Designing the Perfect Bench Press Program

Designing the Perfect Bench Press Program

Table of Contents:

I. Introduction II. Volume and Overloading Parameters III. Hypertrophy, Strength, and Peaking IV. Low and High Volume V. Frequency of Training VI. Exercise Variation VII. Fatigue Management VIII. Progression from Week to Week IX. Example Athletes X. Conclusion

Article:

Introduction

The bench press is one of the most popular exercises in the gym, and for good reason. It's a great way to build upper body strength and size, and it's a staple in powerlifting competitions. However, designing an effective bench press program can be a challenge. In this article, we'll take You through a step-by-step guide on how to design a bench press program that will help you achieve your goals.

Volume and Overloading Parameters

The first thing to consider when designing a bench press program is volume. Volume refers to the number of sets per week within your overloading parameters. Overloading parameters are how many reps at what intensity, and that's going to be phase dependent. When we're talking about volume, we're dealing with hypertrophy, strength, and peaking.

For hypertrophy, we're looking at about 60 to 82.5 percent for sets of 6 to 12 reps. For strength, we're looking at 75 up to 92.5 percent for sets of 3 to 6 reps. Finally, for peaking, we're looking at 90 plus for sets of 1 to 3 reps.

Hypertrophy, Strength, and Peaking

Hypertrophy is the phase where we're looking to build muscle size. Strength is the phase where we're looking to build strength. Peaking is the phase where we're looking to peak for a competition or max effort lift.

Low and High Volume

Low volume during hypertrophy is going to be dealing with like 6 to 10 sets per week, and high volume in hypertrophy we're maybe talking about getting up to 20 to 30 total sets a week. In strength, we're going to be at a little bit lower volume than we were in hypertrophy, so probably 4 to 8 sets on the low side of things, and then on the high side of things, maybe 16 to 24 sets. Finally, in peaking, we're going a little bit lower volume as we move through phase to phase, with 3 to 6 sets on the low side and 12 to 16 sets on the high side of things.

Frequency of Training

The next thing to consider is the frequency of your training. The typical range for bench press frequency is going to be two to five times per week. That's the total range, maybe some people even could bench press six times a week, but anywhere in that range is going to be something that is pretty common.

Exercise Variation

Exercise variation is going to be both the movement that we're doing and how we're loading the movement. There's a lot of different ways that you can Create variation, but those are sort of the most popular ones. Exercise variation and loading strategy are important to consider when designing a bench press program.

Fatigue Management

Fatigue management is also important to consider when designing a bench press program. You want to make sure that you're managing direct fatigue from bench pressing. One session, you might pick a more chest-dominant movement, while another session might be more shoulder-dominant. You might also have to mitigate stress around particularly squat training.

Progression from Week to Week

Finally, you need to consider how you're progressing from week to week. For hypertrophy, we're looking at increasing sets from week to week with small weight increases. For strength, we're looking at increasing weight from week to week, increasing intensity with either a flat number of sets or decreasing sets from week to week. In peaking, we're increasing weight from week to week while definitely decreasing the number of sets as we go.

Example Athletes

Let's take a look at two example athletes. Lifter A is a 275-pound male, 37 years old, been lifting for 12 years, and has a 475-pound bench press. Lifter B is a 125-pound female, 22 years old, only been lifting for 18 months, and just hit a bodyweight bench press of 125 pounds.

Lifter A is probably going to be on the low side of things, doing eight to ten sets of bench press a week. Lifter B is going to be on the higher side of things, doing up to 22 to 26 sets per week.

Conclusion

Designing a bench press program can be a challenge, but by following these steps, you can create a program that will help you achieve your goals. Remember to consider volume, frequency, exercise variation, fatigue management, and progression from week to week. With these factors in mind, you'll be well on your way to a stronger, more powerful bench press.