Fullbenchbook 2

Build A Bigger Bench Press
Your Detailed Guide To Building A Big Bench Press In Record

Time
Intro 02
Chapter 1: Anatomy and Bio Mechanics Of Bench Press 04
Chapter 2: The Requirements For Gaining Strength 11
Chapter 3: Simple Bench Press Tips and Advice 18
Chapter 4: Training Strategies For Maximizing Your Bench Press 29
Chapter 5: Workouts To Boost Your Bench 43
Chapter 6: The Nutrition Behind Building A Bigger Bench 64
Chapter 7: Supplements To Boost Your Bench 74
Chapter 8: Maintaining Your Bench Press After Success 80
Conclusion 83
www.buildabiggerbenchpress.com
Intro
I remember the first time I walked into a gym.
I was overwhelmed! I was a 16 year old kid and I lived across the
street from the YMCA. I had been doing Karate for a few years, but
I have never ventured into the weight room. And for good reason, it
scared me!
Then one day I ventured in. The biggest reason was because I was a
scrawny kid and I was trying to impress a girl (I later got that girl and
we went out for years).
The first thing I saw when I entered was a guy (His name was Darren
I found out after and he became a great help to me) bench pressing.
He had this long hair with a kind of mullet and a moustache. Tacky
right? Well not a chance. This dude was BAD ASS. He was benching
3 plates per side (that’s 315lb if you don’t know it get used to knowing
plates as much as numbers).
3 plates!! That might as well have been a thousand pounds to me

then. But I wasn’t discouraged. I went to the next bench and decided
to see just how “Strong” I was (more like how strong I wasn’t looking
bac).
At the time I loaded up 1 plate per side. Took it off, and got 2 reps. 2!!
That it! 135lb for 2 reps! Needless to say I wasn’t blessed with great
genetics. However the one thing I was blessed with was the ability to
WORK HARD, LEARN, & IMRPOVE!
I am not gloating but at my best I benched 225lbs 28 reps, 315lb

for 15, and 405 for 4. I am DAMN PROUND of these numbers. I also
benched in a provincial meet 374lbs at a bodyweight of 192 lbs. My
goal was double weight but I wasn’t used to a bench shirt. It was the
only time I ever did a powerlifting meet. I liked benching RAW.
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So I created this book for you. I have included everything I can to
Build YOU A Bigger Bench Press. Remember it doesn’t matter where
you start. All the matters is you set goals, attain them, and enjoy the
ride!
I hope you find this Bench Press Guide helpful! I would love to
hear from you. I can be reached via facebook at my fan page www.
RobKingFitnessFanPage.com or my blog www.RobKingFitness.com.
So be sure to check them out and give me some feedback!
All the best in your training and I hope someday you can get 315lb
in your hand and smash it! And hopefully this book will help get you
there!
Keep Pressing.
Rob King
3
Chapter 1: Anatomy and Bio Mechanics Of Bench Press
Before we dive in and get started with all the critical details of what
you are going to do to boost your bench press up as high as possible,
it’s important that we get you acquainted with what exactly the bench
press is.
Most of you reading this will already know very well what the bench
press exercise looks like, but what I want to go into here is the actual
specifics in what’s involved during the process of executing the
exercise itself.
Muscle Groups Utilized
The bench press is often called the ‘king’ of upper body movements
and this is for good reason. Each and every time you perform a bench
press exercise, you are going to be using a very large number of
muscles all at once.
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For you this will mean a better hormonal release in the body (of
testosterone and growth hormone), which then also translates to
better overall growth and development.
So by training your bench press regularly, you can in effect actually

help develop all the other main muscles in the body as well. Those
who are regularly including the bench press in their workout programs
will find that their overall upper body strength is that much better and
in some cases, it may also help their lower body progress more as
well provided enough training is being performed for those muscle
groups.
It’s important to note that because the bench press does work so
many muscle groups at once it will place quite a bit of stress on the
CNS so it’s vital that you also make sure that you are planning your
program properly to include rest. We’ll be going over that in much
greater detail however when we look at the workouts to perform for
boosting your bench press.
Getting back to the issue at hand – the muscle groups that you will be
working, the main ones coming into play to help you drive that weight
up on the bar with each and every rep you perform will include:
• The Pectoralis muscle (major, sternal)
• The Pectoralis muscle (major, clavicular)
• The Anterior Deltoid
• The Triceps
• The Biceps
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As you can clearly see, pretty much every muscle group in the upper
body apart from those lining the back region will be getting utilized
when you perform the bench press. While the last four exercises in
that list are going to be acting as dynamic stabilizers and synergists,
that is muscles that help to stabilize the joint while the exercise
takes place as well as assist the main target muscle in the exercise
execution, they still will be stimulated to a high extent due to the high
load you lift during this exercise.
That large overloading stimulus is single-handedly the most important

factor for strength as well as lasting size increases are concerned so
a ‘must-have’ for any workout program.
Because of the fact, as just indicated, that the bench press does
not work any of the major muscle groups in the back, it is highly
recommended that you add some back exercises to your workout
program as well, especially while focusing on the chest in order to
prevent muscular imbalances from developing.
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Most people will already be doing so and you’ll also find later on in
the workouts section of the book all the workouts we have listed do
target the back as well as the chest. It’s natural to include both in
a workout program.Pay special attention and insure you have both
exercise varieties in there. Those who develop massively strong
chests but maintain relatively weak back muscles may notice that
they begin to become more hunched over in appearance and this is
very likely the main reason why.
Back and chest directly oppose each other so for best results from
your program be sure that you incorporate both major muscle
sections of the body in your program plan.
Type of Exercise
Moving on, let’s go over the main types of exercises that you can
perform and identify where the bench press stands within those.
Compound Exercises
The first type of exercises that you will come across as you are weight
lifting are compound exercises. These are essentially exercises that
are ‘multi-joint’ in nature and work more than a single muscle group
at once.
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For instance, when you perform the squats, you’re going to be
moving both the hip and the knee joints, while working the quads,
hamstrings, glutes, and core.
When you perform the leg extension however, you’re only working
the knee joint and primarily targeting the quad muscle.
Clearly you can see the difference between the two here and this is
the defining feature of compound movements. Compound exercises
also tend to produce better size and strength increases because of
the fact that you are able to lift a higher overall volume of weight with
them.
Isolation Exercises
Second you have isolation exercises. In the previous example, the leg
extension would be deemed the isolation movement. Essentially, you
are strictly targeting just a single muscle group when performing this
exercise.
These movements tend to be better for those who have already built
up enough strength and size and now instead are looking to produce
more muscle definition. You will not burn as many calories while
doing this form of exercise nor will you get the testosterone release
that you would from the compound exercises mentioned above.
Isometric Exercises
Finally, the last type of exercise that you can come across, although
not nearly as often, is isometric exercise. These are exercises where
you will not be moving as you complete the exercise but rather
maintaining a certain position while keeping a muscle or a number of
muscles in a tensed state.
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If you are familiar with the plank exercise that is an isometric exercise
that primarily works the core muscles.
Okay, so now that we’ve described the three main types of exercises,
where does the bench press lie?
If you said in the compound exercise group, you would be correct.

Since the bench press is working both the shoulder and elbow joint,
it will be compound in nature. Additionally, since we went over all the
muscle groups that will get called into play when performing it that
also illustrates the fact that it would be a compound movement.
Direction Of Force
Finally, it’s also important to make note of the direction of force of

this exercise since some people will divide their workouts up based
on this single element. Since you are going to be moving the weight
directly above the body when executing it, this makes it a ‘push’
exercise.
The exercises that would appose ‘pushing’ would be ‘pulling’, and

this would clearly be far representative of a bent over row to compare
this to you. This also illustrates quite nicely why it’s vital to include
both chest exercise and back exercise in your program – since one
has you pushing and the other has you pulling.
Execution
Finally, to briefly go over the execution aspect of the bench press,

when performing it you want to make sure that you’re maintaining a
relatively flat lower back position against the bench as if you let this
rise up too much off the bench, lower back pain can develop.
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Next, as you drive the weight up over the head, the next important
thing that you must remember is to allow yourself to reach a straight
elbow position, however never let that elbow get ‘locked’ into place.
This is particularly relevant for anyone who is able to hyperextend
their elbows because if you let the arm extend in that manner, you
will be placing a very large amount of stress on that elbow joint
and could easily set yourself up for a fracture. You want that elbow
straight but never locked.
Finally, as you lower the weight down the body, it’s important that
you do go through the full range of motion and let it go as close to
the chest as possible. Some individuals who are looking to boost
their bench will short themselves of the full range of motion, which
then seriously hinders their ability to generate maximum strength.
It’s true that you will be the weakest at the lowest point of the bench
press (when you’re at the lowest position), however it’s important
that you do push through this because if you do, you will become
that much stronger – and that is obviously the primary reason you’re
reading this book in the first place. Failing to use the full range of
motion would be failing to maximize all the knowledge you’re about
to gain – so be sure you don’t do it.
So that wraps up our discussion of the anatomy and biomechanics

of the bench press. It’s important that you understand all of these
concepts so you can see the underlying purposes behind many of the
training techniques you will be using.
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Chapter 2: The Requirements For Gaining Strength
Next, let’s discuss some of the main requirements that are going
to be essential if you are to boost your strength levels and improve
your bench press. Make no mistake about it, if you don’t have these
working for you in your workouts and lifestyle, you are going to come
up short as far as results are concerned.
Mindset
The very first factor that will be a requirement to really boost up your
bench press is your mind set. With this I’m not just talking about the
desire to want to build a bigger bench. You already have that in place
otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this book.
What I am talking about however is the sheer determination when

