Training

Whether you like it or not, the bench press is the gold standard of upper body strength exercises. Critics regularly try to downplay the importance of this exercise, calling it "overrated", "harmful" or "non-functional", but none of this detracts from its popularity.

And for good reason. There is no better upper body exercise than the bench press. What other upper body exercise requires a good amount of pressure from the legs, activates the latissimus, shoulder muscles, pecs and triceps, is stable enough to allow for huge weights and is specific to so many sports due to the horizontal pressing nature of the movement? The answer is "none"!

• Powerlifters perform bench presses as one of the "big 3" exercises of their sport and have developed numerous variations to increase their strength
• Bodybuilders use bench presses to build their pecs and triceps
• Bench presses are so popular with pretty much every gym-goer that the first day of the week has been declared "International Bench Press Monday".
• Bench presses are used as a measure of upper body strength as part of the American National Football League's NFL Combine test, and bench press performance correlates with many different markers of athletic performance.

Interestingly, despite all this, the bench press was not immediately accepted by the strength training community.

The history of the bench press

At the time that presses from a prone position appeared on the scene in the weightlifting community, standing exercises were the only exercises that were considered exercises for real men. Weightlifters made fun of the milksops who lay down on a bench to "stretch their pecs." However, when women began to rave about bodybuilders with well-developed pecs, weightlifters jumped on the bench press bandwagon as well.

Interestingly, the bench press has evolved over the years from variations such as floor presses (lying on the floor), bridge variations and variations where the weight was more or less thrown upwards from the abdomen, to what is used by bodybuilders and powerlifters today.

At first, strict floor presses (bench press lying backwards on the floor) were the most popular method. In 1899, Georg Hackenschmidt - the inventor of the barbell Hackenschmidt squat - performed one repetition of strict floor presses with 361 pounds (about 165 kilos) using a barbell with 50 centimeter discs that he rolled over his face (which was turned to the side). This record remained unbroken for 18 years until Joe Nordquest beat it by 2 pounds in 1916.

At this time, new methods began to gain ground. Strength athletes found that strong glutes could help them move the bar up from the floor. They would lie on the floor and position the bar over their abs and then perform an explosive movement towards a gluteus bridge, catapulting the bar up overhead to catch it at the highest point of the movement with outstretched arms.

The heaviest weight moved in this way is attributed to the wrestler and strongman Georg Lurich, who hurled 443 pounds (about 201 kilos) upwards with his stomach in 1902. Critics argued that this variation was more of a hip strength exercise than an upper body strength exercise, as the triceps were simply used to support the weight at the highest point of the movement.

In a lighter weight class, Arthur Saxon pressed 386 pounds (about 175 kilos) using this "belly fling" method - a record that was later broken by Joe Nordquest with a weight 2 pounds higher in 1917. This technique remained popular into the twenties and thirties of the 20th century.

Soon it became the norm to assume the position of a bridge and perform a "press from the back" variation of the bench press, which basically turned this exercise into a modified version of the reverse incline bench press. The other option was to engage the hips for a push through a bridge movement. This variation differed from the other two methods described last in that the bridge movement (hip thrust) was controlled and held in position while the pecs and triceps contracted concentrically to complete the movement.

However, when Bill Lilly began to set new records with a bridge movement of his exceptionally flexible spine and hips, keeping the bar in contact with his abs all the way to the highest position, people began to realize the absurdity of this method as a demonstration of upper body strength.

Fortunately, Lily's extremely flexible spine and hips led to changes in the acceptable form of the bench press, even though Lily's 484 pounds (about 220 kilos) remained unthreatened throughout the 1930s.

The AAU eventually banned this bridge maneuver in 1939 by standardizing the technique. In this technique, the legs remain straight, the feet together and the buttocks on the ground. Nevertheless, many wrestlers continued to use a bridge movement in which their upper body only made contact with the ground with their head. This became known as the "wrestler's bridge" and required incredible strength in the neck muscles.

At some point, the floor pressers realized that small boxes could be used to increase range of motion and pec activity and it wasn't long before special training equipment was developed. During the 1940s, several types of horizontal presses were popular: strict floor presses, the abdominal swing variation, back presses, bridge presses and bench presses.

