Mike is among the best benchers in the world. He has a competition best raw press of 600 lbs and a shirted press of 860 lbs. Mike’s short term goal is to press over 900 lbs equipped. His long term goal is to simply be the best!
Each month, Mike will answer bench press questions from AtLarge Customers. If you have a question for Mike, please send it to askmike@atlargenutrition.com!
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How can I improve my benching progress?
I am currently increasing it roughly 5 lbs per week but I want more! My warm-up consists of 3 sets of 10 reps with 135 lbs. I then proceed with 3 sets of 5 with my working weight for that week. I add 5 lbs to these working sets each week unless I cannot complete all 3 sets of 5 without assistance. In that case I stay with the load until I can complete all 3 sets of 5 and then add 5 lbs the following week.
At my last meet I got stuck with 250 lbs. It felt fine off the chest but stopped at the mid-point. Do you think floor presses would help?
Below is a sample of my pressing routine for a week:
Bench Press - 3 sets of 10 reps (135lbs)
Bench Press - 3 sets of 5 reps (215lbs)
Incline press - 4 sets of 10 reps (145lbs)
Military Press - 4 sets of 10 reps (85lbs)
f/s lateral raises - 4 sets of 10 reps (15lbs)
Close grip - 4 sets of 10 reps (155lbs)
Skulls - 4 sets of 10 reps (47lbs)
Dips - 4 sets of 10 reps (45lbs)
How can I improve by benching progress?
I would also like to know if you think I should bench twice per week with one workout for power and one for speed?
Thomas Wooten
Mike Wolfe: Well, let me start with saying that adding 5 lbs per week to your bench is pretty darn good! Geez, I wish I was doing that!
Ok, with that out of the way let me try to help. First, I think you are overtraining. My ME (Max Effort) workout consists of 8-10 working sets on bench movements. I then move on to heavy triceps training with 6-8 total working sets of 8-10 reps utilizing 2 exercises.
In all likelihood you shouldn’t be using as much or more volume than me. Drop the routine you are currently using and give the one below a try. I assure you that you will be pleased with the results!
You will need to set aside 2 days for bench work. The first day will be your ME day and the 2nd will be your DE (Dynamic Effort) day. Take a 3 day break between ME and DE days.
You may want to get some basic equipment (boards and bands) in order to do this routine. You can buy it at www.westside-barbell.com or www.elitefts.com.
Program:
Note: The sets listed below are post-warm-up “working” sets. Be sure to perform a couple of progressively heavier warm-up sets first.
Week One:
Day one ~ ME day
- Full ROM Bench ~ 6 sets of 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell Triceps Extension ~ 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps – This movement is essentially the same as a skullcrusher with dumbbells substituted for the barbell.
- Pushdowns (straight or V-bar) ~ 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps with the focus on pumping-up the triceps.
- Workout DONE!
Day two ~ DE day
Bench with Mini Bands ~ 8 sets of 3 reps as fast as possible while keeping your form tight (3 reps in 3 seconds is a rule of thumb). The bands will add about 50 lbs worth of resistance. You want to use ˝ of your 1 rep max as the total load. So, if you have a 250 lb max bench you would load the bar to 75 lbs and then add the bands (75 + 50 = 125 which is ˝ of 250).
If you do not have access to bands just use ˝ of your 1 rep max for the 8 sets of 3 reps.
Week Two:
Day one ~ ME day
- Floor Presses ~ 6 sets of singles (progressively add weight until you miss)
- Dumbbell Triceps Press ~ 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps – This is the dumbbell variation of close-grip bench presses. Your palms should be facing each other and every effort should be made to keep your elbows close to your sides to emphasize your triceps.
- Pushdowns (same as week one) ~ 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Workout DONE!
Day two ~ DE Day
Same as week one
Week Three:
Day one ~ ME day
- Incline Bench Press ~ 6 sets of 3 reps
- Triceps Dumbbell Kickbacks ~ 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Pushdowns ~ 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Workout DONE!
Day two ~ DE day
Same as week one
Week Four:
Day one ~ ME day
- 3 Board Press ~ 6 sets of 3 reps – If you don’t have access to boards use rack presses as a substitute. Do these in a power cage and use the safety catches to limit the ROM on the descent phase. Set the safety catches so that the movement is stopped about 6” above your chest.
- Skullcrushers ~ 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Pushdowns ~ 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
- Workout Done!
Day two ~ DE day
Same as Week One
This routine is basic but effective. Be sure to record your workouts in some sort of a journal as once you have completed the first 4 week cycle you will return to week 1 and try to set some PRs (Personal Records) each day as you repeat the process. Once you have repeated the cycle 3 times (12 weeks) you are set to attempt a new 1 rep max bench press.
This is a great cycle to get ready for a meet. Be sure to allow for a week of rest prior to the meet after your 1 rep max bench attempt.
You should train the balance of your body over the course of 2 other days during the week. Focus should be placed on the traps, rear delts, and lats. I suggest you refrain from shoulder presses of any kind and any other form of heavy front delt work as they are receiving a ton of stress from the bench work.
What's the best non-bench exercises to do in order to get a BIG bench?
We all know the importance of using various bench-specific workouts and tools like boards and bands for getting a big bench, but what, in your opinion, are the best non-bench exercises to do in order to get a BIG bench?
Lou Pac
Mike Wolfe: It’s all about the triceps! Maximizing your triceps strength is probably the most important assistance factor there is. I do a ton of triceps work to include the extensive use of both dumbbells and kettlebells (extensions and presses with both). I also like to finish my workouts with a nice triceps pump from various forms of cable pushdowns.
A close second in importance to triceps work is upper back training (specifically traps, rear delts, and lats). It takes more than just a huge chest to have a truly BIG bench. Strengthening your upper back provides for a tremendous “base” from which you can perform your benching. My back routine includes both lat pulldowns and seated cable rows. I also like dumbbell rows using both arms simultaneously. This limits the load a bit but I get a better “feel” from the movement than when doing the more standard 1 arm dumbbell row.
Another more unique movement I use is what I call a “face pull”. These are very similar to a lat pulldown with the difference being the bar is pulled to the nose area. This movement focuses on the rear delts and traps to a lesser degree. For traps I really like “high” dumbbell shrugs. I keep my head down a bit and focus on pulling the bells as high as possible while simultaneously bending at the elbows. This provides for a terrific contraction at the peak of the movement and it really fries your traps!
For more information on Mike's background and achievements, see the Mike Wolfe sponsor page!
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