Last week, I wrote about dynamic bench work and how you shouldn’t just kick it to the curb. I listed several different dynamic cycles, and there are approximately 5,000 more that have been written about. The whole purpose of the article was to revive the dead and bloated dynamic bench press.
I talked about how doing the dynamic bench press really showed me how slow I had become. In approximately three weeks, I got all my speed back. For the next three-week cycle, I am going to concentrate on doing repetition work.
Replacing dynamic bench with repetition work first came to light when Joe DeFranco wrote the article “Westside for Skinny Bastards.” He had been using this template for years and with great success. The response that Joe has received from his athletes and athletes who have used a similar system, has been outstanding. What has also been outstanding is the barrage of emails and calls that Joe gets about the article. That always makes me laugh.
Anyway, because of my respect for Joe and the possibility of his involvement with the Italian Mafia, I’m going to reprint Joe’s thoughts on the repetition method. Also, this makes my article longer and makes me look smarter.
Here is a direct quote from Joe’s article:
Repetition upper body day. I've substituted dynamic-effort days with repetition days for the upper body. This may be the biggest change from the traditional Westside template. I've also found it to be one of the keys to success for muscular growth in my younger athletes. Simply put, dynamic days just aren't that productive for weak, skinny bastards!
Remember that this modified program was put together for athletes who lack muscle mass. Well, the repetition method is an incredible way to elicit muscular hypertrophy. Compared to a smaller muscle, a bigger muscle has a better chance of becoming a stronger muscle. Packing on some muscle mass by means of the repetition method lays a great foundation for the more advanced dynamic days to come.
I even substitute dynamic days with repetition days for my NFL football players during the initial stages of the off-season. This is because repetition work is easier on the joints following a grueling season, and it's a great way to pack on any muscle that was lost during the season.
And here is a sample template from his article:
Repetition lift. Work up to three sets of max
reps, and rest 60 seconds between sets.
Choose one of the following exercises:
What this all comes down to is this—instead of doing a dynamic effort workout, you are going to replace it with high rep work. Listed above are some of the exercises that Joe uses with his athletes. I’m going to give you a few more that I’ve used on myself and with other lifters. Plus, I am going to give you some parameters to help guide you in picking weights, sets, reps, and rest periods.
Barbell bench press
Workout #1: Pick a weight (approximately 50–60 percent of your max) and perform three sets of as many reps as possible.
Workout #2: Pick a weight (approximately 50–60 percent of your max)
and perform three sets with the last set to failure.
Workout #3: Instead of doing eight sets of three reps, simply switch the set and rep parameters to three sets of eight reps.
Workout #4: The Old School—three sets of 10 reps with 60 percent of your max.
Workout #5: The 5 x 5—there are many different interpretations of how to do a 5 x 5 program so do whatever you want.
Dumbbell bench press/incline press/floor press
Workout #1: Warm up and choose a dumbbell weight so that you can get approximately 15–20 reps.
Workout #2: Do a 3–5 set of 10–15 reps.
2-board, 3-board, floor press, reverse bench press (any max effort movement)
Workout #1: You can do any of the barbell bench press workouts that were listed above with any max effort movement.
Workout #2: Take your latest max from one of these movements and perform 3–4 sets of 8–10 reps with 60 percent.
Others
Workout #1: Bodyweight dips
Workout #2: Weighted dips
Workout #3: Bodyweight push-ups
Workout #4: Weighted push-ups
Workout #5: Board press combo—try to use the same weight for all sets.
So now that we’ve brought together the dynamic bench press and the repetition method, let us hope that they can coexist. Here are some main points that I wish everyone takes home and puts in their hope chest.
Jim Wendler is the senior editor and sales manager of Elite Fitness Systems. He was employed as a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Kentucky, where he worked with several different teams including football and baseball. He played football and graduated from the University of Arizona where he earned three letters. Jim’s best lifts include a 1000 lbs squat, a 675 lbs bench press, 700 lbs deadlift, and a 2375 total in the 275 lbs class.
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