push comes to shove to crank out every last ounce of energy in the
body to press that weight up as hard as possible.
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Many individuals simply lack this. Because of that, they also lack the
ability to see optimal results from their program. This is something
that you can build and work on, so if you feel like it’s something
you may be lacking, don’t stress. It can be developed but will take
constant monitoring and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.
Usually the people who lack this ability to really drive hard when the
time comes are those who do tend to prefer comfort over pushing
boundaries, so ask yourself where you fall. Do you prefer to stick with
the ‘same old routine’ rather than risk experiencing some discomfort?
If so, you may be holding back during your workouts more than you
should. Most people fail to realize the connection between personality
types and strength development but it is there.
Those who are always willing to test their boundaries even if it does
mean they are putting themselves at a risk are often those who will
progress in the gym faster. They aren’t scared of a little fatigue or
pain – rather, they welcome it as part of the process.
Those, on the other hand, who get stuck in their comfort zone and
always ensure they are just staying ‘on par’ with themselves are
those who will stay right where they are currently, maintaining the
status quo.
So your mind set – your mental drive – is one factor that will come
into play with regards to how much strength gains you can expect.
Rest and Relaxation Tendencies
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Another key element that should be in place if you want to experience
the best overall strength developments from your work in the gym is
the ability to rest and relax when necessary.
While you must have that sheer determination and drive that we
discussed earlier while you are in the gym, when you are out of the
gym, it needs to be a completely different story.
To illustrate this principle at work, think for a second about a guy

who you know who’s constantly fidgeting. Whether he’s tapping
his fingers on his desk, shaking his foot to the beat of the music, or
pacing around the room, he’s always moving – can’t sit still.
Now, think about the body type of this guy. Does he look quite thin
and lanky? If so, you’ve just illustrated to yourself this principle at
work. These types of anxious people very rarely make the strength
gains they are looking for because of the fact they can never sit still.
In order for your muscles to recover after a hard workout and build
back up stronger (and bigger for that matter) they need rest. These
fidgety movements may not be all that intensive on the body, but
they will, when done often enough, have a huge impact on rest.
If you don’t get the proper rest you won’t come back bigger and
stronger.
Additionally, remember that all this fidgeting will also burn up calories
and your body will need these calories for more growth and muscle
development to take place.
In addition to the issue on fidgeting, you also must remember that

any other additional exercise you’re performing away from your
workouts can also add up in much the same way. For example, if
you’re practicing heavy duty MMA along with your workouts or are
involved in a rather competitive team sports league, that will influence
your capability to make progress.
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The body only has so much recovery reserves available to it so once
those are exhausted, you’re really out of luck. You can try your best
to maximize your recovery levels so that you can fit in this additional
activity, but you can’t work miracles here.
Many guys simply do too much on a weekly basis to really see optimal
progress and this is what holds them back in the long term. Further on
that, remember that any time you are working against any resistance
(body weight exercises for example), you’ll be placing more stress on
the muscles that will impact recovery from your lifting sessions than
you would had you have done a cardio session, so that’s another
thing to keep in mind.
I’m not saying that you can go perform as much cardio as you like
without any problems, but between cardio-based exercise and
resistance/strength based exercise, the latter will be more harmful to
your strength gains than the former.
So if you absolutely must perform some type of exercise in addition

to your weight workouts, the cardio based activities should be what
you lean towards.
Summing up this point, it’s very important that you are able to rest
and relax when needed. Push hard in the gym, take it easy outside of
the gym. That must be your motto. If it’s anything else, you could be
facing a struggle.
Self-Awareness
Another key characteristic that you must have if you are to develop
a maximum amount of muscle strength with your bench press is a
good degree of self-awareness. This comes in two different forms.
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First you must be self-aware of your body position in space. So
essentially, while you are performing that bench pressing movement,
it’s vital that you are maximally aware of where the arms currently
are as well as what muscle fibers are being recruited.
One mistake some people make with their bench press programs
that does hold them back from optimal results is that they allow other
muscles to step in and take some of the stress of the main chest
muscles executing the lift.
While those muscles may then get stronger, this isn’t ideal because
in the long-term it is the chest muscles you want to be developing
here.
They are going to be the ones that will be most responsible for driving
that weight upwards as you add more plate weight to the bar as time
goes on, so they can’t be slacking. If you are fully self-aware, you will
be instantly able to tell if another muscle group is contracting when
it shouldn’t be.
If you aren’t, then you may find you’re working almost every muscle
in the body except for the chest! (usually an overstatement, but you
can see the point here)
The second type of self-awareness is the self-awareness that comes

from reading the body and how it’s feeling. It’s very important that
as you go about your workout program you’re listening to the signals
your body is telling you.
In some cases, it may be becoming extremely fatigued to the point of

almost being overtrained, and when that’s the case, it’s essential that
you are backing off the weight for a while. Many individuals however
will just read this to mean they should push harder, and that’s what
they do.
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As time passes and they keep pushing harder, sooner or later they find
themselves really going downhill and rather than their lifts improving
or at least staying constant, they realize that they are losing strength
on their bench press.
Obviously this is a very frustrating process, but sadly, one many

guys experience. Being able to read your body and the signals it’s
sending you is one of the most important factors in ensuring that you
succeed.
There’s quite a big difference between a moderate amount of

muscular soreness from your workout along with the fatigue that
goes with it and deep-tissue fatigue that will only be solved with an
extended time of rest.
Gaining this level of self-awareness about how your body is reacting

can take some practice over time but with a constant effort you’ll
quickly catch on to the signals that your body is sending you.
A Proper Diet and Workout
Finally, and most obvious, the last requirement to boost up your

strength level is a proper diet and workout program. While this may
seem obvious, many people forget to include the diet part of the
equation as they figure if they go into the gym and work hard enough,
strength gains will just take care of themselves.
Not true.
In fact, if you don’t take in enough calories on a daily basis (either

because you are purposely trying to lose fat or because you are just
not aware of how much you’re eating and don’t realize your own
calorie requirements), it is very likely that you will not achieve any
strength gains whatsoever.
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When on a lower calorie diet the best you can hope for is to maintain
your strength levels, not boost them upwards. This is a big factor
that many of those who are preparing for bodybuilding contests do
have to worry about – the strength and muscle mass losses that go
with contest prep.
On a maintenance calorie intake, that is, taking in just enough

calories to support all your daily functions, you can possibly see
some increases in strength, but don’t expect it to be anything you’d
write home about. You won’t go bragging to your friends about the
progress you’re making because chances are it will be quite miniscule.
If you really want to gain a good amount of strength in your bench

press and especially if you want to also gain some size, you must eat.
You absolutely have to provide your body with the raw materials to
generate these additional strength and muscle mass gains.
If you attempt to do so without this, you will be disappointed. So be

sure you have both a proper workout program and diet working in
your favour. The difference will be remarkable.
Both of these will be discussing in coming chapters so don’t worry, we

won’t be leaving you to wonder about how to include these correctly.
So there you have the main factors that are going to come into play
and influence the strength gains you experience. You could be doing
everything right in the gym but without these, you’re still not going
to be seeing the results you’re after.
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Chapter 3: Simple Bench Press Tips and Advice
Okay, so now that we’ve reviewed over some of the neces

sary requirements for making strength gains as well as have covered
some of the basics of what the bench press exercise actually involves
itself, it’s time to get to the juicy details with some quick tips that are
going to help you get started on driving your bench lift through the
roof.
When you are sure to follow all of the tips that are listed below, you
will notice improvements quickly. Often it’s all the little things that
add up to make a big difference in the long run so by getting these
straight away right from the start, you’re already a step in the right
direction.
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Here are the tips you must know.
Form
The very first thing that you must make sure to do right so you can
maximize the results you see is get the proper form down pat. Those
who are not using proper form will not experience nearly the same
level of muscle fiber recruitment patterns and as such, should expect
to see less than stellar results.
Proper form – even if it means using a lighter weight than you typically
would, is vital. Do not overlook this.
Now, to get into proper form, what you must be doing is moving into
a position where your chin is directly below the bar on the bench
press. You don’t want to be too far forward or too far back with the
body on the bench otherwise you’re going to really struggle just
getting the bar up off the stands without causing a small degree of
fatigue to set in.
This lift up needs to be as effortless as possible so you save all your

muscular recruitment ‘juice’ for when you are actually performing
the lift.
Additionally, if you’re too far above or below the bar when you first
begin you may place additional strain on the shoulders as you press
the bar up, which could set you up for injuries down the road. An
injury is a quick way to kill any progress whatsoever so obviously
reducing this risk is a must.
Once you have the initial position set, then the next ‘must-do’ for your
form check is to watch your back and butt position. While it is okay
if you do notice you arch your lower back up slightly while pushing
your chest forwards, it is not okay if you lift the butt off the bench.
At all times that butt needs to stay in contact with the bench so if at
any point it also begins to lift off, immediately stop the action, rest,
and then restart again.
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Also, one key trick that tends to help most people ensure they are
maintaining the correct form is to think of squeezing the shoulder
blades together at all times and pressing them deep into the bench
padding.
This further puffs out the chest and can help with greater weight
lifting performance for some individuals. Try it yourself and see how
you feel. It’s not a mandatory requirement to do for proper form but
may just help you take things a small amount further.
Don’t try and cheat yourself out of this proper form because by
ensuring you’re using correct form at all times, you ensure that every
pound of gain you experience is going to be directly related to your
gaining strength in the chest muscles.
Finally, you have your foot placement. When performing your bench
press it’s very important that you are constantly maintaining the flat
foot position on the floor so regardless of the position of your knees,
this is the first ‘must’.
After that, most people do prefer maintaining a bend in the knees so

they are at the 90 degree angle mark, however you must do what’s
comfortable for you. If you prefer the knees stretched out a bit more
that is fine provided the feet are still flat on the floor underneath you.
Proper Breathing Technique
The second tip that will help you take your bench press progress up a
notch is to watch your breathing patterns. If you are not maximizing
the flow of air into and out of the body, you will not be delivering
oxygen to the muscles as well as you could be, and this has a direct
influence on your ability to generate power as well as withstand
fatigue.
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Basically, if you want to be strong and keep up a higher volume of
work, you must get the oxygen to the muscles.
Now, the basic breathing pattern is to exhale as you press the weight
upwards from the chest to the straight-elbow position, while you are
to inhale while you are allowing the weight to come down closer to
the body again.
If you take a short pause at the top of the movement while performing
your bench press, you are to also hold the breathing pattern so as to
not let yourself get off track.
One method that many people find quite effective for boosting up
their strength level with regards to breathing is to make the exhale
half of it as forceful as possible. This can provide both psychological
benefits as well as physiological benefits when it comes to lifting a
higher amount of weight.
When you hear that ‘whooshing’ noise coming from the body this
often signals the brain to contract harder and as fast as the muscles
can (which is a function of the amount of power you’re able to
generate).
In addition to this, the fast exhale of air also causes the lungs to contract
faster, which can help derive more muscular power throughout the
upper body.
Again this is something that is not mandatory to do if you prefer a

