Length of Your Training Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Establishing Training Session Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Determing How Often to Train Body Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Setting Repetition Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ensuring Progressive Overloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3. Eating for Maximum Size and Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The 3 Necessary Micronutrients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Blast Your Bench iv
Meal Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Sample Eating Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Sample Daily Eating Plan 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Basic Supplements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Protein Powders, Meal Replacement Powders, and High Protein Bars . . . . . . . 14
Multivitamins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Vitamin C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Creatine Monohydrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Nutrition Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Breads, Cereals, and Grains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Dairy Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Seafood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Fruit and Fruit Juices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Meat and Poultry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Vegetables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Nuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Oils and Sauces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4. Benching for Maximum Poundage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Mastering Proper Bench Press Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Finding Your 1‐rep Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
How to Determine Your 1‐rep Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
1‐Rep Max Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
How to Use the Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Determining How Much Weight to Lift for Specif ic Workouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Sample Weights to Use for the Various Workouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5. Preparing to Start the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Program Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Warm‐up Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Arm Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Push‐ups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Arm Rotation for the Rotator Cuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Bent‐over Dumbbell Flyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Bench Press. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Cool‐down: Stretching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
A Word About Training Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
6. The 2-Week Preparatory Workout Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Workout 1: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Lee Hayward Blast Your Bench v
Workout 2: Back and Biceps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Workout 3: Legs and Abs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
PART 2: THE BLAST YOUR BENCH PROGRAM

7. Understanding the Blast Your Bench Workouts and Assistance Exercises . . . . . 38
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The Blast Your Bench Workout Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Week #1 – Bench Press Workout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Week #2 – Bench Press Workout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Week #3 – Bench Press Workout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Workouts Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Training Volume and Frequency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
The Assistance Exercise Routine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Bent‐over Dumbbell Flyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Bent‐over Barbell Rows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Standing Dumbbell Curls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Ab Crunches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Squats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Standing Calf Raises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Assistance Exercise Workout Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
8. The Blast Your Bench Workouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Warm‐up Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Week 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Week 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Week 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Modif ied 3‐Day‐Per‐Week Blast Your Bench Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
9. Retesting Your 1-rep Max Bench Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

How to Determine Your New 1‐rep Max. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Lee Hayward Blast Your Bench vi
Thank You!
I want to thank you for ordering Blast Your Bench.
This program contains your complete training and nutrition cycle that
will put you on the fast track to getting great results! I’m conf ident
that after you f inish the program you’ll be very pleased with your
progress.
After you read through all of the material, if you have any questions
regarding the program, you can e‐mail me directly at
Lee@LeeHayward.com.
Also, be sure to e‐mail me after you complete the program to let me
know about your progress!
Lee Hayward
Your Phsyique Transformation Specialist
http://leehayward.com
Blast Your Bench vii
Before You Begin…
Before you even start this program, I want to suggest that you go into
it with an open mind and a positive attitude. I’m telling you up front
that this program is totally different from anything you’ve tried before,
but it works.
Set a goal for yourself right now that you are going to gain at least 30
pounds on your bench press from the Blast Your Bench program.
Visualize what it will be like to smash past your personal bench press
best. Feel that rush of excitement that you get every time you achieve
an important goal. Imagine even having your personal success story
posted on www.BlastYourBench.com like the other guys who are listed
on the site right now.
Really prioritize your workouts, your eating, and your sleeping and rest
patterns for the next several weeks while you follow the Blast Your
Bench program. Do everything in your power to make yourself a
success and to maximize your strength and muscle gains.
Note: If you are currently in a very busy or stressful situation either
with school, work, family, or travel, it may be best to just read through
the material for now and then wait until you are ready to commit
yourself 100% to the program.
The reason I’m telling you all this is because there have actually been a
few guys who have followed the program with the mindset that they
were going to “prove me wrong” and actually went out of their way to
f ind ways to NOT make the program work. And then they e‐mail me
and almost brag about how they followed the program and it didn’t
work for them, looking for pity. If these guys had spent half as much
effort looking for ways to MAKE the program work, rather than the
Blast Your Bench viii
opposite, I’m sure they would have been much more successful with
their results.
If you attempt anything in life and in the back of your mind—either
consciously or subconsciously—you focus on how you are going to fail,
I can almost guarantee that you will fail. The mind will eventually
achieve what it focuses on.
For example, think of someone who is learning how to drive a car and
they are in the process of taking their road test. If they go in with the
mindset of “I’m so nervous. I hope I don’t screw up, I hope I don’t
screw up…,” then chances are they will indeed screw up and fail the
test. On the other hand, if they go in with the mindset of “I’ve
practiced, I’m ready, and I’m going to ace this test,” then the odds of
them passing the test go up 100%.
I recommend that you go to http://www.BlastYourBench.com/
test.htm and read through the page. These are REAL RESULTS from
average people like you who have succeeded with the Blast Your Bench
program. Results like these can be yours, too.
Set yourself up for success now and each day picture yourself bench
pressing a new personal best. And before you know it you’ll be blasting
out reps with what used to be your old 1‐rep max!
Lee Hayward Blast Your Bench ix
Introduction
Congratulations on your decision to increase your muscle size and
strength by choosing the Blast Your Bench program.
Please read the contents of this book thoroughly. To get the
maximum benef it from this program you must strictly follow the
exercise and diet plan; please do not add your own variations to the
program, as doing so will slow your progress.
This program is based on training and nutrition concepts that are
proven to work. But it doesn’t mean the program is easy! You will have
to work hard to reap the rewards. Blast Your Bench will show how to
achieve maximum growth, but there are no shortcuts or excuses.
Blast Your Bench is an awesome shock routine that will rapidly
increase your bench press strength. Gains of 30, 40, and even 50
pounds or more are not uncommon with this 3‐week training routine!
In the program I will explain the training methods and techniques.
You will learn exactly, step by step, what you need to do to achieve
maximum results. We will cover proper nutrition and
supplementation, ways to increase your natural anabolic hormones,
techniques to speed recovery, and much more. The f irst few chapters
will provide the necessary information you need to understand the
program. To ensure your success, study this material fully before
diving into the Blast Your Bench workouts.
There is also a Special Bonus Report included with this program. Blast
Your Squat is a modif ied version of the Blast Your Bench training
system that will focus on increasing your squatting strength.
Without further delay, let’s get started!
Blast Your Bench 1
PART 1:
What You Need to
Get Ready to Blast
Your Bench
Blast Your Bench 2
Understanding Basic
Exercise Theory and
Training Variables
This section covers some of the concepts and theories that we use in
the Blast Your Bench training system. This information will give you
an overview of how the program works.
The Blast Your Bench program is a specialized training routine that
you can use every few months to help boost your strength and muscle
growth. You might think that if you can gain 30 pounds to your bench
in 3 weeks, then you can gain 60 pounds in 6 weeks, or 90 pounds in 9
weeks, and so on. I’m sorry, but the program doesn’t work like that.
You will need to follow a balanced total body workout routine that
focuses on developing all areas of your body equally for the majority of
your workouts. Save the Blast Your Bench program as a “shock
routine” for getting past training plateaus.
With the bonus reports I have included some sample total body
workout routines that you can follow after you complete the Blast Your
Bench program. These routines will enable you to maintain the gains
that you made during the Blast Your Bench program, and make more
improvement in your strength and muscle growth.
Selecting Exercises
In this section, we’ll consider types of exercises, exercise equipment,
and their various benef its.
Compound vs. Isolation Exercises

Compound exercises work multiple muscles across more then one
joint. Bench press, dips, and squats are examples of compound exer‐
cises.
Blast Your Bench 3
Understanding Basic Exercise Theory and Training Variables
Isolation exercises work fewer muscles across a single joint. Dumbbell
flyes, pec flyes, and leg extensions are examples of isolation exercises.
Some people believe that to target a certain muscle, you should use
more isolation exercises and thus develop that muscle more
eff iciently. However, this is not the best approach. Isolation exercises
that work the muscles across a single joint are not the most effective
way to build muscle. Compound exercises are far more effective in
building muscle because they incorporate the use of several
muscle groups, allow for a heavier training load, and work more
muscle mass in the same amount of time.
Let’s look at the squat—a compound exercise. It works the quadriceps,
hamstrings, gluteus, lower back, abdominals, calves, and abductors.
Squats allow for heavy weights to be lifted. This makes the squat an
incredibly effective muscle‐building exercise. Compared to an isolation
exercise such as the leg extension, which focuses only on the
quadriceps, you can see how much more productive compound
exercises are for building muscle.
Free Weights vs. Machines

Free weight exercises are more effective for building muscle
than machine exercises.
Machines make exercises easier to perform. You do not have to balance
the weight with machine exercises because the machine balances the
weight for you. You will get less muscle stimulation from machine
exercises because they do not require the same concentration or effort
as free weight exercises.
Free weights involve stabilizer muscles more than machines do. Free
weights put you in a natural, 3‐dimensional environment for exercise.
Determining Training Volume and Intensity

Traditionally, bodybuilders who wanted to maximize muscle size
emphasized training volume—how much total weight you lift. And
power lifters and strength athletes emphasized intensity—referring to
the average amount of weight you lift.
Many bodybuilders have misunderstood the def inition of high
intensity training during the last several years. Most people believe
that “high intensity training” means working harder during their
workouts. However, this is not an accurate def inition of training
intensity.
Lee Hayward Blast Your Bench 4
Volume
Training volume is the measure of total weight lifted in a work‐
out. You determine volume by multiplying the weight lifted by the
repetitions and the number of sets performed:
Volume = weight x reps x sets
Example 1 – Volume
If Charles bench pressed 200 pounds for 5 sets of 10 reps each:
200 pounds x 10 reps x 5 sets = 10,000 pounds

Total Volume = 10,000 pounds
Intensity
Intensity measures the average weight lifted during a workout.
You determine intensity by dividing the volume of weight lifted by the
total number of reps performed.
Example 2 – Intensity
Juan bench pressed the following weight in 3 sets:
Set 1: 250 pounds x 6 reps = 1500 pounds

Total Intensity = 3400 pounds / 12 reps = 283.3 pounds
The total intensity for Example 1 is 200 pounds because the same
weight was used for each set. In Example 2 the total volume was lower
than in Example 1, but the intensity, or average weight lifted, was
higher.
The Blast Your Bench training system uses the proper combination of
both volume and intensity to create the best environment for muscle
growth. I will explain this in more detail later in the program.
Weight and Repetitions

Your primary goal is to build the maximum amount of muscle size and
strength. Because of this you need to systematically adjust the volume
and intensity of your workouts. Some days you will focus on high vol‐
ume training, while on other days you will focus on high intensity
training. I will elaborate on this later in the program.
Utilizing Rest Time Between Sets

The time you rest between sets can have a lasting impact on your mus‐
cle growth. But most trainers and bodybuilders underemphasize the
importance of rest time between sets. They simply rest until they feel
ready to do another set, or they wait until their training partner com‐
pletes his or her set before they do another set.
The rest time you allow your body between sets determines the way
your body uses energy sources during exercise.
To maximize muscle growth, you need to systematically vary the rest
periods between sets during weight training workouts. This way you
can utilize the different energy systems and take advantage of the
benef its they provide. This is explained fully in the workout charts
later in the program. (See “Understanding the Blast Your Bench
Workouts and Assistance Exercises” on page 38.)
Understanding Your Body’s Energy Systems

There are 3 basic energy systems in your body:
 Adenosine Triphosphate and Phosphocreatine (ATP‐PC)
 Lactic Acid
 Aerobic
All 3 are used when you exercise, but 1 will dominate depending on
what type of exercise you are doing. Each of these energy systems is
explained in the following sections.
Adenosine Triphosphate and Phosphocreatine Energy

System
The ATP‐PC system is the most powerful energy source. This is
the energy you use for short bursts of exercise. In fact this powerful
energy supply becomes exhausted in less than 30 seconds. This energy
dominates when lifting maximum weight for a single repetition.
ATP‐PC is stored in the muscles. No oxygen is required to release this
energy, so it is called an anaerobic energy source. For example, power
lifters often will hold their breath briefly while they lift a single‐rep
max weight.
It takes a while for your body to replenish its ATP‐PC energy supply.
This is why you see power lifters and Olympic lifters resting for 3 or
more minutes between sets when lifting maximum weights.
Heavy power‐training workouts stimulate the body to increase
levels of testosterone.
Supplementing your diet with creatine monohydrate can help provide
your body with more ATP‐PC energy. For more information, see
“Creatine Monohydrate” on page 15.
Lactic Acid Energy System

The lactic acid system produces more energy overall than the
ATP‐PC system. But it cannot generate the intense burst of power
that the ATP‐PC system can. Athletes such as boxers and wrestlers use
the lactic acid system for energy. However, the lactic acid system
allows for more training volume (see “Volume” on page 5).
The “burn” that you get in the muscles after a long, hard set is caused
by lactic acid buildup. If your rest time between sets is short and you
move quickly through your workout, your body cannot restore the
ATP‐PC energy. So glucose molecules that are stored in the muscles
will break down to produce more ATP‐PC energy. Lactic acid builds up
as a waste product from this process.
Fast‐paced workouts with short rest periods stimulate the body
to increase levels of growth hormone.
Aerobic Energy System

You use the aerobic energy system when doing exercise like walking,
jogging, or any other long‐lasting, low‐intensity activity. The main rea‐
son for doing this type of exercise is to improve cardiovascular f itness.
This system is less powerful than the ATP‐PC and lactic acid systems
and is of less importance in weight lifting. However, it does help with
recovery.
The aerobic energy system uses fats and carbohydrates in the body for
fuel. It does not produce waste products like the ATP‐PC and lactic
acid systems, so it can provide great amounts of energy over long
periods of time. Marathon runners use aerobic energy as their primary
energy system.
Maximizing the Length of Your Training Sessions

Years ago people believed that the longer a workout lasted, the better it
was for building muscle. But today most people realize that this is not
true. Those 2‐ to 3‐hour‐long workouts are a thing of the past.
There have been numerous studies that have shown that after 45
minutes of hard weight training the body’s natural blood
testosterone levels are decreased by as much as 80%.
What this means is that after 45 minutes, you have depleted one of the
body’s most important recovery tools: testosterone. By training past 45
minutes you will not be getting the growth that you should be getting
from the effort you are putting in.
Limiting your training sessions to 45 minutes will also help the body to
utilize glucose (carbohydrates) for energy and aid energy production
in the muscle cells. This will ensure optimal performance in the gym.
Note: Limit your actual weight training session to 45 minutes. This
does not include warming up before training and cooling down after
training. If you include the warm‐up and cool‐down time, your
workouts should last about 1 hour.
Another advantage of shorter workouts is that you will recover
quicker and be able to hit the gym more often, thus expanding
your opportunity for growth.
You will also benef it mentally from shorter workouts. Because if you
were to go into the gym for a 2‐or‐more‐hour workout, you would not
give it your all; you would be holding back and trying to conserve
energy so you could complete the long training session. However, with
a shorter workout you enter the gym with a positive attitude, ready to
devote all your energy and effort to the task at hand.
Establishing Training Session Frequency

As long as you keep your workouts short (1 hour or less) you can
workout frequently. In fact you could build up your conditioning to
handle 2 training sessions per day with no problems. Of course you
don’t have to do this, but the body can handle a much bigger
workload than most people realize. For example, some Olympic
athletes train as much as 8 hours a day when preparing for
competition!
A growing problem with many bodybuilders today is not over‐training,
but under‐training. Fear of over‐training holds people back from
achieving maximum muscle growth.
Determing How Often to Train Body Parts

Soreness is no indicator of proper recovery. Sore or not, a muscle
can be trained and still grow. By training at peak eff iciency and eating
a diet high in protein and nutrients, you can train the same body part
several times per week and achieve phenomenal results.
Note: If you feel “extra sore,” and what I mean by that is, if you are so
sore that it will hinder your performance in the gym, then you should
take a day off from training. It’s best to play it safe than to risk the
chance of injury. But if you are only mildly sore, you can train and still
make progress.
Setting Repetition Speed

Many trainers say that you should perform each rep very slowly with
control. Some will tell you to “go for the burn” and that the pain you
get from doing super‐slow reps is necessary for muscle growth.
However, our muscles are designed for speed. The faster you can move
a weight through space, the more stress is applied to the muscles. Two
things that stimulate muscle growth are the amount of weight
that you lift, and the speed of the muscle contraction. When you
do slow reps you must lift lighter weights and contract your muscles
slower. So this is actually preventing you from stimulating the muscles
to the maximum.
On the other hand, if you lift the weight too fast and use momentum
to lift the weight, you will take the stress off the muscles and risk
injury.
The best approach is to perform each repetition as quickly as
possible while still maintaining proper exercise form and control
of the weight. This will produce the maximum stress on the muscles
while reducing the risk of injury.
Ensuring Progressive Overloads

You achieve progressive overload in a variety of ways: increasing the
reps, increasing the weight, decreasing rest time between sets, adding
another set, and so on.
In the Blast Your Bench program we will focus on increasing the
weight. The sets, reps, and rest times are already laid out for you in the
workout charts. The only variable that you will change is the
amount of weight you are lifting. While following the Blast Your
Bench program you should strive to increase your poundages by 5
pounds each workout. We will cover this in more detail in “Workouts
Discussion” on page 40.
Eating for Maximum
Size and Power
Diet is critical to gaining strength. You will never gain size and
power if you do not eat enough protein and calories to fuel your
training and to repair muscle tissue.
This chapter explains the micronutrients in food, how often you
should eat, and provides sample meal plans.
The 3 Necessary Micronutrients

On this program, you will need to eat a lot of protein (chicken, eggs,
milk, red meat, turkey, f ish, protein supplements, and so on) to repair
muscle tissue and to keep your body in an anabolic state—a favorable
body state created by a combination of proper training, nutrition, and
rest that leads to increase in lean muscle mass and fat loss.
Your diet will also include lots of carbohydrates (bread, pasta,
potatoes, oatmeal, cereals, fruits, vegetables) to keep your muscles full
of glycogen and to provide energy.
In addition, you must eat a moderately high amount of fat (peanut
butter, cheese, whole milk, butter, salad dressings, whole eggs, red
meat). This may be surprising, because most of the time you are told
that you should eat a low fat diet. But you will notice that if you
increase your fat intake during the 3 weeks that you are on the Blast
Your Bench program, your muscles will feel fuller and you will get a
great “pump” when you work out. Fat also helps with the production of
anabolic hormones such as testosterone.
While you are trying to increase your strength, you should eat
approximately 20 calories per pound of body weight and a minimum
Blast Your Bench 10
Eating for Maximum Size and Power
of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. So a 200‐pound person
should eat 4000 calories and at least 200 grams of protein per day.
It’s okay to go out for a burger and fries or pizza while you are on the
Blast Your Bench program. Yet, this is not a free ticket to pig out on
junk food all of the time. But while you are in hard training and trying
to gain maximum mass and strength, it will give you extra calories to
fuel your training.
Note: See “Nutrition Charts” on page 16 to see how much protein,
carbs, fat, and calories are in dozens of different foods.
Meal Frequency
Eat a meal every 2 to 3 hours. This will give you a steady supply of
protein and calories throughout the day. Eating several small meals a
day makes eating a lot of food much easier on your digestive system.
You will also need to drink at least 1 gallon of water each day to
maximize muscle growth, keep your body hydrated, help with
digestion, and rid your body of toxins.
With each meal try to eat a protein food, a starchy carbohydrate food,
and a fruit or vegetable. This will ensure that you are getting the
proper nutrient intake.
If you f ind eating a lot of solid food diff icult and time‐consuming, you

can include protein drinks, meal replacement drinks, meal
replacement bars, and so forth, in your diet to help you get the
required protein and calories.
If you are not accustomed to eating a lot, increase your food intake
gradually over the course of several days. This will make it easier on
your digestive system, rather than going all out and possibly making
yourself sick from the extra volume of food.
Sample Eating Plans

Here are a few sample eating plans that you can follow.
Note: These plans are just example; you can substitute different foods
from the ones listed here. Just be sure to include a combination of
proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables.
Sample Daily Eating Plan 1
Meal Ingredients
1  1/2 pound of ground beef

 2 slices of toast with peanut butter
 Piece of fresh fruit
2  Protein or meal replacement drink mixed with milk

3  5 boiled eggs
 1 cup of mixed veggies with butter
 Baked potato with butter
4  High protein meal replacement bar

 Sandwich (made with ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, etc.)
5  2 chicken breasts
 2 cups of rice
 1 cup of mixed veggies with butter

 2 slices of toast with peanut butter
Meal Ingredients
1  Ham and sausage

 Hash browns
 Glass of orange juice
2  Tuna fish sandwich


 Bran muffin
4  1 cup of cottage cheese

 2 slices of toast with butter
 1/2 cup of raisins
5  Barbecued steak
 Baked potato
 Broccoli with cheese
6  1 cup of yogurt
 1 cup of grapes
 2 slices of cheese
Meal Ingredients
1  1 bowl of oatmeal or high fiber cereal with milk

 Omelette (made with eggs, cheese, mushrooms, onions, etc.)
2  Hamburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and so on

 French fries

4  1 can of tuna fish mixed with mayo

 Garden salad with dressing
 2 bread rolls
5  4 chicken enchiladas
 Mixed veggies with butter

 2 slices of whole grain bread with fruit jelly
Meal Ingredients
1  5 eggs
 5 pancakes with syrup
 1 cup of apple sauce
2  2 chicken breasts
 2 cups of rice
3  8 oz. of mozzarella cheese

 10 crackers
 2 carrot sticks
4  High protein meal replacement bar

5  Pan-fried cod fish

 French fries
6  1 bowl of oatmeal or high fiber cereal with milk

 1 cup of cottage cheese
Meal Ingredients
1  Bacon and eggs

 2 slices of whole grain toast with fruit jelly
2  6 shrimp sauteed in butter

 2 cups of broccoli with cheese
 2 cups of rice
3  4 beef tacos
4  Hot turkey breast sandwich

 Mashed potatoes
5  Broiled salmon with lemon slices and mushrooms

 Mixed veggies with butter
 Pasta with tomato sauce
6  Protein or meal replacement drink

 1 cup of yogurt
Basic Supplements
Supplements are not essential to your success, but they can help
provide your body with the nutrients it needs for muscle growth.
Here are some basic supplements I recommend.
Protein Powders, Meal Replacement Powders,

and High Protein Bars
As mentioned previously, these supplements can help you get extra
protein and calories in your diet.
Tip: Add a tablespoonful of safflower oil and a tablespoonful of
flaxseed oil to your protein and meal replacement drinks. This helps to
add extra calories and essential fatty acids to your diet.
Multivitamins
You should take a multivitamin and mineral supplement such as
Centrum. Take one tablet 3 times a day with meals. Take 3 tablets each
day even if the label says “one a day,” because weight training places a
lot of stress on your body and you will need the extra vitamins and
minerals to help build and repair muscle tissue.
Note: You usually can f ind a drug store or supermarket brand of
multivitamin and mineral supplements that contains the same
potency as Centrum but costs less.
Vitamin C
You should take 1000 milligrams of vitamin C 3 times a day with meals.
Vitamin C is important for keeping your immune system strong,
reducing muscle soreness, and improving muscle growth and recovery.
Note: You can usually f ind an inexpensive drug store or supermarket
brand of vitamin C.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine can produce noticeable gains in lean muscle mass, strength,
and energy in a very short time. Most people f ind that within a week
of taking creatine, their muscles become fuller and they get better
pumps when working out.
Muscles consist of approximately 80% water. Creatine helps to draw
water into the muscle cells, producing what is called cell volumization.
This makes the muscles feel full and pumped. Studies show that when
a muscle cell is volumized, it helps to stimulate protein synthesis and
minimize protein breakdown.
The best way to take creatine is to mix a level teaspoonful of creatine
powder (approximately 5 grams) with a glass of Kool‐Aid or some
other high‐sugar drink. The reason for the high sugar is to cause your
body to release insulin; this will allow your muscles to absorb the
creatine much better. There have been several studies done which
prove that taking creatine with insulin‐releasing carbohydrates
(sugars) increases the uptake of creatine by the muscle cells.
When you start taking creatine, do a “loading phase” by taking 5
servings (approximately 25 grams) of creatine in divided doses
throughout the day for a week, and then reduce to a maintenance
phase of 1 to 2 servings (approximately 5 to 10 grams) per day.
Be sure to take a serving of creatine right after your workouts because
the metabolic environment created by a hard workout will allow your
muscles to absorb the creatine really well.
After your workouts, you also should have a large protein‐and‐
carbohydrate drink mixed with a teaspoonful of creatine. For example,
after my workouts, I mix 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein, 2 scoops of
orange Gatorade powder, and 1 teaspoonful of creatine in a shaker cup.
The sugar in the Gatorade provides simple carbohydrates that cause
the body to release insulin. After a hard weight training workout,
insulin will help shuttle protein, carbs, and creatine into the muscles
and help with growth and recovery.
Wait 30 minutes after you have the post‐workout protein/carb/
creatine drink before you eat any solid food. This allows your body
time to digest the nutrients. Whole food slows digestion because the
body has to break it down, whereas liquid is digested faster.
Nutrition Charts
The following nutrition charts have the nutritional information for
most common foods. But it would be a good idea to get a nutrition
counter book to keep in your kitchen so it will be easy to f ind out how
much protein, carbs, fats, and so on, are in the foods you eat. Most
processed foods have a food label, but for meats, veggies, and other
unpackaged food. you need a nutrition counter book. One of the best
books is The Complete Book of Food Counts by Corinne T. Netzer.
Another great resource for nutritional information is
www.calorieking.com. This website has a searchable database with the
nutritional information for virtually every single food that you can
think of.
Breads, Cereals, and Grains
Food Measure Calories Carbs Protein Fat
White, enriched 1 slice 62 12g 2g <1g
Whole wheat 1 slice 56 11g 3g <1g
Corn flakes 1 cup 100 21g 2g <1g
Shredded Wheat 1 biscuit 89 20g 3g <1g
Oat bran 3/4 cup 121 21g 5g 2g
Cream of Wheat 1 cup 133 28g 5g <1g
Macaroni, ckd. 1 cup 150 32g 5g 1g
Muffins, bran 1 avg 105 17g 3g 4g
Oatmeal, ckd. 1 cup 130 23g 5g 2g
Pasta, raw 4 oz 400 78g 20g 1g
Rice, brown raw 1 cup 700 150g 15g 4g
Brown, cooked 1 cup 180 38g 4g 1g
Rices, white raw 1 cup 710 157g 13g 2g
White, cooked 1 cup 225 50g 4g <1g
Dinner rolls, white 1 avg 115 20g 3g 2g
Whole wheat 1 avg 90 18g 4g 1g
Spaghetti, ckd. 1 cup 150 32g 5g <1g
Dairy Products
Cheese
Cheddar 1 oz 115 <1g 7g 10g
Mozzarella 1 oz 80 <1g 6g 7g
Parmesan 1 tbl 25 <1g 2g 2g
Cottage, lowfat 1/2 cup 80 1g 16g 1g
Cream
Sour 1 cup 495 10g 8g 49g
Whipping 1 cup 700 7g 5g 74g
Eggs
Raw, large 1 80 <1g 6g 6g
Raw, white 1 20 <1g 4g 0g
Raw, yolk 1 60 <1 2g 6g
Milk
Whole 1 cup 160 12g 8g 9g
Skim 1 cup 90 12g 9g <1g
Evaporated 1 cup 340 25g 18g 19g
Yogurt
Regular 8 oz 140 11g 8g 7g
Low-fat 8 oz 125 18g 13g <1g
Low-fat with fruit 8 oz 225 43g 9g 2g
Seafood
Cod 1 lb 415 1g 80g 8g
Flounder 1 lb 400 <1g 85g 7g
Oysters, fresh 1 lb 300 15g 38g 8g
Oysters, cnd. 1 cup 160 8g 20g 5g
Salmon 1 lb 980 0g 100g 60g
Sockeye, cnd. 1 cup 375 0g 45g 15g
Tuna, oil pk. 1 cup 315 0g 46g 13g
Tuna, water pk. 1 cup 250 0g 55g 2g
Fruit and Fruit Juices
Apple 1 med 100 24g <1g 1g
Apple sauce 1/2 cup 40 7g 1g 1g
Apricots 4 avg 100 21g 1g 1g
Banana 1 avg 125 33g 2g 1g
Fruit salad 1 cup 195 50g 1g 1g
Grapefruit 1/2 med 40 11g <1g <1g
Orange 1 avg 65 15g 1g <1g
Juice, unsw. 1 cup 115 26g 2g <1g
Peach 1 med 40 10g <1g <1g
Prunes 6 med 170 38g 2g 1g
Raisins 1 cup 475 130g 4g 1g
Meat and Poultry
Beef
Lean 1 lb 815 0g 95g 45g
Regular 1 lb 1220 0g 82g 95g
Chicken
Back 1 lb 400 0g 40g 40g
Breast 1 lb 385 0g 75g 17g
Drumstick 1 lb 395 0g 50g 30g
Pork
Bacon 1 lb 3015 5g 38g 315g
Sausage 1 lb 1785 12g 60g 165g
Turkey
Dark meat 1 lb 920 0g 135g 38g
Light meat 1 lb 800 0g 150g 18g
Vegetables
Broccoli 1 piece 33 6g 4g <1g
Carrots 1 lg 43 10g 1g <1g
Corn 1 cup 135 30g 5g 2g
Corn, cream style 1 cup 210 52g 5g 2g
Cucumber 1 lg 45 8g 2g <1g
Green peas 1/2 cup 58 11g 3g <1g
Kidney beans 1 cup 170 30g 10g 1g
Lima beans 1 cup 233 39g 12g 1g
Lettuce 1 lb 55 11g 1g <1g
Potatoes 1 med 90 18g 3g <1g
Sprouts 3/4 cup 55 8g 4g <1g
Vegetable soup 1 cup 83 17g 2g 1g
Yams 1 med 150 34g 2g <1g
Nuts
Almonds 10 med 65 1g 2g 6g
Peanut butter 1 tbl 85 3g 4g 8g
Peanuts 1 cup 840 30g 38g 70g
Walnuts 1/4 cup 190 6g 5g 15g
Oils and Sauces
Butter 1 tbl 100 <1g <1g 12g
Margarine 1 tbl 100 <1g <1g 12g
Corn oil 1 tbl 125 0g 0g 14g
Olive oil 1 tbl 125 0g 0g 14g
Peanut oil 1 tbl 125 0g 0g 14g
Safflower oil 1 tbl 125 0g 0g 14g
Sunflower oil 1 tbl 125 0g 0g 14g
Barbecue sauce 1 tbl 15 2g <1g 1g
Jam 1 tbl 55 13g <1g 0g
Jam, low-sugar 1 tbl 21 5g <1g 0g
Honey 1 tbl 100 25g 0g 0g
Mayonnaise
Regular 1 tbl 100 <1g <1g 11g
Fat-free 1 tbl 16 5g 0g 0g
Salad dressing
Regular 1 tbl 80 3g <1g 8g
Low-fat 1 tbl 25 2g <1g 2g
Benching for
Maximum Poundage
During the 3‐week Blast Your Bench routine, you will be prioritizing
the bench press in order to build as much strength and power as possi‐
ble.
While you are on this program, you should be constantly trying to
increase the weight you are bench pressing. Your other body part
workouts will be put on the back burner as you perform more of a
maintenance type workout for the rest of the body. This allows
maximum recovery for the chest, shoulders, and triceps, the main
muscle groups you will work with this bench press program.
Blast Your Bench 21
Benching for Maximum Poundage
Mastering Proper Bench Press Technique

To increase your bench press poundage you will not concentrate on
strict isolation, but rather on developing power in the muscles. This
means: You must use your entire body to lift the weight.
When you position yourself on the bench, arch your upper back as
much as possible while keeping your shoulders, head, and butt on the
bench. This position will lessen the distance the bar must travel and
will also allow the legs to drive the shoulders into the bench for much
greater power. Your feet should remain flat on the floor, shoulder‐
width apart. Grab the bar just a bit wider than shoulder width. Tighten
your entire body and squeeze your shoulder blades together behind
you. Then flex your butt and press your feet into the floor.
Get a spotter to help you lift the weight off the rack. You will waste
energy and make it harder to get in the right position if you lift the
weight off the rack by yourself.
Grip the bar f irmly and tuck your chin into your upper chest. When
you are ready to lower the bar, inhale and expand your chest and belly;
this will help you generate more power. As you lower the bar, keep
your elbows tucked in so that your upper arms are at 45‐degree
angles to the sides of your body. Do not let your upper arms go
straight out to the sides because it will place too much strain on
your shoulder joints and reduce your power.
Lower the bar to the point where your chest and abdominals meet.
Keep the bar directly over your wrists and elbows. As soon as the bar
touches your body, generate as much thrust and energy as you can to
power the bar back up.
Exhale as you press the weight up. Push the bar up in a straight line.
Keep your chest and shoulders tight, keep your elbows tucked, and
focus on benching with the triceps. Once you lift the bar off your
chest, straighten your arms using the triceps to lock out the rep.
Before you begin the workout routine that is outlined in the Blast Your
Bench program, take a couple of days to work on perfecting your
bench press technique. Start off with a light weight and follow the
steps outlined above. This will help you understand and get the feel of
proper bench press technique.
Start and Finish Position of the Bench Press
Finding Your 1-rep Max

Before you start the Blast Your Bench routine, you need to determine
your current 1‐rep maximum—the greatest amount of weight you can
life one time. After you f inish the program, you will determine your 1‐
rep max again in order to judge your progress (see “Retesting Your 1‐
rep Max Bench Press” on page 62).
To determine your 1‐rep max, you should not train for 48 hours. You
should also perform the test before you do any other exercise. If you
try to test your 1‐rep max after a hard workout, you will not be able to
lift maximum weight. When you are ready to test, you should warm up
properly f irst and have an experienced spotter handy just in case you
need help lifting the barbell.
How to Determine Your 1-rep Max

Note: See the 1‐Rep Max chart on page 25 to help you determine what
weight you should begin with.
1. Do a couple of light sets for 5 reps. Do not wear your self out with
too many reps.
2. Rest 2 minutes.
3. Increase the weight and do a set of 3 reps.
4. Rest 2 minutes.
5. Increase the weight and do another set of 3 reps.
6. Rest 3 minutes.
7. Increase the weight and do a single rep. Then:
If you fail to lift the weight, rest 3 minutes, reduce the weight,
and try to do a single rep again.
 If you succeed in lifting the weight, rest 3 minutes, increase the
weight, and try to do a single rep again.
Keep repeating this process until you f ind the maximum weight
that you can lift for a single rep.
8. Write down your 1‐rep max and the date you lifted it. This will help
you judge your progress.
1‐rep Max Weight: _______________ Date: ________________
1-Rep Max Chart

Consult the following chart to help you f ind out how much weight you
should be lifting during your workouts. This chart is not 100% accurate
because individuals vary. Some people have more fast‐twitch muscle
f ibres and some people have more slow‐twitch muscle f ibres. So your
actual lifts may be more or less than what is listed in the chart.
However, these f igures will give you an idea of where to start so you
can adjust your weights accordingly.
How to Use the Chart

In the f irst column, f ind the weight you use regulary for the bench press; then follow that
row to the column containing the number of reps you can do at that weight. Where the
weight and reps intersect is your 1‐rep max. Specif ic examples follow the chart.
Weight in 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
pounds Reps Reps Reps Reps Reps Reps Reps Reps Reps
75 80 80 85 85 90 90 95 95 100
85 90 90 95 95 100 100 105 105 110
95 100 105 105 110 110 115 115 120 125
105 110 115 115 120 125 125 130 135 135
115 120 125 130 130 135 140 140 145 150
125 130 135 140 145 145 150 155 160 160
135 145 145 150 155 160 165 165 170 175
145 155 160 160 165 170 175 180 185 190
155 165 170 175 180 180 185 190 195 200
165 175 180 185 190 195 200 205 210 215
175 185 190 195 200 205 210 215 220 225
185 195 200 205 210 220 225 230 235 240
195 205 210 220 225 230 235 240 245 255
205 215 225 230 235 240 250 255 260 265
215 225 235 240 245 255 260 265 275 280
225 240 245 250 260 265 270 280 285 290
235 250 255 265 270 275 285 290 300 305
245 260 265 275 280 290 295 305 310 320
255 270 275 285 295 300 310 315 325 330
265 280 290 295 305 310 320 330 335 345
275 290 300 310 315 325 330 340 350 355
285 300 310 320 325 335 345 355 360 370
295 310 320 330 340 350 355 365 375 385
305 325 330 340 350 360 370 380 385 395
315 335 345 350 360 370 380 390 400 410
325 345 355 365 375 385 395 405 410 420
Weight in 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Weight in 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
335 360 370 380 390 400 410 420 430 440
345 365 375 385 395 410 420 430 440 450
355 375 385 395 410 420 430 440 450 460
365 385 395 410 420 430 440 450 465 475
375 395 410 420 430 445 455 465 475 485
385 405 420 430 440 450 465 475 490 500
395 420 430 440 450 465 475 490 500 510
405 425 440 450 465 475 490 500 515 525
Weight in 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Determining How Much Weight to Lift for Specific Workouts

To f ind out how much weight you should lift for each set, simply f ind
the number of reps at the top of the chart. Go down that column until
you f ind your 1‐rep max. Then go over to the far left of that row and
f ind the weight you should lift.
Example 1
If you want to do a set of 10 reps and your 1‐rep max is 200 pounds:
1. Go to the 10 Rep column on the chart.
2. Follow the column down until you f ind 200.
3. Go to the far left of the row and you will f ind 155.
For a 1‐rep max of 200 pounds, you should be able to lift
approximately 155 pounds for 10 reps.
Example 2
Let’s say you wanted to do a set of 4 reps and your 1‐rep max is 350
pounds:
1. Go to the 4 Rep column on the chart.
2. Follow the column down until you f ind 350.
3. Go to the far left of the row and you will f ind 315.
So for a 1‐rep max of 350 pounds, you should be able to lift
For 15‐rep sets, simply take your 1‐rep max and multiply it by 0.66,
rounding off the number. For example:
1-rep max = 200

200 x 0.66 = 132
For a 200‐pound 1‐rep max, you should be able to lift
Sample Weights to Use for the Various Workouts

Just to make it easier for you, in the following chart I have included
some sample sets, reps, and weights that you could start with.
Notes:
 Start the Blast Your Bench routine using a bit less than the maxi‐
mum weight that you can handle for a set number of reps. By hold‐
ing back a little and stopping short of failure, you will be able to use
perfect form and feel strong while you lift. Keeping some “reserve
strength” while you do the Blast Your Bench routine will make it eas‐
ier to make those 5‐pound jumps in weight each workout over the
entire 3‐week program.
 Do not lift too heavy and wear yourself out on the f irst couple of
sets; save your strength for the last few sets. These sets are the ones
that work the fast‐twitch muscle f ibers and are responsible for big
strength gains.
Reps You Weight You

Your 1-rep Max
Want to Do Should Use
100 pounds 15 60 pounds
10 70 pounds
8 75 pounds
6 80 pounds
4 85 pounds
2 90 pounds
10 85 pounds
8 95 pounds
6 100 pounds
4 105 pounds
2 110 pounds
Reps You Weight You

Your 1-rep Max
10 100 pounds
8 105 pounds
6 110 pounds
4 115 pounds
2 125 pounds
10 115 pounds
8 125 pounds
6 130 pounds
4 135 pounds
2 145 pounds
10 130 pounds
8 140 pounds
6 150 pounds
4 160 pounds
2 170 pounds
10 150 pounds
8 160 pounds
6 170 pounds
4 180 pounds
2 190 pounds
10 165 pounds
8 180 pounds
6 190 pounds
4 200 pounds
2 215 pounds
Reps You Weight You

Your 1-rep Max
10 175 pounds
8 190 pounds
6 205 pounds
4 220 pounds
2 235 pounds
10 200 pounds
8 215 pounds
6 230 pounds
4 240 pounds
2 255 pounds
10 210 pounds
8 230 pounds
6 245 pounds
4 260 pounds
2 275 pounds
10 225 pounds
8 245 pounds
6 265 pounds
4 285 pounds
2 300 pounds
10 250 pounds
8 270 pounds
6 290 pounds
4 310 pounds
2 340 pounds
Preparing to Start
the Program
As mentioned previously, in this program you will focus on increasing
your bench press and maintaining your other body part workouts. The
workout routine is laid out for you in workout charts. You will be
working out f ive days a week. Ideally, Monday would be day 1 and Fri‐
day would be day 5. However, if this does not suit your schedule, you
can follow the program on any f ive consecutive days of the week.
Note: If a f ive‐day‐per‐week program does not allow enough time for
recovery or otherwise does not suit your schedule, see “Modif ied 3‐
Day‐Per‐Week Blast Your Bench Routine” on page 61.
Program Overview
When you actually begin the Blast Your Bench program, each workout
session will include the following activities:
 The warm‐up exercises as explained in “Warm‐up Exercises” on
page 30
 The Blast Your Bench routine as explained in “Understanding the
Blast Your Bench Workouts and Assistance Exercises” on page 38
 Assistance exercises as explained in “The Assistance Exercise Rou‐
tine” on page 44 and “Assistance Exercise Workout Schedule” on
page 51
 Cool‐down and stretching as explained in “Cool‐down: Stretching”
on page 31
Warm-up Exercises
Prior to working out, you should warm up thoroughly by doing 5
minutes of light cardio (stationary bike, treadmill, jogging in place,
Blast Your Bench 30
Preparing to Start the Program
jump rope, and so forth). Then do the following stretching and warm‐
up exercises to prevent injury and enable you to lift maximum weight
in the bench press.
Arm Circles
Extend your arms straight out to your sides and perform arm circles
forward and backward. Do 15‐20 circles in each direction.
Push-ups
Do a couple sets of push‐ups (about 20‐30 reps total). Do not work too
hard; you only want to get the blood flowing and warm up your joints.
Arm Rotation for the Rotator Cuff

Warm up your shoulder joints by standing with your arms straight out
to the sides. Bend your elbows so they are at 90‐degree angles. Rotate
your arms so that your forearms point up and then rotate your arms so
that your forearms point out in front. Do 20‐30 rotations.
Bent-over Dumbbell Flyes

Hold a pair of light dumbbells and bend over at the waist. Keeping
your back parallel to the floor, move only your arms and lift the
dumbbells to the back in a fly motion. Really focus on squeezing the
back of your shoulders together as you lift the dumbbells. Do 3 sets of
15‐20 reps. For a photo, see “Bent‐over Dumbbell Flyes” on page 45.
Bench Press
Do a couple light sets of the bench press, only 5‐10 reps per set. Do not
work too hard; you only want to get the blood flowing and warm up
your joints.
After doing the warm‐up routine, you are ready to do the actual Blast
Your Bench workout. Start the workout with the bench press routine
when you are fresh and strong, then perform the assistance exercises
after the bench press portion of the workout.
Cool-down: Stretching
After you f inish your weight workout, do some light stretching for all
of the muscles that you worked. Then do some light cardio such as
stationary bike, treadmill, and so on, for about 5 minutes. This will
help reduce muscle soreness, speed recovery, and encourage muscle
growth.
A Word About Training Partners

I recommend that you f ind a good training partner to follow the Blast
Your Bench program with you. With a training partner, you can
encourage and provide motivation for each other. You will also be able
to spot each other and provide assistance when necessary.
You will need to f ind someone who is just as committed to making
progress as you are. Training with someone who is a slacker in the gym
will only bring you down as well. If you can, train with someone who is
stronger than you are. This will really help motivate you to improve.
With that said, if you cannot f ind a good workout partner to follow the
Blast Your Bench program with and you must work out alone, you can
still complete the program by yourself. You’ll just need to use your
gym’s power rack to spot yourself just in case you fail to lift the bar.
I have a YouTube video demonstrating how you can set this up at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCOo3RtKu1E
The 2-Week
Preparatory
Workout Routine
Before you start the actual Blast Your Bench routine, stop doing the
flat bench press for the next 2 weeks. This will give your joints, ten‐
dons, and ligaments a break from bench pressing while still strength‐
ening the muscles used in the bench press.
Instead, for the next 2 weeks, follow this workout routine:
Weekday Activity
Day 1 Workout 1: Chest, shoulders, and triceps (page 35)
Day 2 Rest
Day 3 Workout 2: Back and biceps (page 35)
Day 4 Rest
Day 5 Workout 3: Legs and abs (page 36)
Day 6 Rest
Day 7 Rest
Repeat this workout cycle in week 2.
Each of the workouts is detailed in the following sections.
Blast Your Bench 34
The 2‐Week Preparatory Workout Routine
Workout 1: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

Exercise Work Notes
Incline bench press Warm up with couple Once you warm up, keep
light sets and then do the same weight for all 5
5 sets of 5 reps. sets of 5 reps. Train heavy,
but don’t train to failure.
Dumbbell bench press 4 sets of 10 reps Start off light and get the
on a stability ball feel for this exercise
because it requires a lot of
balance and coordination to
perform. This exercise
really helps build up the
smaller stabilizer muscles
that are used in the bench
press.
Seated dummbell 4 sets of 10 reps

shoulder press
Bent-over lateral 4 sets of 10 reps

raises
Tricep push-downs 4 sets of 10 reps
Push-ups 3 sets of as many reps

as you can do
Workout 2: Back and Biceps

Exercise Work Notes
Bent-over barbell 4 sets of 10 reps

rows
Chest-supported row 4 sets of 10 reps This could be a T-bar row,

Hammer Strength seated
row, and so on
Chin-ups 3 sets of as many reps

as you can do
Standing dumbbell 3 sets of 15 reps

curls
Standing barbell curls 3 sets of 10 reps
Back hyper- 3 sets of 15 reps

extensions
The 2‐Week Preparatory Workout Routine
Workout 3: Legs and Abs

Exercise Work Notes
Squats Warm up with a couple Train heavy, but don’t train

of light sets and then to failure.
do 5 sets of 5 reps.
Lying leg curls 4 sets of 10 reps
Leg extensions 4 sets of 10 reps
Standing or seated 4 sets of 15 reps

calf raises
Incline sit-ups 4 sets of 15 reps
Leg raises 4 sets of 15 reps
Crunches 3 sets of 25 or more

reps
PART 2:
The Blast Your
Bench Program
Blast Your Bench 37
Understanding the
Blast Your Bench
Workouts and
Assistance Exercises
After you have followed the 2‐week preparation routine, you are ready
for the actual 3‐week Blast Your Bench routine.
For your chest, triceps, and front deltoids, you will do the bench press
routine as shown in the following workout charts. After the bench
press routine, you will do 1 of the 2 assistance exercise routines.
Note: Please read the entirety of this chapter to familiarize yourself
with all the material before you begin the actual lifting.
Introduction
The bench press routine is where you push yourself. The rest time
between sets for the bench press routine is very important. You
need to get a stopwatch to help you keep track of the rest time
between sets. By varying your reps and rest periods between sets, as
shown in the workout charts, you will get maximum development in
both the fast‐ and slow‐twitch muscle f ibres. This will also help the
body to maximize production of testosterone and growth hormone.1
Throughout the 3‐week bench program, you will do only the bench
press for your chest, triceps, and front deltoids. This will help you to
perfect your technique and to strengthen the muscles used in the lift.
This program will enhance both strength and muscular endurance.
Perform the work sets with enough weight to enable stopping just
short of failure at the prescribed number of reps for each set.
1 These increases are a natural hormonal response for both males and females to proper strength training suff icient
to stimulate strength and muscle gains, but will not cause any negative side effects for women.
Blast Your Bench 38
Understanding the Blast Your Bench Workouts and Assistance Exercises
Note: You should have an experienced spotter with you at all times for
safety reasons. But if you must train alone, you should perform your
bench presses in a power rack with the safety pins set so they can catch
the bar if you fail to lift it, as shown in the following photos.
Proper Bench Press Safety When Lifting Without a Spotter
The Blast Your Bench Workout Schedule

Note: Start each workout with 2 to 3 light warm‐up sets before doing
the routines as outlined in the charts.
Week #1 – Bench Press Workout
Set Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1 10 reps 15 reps 3 reps 15 reps 3 reps
Rest time 3 mins 1 min 3 mins 1 min 3 mins
Rest time 3 mins 1 min 3 mins 1 min 3 mins
Rest time 2 mins 2 mins 2 mins 2 mins 5 mins
Workouts Discussion
You must use a stopwatch to keep track of your rest times between
each set. A common mistake that people make is waiting until they
have caught their breath before jumping into the next set. For the
majority of your workouts this is f ine, but to make the best gains
possible in the Blast Your Bench program, you must stick to the rest
times between sets very strictly.
For the days that you rest 3 minutes between sets, it may seem like you
are wasting time just sitting on the end of the bench waiting to do
your next set. But you need to rest the full 3 minutes to allow your
muscles to handle maximum poundage.
And on the days when you get only 1 minute rest between sets, by the
time you get to the third set you will be huff ing and puff ing and you
will not be able to handle heavy weights. You will be amazed at how
fatigued you will get, but on these days it is critical that you give
yourself only 1 minute rest between sets.
You should lift enough weight so that you can do the required number
of reps for each set.
Example 1 – Week 1 Monday Workout
On Monday of Week 1 the reps go like this:
Set Work Rest and Preparation
1 Lift enough weight so that you Rest for 3 minutes, add some
can do 10 reps. weight to the bar for set 2.
5 Lift enough weight so that you Rest for 3 minutes.

can do 2 reps.
It will take a couple of workouts to f ind out exactly how much weight
to lift for each set. For example, if you cannot complete all of the reps,
for the next workout you will have to lighten the weight. Or if you f ind
that the weights were too light, then you will need to add more weight.
Tip: Do not lift too much weight on the f irst couple of sets and tire
yourself out. You may treat the f irst couple sets as progressively
heavier warm‐ups. It’s better to save your strength and really push
yourself for the last few sets so you can lift maximum weight.
On the days where you do 15 reps per set and rest only 1 minute, you
will start with a heavier weight for the f irst set and you will need to
reduce the weights for the other sets as you fatigue.
Example 2 – Week 1 Tuesday Workout
On Tuesday of Week 1 the reps go like this:
1 Lift enough weight so that you Rest for 1 minute. You may need
can do 15 reps. to lighten the weight for set 2.
2 Perform 15 reps. Rest for 1 minute. You may need

to lighten the weight for set 3.


5 Perform 15 reps. Rest for 1 minute.
Tip: When doing the 15‐rep sets, try to do the reps as fast as possible.
This will help you achieve the required reps and help to develop
explosive power.
The 15‐rep workouts with only 1 minute rest in between sets are a
killer! Most people are amazed at how quickly they fatigue by training
this way. Even the strongest guys are using light weights by the time
they get to those last couple of sets. This type of training is part of the
reason that the Blast Your Bench program works so well. Most people
never train this way, but when they do it really helps to spur new
muscle growth.
I’ve received numerous e‐mails from Blast Your Bench users about the
15‐rep days. A lot of guys think they are doing something wrong
because they end up lifting really light weights. But it’s quite common
for guys who can bench press 250 pounds or more to end up dropping
the weight to 100 pounds during the fourth and f ifth sets so they can
complete all 15 reps.
The key to these high‐rep workouts is keeping the rest periods to no
longer than 60 seconds and getting all 15 reps on each set, regardless of
how light you need to go. This type of high‐rep training will build up
your work capacity and stimulate growth hormone production.
Example 3 – Workouts for a Lifter with a 240-pound 1-rep Max

To give you an idea of how the weights will go, here’s an example of
someone who bench presses 240 pounds for a 1‐rep max. (The actual
workout weights may vary from person to person, but this example
will give you an idea of how to adjust the weights in the workouts.)
For the pyramid‐style workouts (10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps…), the
reps and weight might go like this:
Set Reps Weight
1 10 145
2 8 160
3 6 175
Set Reps Weight
4 4 190
5 5 210
The next time you do this workout, try to add 5 pounds to each set. For
example, Set 1 – 10 reps with 150 pounds, Set 2 – 8 reps with 165
pounds, Set 3 – 6 reps with 180 pounds, and so forth.
For the fast‐paced 15‐rep workouts, the reps and weight might go
like this:
Set Reps Weight
1 15 145
2 15 135
3 15 125
4 15 115
5 15 100
example, Set 1 – 15 reps with 150 pounds, Set 2 – 15 reps with 140
pounds, Set 3 – 15 reps with 130 pounds, and so on.
For the heavy 3‐rep workouts, the reps and weight might go like
this:
Set Reps Weight
1 3 200
2 3 200
3 3 200
4 3 200
5 3 200
You should be able to complete all of the reps by yourself. If you
cannot complete all the reps by yourself, then lighten the weights.
example, Set 1 – 3 reps with 205 pounds, Set 2 – 3 reps with 205 pounds,
Set 3 – 3 reps with 205 pounds, and so on.
Training Volume and Frequency

A lot of people are shocked to hear that the Blast Your Bench routine
calls for bench presses 5 days per week. But despite the training
frequency, the total weekly training volume is not that great. Your total
chest, shoulder, and tricep workload is only 25 sets for the entire week.
To put that in comparison, if you train chest, shoulders, and triceps
once a week with 15 sets per muscle group, that equals 45 total sets per
week.
Because Blast Your Bench limits the workout volume, you can recover
quickly, train more frequently, and make faster progress compared to a
more traditional workout routine. For more information about volume
and frequency, see “Establishing Training Session Frequency” on
page 8.
In the 3‐week Blast Your Squat program, you’ll work your chest,
shoulders, and triceps with different exercises. This will help to
stimulate new strength and muscle growth by working the muscles
with different movements. It will also prevent injury and joint pain
from repetitive motion (doing the same exercises over and over).
The Assistance Exercise Routine

It’s important to include assistance exercises to strengthen your other
body parts and to help increase your bench press poundage. In
addition to the Blast Your Bench routine, you will perform these
assistance exercises in your daily workout to maintain the rest of your
body and help you get the most out of the bench press routine.
The assistance workout consists of the following exercises:
 Bent‐over dumbbell flyes (page 45)
 Bent‐over barbell rows (page 46)
 Standing dumbbell curls (page 47)
 Ab crunches (page 48)
 Squats (page 49)
 Standing calf raises (page 50)
Each of these exercises is explained in the following sections.
Bent-over Dumbbell Flyes

This exercise will develop the rear delts. The bench press places a lot of
stress on the front delts. By working the rear delts you will balance out
your shoulder development and prevent shoulder injuries that are
common with heavy bench pressing.
Position: Bend over at the hips, keeping your back straight. Grasp
dumbbells palms‐down in front of your legs. Be sure to keep a slight
bend in your knees and your keep your back flat as you perform this
exercise.
Movement:
1. Spread your arms out, lifting the dumbbells. Really squeeze your
real deltoids and bring your shoulder blades together.
2. Return the dumbbells to the starting position.
Bent-over Barbell Rows

This exercise will develop the lower back and the lats, which will help
you to stay tight and increase your power in the bench press. A strong
back will help you to rebound the bar off your chest and generate
explosive power.
Position: Grasp the bar at shoulder‐width or slightly wider. Maintain a
slight bend in your knees and keep your upper body at a 45‐degree
angle. Arch your back, let your butt stick out behind you, expand your
chest and belly. This will help you to generate power as you row the
barbell into your belly.
Movement:
1. Row the bar to the point where your chest‐bone meets the top of
your adbomen, squeezing your back muscles.
2. Lower the bar to the starting position.
Standing Dumbbell Curls

This exercise will develop the biceps and forearms, which will help you
stabilize the barbell during a heavy bench press. Strong biceps also
help to balance out arm development and support the triceps, which
are critical for developing a strong bench press lockout.
Position: Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder
width apart. Let the dumbbells hang at arms length on each side of
your body. Keep your elbows close to your torso at all times.
Movement:
1. Moving only your forearms, use your bicep strength to curl the
dumbbells up to shoulder level. Rotate your hands so that your
palms are facing upward at the top.
2. Hold this position for a second to maximize the peak contraction
in the biceps.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position.
Do not lift excess weight and use momentum to swing the dumbbells
up. Use a lighter weight and keep the movement strict and controlled.
For variety, you can do this exercise curling one arm, then curling the
other arm, alternating back and forth. This will allow you to handle a
bit more weight than if you curl both arms at the same time.
Ab Crunches
This exercise will develop the abdominals. The back and abdominals
are the centre of the body, so developing these muscles is vital to
improving your strength and power in all exercises.
Position: Lie on the floor. You may want to use an exercise mat. Place
your hands behind your head to support your neck.
Movement:
1. Lift your head and upper back off the floor as you bring your knees
up. Really squeeze your abs at the top of each rep.
2. Relax to the starting position.
Alternative Exercise: If you have a decline sit‐up bench, you can use it

in place of the floor crunches. Decline sit‐ups are harder and more
effective than crunches.
Squats
This exercise will develop the thighs, lower back, hips, and glutes.
Developing these muscles will improve your bench press strength
because they work together to stabilize your entire body on the bench.
Position: Set up the power rack with the safety pins as shown in the
photos. Flex your trapezius muscles so the bar does not hurt the top of
your shoulders, or use a bar pad. Keep your feet wider than shoulder
width and look forward.
Movement:
1. Squat down until the tops of your thighs are below parallel with
the floor. Let your back arch slightly, expand your belly, and stick
your butt out as you squat.
2. Straighten your legs and drive the weight up as you return to the
starting position.
Note: For complete information about squats, see the Special Bonus
Report, Blast Your Squat, included with Blast Your Bench.
Standing Calf Raises

This exercise will develop the calf muscles. Strong calf muscles work
together with the thighs, lower back, hips, and glutes to stabilize your
body while doing heavy bench presses.
Position: Set up the power rack as shown in the photos. Keep your
legs straight during this exercise; you should use only your calf
muscles to lift the weight.
Movement:
1. Stand up on your tippy toes and flex your calf muscles hard at the
top of the rep.
2. Allow your calf muscles to extend all the way down at the bottom
of the rep.
Assistance Exercise Workout Schedule

Do these assistance exercises after the 5 sets of bench presses. For an
outline of the complete daily program, see “Program Overview” on
page 30. Refer to the exercise pictures and descriptions provided in
“The Assistance Exercise Routine” on page 44.
WORKOUT A WORKOUT B
Exercise Work Exercise Work
Bent-over dumbbell flyes 3 sets of 10-12 reps Squats or leg press 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Bent-over barbell rows 3 sets of 10-12 reps Standing calf raises 3 sets of 15 reps
Standing dumbbell curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps Ab crunches 3 sets of 25-50 reps
Ab crunches 3 sets of 25-50 reps
Alternate between Assistance Workouts A and B. That is, on Monday
do Workout A, on Tuesday do Workout B, on Wednesday do Workout
A, on Thursday do Workout B, and so forth.
For these exercises, rest long enough between sets to catch your
breath. Rest 1‐2 minutes between sets for smaller exercises such as
dumbbell curls and ab work. Rest 2‐3 minutes for larger exercises such
as squats and barbell rows.
Additional Information
 If you feel extra sore on a day that you are supposed to train, it would
be wise to take that day off from training. What I mean by “extra
sore” is that you are so sore it will hinder your performance in the
gym. It’s best to play it safe than to risk the chance of injury. But if
you simply have a light, dull muscle ache you will still be good to
train.
If you need to take a day off, simply move the entire program ahead 1
day. For example, perhaps you were very sore and had to skip Tues‐
day’s workout. On Wednesday you would then perform the workout
that was scheduled for Tuesday. On Thursday you would perform
the workout that was scheduled for Wednesday, and so on. It is
important that you complete all workouts that are listed in the work‐
out charts in order to get the maximum benef it from this program.
Do not skip any of the workouts!
 You may want to have a cup of coffee or a caffeine pill prior to work‐
ing out to give you an extra energy boost. This may not be appropri‐
ate for everyone, so use your own judgment on this.
 You should use lifting chalk on your hands to help get a better grip
on the bar. It is hard to maintain proper bench press technique if you
have a sweaty grip. Some gyms may not allow you to use chalk. If
not, wear a pair of workout gloves.
 When lifting heavy weights you may f ind it benef icial to wear a pair

of wrist wraps to help support your hands and wrists. Good power‐
lifting wrist wraps usually will allow you to move more weight due to
the stabilization of the wrists during the lift.
 You should wear comfortable workout clothing. I recommend wear‐
ing a sweatshirt while doing the bench press because it will keep
your muscles and joints warm and help to prevent injury.
 Use the same bench and barbell each time you bench press. Some
benches may be set at different heights, or the padding may be dif‐
ferent. Pick a bench that you are comfortable with and use it every
time you bench. The same thing goes for barbells: some bars have a
smooth grip; other have a rough grip. Pick one that you are comfort‐
able with and bench with the same bar each time. (I personally f ind
a barbell with a rough grip better for benching because there is less
chance of your hands slipping during the lift.)
 Make sure that the bench you are using is in alignment with the ceil‐
ing tiles. This will help you to keep the bar straight and level when
benching. If you are lying down on the bench and looking up at the
ceiling on an angle, it will distract you.
 Strive to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. A lot of muscle
growth and recovery takes place during sleep. It is vital that you have
a good consistent sleeping pattern while following the Blast Your
Bench program.
 Try to avoid using alcohol and other recreational drugs while follow
the Blast Your Bench program. Alcohol will lower your testosterone
levels and dehydrate your body. Drugs such as marijuana will also
lower your testosterone. A single joint will suppress your natural tes‐
tosterone levels for 3 days.
 Keep a record of your workouts. Write down every set and rep that
you do during your workouts. This way each workout you can try to
improve what you did for your previous workout.
The Blast Your Bench
Workouts
Here is a complete recap of the entire Blast Your Bench program.
These are the actual workouts that you will be doing in the gym on
each day of the Blast Your Bench program.
For a complete description of the Blast Your Bench routine, see
“Understanding the Blast Your Bench Workouts and Assistance
Exercises” on page 38.
Warm-up Routine
Before each workout you will do the following warm up routine.
Activity Work
5 minutes of light cardio Bike, treadmill, rower, and so on
Arm circles 15-20 circles in each direction
Push-ups 2 sets of 10-15 reps
Arm rotation for the 20-30 rotations using very light weights or just
rotator cuff the weight of your arms
Bent-over dumbbell flyes 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Bench press Do a light set with the bar for 10 reps. Then do 2
progressively heavier warm-up sets of 5 reps.
For more information about these warm‐up exercises, see “Warm‐up
Exercises” on page 30.
Blast Your Bench 53
The Blast Your Bench Workouts
Week 1
Workout Activity Description
Workout 1 Warm-up routine See “Warm-up Routine” on page 53

(Monday)
Blast Your Bench Routine Rest 3 minutes between each set.
 Set 1: 10 reps
 Set 2: 8 reps
 Set 3: 6 reps
 Set 4: 4 reps
 Set 5: 2 reps
Assistance Exercise Workout A  Bent-over dumbbell flyes:

3 sets of 10-12 reps
 Bent-over barbell rows:
 Standing dumbbell curls:
 Ab crunches:
Cooldown/stretching See “Cool-down: Stretching” on page 31

(Tuesday)
Blast Your Bench Routine Rest 1 minute between each set.
 Set 1: 15 reps
 Set 2: 15 reps
 Set 3: 15 reps
 Set 4: 15 reps
 Set 5: 15 reps
Assistance Exercise Workout B  Squats or leg press:

 Standing calf raises:
3 sets of 15 reps
 Ab crunches:

(Wednesday)
 Set 1: 3 reps
 Set 2: 3 reps
 Set 3: 3 reps
 Set 4: 3 reps
 Set 5: 3 reps

 Ab crunches:

(Thursday)
 Set 1: 15 reps
 Set 2: 15 reps
 Set 3: 15 reps
 Set 4: 15 reps
 Set 5: 15 reps

3 sets of 15 reps
 Ab crunches:

(Friday)
 Set 1: 3 reps
 Set 2: 3 reps
 Set 3: 3 reps
 Set 4: 3 reps
 Set 5: 3 reps

 Ab crunches:
Week 2

(Monday)
 Set 1: 10 reps
 Set 2: 8 reps
 Set 3: 6 reps
 Set 4: 4 reps
 Set 5: 2 reps

3 sets of 15 reps
 Ab crunches:

(Tuesday)
 Set 1: 15 reps
 Set 2: 15 reps
 Set 3: 15 reps
 Set 4: 15 reps
 Set 5: 15 reps
Assistance Exercise Workout  Bent-over dumbbell flyes:

 Ab crunches:

(Wednesday)
 Set 1: 10 reps
 Set 2: 8 reps
 Set 3: 6 reps
 Set 4: 4 reps
 Set 5: 2 reps

3 sets of 15 reps
 Ab crunches:

(Thursday)
 Set 1: 15 reps
 Set 2: 15 reps
 Set 3: 15 reps
 Set 4: 15 reps
 Set 5: 15 reps

 Ab crunches:

(Friday)
 Set 1: 10 reps
 Set 2: 8 reps
 Set 3: 6 reps
 Set 4: 4 reps
 Set 5: 2 reps

3 sets of 15 reps
 Ab crunches:
Week 3

(Monday)
 Set 1: 3 reps
 Set 2: 3 reps
 Set 3: 3 reps
 Set 4: 3 reps
 Set 5: 3 reps

 Ab crunches:

(Tuesday)
 Set 1: 3 reps
 Set 2: 3 reps
 Set 3: 3 reps
 Set 4: 3 reps
 Set 5: 3 reps

3 sets of 15 reps
 Ab crunches:

(Wednesday)
 Set 1: 3 reps
 Set 2: 3 reps
 Set 3: 3 reps
 Set 4: 3 reps
 Set 5: 3 reps

 Ab crunches:

(Thursday)
 Set 1: 3 reps
 Set 2: 3 reps
 Set 3: 3 reps
 Set 4: 3 reps
 Set 5: 3 reps

3 sets of 15 reps
 Ab crunches:

(Friday)
 Set 1: 3 reps
 Set 2: 3 reps
 Set 3: 3 reps
 Set 4: 3 reps
 Set 5: 3 reps

 Ab crunches:
Modified 3-Day-Per-Week Blast Your Bench Routine

The regular 3‐week Blast Your Bench program as outlined on the
previous pages works great for the majority of lifters. However, some
master lifters (people over 40 years of age) and advanced lifters who
have been training progressively for several years and have worked up
to lifting very heavy poundages, often need more recovery time
between workouts to make progress. For those that f ind the 5‐day‐per‐
week routine as outlined above too much, you can follow this
modif ied version of the Blast Your Bench routine.
Basically, instead of training 5 days per week over the course of 3
weeks, you will train 3 days per week over the course of 5 weeks. You
will still do the exact same workouts in the same order as outlined
above. But instead of training Monday through Friday, you’ll train
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (or any 3 non‐consecutive days that
f it your schedule).
Spacing the program out like this allows for extra recovery time while
still reaping the training benef its of the Blast Your Bench workout
program. People who are pressed for time and can’t make it to the gym
5 times a week can also follow this modif ied 3‐day‐per‐week routine.
Retesting Your 1-rep Max
Bench Press
After you complete the 3‐week Blast Your Bench routine, you should
retest your 1‐rep max after a couple days of rest. This should be on the
following Monday if you have been following the routine as outlined
Monday through Friday with weekends off.
How to Determine Your New 1-rep Max

Note: See the 1‐Rep Max chart on page 25 to help you determine what
weight you should lift when you begin.
1. Perform the warm‐up routine (see “Warm‐up Exercises” on
page 30).
2. Do a couple of light sets for 5 reps. Do not wear yourself out with
too many reps.
3. Rest 2 minutes.
4. Increase the weight and do a set of 3 reps.
5. Rest 2 minutes.
6. Increase the weight and do another set of 3 reps.
7. Rest 3 minutes.
8. Increase the weight and do a single rep. Then:
 If you fail to lift the weight, rest 3 minutes, reduce the weight,
and try to do a single rep again.
 If you succeed in lifting the weight, rest 3 minutes, increase the
weight, and try to do a single rep again.
Keep repeating this process until you f ind the maximum weight
that you can lift for a single rep.
Blast Your Bench 62
Retesting Your 1‐rep Max Bench Press
9. Write down your 1‐rep max and the date you lifted it. This will help
you judge your progress.
1‐rep Max Weight: _______________ Date: ________________

Blast Your Bench

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Copyright © 2009 Lee Hayward

Lee Hayward For a limited time Lee is giving away a complete 10‐Part Muscle

Before You Begin… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

PART 1: WHAT YOU NEED TO GET READY TO BLAST YOUR BENCH

3. Eating for Maximum Size and Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4. Benching for Maximum Poundage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

5. Preparing to Start the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

6. The 2-Week Preparatory Workout Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

PART 2: THE BLAST YOUR BENCH PROGRAM

8. The Blast Your Bench Workouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

9. Retesting Your 1-rep Max Bench Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Compound vs. Isolation Exercises

Free Weights vs. Machines

Determining Training Volume and Intensity

Volume = weight x reps x sets

200 pounds x 10 reps x 5 sets = 10,000 pounds

Set 1: 250 pounds x 6 reps = 1500 pounds

Weight and Repetitions

Utilizing Rest Time Between Sets

Understanding Your Body’s Energy Systems

Adenosine Triphosphate and Phosphocreatine Energy

Lactic Acid Energy System

Aerobic Energy System

Maximizing the Length of Your Training Sessions

Establishing Training Session Frequency

Determing How Often to Train Body Parts

Setting Repetition Speed

Ensuring Progressive Overloads

The 3 Necessary Micronutrients

If you f ind eating a lot of solid food diff icult and time‐consuming, you

Sample Eating Plans

Sample Daily Eating Plan 1

1  1/2 pound of ground beef

2  Protein or meal replacement drink mixed with milk

4  High protein meal replacement bar

6  Protein or meal replacement drink mixed with milk

Sample Daily Eating Plan 2

1  Ham and sausage

2  Tuna fish sandwich

3  Protein or meal replacement drink mixed with milk

4  1 cup of cottage cheese

Sample Daily Eating Plan 3

1  1 bowl of oatmeal or high fiber cereal with milk

2  Hamburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and so on

3  Protein or meal replacement drink mixed with milk

4  1 can of tuna fish mixed with mayo

6  Protein or meal replacement drink mixed with milk

Sample Daily Eating Plan 4

3  8 oz. of mozzarella cheese

4  High protein meal replacement bar

5  Pan-fried cod fish

6  1 bowl of oatmeal or high fiber cereal with milk

Sample Daily Eating Plan 5

1  Bacon and eggs

2  6 shrimp sauteed in butter

4  Hot turkey breast sandwich

5  Broiled salmon with lemon slices and mushrooms

6  Protein or meal replacement drink

Protein Powders, Meal Replacement Powders,

Breads, Cereals, and Grains

Food Measure Calories Carbs Protein Fat

White, enriched 1 slice 62 12g 2g <1g

Whole wheat 1 slice 56 11g 3g <1g