Bodybuilding

In the 1950s, the rise of bodybuilding began and the full range of motion bench press was considered the best method for hypertrophy. At this time, the bench press was crowned the queen of upper body exercises. As bench presses became more robust, training partners expanded their expertise, form improved and supportive equipment came on the market, bench press weights have continued to increase.

In the 1950s, Doug Hepburn was the first man to bench press 400 and 500 pounds with a rest on his chest. The 600 pound sound barrier was broken by Pat Casey in the sixties and the first bench press of 700 pounds is credited to Ted Arcidi in the eighties. In the late nineties, Tim Isaac was the first man to bench press 800 pounds and in the early 21st century, Gene Rychlak became the first person to bench press 900 and then 1000 pounds.

The current world record is held by Ryan Kennelly, who bench pressed 1075 pounds in 2008, while Scot Medelson holds the "raw" record without equipment, which stands at 715 pounds.

In fact, bench pressing has caused some controversy throughout its history. From day one, exercisers have claimed that it leads to an unbalanced ratio of chest development to back development and promotes poor posture. This debate continues to this day, while there are trainers who question the functional carryover, safety and optimal technique.

Just as the arched back technique was questioned long ago before benches were ever used, the current arched back technique used in powerlifting is frowned upon by many, as is the use of press shirts.

One thing is for sure - exercisers will always be looking for ways to increase their strength on the bench. But before we look at the different methods of increasing bench press strength, I would first like to take a look at what the literature has to say about this exercise.

A look at the literature on the bench press

Substantial research has been done on the bench press and its variations. Probably the most important, but most often overlooked, component of bench press performance is the vital importance of technique. Less experienced exercisers differ from experienced exercisers in their preparation strategy, execution strategies and overall technique (Madsen & McLaughlin 1984). We therefore recommend that beginners devote considerable time and attention to learning correct technique and using good technique with each repetition performed.

Scientists have discussed the mechanisms behind the so-called "sticky point" (the heaviest point of the movement where the probability is greatest that the weight cannot be moved further up and the repetition must be aborted), but we recommend in this context not to speak of a point but of a "sticky region". This region is characterized by a phase of lower external force in relation to gravity, resulting in a reduction in the speed of the bar and a decrease in momentum.

A typical maximum bench press attempt lasts an average of around 1.8 seconds. The sticky region begins about 2 to 4 tenths of a second after the start of the concentric portion of the movement and ends after about 8 to 9 tenths of a second, which means that it accounts for about 25% of the duration of the concentric movement (Van den Tillaar & Ettema 2010; Elliot et al. 1989).

There are two dominant theories that attempt to explain the reason for this "sticky region". Elliot et al. (1989) found that muscle activity in the primary muscles remained unchanged and propose that this phenomenon is the result of the end of the phase of increased elastic strain energy from the reverse part of the movement.

In other words, the passive muscle force resulting from the active stretching of the muscle fibers of the primary muscles will help to move the bar up during the bench press movement (as an analogy, you can think of the stretched muscle fibers as rubber bands).

But this elastic support ends quite quickly, increasing the load on the active contractile components of the muscle fibers. This makes a lot of sense, but Van den Tillaar & Ettema (2010) found something else.

They showed that muscle activity was reduced in the primary muscles in the "sticky region" and suggested that a neural delay occurs between the point at which muscle leverage decreases and the point at which the brain ramps up muscle activation to complete the exercise. We recommend a number of different strategies to improve your ability to overcome the sticky point, which we will discuss later in the article.

A serious exerciser knows the importance of mental preparation prior to a difficult individual attempt. Tod et al (2005) conducted a very interesting study in which they found that a mental boost led to an 8% increase in force production.

They also looked at bench press force production during distractions and found that distracted exercisers were not able to achieve maximal force production. There was a 12% difference in force production between high-pulled and distracted exercisers. This could amount to a difference of 18 kilos for a trainee who can bench press a maximum weight in the 150 kilo range!