slower exhale, however it is something that’s worth trying. Unless
you are specifically targeting a slower lifting tempo with your bench
to increase the time under tension (the total number of seconds the
muscles are being stress per rep), speeding up the eccentric portion
of the exercise (the first half of the movement) typically creates an
increase in overall strength levels.
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Making Good Use Of Your Spotter
The third tip to boost your bench is to ensure that you not only have
a spotter but are using him or her correctly. Making sure that you are
working out with someone else while working to boost your bench
will be essential because simply by having that person standing next
to you, you will give yourself the psychological assurance you need
that you won’t hold back from pushing to your max.
When you don’t have a spotter next to you there is a much greater
chance that you’ll hold back slightly in order to ‘save’ yourself and
prevent yourself from getting stuck which significantly hinders
progress.
Remember, unless you are loading that muscle with more than its
ever handled in the past, you will not be giving it a reason to get
stronger and grow. This means that if you aren’t willing and ready to
push yourself to the limit, you won’t see optimal progress.
Now ask yourself, if you have no one around to help lift the bar should
you be in a position where you can’t lift it any longer, will you be
pushing yourself to the limit?
The answer is most likely a resounding, ‘no’. If you want that

psychological drive that we talked about with regards to the mindset
necessary for strength gains above, you must have a spotter.
When it comes to using this spotter, what you must be sure to do is

ask that they only place their hands on the bar when you are at your
‘stuck’ point and request it. If they are even placing the hands on the
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bar (not necessarily helping lift it upwards) when you don’t require
the extra help, that can work in an opposite way as far as your mental
drive is concerned.
The idea is to do the entire exercise yourself, but simply have them
there waiting in case you need the back-up assurance.
Then, when you do call them to help give you a lift on that rep where
you’re struggling, instruct them that you want to go one to two reps
beyond that and will require more help with each rep. What this is
going to do is push your muscles past their limit and learn how to
deal with fatigue. Now, obviously you are going to want a stronger
spotter for doing this since they must be able to maintain a higher
amount of the weight themselves to lift the bar up.
This whole entire process will work similar to drop sets, which we will
be discussing shortly, however has the added benefit of not allowing
you to take any rest once that high level of fatigue has kicked in. In
drop sets there isn’t much rest either, but there still will be a brief
pause as you adjust the weight downwards.
So use this tip to your advantage and find yourself a good spotter. It
will make a world of difference.
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Using Your Comfortable Grip Range
Okay, so the next tip to cover is your grip range. Most of you are likely
familiar with the fact that for straight bench pressing you should be
using a grip with the palms facing outwards and if you’re looking to
target the biceps more throughout the exercise you should be using
a grip with the palms facing inwards.
In addition to that, if you want to target the tricep muscles to a larger

extent, you can accomplish this in a matter of seconds simply by
moving the hands closer together on the bar.
Since about 99% of the people out there will be strongest using the
outwards-facing grip position with the hands slightly further than
shoulder width apart, this is what you should be using. If you wish to
train the biceps or triceps then fine, switch it, but don’t expect to be
shattering any of your bench pressing records using either of these
two grips.
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Now, in terms of just how far your hands should be apart, this is
a question that does come down to personal preference to some
degree. The wider the person is to start with the wider their hands
need to be as this will likely feel most comfortable given their shoulder
position on the body.
Each individual has a slightly different make-up and this will impact
the biomechanics of performing the bench press so try a few different
positions and see which you feel strongest in.
There isn’t a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ position for the hands on the bar as
long as you are still able to execute the full pattern of movement
that’s called for with the bench press exercise.
Another issue that some people will run into is that what feels most
comfortable for them just happens to be where the stands are located
on their particular machine, so if this is what’s going on in your case,
then you should be having your partner lift the bar up off the stands
initially and placing the hands on it from there (and the same thing
when coming out of the lift as well).
Don’t sacrifice strength development just because the machine you’re

using isn’t ‘fit’ for your body size.
Swapping Barbells For Dumbbells
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Finally, one of the last tips to consider that will help you boost your
bench press is to swap out barbells for dumbbells. While the standard
barbell press does tend to be optimal for really driving strength gains
through the roof, at some point throughout your training it’s also a
wise decision to back off that for a while and switch to dumbbells.
One big reason for doing so is to eliminate the possibility that you’re
dealing with a muscle weakness. If one of your arms is significantly
stronger than the other, it would not be unusual to find it compensating
for the weaker arm as you go about the barbell bench press, therefore
just furthering the difference between the two muscles.
As time progresses onwards the strength disparity between the

left and right arm will increase and eventually it could factor into
your ability to perform some of the other isolated chest exercises as
effectively such as pec fly’s.
By using the dumbbells you will see right away whether there is a
mis-match and can work on bringing that weaker side up to match
the stronger side.
Another good reason for using dumbbells is because you are slightly
less stable while using them and it will cause the muscle fibers
deeper within the chest muscles to really sit-up and contract fully.
These muscle fibers will then be utilized to help maintain the full
tension in the arms and keep the dumbbells going along the right
path of movement.
Finally, dumbbells are just a nice change of pace that will give your
body a break from constantly using barbells. It’s always a wise move
to switch around your workout program every now and then because
doing so is really going to prevent a plateau from kicking in.
26
When nothing ever changes about your workout routine there is a
much larger chance that the body will become very adapted and stop
responding. When something is adjusted though, it’s a like a wake-
up call that shocks the muscles into responding.
So there you have some of the best tips to use throughout the training
strategies we are about to describe. By keeping them in the back of
your mind at all times you will ensure that you are maximizing the
results you see and that no session in the gym goes wasted.
Get Your Lower Body Stable
27
A big factor in having a big bench press is leg drive and stability.
Always remember to plant your feet on the ground and under you
slightly at an angle. You want to be able to dig into the floor and drive
from your legs through your hips and use your full body to drive up
the weight.
Don’t be a “squirmer”! There is nothing worse than watching

someone bench press with the feet kicking and flailing around! This
is a sure sign of a novice bench presser. Always remember that the
drive starts from a sold foot placement on the ground and as you
begin to drive the power comes through the feet, into the hip driving
and THEN into the chest and shoulders
Activate Your Lats
Activating the Lats is something else that really gets lost when
benching properly. But the big boys of bench pressing know how
important this is.
When you are at the end range of motion flex that Lats (Think Lat
spread in bodybuilding pose) which in turn will drive up the bar and
create more transfer to the bench press.
A great exercise for getting the Lats improved is Horizontal Pull Ups.
It is one of the best exercises you can do to counteract over benching
and improve the opposite muscles required to bench press. You
don’t want to be one of those people walking around the gym with
the shoulders rounded from benching too much.
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Chapter 4: Training Strategies For Maximizing Your
Bench Press
The following training techniques are going to take your training

from so-so to explosive, all while helping you become the strongest
version of yourself that you can be. Far too many guys are wasting
precious time in the gym performing the same old chest routine
they’ve been doing for years, hoping that one of these days, magic
will just occur and they’ll be on the path to results.
Don’t kid yourself.
Unless you start applying some advanced principles that will train your
muscles in a way they have not experienced before, it’s impractical
to expect the pattern of your results to change.
So let’s get to it and start acquainting you with some of the best ways
to train in order to boost your bench press strength.
Workout Layout
Right off the top it must be mentioned that if you want to see the best
progress with your chest development, you are always going to want
to train chest first in your workouts. This doesn’t necessarily mean all
chest exercises must be performed one after another (as then great
fatigue may kick in), but your heaviest exercise (usually the bench
press) should be right off the top to get things going.
Since this is the one we are trying to maximally improve – hence the
name of the book and your reason for reading this, you must ensure
that you are as fresh as you can be for it. If you’re already tired from
some other lifts going into the bench press, you won’t be able to
push as hard both physically and mentally.
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When you get to the workout section of this book you’ll find a variety
of different workout plans to choose from (including 3, 4, and 5 day
programs), but you will notice that for pretty much all workouts that
involve the chest, the main compound lift comes first.
If you plan to change any aspect of these workouts around to meet
your own needs, just be sure that that is not one of the changes. It’s
vital that it comes first.
Build Your Foundation Of Strength
Next, it’s also very important if you’re newer to weight lifting in general
or don’t already have a fair amount of bench pressing strength that
you work on developing a strong foundation first. In the next few
paragraphs you’re going to learn some of the more advanced ways
to top off your chest training but these will only work well if you have
a solid base behind you.
If you haven’t spent enough time getting familiar with the bench
press itself and improving your performance there, it will be a real
struggle to try and incorporate these in.
Furthermore, when first starting you will, and this is a rule, make
the most gains with the straight bench press. The way the body is
positioned here simply allows you to lift the most weight so it’s what
you should focus on. At that point in your training career you can see
rapid strength gains when you train right, so you don’t want to skip
the foundation building because you are antsy to get into intricate
techniques.
Maximize the foundation process. If you’re seeing continual gains

with a beginner bench pressing program that has you focusing on
just adding more and more weight to the bar with your bench press,
stick with it.
30
It’s only when gains become miniscule over time and you realize that
it’s time to start applying a different type of stimulus that you should
consider changing programs.
So to summarize, don’t rush past the beginner workouts if that’s

where you belong. While most people prefer to be referred to as
‘intermediate or advanced’, you will in fact make the most strength
gains over the shortest period of time at the beginner level if that’s
where you should be.
Advanced Principles To Boost Your Bench Progress
Once you have that foundation built, then it’s time to start thinking
about ways to shake up the program so that you can see better
results with your workouts. The following strategies are meant to do
just that.
It’s important to note that you should never apply all of these at
once. Rather, you should cycle between them performing different
strategies over time as you progress onwards. For example, for two
weeks you may apply one strategy and then for the next two weeks
try something different.
As you cycle through the various techniques you may also find that
one strategy in particular tends to work a great deal better than
another and that too may sway which direction you move with your
workouts.
It is important to spend some time learning what your body reacts

and responds to the best because then you can use this information
to build the most effective program for yourself.
Let’s have a look at the strategies and what they entail.
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Drop Sets
The first technique that you can incorporate into your program to
help boost your bench are drop sets. What this technique essentially
builds off of is increasing the muscle tissues ability to withstand
fatigue so that over time, it’s able to generate more force and power
over an increased number of reps. As the reps eventually begin
increasing as more time passes on, then you should also be able to
slowly increase the weight higher.
How To Perform Them:
To perform drop sets, what you will do is perform your first regular
set with the typical weight you lift. Keep the rep range at the standard
for whatever program variation you are following.
Then immediately once you hit that last rep and can feel fatigue
building, you are to drop the weight down and perform another set
of reps (preferably going to the same rep range as the initial set).
From there, drop the weight one more time further and crank out as
many reps at that point as you can before exhaustion kicks in.
Specifications:
The one thing to remember with this style of training is that it is

intense. It isn’t something where you’re going to do one drop set,
rest for another minute and then do another drop set before moving
on to another 4-5 exercises in that workout session.
This style of training is far better done when you are only planning
on either doing a few exercises total in the workout session and are
doing the last set of that exercise or as the final ending to a workout
you are just about to finish (in which case you would be using it on a
more isolated chest exercise).
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Be sure when performing this technique that you are constantly
paying attention to proper form as well as that will be vital to making
sure to both avoid injury and get results.
As fatigue will certainly be kicking in high by the time you finish off
that third set within the drop set you are at a higher chance of seeing
form slip.
When utilized properly however, this can be a very effective way to

increase your strength level.
Pre-Fatigue Sets
Another style of training that you may want to add to your program
is pre-fatigue training. This can be done in one of two ways. First you
could isolate the chest muscle and pre-fatigue it so that by the time
you move to your major lift it’s really struggling, or you could isolate
the helper muscles involved in that major lift so that by the time you
get to it, it’s only the chest muscle that’s exerting the full force.
Both have their advantages. Let’s take a brief look at an example to
illustrate this point.
Isolating The Chest To Fatigue:
What you will do in this instance is isolate the chest muscle entirely
and work it until you can feel some degree of fatigue kicking in. At
this point you are not to be going to complete failure as you will
want it working properly in the lifts that you plan to complete after
the exercise is finished. You just to want to build up a mild degree of
fatigue so it’s not quite as strong as it would be had you went to the
major lift first off.
What this is going to do is make it so that now when you do go to your

compound lift, you’re not as strong as you were before. If you can
work up to being able to press as much weight as normal however,
33
then when you back away from this pre-fatigue process, you should
find you can now push that original weight that much higher (since
you are fresh).
This type of process works great for when you’re really struggling to
even add a pound or two more to your bench despite the fact that
you can comfortably complete all your given reps with the weight
you’re at.
In some cases that’s the situation at hand – you feel like you should
be able to lift more weight, but yet for some reason you just can’t.
Use this technique to get past that feeling you are experiencing.
Isolating The Helper Muscles To Fatigue:
The second way to work the pre-fatigue concept into your training
then is to isolate the helper muscles that will help execute the bench
press movement. This means all that’s left to be applying force is the
chest muscle.
This is a good technique for people to use who are quite strong in
the other muscle groups – the shoulders and triceps specifically as
these are the ones that provide the most additional force. When those
muscles are quite strong, your chest has to work to a lower extent,
hence it never develops fully.
By tiring these muscles out beforehand with lifts such as lateral raises
or tricep extensions, you go into the bench press ensuring that your
chest isn’t going to get out of the hard work this time.
Since this method doesn’t impact the chest muscle itself quite so
much, if you do notice a large discrepancy between the shoulder and
tricep strength and the chest strength, it may be one you want to
stick with for a while until the chest begins to overtake these muscles
in strength (which is commonly how it is).
34
As long as you aren’t performing 5-6 sets of both shoulder and tricep
work to pre-fatigue the muscles before hitting your bench press next
in the workout, you shouldn’t find that this has negative implications
on strength development.
While we did mention that it is typically better to put the bench press
exercise at the top of the workout over the long-run, in a situation
such as this shifting it slightly can be more beneficial.
Utilizing Various Bench Press Methods:
Another way that you can enhance the results you get from your
training program is to ensure that you’re using all angles of bench
press possible. While most people will show the greatest gains in
strength on the flat bench and be able to lift the most sheer volume
of weight, this doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the only exercise you
should be including.
Making use of the incline and decline bench press as well will be vital
35
to seeing success as these will hit the chest muscles from a slightly
different angle, leading to further progress.
An added benefit of including the incline bench press into the workout
program is that you’ll also be stimulating the shoulder muscles at the
same time to a much larger extent then when on the straight bench
press.
You can add both the straight bench press as well as the decline or
incline press in the same workout, but do realize that if you start with
bench you will be going into that second exercise fatigued so you will
have to expect some drop in weight.
You may want to use this as an opportunity to work within a slightly

higher rep range as well since that will accommodate nicely to the
lower weight level.
If on the other hand you prefer to really lift strong on the decline or
incline bench press, then omit the straight bench altogether for that
workout and focus your energies on just that one lift. You’ll still be
really targeting the chest muscle hard so whatever way you choose
to do it, both will work well to boost up the strength.
De-Loading Weeks
Moving on, another important aspect that you should be including

in your chest workouts once in a while are de-loading weeks. Far
too many people overlook these entirely instead thinking that they
should be pushing as hard and heavy as they can with each workout
they complete.
While it is vital that you push, push, push as much as you can for as
long as you can, there will come a point when you must ease off.
That’s when the de-loading week comes into play.
What the de-loading week does is give your body a chance to rest
36
and recuperate without having to take a whole entire week or two off
training completely. Some of the main benefits of a de-loading week
include:
• Experiencing a surge in strength and power when starting up
on your usual schedule once again
• Seeing an increase in the muscle cross-sectional area if eating
in a caloric surplus
• Decreased levels of stress hormone due to a lower overall
volume and intensity on the muscles
• Enhanced levels of testosterone also due to the lower volume
aspect of the workout
• Less risk of overtraining
Most people do find that after a deloading week they come back feeling
stronger and better than when they left off, so don’t underestimate
the power that adding this into your workout will have.
How To Do A De-Loading Week:
So if you’ve decided that you do in fact want to do a de-loading week,

what you will do is perform about half the volume of the usual chest
exercises you do (so cut all sets in half) while also backing off the
weights. This reduces both the volume and intensity of the exercise
which is exactly what you’re looking for here.
Maintain this reduced intensity for one to two weeks and then once
you’re feeling well-rested and ready to dive back in, go back to your
standard routine again.
37
Supersets
Supersets are one of the most commonly used workout techniques,

especially when moving from a beginner to an intermediate program
and for good reason. They cut back on the total time commitment of
your workout program, boost the intensity of the workout sessions
in general, and also help to break through any plateaus you may be
experiencing.
Generally there are three main ways to superset: opposing muscle

group supersets, same muscle group supersets, or upper/lower
muscle group supersets.
When talking about supersets from a boosting your bench point of

view, the upper/lower supersets aren’t all that applicable beyond
reducing the total time you’re in the gym and possibly achieving a
greater overall hormonal release due to the decreased rest periods.
The antagonistic supersets can be useful since some people do find
that working the body in this manner allows more force to develop,
38
but at the same rate other people find the opposite. This generally
has to do with your own ability to withstand CNS fatigue, so that’s
something that you’ll want to keep in mind.
The antagonistic superset would be for example a bench press

followed by a barbell row. One works the chest and the other works
the muscle that directly opposes it, the back.
Far more beneficial for our purposes however will be the same
muscle group supersets. These are going to work somewhat similar
to drop sets in that they will hep boost the ability of the chest muscle
to withstand fatigue, therefore increasing your ability to work harder
for a longer period of time.
So an example of this type of set-up would be performing an incline

press immediately followed by a pec fly. Since the chest is being
targeted in both exercises but in a slightly different manner, you’ll
see training benefits from each exercise separately as well as the
overall training benefit of so much exercise being performed at once.
Ideally when performing these supersets you need to move as
quickly as possible from one exercise immediately to the next. Once
both exercises have been completed then a rest period of one to two
minutes can be taken.
Finally it is important to note that you should not be using supersets

when you are trying to make solid gains to how much weight you
can lift (as you’ll always be slightly weaker, especially on that second
exercise than when performing the exercises separately). Instead,
use this technique to help push past a plateau so that when you do
go back to your straight exercise done in a single exercise fashion,
you are able to lift heavier than you were before.
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Exercise Ball Movements
Finally the last strategy that you can do to help boost your bench
is one that many people will overlook simply because the weight
used will be significantly dropped, but nevertheless is a wise one to
include in your routine.
This strategy is incorporating in an exercise ball.
The main thing to do with an exercise ball is to transport your

standard dumbbell exercises (chest press, incline press, and pec
fly’s) over to the exercise ball itself. Since this ball adds a high degree
of instability, you’ll not only find your abs are contracting more
intensely to maintain balance, but you’ll also find that every single
muscle deep within the chest must be maintaining tension as well.
40
Whenever you move yourself to an unstable surface you will see
more deep tissue contractions which is a big reason why you may
find you’re quite sore after each of these exercises. In addition to
that, there is a high degree of neuromuscular adaptation that goes
on as you perform these exercises so that too adds to the training
benefits you experience.
Finally, one last exercise to perform on the exercise ball is the simple
push-up with the hands up on the ball and the feet extended beneath
you.
While this may sound easy, give it a try. Even for the most experienced
trainees it often will pose a significant challenge so is something that
you will benefit from adding to your workout on an occasional basis.
So there you have some of the main methods to induce training benefits
into your chest workout specifically targeted towards boosting your
bench press. You’re going to notice that the workouts below don’t
particularly specify any of these advanced training strategies to use
(apart from a few supersets added in) so you can incorporate them in
at your own discretion. If you’re going to use the pre-fatigue concept
you will want to adjust the remainder of the workout to remove any
direct shoulder, tricep or bicep work that may be present since there
will be no need to work these muscles twice. Also by the time you
are finished with your pre-fatigue sets, you’ll already be quite ready
to call it a day.
Remember that most of these are only to be implement for a week

