The “Devil” Bench Workout

Why is it that whenever I’m in a gym I see people benching the same weight at each workout? It usually goes like this—a person performs a few reps at 185 lbs, then at 205 lbs, and maybe at 225 lbs. Then, they get stuck. At this point, the individual moves to another exercise, most likely the incline bench, and does the same kind of thing. You would think that after a year, the weight that they can bench would be through the roof, but unfortunately, they haven’t seen continued improvement because most people don’t know how to maximize their strength training capacity. They don’t know how to initiate progression. The potential for increasing muscle size just isn’t being met.

Though we, at Sports Specific Training, have different bench routines for each of our athletes, the one I want to outline here is a favorite because it helps the athlete gain not only strength but also size. Basically, the workout consists of six sets of six reps but with drop sets. Of course, after finishing this workout, many of our athletes feel like their body has been to hell and back!

Here’s how the program works from a physiological standpoint. An important factor to consider when working to increase strength and muscle size is to maximize motor unit activation. To better understand this, think of your body as containing a pool of motor units. By performing the “Devil” bench workout, which consists of lifting at, or near, maximum capacity, you would activate almost all of those motor units. The type of motor units that we are aiming to recruit are the “fast twitch” or the type IIb muscle fibers.

Fast twitch fibers are associated with high threshold motor units and are evidenced by power, speed, and explosiveness. We encourage our athletes to recruit the fast twitch fibers because this optimizes the most potential for building both strength and size. And who doesn’t want to be bigger and stronger?

The “Devil” workout is also an effective tool when used to build up the legs, but for now, let’s look at increasing bench performance.

Tempo refers to speed of movement. The first number represents the speed in seconds when lowering the weight or letting it down with gravity. The second number refers to the pause between lowering and raising the weight. The third number refers to the speed of raising the weight. As an example, look at the chin-up tempo. The tempo is 211. Therefore, the athlete would lift himself up over the bar in one second, pause for one second, and then lower himself for two seconds.

For the most efficient workout, we pair exercises together. For instance, an athlete would perform exercise A1 and immediately follow it by A2 as the first pairing. The athlete would then repeat until all sets were completed. At this point, the athlete would move on to exercise B1 and B2 and follow the same pattern.

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

·        Three different grips are used for bench work: Varying the grip and load increases muscle tension and motor unit activation. By varying the grip, you maximize muscle recruitment, thus increasing the potential to build muscle mass.

·        Note how the rep scheme is broken down: We recommend starting with a weight that is near your maximum ability for one rep. Lift this weight for two reps. Wait 15 seconds and then use a weight that is 5–10 percent less. Perform a single rep at maximum tension. Repeat with this weight until you have completed six total reps.

·        Alternate bench work with chin-ups/pull-ups: Research has shown that by working opposite muscle groups, overall strength is improved in the most beneficial manner. Perform all six reps of chin-ups and pull-ups at the same time with no rest in between reps. When you are able to perform all six reps with ease, add more weight.

·        It is important to rest between sets: There is a 15-second rest between reps when doing bench lifts. This allows the body to recover and recruit maximum motor units for every lift. By lifting in this manner, the athlete is able to tap into the higher threshold motor units. By using the maximum tension in every lift, you can expect to make tremendous gains in strength and start to build up size.

This workout is demanding, but the results are well worth the effort. Perform your workout once every 4–5 days for a month and let me know what you think.

Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.