We recommend that you save pushing up for real max attempts and otherwise use this strategy sparingly. In addition, we recommend that you concentrate as much as possible during your exercise and separate yourself from any training partner who tells you jokes or wants to chat with you during your exercise.

It has been shown that power release increases from 10% to 50% of 1RM and decreases from 50% to 90% of 1RM (Stock et al. 2010). This is consistent with the findings of Siegal et al. (2002), who showed that 40 to 60% of the 1RM represents an optimal load. Jandacka & Uchytil (2011) concluded that an optimal load is 30 to 50% of the 1RM, while Pearson et al. (2009) concluded that a maximum average power release can be achieved at 53% of the 1RM and a maximum peak power at 50% of the 1RM.

In terms of tempo, Pryor et al. (2011) found that fast eccentric repetitions without pause at the lowest point of the movement resulted in the greatest gains in power release compared to slow eccentric repetitions. We recommend using weights in the 50% of 1RM range if you are trying to demonstrate maximal power (remember that power = force times acceleration). However, if you are trying to develop a maximal power release, then you should use different loads ranging from 30 to 100% of the 1RM. For maximal power production, we also recommend including bench press throws in your training, which have an optimal power load of 55% of 1RM in the bench press (Baker et al. 2001) and higher levels of maximal strength compared to band backs (Clark et al. 2008).

It has also been shown that multiple sets are superior to single sets when it comes to strength gains in the bench press. (Rhea et al. 2002).

In terms of exercise order, barbell bench presses are often performed before exercises such as flying movements and dumbbell presses due to the greater amount of total muscle used, even though all three exercises provide a similar degree of activation of the chest muscles (Welsh et al. 2005). Rocha et al. (2007) found similar levels of chest muscle activation in bench presses and butterflies, supporting the results of Welsh et al.

Placing bench presses at the beginning of the training session is a better strategy than performing this exercise at the end of the training session if the goal is to increase bench press strength (Simao et al. 2005; Spineti et al. 2010).

As long as the volume is adjusted accordingly, it does not seem to make much difference in terms of bench press strength gains whether the pecs are trained two or three times per week, or whether full body training programs or split programs are used (Candow & Burke 2007;Arazi & Asadi 2011).

After a high-intensity training session, it only takes around 4 hours for women to regain their maximum bench press strength, whereas recovery for men takes around 48 hours (Judge & Burke 2010).

For maximum bench press strength, we recommend performing variations of the bench press twice a week, emphasizing lower repetition ranges and methods with maximal and dynamic effort. Women who want to increase their bench press strength can train this exercise more frequently, as bench presses do not cause the same degree of muscle fatigue in women as they do in men.

It is common knowledge among strength athletes that the upper muscle head of the pectoral muscles, which attaches to the collarbone, is activated more during incline bench presses, while the lower muscle head, which attaches to the sternocostal joint, is activated more during flat bench presses. Trebs et al. (2010) found that an incline of 44 degrees is optimal for maximum activation of the upper pectoral muscles.

Barnett et al (1995) found that flat bench press activates most of the fibers of the lower pectoral muscle head and triceps, incline bench press with close grip activates most of the muscle fibers of the upper pectoral muscle head, and standing shoulder press activates most of the fibers of the anterior shoulder muscle head.

Lehman (2005) showed that a reverse grip leads to greater activation of the upper pectoral muscle fibers compared to a regular grip and that a tighter grip leads to greater activation of the triceps but less activation of the pectorals than a regular grip.

Glass and Armstrong (1997) investigated the degree of chest muscle activation during bench presses on the reverse incline bench and incline bench press. They found that bench presses on the reverse incline bench activated more fibers of the lower pectoral muscles compared to incline bench presses, while the degree of activation of the upper pectoral muscles was similar for both exercises.

Clemens and Aaron (1997) found that bench presses with a wide grip activated more muscle fibers in all primary bench press muscles than bench presses with a narrow grip. For maximum hypertrophy, we recommend using a variety of grip widths and upper body angles to stimulate as many muscle fibers as possible.