or two at a time and not actually made into a full fledged workout
program, so your best bet is selecting the workout you are going
to do listed below, getting on it for a good 2-4 weeks to get a feel
for the workout itself, and then at that point if you notice that your
progress is beginning to slow, you can then begin adding in these
new techniques to get you going again.
41
As you begin to learn your body as well you’ll know whether or not
you have to cut back on the total amount of volume you’re doing with
each of these lifts when you do add in the advanced technique.
Don’t forget the fact that each of these will stress that CNS to quite
some extent and the more that CNS becomes stressed, the less max
power output you will have for each exercise following the main ones
you perform.
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Chapter 5: Workouts To Boost Your Bench
Now that we’ve covered some of the main training strategies that you
should be including in order to boost your bench press, it’s time to
look at some specific workouts and get you set up with a game plan.
Before you dive in and go choosing one of the workouts listed below,
it’s essential that you determine where your current fitness level
is so you can be sure that you’re choosing an appropriate workout
program. It’s a big mistake jumping on a workout that is either above
or below your level because it will not work the body in a manner that
is going to get you results.
Either it will not provide enough stimulation for muscle strength

increases to occur or it will burn you out in a hurry and chances are,
you’ll fall off the bandwagon entirely.
Here are the entry descriptions that you need to follow:
Beginner Program:
The beginner programs are designed for someone who does not
have very much lifting experience behind them. You may have been
active before this participating in other forms of activity such as team
sports or some type of cardio exercise, however you haven’t done a
lot of weight lifting before (and bodyweight exercises do not count).
Since all of the programs below are going to target every muscle in
the body, beginners will see dramatic progress when first starting
with any of these programs. They will quickly adapt and get stronger,
look leaner, and look more muscular as well.
It’s not uncommon at the very start to simultaneously begin losing

some fat while building muscle as your body responds to the stress
of weight lifting, which is a nice added benefit you’ll see now that
you won’t in a few weeks to month’s time.
43
Intermediate Program:
Next is the intermediate series of workout programs. These programs

are designed for someone who does have some training experience
behind their belt and has built up a bit more of a strength foundation.
You’re not new to weights and at this point have made some strength
increases already, but are now finding that you’ve plateaued and are
‘stuck’. You push and push yet you can’t seem to increase that weight
any further.
The programs listed below targeting this skill level will start to
incorporate in some of the more advanced training techniques that
we listed earlier, therefore helping to drive that strength level up past
where it’s currently at.
At first you may find you falter a little with these programs as they are
more intense than you are used to but if you ensure you get proper
rest and keep pushing through it, you will see the results you’re after.
Advanced Program:
Finally we come to the advanced workout programs. These are for

those of you who have been playing the game of lifting for a while
and are ready to take things up a notch. You know your way in and
out of the gym and have already had the chance to see large-scale
strength increases and have gained at minimum ten pounds of lean
muscle mass since you’ve started training.
You are well aware of proper form and technique and have utilized
many of the advanced concepts that we discussed earlier. Now,
you’re looking for a program that will take you to the next level.
You’re aware that at this point strength gains will be a lot less
noticeable from week to week than when you first started but are
willing to put in the hard work while having patience that over time,
you will improve.
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So where do you fit in? Find yourself within those categories first
before moving on and choosing a plan. Never try to jump up a level
just because you want to see faster results and think the advanced
plan will get you there. It won’t – you’ll just wind up injured and really
struggling. Matching the appropriate plan to your current abilities is
almost as important as actually getting to the gym in the first place.
Types of Programs
Okay, so now that we’ve discussed skill level, we also need to break
down the types of programs that lay just ahead. You’re going to
find beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts for the full day
workout program, the upper/lower split program, as well as a more
intricate program that really specializes in on the chest muscles (only
in intermediate and advanced levels). All of these were described in
the training section so refer back if you have to.
When selecting which approach to follow, think about your lifestyle,

your training limitations, and what your past recovery has been like. If
you know that you tend to take longer to recover between workouts,
a full body, 3 day a week program is likely going to be a smarter bet
for you. You need those few extra days off to rest or you will not see
results.
Or, if you know that you have a very time-pressed schedule and can’t
make it to the gym regularly, again the 3-day, full body program will
be a wise decision. If you have more than enough time to train and
can accommodate your schedule as needed, then the four or five day
program should be what you consider.
Remember that there is never a ‘perfect’ program for everyone. What

makes the perfect program is when you assess a variety of different
options and choose the one that meets your needs the best. If you
just select a random one at will, that’s when you will quickly become
disappointed.
So without any more delay, let’s get to the programs.
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Beginner – 3-Day, Full Body Workout Program
The primary goal of this beginner, 3 day, full body workout program
is going to be to build up your base foundation of strength. You want
to develop solid leg, chest, and back strength since these are the
primary muscles that will be in charge of executing almost every
exercise you perform later on in the intermediate and advanced
workout programs.
Since you are at the beginner level there isn’t a need to do a lot of
isolation work so those exercises have been left out of the program.
Instead, your focus is on lifting heavy and getting a high amount of
rest. These two things in combination are what will skyrocket your
strength levels at this point, making you stronger than you’ve ever
been before.
For each of the following exercises you want to select a weight that
really has you fatiguing the last rep and keep the rest periods on the
longer side for full recovery.
Monday
Exercise Reps Sets Rest

Bench Press 5 3 2 minutes
Squats 5 3 2 minutes
Bent Over Rows 5 3 2 minutes
Incline Bench Press 8 2 1 minute
Hanging Leg Raises 10 2 30 seconds
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Wednesday

Deadlifts 5 3 2 minutes
Lat-Pull-Downs 8 2 1 minute
Shoulder Press 8 2 1 minute
Standing Calf Raises 10 2 30 seconds
Sit-Ups On An Exercise Ball 10 2 30 seconds
Friday

Leg Press 8 2 1 minute
Incline Bench 8 2 1 minute
Horizontal Rows 8 2 1 minute
Plank Exercise - 2 Up to 1 minute hold
47
Intermediate – 3-Day, Full Body Workout Program
Now for the intermediate variation of the 3-day, full body program,
you’re going to find the volume’s increased slightly since now your
body should be able to tolerate a slightly greater loading pattern. In
addition to this, we’ve added a few more chest specific movements to
the overall structure to really emphasize strength and development
without removing the stress that’s placed on the rest of the body as
well.
Monday

Bicep Curls 8 2 45 seconds
Tricep Press-Downs 8 2 45 seconds
Wednesday

Lateral Raises 10 2 30 seconds
48
Friday

Incline Bench 8 2 1 minute
Leg Extension 10 2 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 10 2 30 seconds
49
Advanced – 3-Day, Full Body Workout Program
Finally, now you come to the advanced 3-Day, full body workout
program. In this set-up you’ll see some of the advanced workout
techniques incorporated in, such as supersets for example and will
also notice that there is more direct work to stimulate the chest.
Due to the fact you have these additional exercises in there, we’re
also going to reduce back slightly on the volume for the other muscle
groups so they stay at maintenance while you really dial in on gaining
a maximum level of strength in your chest.
Monday

Decline Bench 8 3 1 minute
Incline Bench Press
Supersetted with Chest Fly’s 8 3 1 minute
Bicep Curls Supersetted with
Tricep Press-Downs 8 2 45 seconds
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Wednesday

Cable Pec Fly’s Supersetted with
Lateral Raises 10 3 30 seconds
Standing Calf Raises supersetted with
seated calf raises 10 2 30 seconds
Friday

Incline Bench Supersetted with
Incline Chest Fly 8 3 1 minute
Hamstring Curl 10 2 30 seconds
Push-Ups As many as possible to failure 1 set to failure
-
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Beginner – Upper/Lower Split Workout Program
If you’ve decided that you’d like to dedicate a bit more time to your
training program than just three days a week, an upper/lower split is
likely a good decision for you. Since you’ll be in the gym on a more
frequency basis (four days compared to three), you will experience
a slightly greater hormonal release which can help improve muscle
strength gains. This is dependant on recovery however, so you must
be sure you’re recovering between workouts for that to apply.
Like the beginner upper/lower workout program, this one also aims
to help you build up a solid base of strength so will not include that
many isolated lifts. Instead you stick with the basics and make sure
you’re lifting as heavy as possible for the sets you do complete.
Monday:

Bent Over Barbell Rows 5 3 2 minutes
Shoulder Press 8 3 1 minutes
Lateral-Pull-Downs 8 3 1 minute
Tuesday:
Lunges 8 2 2 minutes
Hamstring Curls 8 2 1 minute
Crunches on an Exercise Ball 12 2 30 seconds
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Wednesday:
Off
Thursday:

Horizontal Row 8 4 1 minute
Pull-Ups 10-12 3 45 seconds
Horizontal Chest Press 8 3 45 seconds
Friday:

Step-ups 8 3 1 minute
Seated Calf Raise 12 2 30 seconds
Lying leg raises 12 2 30 seconds
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Intermediate – Upper/Lower Split Workout Program
Progressing to the intermediate upper/lower body split you’re going

to see a greater overall usage of isolated exercises as well as the
compound exercises as the body can tolerate a bit more volume.
Remember that you should never be sacrificing the amount of weight
you are lifting however so if you notice that at any point your weight
lifted begins to drop, that’s your first signal that it’s time to switch
some things around.
Monday:

Decline Bench Press 8 3
Shoulder Press 8 2 1 minutes
Lateral-Pull-Downs 8 3 1 minute
Bicep Curls supersetted with
Tricep Dips 10 2 1 minute
Tuesday:
Hamstring Curls supersetted with
leg extensions 8 3 1 minute
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Wednesday:
Off
Thursday:
Incline Bench Press Supersetted with

Pec Fly’s 8 4 1 minute
Horizontal Row Supersetted with
Horizontal Press 8 4 1 minute
Shrugs 8 3 45 seconds
Friday:

Step-ups 8 4 1 minute
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Advanced – Upper/Lower Split Workout Program
Finally we come to the advanced upper/lower split program. For this

program you’re going to notice a few more supersets added in to
really up the fatigue you experience and increase the muscles ability
to withstand fatigue.
You’ll also find a few more chest exercises add in as well since now
that the body is able to handle more volume, you can up the amount
of work you throw at this muscle group.
Monday:

Decline Bench Press 8 3 1 minute
Incline press 8 2 1 minute
Lateral-Pull-Downs supersetted with
pull-ups 8 2 1 minute
Bicep Curls supersetted with
Tricep Dips 10 2 1 minute
Tuesday:
Hamstring Curls supersetted with l
eg extensions 8 3 1 minute
Seated Calf Raises 12 2 30 seconds
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Wednesday:
Off
Thursday:
Incline Bench Press Supersetted with

Horizontal Row Supersetted with
Horizontal Press 8 5 1 minute
Lateral Raises 10-12 3 30 seconds
Shrugs 8 3 30 seconds
Friday:
Leg Press supersetted with

leg extension 8 4 90 seconds
Step-ups supersetted hamstring curl 8 4 9 0
seconds
Decline weighted sit-ups 12 2 30 seconds
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Intermediate – Chest Specialization Workout Program
Moving on, now we come to the chest specialization workouts. These

workouts are going to get divided into one lower body workout, one
upper body workout that targets the back and biceps, one workout
that combines both of those, and then two workouts that target the
chest and all other muscle groups involved. This ensures each muscle
group is being hit with enough frequency for progress and that you
are able to really specialize in on the chest muscle.
Note that this five day workout plan is for those who have been
training for a longer period of time and are more advanced at their
current level. You must be able to recover quickly because you are
in the gym so frequently. In addition to this you must also be making
sure you are on top of your diet.
If you aren’t, you’re going to quickly find your progress begins to

move backwards rather than forwards as the program becomes too
much for the body to handle.
When used properly however and with good recovery techniques, the
following workout program can really help to maximize the overall
progress you make.
Note that cardio training should be very limited when on a program

such as this to prevent overtraining from kicking in.
Monday: Chest, Shoulders, and Tri’s

Incline Press 8 3 2 minutes
Decline Press 8 2 2 minutes
Tricep Extensions 12 3 1 minute
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Tuesday: Legs
Seated Calf Raises 12 3 1 minute
Hanging Leg Raise 12 3 30 seconds
Wednesday: Back and Bi’s
Barbell Rows 5 4 2 minutes

Lat-Pull-Down 8 2 1 minute
Pull-ups 10 2 1 minute
Thursday: Off
Friday: Chest, Shoulders, and Tri’s

Close Grip Bench Press 8 3 2 minutes
Shoulder Press 8 3 90 seconds
Incline Dumbbell Fly 8 3 90 seconds
Lateral Raises supersetted with Tricep Dips10 2 9 0
seconds
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Saturday: Legs, Back, and Bi’s
Leg Press 8 4 2 minutes

Barbell rows 8 3 2 minutes
Step-ups 10 2 2 minutes
Lying Leg Raise 12 2 30 seconds
Sunday: Off
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Advanced – Chest Specialization Workout Program
Finally we come to the advanced chest specialization workout

program. This one is designed in much the same manner as the
intermediate program only this time the volume is slightly higher to
help induce a greater state of fatigue and overload.
Be sure you use this at your discretion. If you feel you are someone
who doesn’t have the best of recovery systems, you are better off
sticking with the intermediate workout program and just working on
continually adding more and more weight.
Monday: Chest, Shoulders, and Tri’s

Incline Press 8 4 2 minutes
Decline Press 8 3 2 minutes
Tricep Extensions 12 3 1 minute
Tuesday: Legs
Seated Calf Raises 12 4 1 minute
Hanging Leg Raise 12 3 30 seconds
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Wednesday: Back and Bi’s
Barbell Rows 5 5 2 minutes

Lat-Pull-Down 8 3 1 minute
Pull-ups 10 2 1 minute
Thursday: Off
Friday: Chest, Shoulders, and Tri’s

Close Grip Bench Press 8 3 2 minutes
Shoulder Press 8 3 90 seconds
Incline Dumbbell Fly 8 3 90 seconds
Lateral Raises supersetted with Tricep Dips10 3 9 0
seconds
Saturday: Legs, Back, and Bi’s
Leg Press 8 5 2 minutes

Barbell rows 8 4 2 minutes
Step-ups 10 3 2 minutes
Lying Leg Raise 12 3 30 seconds
Sunday: Off
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So there you have some good workouts to get you started with
boosting your bench. Remember that as you go about the workouts
you may find that you want to make a few tweaks here or there based
on your own personal preferences and past training history. As you
learn how your body responds and what it is capable of handling
you will better see exactly how to structure your program and what
volume will be sufficient.
If you are quite new to weight lifting, it would be a very wise idea
to stay with the workouts as listed above for the first little while as
your body adapts and gets used to the stress pattern. At this point if
you go off changing too many factors of the workout you may wind
up moving backwards rather than forwards or seriously injuring
yourself.
It’s only once you are more advanced that you should begin
customizing the program more and making it your ‘own’ so to speak.
Remember to also give each program you start on at least 4-6 weeks
of time before moving on as this is going to help you realize the best
gains. Far too many people have a tendency to ‘program-hop’, that
is, jumping from one program to another very quickly without giving
one program enough time to really deliver.
In some cases you won’t see that quick of results right off the start of
the program, but will really see dramatic changes taking place two or
so weeks in. Be sure to give it the chance it deserves before moving
on, otherwise you could short yourself some serious results.
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Chapter 6: The Nutrition Behind Building A Bigger Bench
Now that we’ve covered the workout side of things, it’s time to talk
about the second part of the process of boosting your bench, which
is just as important – nutrition.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you work hard in the
gym, results will just come. They won’t – not unless you have that
nutritional support to back you up. While you may initially be able to
see some progress when you first get going regardless of what your
diet is like, you aren’t going to see significant strength gains without
the fuel to power the muscles to do so.
Let’s go over a few of the important things that you must get straight
with your nutrition before beginning.
Calorie Intake
By far and away one of the most important aspects of gaining

muscular strength is providing a high enough calorie intake to do
so. Gaining strength is slightly different from gaining size in that
you don’t necessarily have to consume a lot more calories over your
maintenance calorie requirements to do so, but it will still help.
When it comes to gaining muscle size, if you don’t supply more
calories than the body needs, it has nothing to build more muscle
tissue out of, therefore size gains are not realized.
With muscular strength however, you can see some increases in
strength provided you are not eating fewer calories than maintenance
(as if you were on a fat loss diet for instance), but they still will not be
as dramatic as if you had a larger food intake.
So right away, if you want to maximize the gains you see in your
bench press strength, you should be increasing your calorie intake
up. Most guys will maintain their body weight on fourteen to sixteen
calories per pound of mass so you will want to go up above this.
To get a good rough estimate for your daily calorie requirements take:
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Current Body Weight X 16-20 calories
If you tend to have a more active lifestyle or are naturally quite thin
(would be described as an ‘ectomorph’ or a ‘hardgainer’), use the
higher end of that spectrum, while if you tend to store body fat easily
or have a low activity level apart from your workouts, go with the
lower end of the spectrum.
After a few weeks on this calorie level you should adjust it anyway
based on your results (increase it if you aren’t seeing size or strength
gains, lower it if you start gaining body fat), so remember that this is
meant to be used as a starting point.
Protein Intake
The next thing to consider when looking at your diet is the protein
intake you are going to be consuming. This is one area where many
people do tend to overdo things thinking that the more protein they
take in, the faster they will build muscle mass.
While protein is essential for gaining muscle, it’s not going to

magically make you just grow stronger simply by eating it. You have
your basic requirements for the day to maintain and generate new
muscle mass, but once those requirements are met, any further
protein that’s being consumed will either be used for fuel (depending
on your carbohydrate and fat intake) or get stored as body fat.
So eating 300 grams of protein a day, unless you are already a very
large individual, is not really going to serve many benefits. In fact, it
could actually hinder you because protein requires the most energy
just to digest, so by having such a large amount in your daily diet,
you will actually boost up your total calorie requirements.
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If you are already taking in 4000 calories just to gain more strength
and muscle, you likely are not really going to want to be in a position
where you have to take in more food.
Since you are working out with heavy weights at a high intensity you
will require more protein than say the sedentary individual, however
there’s still no need to go to extremes. If you get in about 1-1.5 grams
of protein per pound of body weight, that will be plenty to provide
your body what it needs.
Protein Supplements
It’s also important to include a brief word on protein supplements

since that’s something most guys will be using. Protein supplements
can be effective especially right before and after a workout when
they are rapidly absorbed into the muscle tissue, which is what you’re
looking for at this time.
Otherwise though, you’re typically far better off going with real food
for your protein sources rather than the supplements whenever
possible. Real food contains added nutrients that you won’t get with
the supplements so this can help not only maintain better health, but
also produce better progress as well. Always remember that food is
the base of your diet then add supplemental protein as needed.
Good sources of protein to include regularly in your diet are:

• Chicken breasts or turkey
• Lean read meat
• Egg whites
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Fish
• Seafood
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Try and have regular meals throughout the day so you’re taking in
amino acids at various points and the muscles are never ‘starving’ to
get them. While is advantageous from a delivery stand point to have
the meals more frequently throughout the day, the old notion that
the body can only digest 30 grams of protein (or whatever random
number you have in your head) at a time is not correct.
If you provide your body with more protein than that, it will all get
broken down, however since the body cannot store protein for later,
it will either get used for protein-related functions, used for fuel, or
converted to body fat as mentioned before.
Carbohydrates
The next class of nutrients that is especially important for helping to

boost your bench press is carbohydrates. More and more people are
mistakenly starting to fear carbohydrates for fear that eating them
will cause unwanted fat gain.
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What you must remember with this is that it’s not eating carbohydrates
that causes fat gain, but rather eating too many calories. Regardless
of what type of food you’re taking in, if you eat too much of it, fat gain
will result.
What a good carbohydrate will do however is ensure the body stays

as anabolic as possible throughout the day, helping you see better
increases in both strength levels and size. When you cut carbohydrates
out of the diet you will start to become more catabolic by nature,
which makes strength gains that much more difficult to see.
In addition to this, you’ll also often find your energy level gets sapped
on a low-carb diet, which makes it very difficult to put in 100% of
your full effort in the gym with each workout. Since pushing as heavy
of a weight as possible is the number one requirement for strong
muscular gains, if you aren’t doing this, you won’t get results.
For best results, you must maintain a carbohydrate intake of at least

150 grams per day, but most guys who are consuming 3000 or more
calories can easily move into the 300 to 500 gram per day range.
For most people, the largest component of their diet should come
from carbohydrates, so just keep that in mind at all times.
Now, when it comes to the sources of carbohydrates to eat, think

complex carbohydrates at all meals of the day except for the ones
right before and after your workout. For those you want a fast-acting
carbohydrate since these will get into those muscle tissues faster to
replenish the spent muscle glycogen (stored muscle form of energy).
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So for complex carbohydrate options you have:
• Unsweetened oatmeal
• All bran cereals
• Whole grain bread
• Brown rice
• Sweet potatoes
• Quinoa
On the simple carbohydrate side of things your options include:

• Dextrose
• Maltodextrin
• Gatorade powder
• Fruit (although this isn’t as simple as dextrose because it
contains added fiber)
• White rice
• White bread
• Bagels
• Sugary cereals
Having these immediately after a workout is your best bet along with
your fast acting protein since they will help jump-start that recovery
process.
Avoid these later on in the day however as they will produce a sharp
spike in insulin and blood glucose levels, which can encourage fat
gain, especially in a hypercalorie environment (which you are in).
Finally, when it comes to vegetables on a strength/muscle gaining

diet, you do want to be sure that you are taking these in throughout the
day for overall nutritional purposes, however, avoid really overdoing
it with them as they will quickly fill you up and could make it more
difficult to get in the higher calorie foods you need for that strength
gain process to take place.
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Since vegetables provide so few calories for the volume they contain
they don’t fit so well with high calorie diets. One strategy some guys
will use to overcome this is blending the vegetables up and adding
them to sauces since this way the volume is much lower but the
nutrients are still there.
This may be something for you to consider if you’re really struggling

to get your calories in.
So that covers the carbohydrate side of things with your diet. If you
really do want to see maximum strength gains, you are best off not
eliminating carbohydrates from the diet as this will only work against
you.
Dietary Fats
Finally we come to last macronutrient and that is dietary fats. These

also hold a special place in the strength building diet for a variety of
reasons. Let’s go over a few.
Increased Calorie Intake
The very first reason why it’s helpful to make sure you’re getting in
enough fats with your diet is because they will help you boost your
overall calorie intake. While protein and carbohydrates both contain
four calories per gram, fats on the other hand contain nine. So gram
for gram, you will take in more calories from eating dietary fat. Again,
if you’re really struggling to get your calorie intake high enough to
see the strength gains you’re looking for, this comes in very handy.
It is important to note however that because of their high calorie

content, you still must watch how much you are taking in. On the
opposite end of the scale it can be quite easy to take in too much and
in some individuals that would quickly lead to fat gain.
As long as you’re regulating how much you’re eating and are planning
it in accordance with your overall calorie intake, you will be fine.
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Hormonal Maintenance
The second big reason why it’s beneficial to include dietary fats in
your diet is because of hormonal maintenance. Guys who decide to
really reduce back on all the saturated fat they are taking in often
notice significant drops in their levels of testosterone.
Since testosterone is one of the most important hormones in the

body that helps to build lean muscle mass and strength, it’s vital you
do whatever you can to prevent this from occurring.
You definitely don’t want to be taking in loads of saturated fat each

day as that’s not safe from a health perspective, however, if you get
in about 15% of your total calories worth each day, you’ll be right
where you want to be.
After that, then focus the rest of your sources on polyunsaturated

along with unsaturated fats for the best benefits.
Blood Sugar Control
Finally, the last reason why dietary fats are important is to help
maintain good blood sugar control. Since you will be taking in more
calories while working to build muscle mass and more carbohydrates
at that, there is a greater chance that you run the risk of seeing higher
overall blood sugar levels.
By having the added fats in each meal you eat you will slow the
release of these sugars in the body, helping to keep things under
control that much better. This will provide you with more steady
energy levels throughout the day, this will help you feel a lot better
on a day-to-day basis while working towards the goal of boosting up
your strength levels.
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So don’t shun fats from your diet. You don’t want to include them
right before or after the workout as this is the time that you do want
digestion to be rapid (and they will just slow you down), but add a
good 10-20 grams to all your other meals depending on your overall
calorie intake.
Good sources of fats to include are:

• Olive, safflower, sunflower, and peanut oil
• Nuts
• Nut butter (natural is ideal)
• Avocado
• Flax seeds and flaxseed oil
• Fatty fish or fish oil
• Fat found in dairy products or with lean meat sources
So this now sums up the main components of your diet. While it may
seem like a hassle to constantly be trying to plan everything out and
figure out your calories, trust me, in the end when you see the boost
to your results it will deliver, it’s well worth it.
Also remember that the more often you can pre-plan out what you
will eat for all of your meals, the better your success will be. Those
who don’t take the time to plan very often are going to wind up in a
position where they are without their scheduled meal and the only
thing around them happens to be convenience or fast food, which
as you can imagine isn’t exactly going to promote nice lean muscle
building.
If you can take the time to prepare some of your meals beforehand
as well (such as cooking and then freezing chicken breasts on the
weekend), that too can cut back on the total amount of time you have
to spend during the week cooking and everything, which can really
help most people out.
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Then if you ensure that you keep lots of easy stand-by’s in your
house to turn to for quick meals that also will take the stress out of
preparing your meals. These include:
• Raw oats
• Whole wheat pasta
• Brown rice (that’s quick to make)
• Nuts
• Canned tuna
• Cottage cheese
• Whole grain cereal
• Nut butters
Most of these options require very little cooking, if at all, and can be
ready to eat within minutes, so will help you stick to your diet when
life gets busy.
If something happens and you do find yourself swaying from your

diet, try not to stress too much. One or two slip-ups here and there
isn’t going to make or break your progress, it’s only when your slip-
ups are occurring on a very regular basis that you should start to
worry more.
If you’re failing to get in the sufficient calories for muscle growth or
are not meeting your protein and carbohydrate requirements, this
will seriously hinder your ability for strength gains.
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Chapter 7: Supplements To Boost Your Bench
Now we come to the chapter that many of you may have anxiously
been waiting on and that is the supplements you can take to boost
your bench. Many of you are well aware of the various supplements
that are out on the market – how could you not be when they grace
every other page in your favorite muscle building magazine.
Many make very promising claims that likely sound extremely

attractive in your eyes, so you may seriously be considering trying
some of these out.
Hold tight.
Before you go off rushing to buy the latest and greatest supplement
that’s made its way onto the market, it’s vital that you really take
some time to learn about those supplements and the claims they are
making.
More often than not it’s just fancy marketing strategies from
companies who have billions of dollars to spend. They prey on guys
like you who are anxious to see results and who they know will invest
your hard-earned dollars in their product.
Let’s have a look at some of the supplements that can help you out
so then you know which ones you should avoid.
Protein Powder
The first supplement that was mentioned briefly above is protein

powder. While protein powder should not become a regular
replacement for food, it can serve to help you meet your protein
requirements, so you don’t fall short.
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Furthermore, protein powder is ideal right before and after the
workout since it’s going to supply the muscles with the amino acids
they need for optimal progress. Aim to take in a whey isolate protein
for best results as these are digested most rapidly by the body.
Casein protein powders on the other hand are more ideal for later on
throughout the day in addition to your regular meals if you need a
protein boost. They are digested far more slowly so will provide that
steady stream of amino acids that you’re looking for.
Be careful with some of the weight gainer supplements out there

though in your quest for a protein powder. While these may seem like
a good option since they will dramatically boost your overall calorie
intake, they can also cause unwanted fat gain as well.
Further, many of the carbohydrates they contain are very simple

in nature, so that can also cause blood sugar levels to increase
significantly and could promote the storage of body fat.
Creatine
The second supplement that can help your efforts to boost your bench
press is creatine. There are a number of fancier creatine products out
on the market that are also an option, but if you’re on a limited budget,
there is nothing wrong with taking a straight creatine either. Both will
work effectively provided you are combining the straight creatine
with some form of fast-acting carbohydrate such as dextrose. This
ensures the creatine gets into the muscle cells as quickly as possible.
What creatine is going to do for you however is help to increase

the intramuscular stores of the high-energy compound, creatine
phosphate, which essentially drives muscular power while you
complete your workouts.
When this creatine phosphate runs low, that’s when a high amount
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of fatigue sets in and when you’ll likely falter with your lifts. So the
more creatine phosphate you have stored up in the tissue, the lower
the chance you fatigue early on in your workout program.
Since getting in enough volume per workout session is one of the

deciding factors of whether or not you see significant progress, this
supplement can be extremely beneficial as long as the hard work is
put in.
Just don’t take the supplement with the assumption that it will
automatically make you stronger – you still must be working hard
with the workout sessions you perform in order to see the benefits
that it provides you with.
Glutamine
Moving on, the next supplement that’s going to help promote greater
strength gains with your bench press is glutamine. Where glutamine
comes in very handy is that it speeds up the recovery process after
each of your workout sessions and also helps reduce the destructive
effects of the stress on the CNS that you experience after each
workout you perform.
Since high intensity weight lifting does really tax your system, when
you’re taking glutamine on a daily basis you’ll find you feel better and
also experience a reduced occurrence of illness as well.
Anyone who is training heavy can benefit from using glutamine, so

it’s a supplement to consider. It won’t make or break your results and
likely won’t provide as great of direct effects as say creatine would,
but it still will help you out.
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BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids)
Along with the protein powder that you’re taking in to help meet your
protein needs immediately before and after your workout, another
supplement that will help you step up your game is branched chain
amino acids.
These are the three main essential amino acids of leucine, isoleucine,
as well as valine, which are absorbed right into the blood stream
immediately after being consumed and are metabolised right in
the muscle tissue itself. These are especially important for those
engaging in tense physical activity because they will help to build up
torn down muscle tissue after your hard workout.
By adding 3-6 grams before and after your workout sessions, you’re
literally getting a jump start on the recovery process.
Fish Oil
If there’s one supplement that will help with almost every single
function in the body, fish oil is it. From reducing inflammation to
increasing insulin sensitivity, fish oil is hands-down one of the best
supplements that you could take for your body.
It’ll help you stay leaner while you build muscle and will help you
recover quickly after each hard workout that you put in. Fish oil
also helps to ward off a number of diseases and promotes a strong
immune system so it’s one that you really cannot do without.
Taking 3-6 grams spread out over two to three doses a day is the
way to go for best results. Note that some people do experience
‘fish oil burps’ (a side effect of using the caps) after use, so if this is
something that’s occurring for you, try and take your fish oil before
bed so you won’t have to experience this issue.
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Nitric Oxide
Another product to consider that’s verging a bit more on the sports

performance side of things is nitric oxide. What nitric oxide will do is
help to open up the blood vessels in the body so that there is more
oxygen moving into and out of the muscle tissues.
Since oxygen as well plays a vital role in how much fatigue is

experienced in the muscles while you go about your workout program,
this will additionally help boost up the gains you experience.
If you’re able to bring your reps up to six or eight at a certain weight

rather than five, you’re going to get that much stronger and before
you know it you’ll be lifting a heavier weight than before at that five
rep range.
So there you have the main supplements that will help you experience
better overall results from your workout program. One type of
supplements that some guys become quite interested in that you
have to be careful of are the hormonal booster supplements in the
body.
These include testosterone boosters and growth hormone boosters.

