400 pound benchers

[VaginaBoob89]

Biomechanics play a tremendous role here.

So does your skeletal structure.

Mgs of gear don't mean anything when it comes to strength in that regard. Sure powerlifters take strong stuff leading up to a meet (some dont), but that has more to do with CNS involvement than gaining pure strength.

Larry Wheels has posted taking 500 mgs of test and 300 mgs of deca a week while benching 600+ lbs (yeah yeah, he's a liar, takes 6 grams minimum and we are all suckers [emoji3]). None of that has anything to do with gear; kid was stupid strong at 16, and is built for that.

Like BL stated; it's progression. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade.

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He was also taking 150mg/day of anadrol which is quite a lot for strength. He's also admitted to doing far heavier cycles throughout the bulk of his career. It was something like 1.2g test, 500 tren e, halo, dbol, and superdrol all at the same time. So I believe that yeah, he probably did bench 600 on relatively low doses; but he wouldn't have been able to build that amount of lean tissue required for the 600lb bench if he hadn't been blasting huge doses earlier in his career.

 

[PitbullTank]

alot of talking, but not 1 sound strength building program/concept discussed... "what can i take to increase my bench"... is there literally no technical talk about training on here anymore?

I sponsor Dan Bell, one of the best raw PLers in the world, totalling over 2400 now.... you would have no idea how much programming/tecnhinique work goes into this stuff...EVERYTHING they do is on a schedule and done with a purpose...

 

[rmtt]

alot of talking, but not 1 sound strength building program/concept discussed... "what can i take to increase my bench"... is there literally no technical talk about training on here anymore?

I sponsor Dan Bell, one of the best raw PLers in the world, totalling over 2400 now.... you would have no idea how much programming/tecnhinique work goes into this stuff...EVERYTHING they do is on a schedule and done with a purpose...

I think it all revolves around this.

I currently follow a Wendler 5/3/1 Hybrid that has progression programmed in over a 3 week period. You de-load, test for new maxes, and then you setup your next 3 weeks depending upon your gains (or lack of).

I have a power day followed by a volume/speed day spaced about 4-5 days apart. Power day is heavy triples for multiple sets, speed days is about the same reps...but lots of sets with varying grips and using band work.

A lot of emphasis is placed on shoulder health and antagonistic muscle groups to try and achieve balance.

I enter my #'s in an app...(used to use a spreadsheet years ago)....and it spits out my reps and weights for 3 weeks worth of workouts.

There is always some type of progression going on whether it be poundage or volume.

Any other work I do is considered accessory exercises that are specifically designed to work on the weak points of my bench. (Lockout, stalling at the bottom, etc.) These could include close-grip bench, Spoto bench, emphasis on negatives, pressing in a rack from your chest to a set of bars 6 inches above and trying to push against them for as long as I can.

I have tried Smolev in the past...but too much volume for me. I have been doing my current system for years...the first year doing the weekly progressions. As I have aged, I find that spreading that out over a 3 week period is better for my recovery.

Actually today was the end of my cycle where I set my maxes up for the next one. I hit 365 for 4 clean reps and could have got 5...but had no spotter and didn't want to push it. Not like some of the weight you see being pushed around on here...but I'm 186lbs and my reps are slow, paused, and controlled.

 

[Bio-hazard]

Most I've done was 450lbs for 1 and rep 405.

While I was never training for pure strength, I always got stronger. I was doing 8 reps, up the weight, 6 reps, up the weight, 4 reps then drop weight for 10 reps. 4 sets. I know thats not a true "powerlifting protocol" but I always got stronger damn near weekly. Sodium, water and carbs were my friends too. I wouldn't say gear use was irrelevant, but its not number 1.

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Although I played college football (and on the offensive line at that), I never was a big bincher. 315 in high school. 405 in college...at a BW of 285 too.

But post college ball I cut way down and pushed my bench hard for a couple years. Hired Josh Bryant for a couple training cycles and ended up pressing 515 in competition. Pulled 710 as well. I think I was a softer 265ish at the time.

Even then, PL training was NOTHING like I had done with BBing. In PLing, overtraining IS an issue. A BBer mentality of keep pushing past failure just doesnt work anymore. You'll fryyyy your CNS.
I really liked PL though and only left it because I tore my pec and had a couple other injuries...its an injury game if there ever was one.

 

[Mandingus]

Good example here of god given strength.


410 RAW bench press at 154lb 154 body weight with rep scheme 3-23-15 - YouTube

Serious weight for sure... in fact elite level weight but once you realize he's been training for 15 yrs it comes off as less impressive

 

[manilla]

Serious weight for sure... in fact elite level weight but once you realize he's been training for 15 yrs it comes off as less impressive

Nope, still impressive.