After analyzing injuries that can occur during the bench press, Green and Comfort (2007) concluded that a shoulder abduction of 45 degrees in combination with a medium-width grip is the safest variation of the bench press for the shoulder joint. For maximum development of the chest muscles, we recommend using a selection of chest exercises with different repetition ranges.

Massey et al (2004) investigated training with partial repetitions, repetitions performed over the full range of motion and a combination of both. They concluded that none of the three variations resulted in superior strength gains in full range bench presses, but interestingly, the group using a combination of partial repetitions and full range repetitions showed the smallest strength gains.

As for the difference between machine vs. free bench press, Schick et al. (2010) showed that bench presses on the multi-press activated fewer shoulder stabilizers and fewer primary muscle fibers than free bench presses. Scientists also found that the maximum weight was significantly higher with free bench presses than with bench presses on the multi press (Cotterman et al. 2005).

Research conducted by Ignjatovic (2009) suggests that bench press static strength markers do not correlate well with bench press dynamic strength markers, so isometric strength values should not be used to estimate a 1RM.

Duffey and Challis (2011) found that considerable lateral forces are involved in the bench press. They used a special bar that allowed them to measure the vertical and lateral forces and found that the outward forces exerted on the bar were about 25% of the upward forces. It seems that the muscles involved in pushing the bar upwards also produce considerable lateral forces.

This helps to explain why you can't use as much weight in dumbbell bench presses as in barbell bench presses. Not only is more stabilization required, but no lateral forces can be used as these would move the dumbbells outwards, making the movement impossible to perform. The fact that the triceps EMG shows lower values during dumbbell bench presses compared to barbell bench presses seems to support this theory (Saeterbakken et al. 2011).

"Forced repetitions" are quite popular, especially in commercial gyms. Drinkwater et al (2007) found no significant differences in strength and speed gains between exercisers who used forced repetitions and those who did not. As for training to muscle failure, Drinkwater et al. (2005) showed that 4 sets of 6 repetitions were superior to 8 sets of 3 repetitions when it came to strength and speed gains.

As a set progresses from the first to the last repetition, the speed of the bar decreases and the path of the bar shifts from a press over the lower/middle chest more towards a press over the shoulder. (Duffey & Challis 2007).

The bench press has a descending force curve, meaning that it becomes easier the higher you are in the concentric range of motion. Elliot et al (1989) found that bench pressing with an 81% 1RM weight resulted in 48% of the movement being performed in an accelerating phase and 52% of the movement being performed in a decelerating phase. The deceleration phases are necessary to prevent the bar from being thrown upwards at the end of the movement. This is one of the reasons why variable resistance in the form of bands and chains is often used.

Bellar et al (2011) showed that distributing the load to 15% tension with bands and 85% free weights allowed superior strength gains compared to using only free weights. Burnham et al. (2010) showed equal increases in 1RM weight using 5% resistance in the form of chains and using free weights alone, which is similar to the results of McCurdy et al. (2009) who used a higher proportion of resistance using chains.

Using 15% load in the form of chains and 60% load in the form of free weights for a total load of 75% of the 1RM, Baker and Newton (2009) found that this method was superior in terms of increasing concentric movement velocity compared to using 75% of the 1RM weight in the form of free weights. Studies suggest that using 40 to 50% of the 1RM in the form of chains or bands has the greatest impact on speed-strength variables (Ghigiarelli 2009). We support the use of chains and bands as the evidence is clear. However, we also believe that a reasonable strength base should be established before embarking on this path.

Ojasto & Hakinen (2009) found that an accentuated eccentric load, as made possible by so-called weight releasers, is more productive for force production than the use of lighter weights. Specifically, they found that concentric strength decreased when supramaximal eccentric loads were used prior to a maximal concentric repetition, but they also found that when heavier eccentric loads were used prior to a maximal concentric repetition, concentric strength was maximized.

Doan et al (2002) showed that accentuated eccentric loads in the form of weight releasers at 105% of 1RM weight resulted in subsequent increases in concentric loads of 5 to 15 pounds. We recommend the use of weight releasers as strategies to increase upper body compressive strength, using approximately 70% of the 1RM weight for the concentric portion of the movement and 50% of the 1RM weight for the concentric portion of the movement.

Regarding stable vs. unstable surfaces, it has been shown that bench pressing from an unstable surface allows for an increase in activation of the total body stabilizer muscles during exercise performance and that the mode of instability has the greatest influence on which areas recruit more stabilizers (Norwood et al. 2007; Saeterbakken 2011).

In dumbbell bench presses, for example, the triceps are used less and the biceps are activated more in comparison to barbell bench presses (Saeterbakken 2011). The pectoralis major (chest) and shoulders, on the other hand, showed similar recruitment patterns in dumbbell vs. barbell bench presses (Saeterbakken 2011).

Koshida et al. (2008) showed that there was reduced maximal speed (10%), reduced speed (10%) and reduced maximal strength (6%) when bench pressing was performed on a Swiss ball. In contrast, Goodman et al (2008) found no difference between 1RM strength and muscle activation when they compared traditional flat bench presses with barbell bench presses on a Swiss ball. Further research is obviously needed in this area, but we doubt that elite bench pressers would be able to press the same amount of weight on a Swiss ball as on a flat bench.

Santana et al (2007) looked at the differences between standing single-arm cable presses and traditional bench presses with an underhand grip and found that barbell bench presses were better for the pecs, shoulders and erectors, while single-arm cable presses were better for the latissimus and internal obliques. They confirmed that body stability and coordination were greater and therefore a limiting factor in the standing version compared to the traditional reverse grip version.

All types of stretching protocols for chest, shoulders and triceps were shown to have no effect on maximal bench press strength (Molacek et al. 2010). Regarding stretching between sets in the bench press, Garcia Lopez et al. (2010) found that absolute velocity decreased when static stretching was performed between sets, while ballistic stretching had no effect in this direction.

Researchers compared heavy resistance training alone with a combination of heavy resistance training and ballistic training. The results showed significantly greater increases in 1RM with the combined protocol compared to heavy resistance training alone (Mangine et al. 2008). Wilcox et al. (2006) showed that using two plyometric push-ups or two light medicine ball passes from the chest, performed approximately 30 seconds before the bench press, could acutely increase maximal strength.

In the second part of this article, we will describe methods to increase bench press strength based on the studies just reviewed.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/best-damn-bench-press-article-period

By Bret Contreras, Sam Leahey

Louie Simmons, powerlifting guru and founder of Westside Barbell, has been perhaps the most influential person in the field of strength training over the last 20 years. Much of Simmons' methodology was influenced by the work of A.S. Prilepin, a Soviet sports scientist. Prilepin studied the training protocols of over 1000 weightlifters in search of the key to maximum strength, which he summarized in the following table.

Prilepin's table

Note: This is a strength training table, so it contains fewer repetitions than are normally used for hypertrophy purposes. Remember that Prilepin has summarized his research results with weightlifters who do not show a need for training with higher repetitions.

The first column indicates the percentage of maximum weight for one repetition (1RM weight). For example, if someone has a 1RM weight of 250 kilos when deadlifting, then 90% of this would be 225 kilos.

The second column shows the suggested number of repetitions per set. Note that the number of repetitions decreases as the percentage of 1RM weight increases. This reduces fatigue and potential overtraining due to increased stress on the nervous system. The third column indicates an optimal number of total repetitions for strength gains. Again, note that the optimal number of repetitions decreases with increasing weight. Note in particular the reduction in the optimal number of repetitions from the 80% to the 90% range (a reduction of over 50%). This indicates that the load on the nervous system increases as the speed of movement decreases.

The fourth column gives a potential range of total repetitions based on the respective percentages of 1RM weight. As you can see, the value for the optimal number of total repetitions from the previous column is in the middle of this range. Prilepin has probably assumed that anything below the lower limit of the range would not provide enough stimulation, while anything above the upper limit of the range would slow down the speed of the movements too much due to accumulated fatigue.

The introduction of time in Prilepin's table

One element left out of this table is the time factor. In earlier explanations, Simmons limits the time between sets on days of dynamic effort to increase the workload, i.e. more work within a shorter period of time. This makes the training session more efficient. Reducing the rest intervals during a training session can also increase hypertrophy.

So the first thing we can do to promote hypertrophy with Prilepin's table is to limit the rest intervals. However, this limit should be chosen relative to the other columns in the table. It could look something like this:

Modified Prilepin table - The time factor

Let's assume that you press 150 kilos on the bench. Take 70% of this, which would be 105 kilos. Since higher reps tend to promote hypertrophy, 4 sets of 6 reps with 105 kilos and 75 seconds rest between sets would be a logical starting point.

You could achieve progression in the following way. This approach would reduce the risk of overtraining - provided that volume and intensity are kept under control.

• Week 2: 4 sets x 6 reps with 105 kilos and 65 seconds rest.
• Week 3: 4 sets x 6 reps with 105 kilos and 55 seconds rest.
• Week 4: 4 sets x 6 repetitions with 105 kilos and 45 seconds rest.

In the fifth week, the percentage of 1RM weight and the length of the rest interval could be increased and the above cycle repeated.

The hypertrophy curve

However, six repetitions or less is probably not ideal for hypertrophy, so let's look at what Prilepin's chart would look like if higher repetition numbers were incorporated.

The following is an extension of that table, but certainly not something he would likely recommend. Prilepin worked with weightlifters and increasing reps reduces efficiency in these exercises.

The goal with this hypertrophy training approach is to regulate intensity and add a rationale to an area that is often nebulous at best. It's not about the pump and it's also definitely about training by feel.

The modified Prilepin table - The hypertrophy factor

The middle three columns have been changed. By increasing the number of repetitions, there is a shift towards hypertrophy training.

The basic idea for achieving hypertrophy is that you do a certain amount "x" of work in a certain amount of time within the required repetition ranges and with the required rest intervals. You can modify this in a number of ways as long as you don't do too few reps and don't rest too long between sets.

• This could be done as in the previous case, keeping the percentage of 1RM weight constant and reducing the length of the rests
• It could also take the form of a simple progression where the trainee trains in the first range of the percentage for two weeks, trains in the next range of the percentage for the following two weeks and trains in the third range of the percentage for the final two weeks. Here, the rest intervals and the number of repetitions could be kept the same, or the rest intervals could remain the same while the number of repetitions is reduced slightly, and so on.

The tempo: another modification

However, this table still does not reflect everything that is needed for hypertrophy. The repetition speed or time under tension must also be taken into account.

A repetition is divided into four phases: lowering (eccentric), the transition to the concentric phase, lifting (concentric) and the transition to the eccentric phase of the movement.

A tempo of 4/1/2/1 in the shoulder press would mean that you take four seconds to lower the weight to the upper chest, pause the weight on the upper chest for one second before pressing the weight upwards over a period of two seconds, where it remains at the highest point of the movement for one second before performing the next repetition.

The time under tension should therefore be integrated into the table if we want to be effective. And here's without further ado:

The complete Prilepin chart for hypertrophy

The calculation of time under tension is based on performing 25 to 45 seconds of work for one set. The lower repetition ranges are more dependent on the upper values of the time under tension recommendations and the higher repetition ranges are more dependent on the lower values of the time under tension recommendations.

You will notice an emphasis on the value for the eccentric part of the movement, i.e. it will be higher than the value for the concentric part of the movement. Eccentric training tends to promote hypertrophy. It is also the primary source of muscle soreness due to the muscle damage it produces in the muscle and surrounding areas.

The time under tension

The time under tension adds another set screw to the previous table. The best rest intervals between sets tend to be the rest intervals that are shorter. If the goal is to do more work in less time, then this can be achieved with shorter pauses between sets.

However, when time under tension is included in the equation, we should ensure to allow sufficient recovery to make future sets productive. To achieve this, we need to start at the high end of the pause interval range and the low end of the repetition range.

For example, let's look at shoulder presses and assume 100 kilos is 68% of max weight:

• Week 1 - 6 sets x 6 reps with 100 kilos and a 4/1/1/1 tempo and 75 seconds rest.
• Week 2 - 5 sets x 7 reps with 100 kilos and a 4/1/1/1 tempo and 75 seconds rest.
• