To call this program hard is an understatement. The volume is high, the work is heavy, and you’ll want to quit. But I can promise you, your back will never be thicker and your PRs will become something of the past.

While having a big back doesn’t guarantee big bench PRs, the back and bench press go hand in hand. The back plays an enormous role in benching effectively — most lifters just don’t know how to use their back in the lift!

My road to 600 can be broken down into two phases of training: the Raw Strength Phase and The Equipped Peaking Phase. Here’s how I did it.

I remember seeing a poster once that read simply, “The back is to lifters what the biceps are to bodybuilders.”