While these may sound very effective and like something that would
help you out a great deal, take some caution with them because
the fact of the matter is most of these will not have that large of an
influence on these hormones.
Although i am not anti testosterone enhancers remember that heavy
training with compound movements will also spike testosterone levels.
Heavy basic training is important and essential. No supplement can
make up for this.
You’re far better off trying to maximize these hormones through

training and diet strategies which include getting enough sleep at
night, making sure not to eliminate all saturated fat (as pointed out
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above), lifting heavy weights while keeping rest periods moderate,
and making sure to maintain low overall stress levels.
If you can work on making sure those are part of your overall lifestyle,
you’ll see far better increases in these two hormones than if you
would have tried one of those supplements.
These hormones are made naturally by the body and an outside

supplement (apart from the much more intense treatments you may
get from a doctor if you have abnormally low natural levels) won’t
make that big of a difference.
All In One Pre Workouts
I cover this a lot more in my FREE Sports Supplement Guide. Feel

free to get a copy at www.SportsSupplementGuide.com.
Pre workouts are great and my favorite by far is Jack3d. This

product is amazing pre workout! It is a of Creatine, Caffeine, 1,3
Dimethylamylamine, AAKG, and more. I highly recommend you
check it out at http://www.BuyJack3d.com.
Supplements can be a tricky thing to deal with because it’s hard to

know what works and what doesn’t, but if you can try and keep in
mind that the more basic you can stay with your supplements the
better, you should be right on track to results.
Don’t waste your time and money on all those fancy supplements
with seemingly too-good-to-be true claims. These claims often are
and all it’s going to do is take your focus away from where it should
be – on proper training and diet methods.
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Chapter 8: Maintaining Your Bench Press After Success
So, now you’ve put together all the information that we’ve just
provided you and have made some serious improvements to your
bench press. Now what?
Once you’re satisfied with your strength levels (note that you can,
obviously, continue working at getting stronger and stronger forever
if that’s what you desire), then it comes time to maintain that strength.
Or, perhaps you’ve entered a time period in your life where you just
can’t dedicate the hours to regular gym sessions as you used to and
although you do plan to pick back up the intense workouts you were
doing down the road for now you just want something to maintain
them.
Whatever the case, you want to know what you can do to now
maintain what you’ve got.
Here are the three steps for maintenance.
Maintain The Weight On The Bar
The very first step for maintaining your progress gains is to make
sure at all times that you are not letting the weight drop on the bar.
This is single-handedly the biggest mistake most guys make so one
that you absolutely must not let yourself do.
If you want to keep your strength gains up where they are, you must
always keep lifting the same amount of weight.
Think of it this way. If you are starting to lift a lighter amount of

weight, what signal is that sending to your body? Essentially you’re
telling it that it no longer needs to maintain its’ current strength since
that strength is no longer required.
Not good.
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When you keep that weight high, you’re telling the body it needs that
strength in order to execute those lifts.
This is the biggest priority to always remember.
Drop The Volume In Half
Second, what you can do now that you’re working towards

maintenance is lower the overall volume. Since you are no longer
trying to get your muscles into the fatigued and overloaded state to
experience dramatic increases in strength, you’re no longer going to
require the same amount of volume.
So this is the good news for those of you who are trying to move to
maintenance because of issues with lack of time. Your workouts for
maintenance will be shorter and faster so you can squeeze them into
even the busiest of schedules.
Generally speaking the rule for maintenance is that you can divide it
in half. So for example if you normally do four sets of bench press,
now you can do two.
Or if you like, you could reduce back on the total number of exercises
you are doing by half. This will just mean slightly less variety but
since you’re still stressing the chest muscle with at least one exercise
minimum, you will be on track to maintaining your muscle strength.
One note that should be made is that if possible, you are better
off reducing the total volume per session rather than reducing the
number of session’s total.
So if you worked chest once a week before, try and continue to work
it twice a week for maintenance. You could go down to once a week
if you absolutely have to, but that’s not quite as good as if you were
to maintain the twice a week structure with fewer exercises or sets
per workout.
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Reduce Your Total Calories
Finally, the last thing to know for maintenance is that you should be
reducing your total calorie intake. Since you won’t be maintaining
your workout volume and aren’t looking for strength and size gains
any longer, there is no need to continue to have that higher calorie
intake.
Doing so would just cause you to gain unwanted body fat, which is
obviously not what you want to experience.
Maintenance calorie intake will be more appropriate for maintaining

strength gains which as stated earlier is typically somewhere between
14 and 16 calories per pound.
If you want to start a fat loss diet that’s fine but if you’re going to do
that, really be sure that you’re getting in enough protein and keeping
the weights up as strength loss is more likely when dieting.
82
Conclusion
So there you have all the necessary information to get started on

boosting your bench. Remember that the more you work at it with
solid commitment, drive, and determination, the better results you’ll
see.
Be sure to include all aspects of the workout program, the diet, and
the mental aspect to attain the best results as if one is missing, you
are going to see results suffer.
And more importantly, if you do notice plateaus in strength levels,

be sure that rather than getting discouraged, you make the effort to
figure out what’s causing the plateau and looking for ways you can
overcome that.
Those who are quick to give-up will never see the results they are
looking for so always assess the situation rationally first and then
utilize the training and nutritional strategies illustrated in this book to
help you get past it.
If you can do that, you should have no problem seeing the strength
gains that you’re after.
I hope you found this book useful and helpful! There is nothing like
having a big bench press! It’s a sign of respect in the gym when you
can toss around big weight.
I would love to hear from you so feel free to contact me via my

FaceBook Fan Page www.RobKingFitnessFanPage.com or my blog
www.RobKingFItness.com
All the best in your training and keep pressing!
Rob King
83

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Build A Bigger Bench Press

Your Detailed Guide To Building A Big Bench Press In Record

Chapter 1: Anatomy and Bio Mechanics Of Bench Press 04

Chapter 2: The Requirements For Gaining Strength 11

Chapter 3: Simple Bench Press Tips and Advice 18

Chapter 4: Training Strategies For Maximizing Your Bench Press 29

Chapter 5: Workouts To Boost Your Bench 43

Chapter 6: The Nutrition Behind Building A Bigger Bench 64

Chapter 7: Supplements To Boost Your Bench 74

Chapter 8: Maintaining Your Bench Press After Success 80

I remember the first time I walked into a gym.

3 plates!! That might as well have been a thousand pounds to me

I am not gloating but at my best I benched 225lbs 28 reps, 315lb

Muscle Groups Utilized

So by training your bench press regularly, you can in effect actually

That large overloading stimulus is single-handedly the most important

If you said in the compound exercise group, you would be correct.

Finally, it’s also important to make note of the direction of force of

The exercises that would appose ‘pushing’ would be ‘pulling’, and

Finally, to briefly go over the execution aspect of the bench press,

So that wraps up our discussion of the anatomy and biomechanics

What I am talking about however is the sheer determination when

Rest and Relaxation Tendencies

To illustrate this principle at work, think for a second about a guy

In addition to the issue on fidgeting, you also must remember that

So if you absolutely must perform some type of exercise in addition

The second type of self-awareness is the self-awareness that comes

In some cases, it may be becoming extremely fatigued to the point of

Obviously this is a very frustrating process, but sadly, one many

There’s quite a big difference between a moderate amount of

Gaining this level of self-awareness about how your body is reacting

A Proper Diet and Workout

Finally, and most obvious, the last requirement to boost up your

In fact, if you don’t take in enough calories on a daily basis (either

On a maintenance calorie intake, that is, taking in just enough

If you really want to gain a good amount of strength in your bench

If you attempt to do so without this, you will be disappointed. So be

Both of these will be discussing in coming chapters so don’t worry, we

Okay, so now that we’ve reviewed over some of the neces

This lift up needs to be as effortless as possible so you save all your

After that, most people do prefer maintaining a bend in the knees so

Proper Breathing Technique

Again this is something that is not mandatory to do if you prefer a

The answer is most likely a resounding, ‘no’. If you want that

When it comes to using this spotter, what you must be sure to do is

In addition to that, if you want to target the tricep muscles to a larger

Don’t sacrifice strength development just because the machine you’re

Swapping Barbells For Dumbbells

As time progresses onwards the strength disparity between the

Get Your Lower Body Stable

Don’t be a “squirmer”! There is nothing worse than watching

Activate Your Lats

The following training techniques are going to take your training

Don’t kid yourself.

Build Your Foundation Of Strength

Maximize the foundation process. If you’re seeing continual gains

So to summarize, don’t rush past the beginner workouts if that’s

Advanced Principles To Boost Your Bench Progress

It is important to spend some time learning what your body reacts

How To Perform Them:

The one thing to remember with this style of training is that it is

When utilized properly however, this can be a very effective way to

Isolating The Chest To Fatigue: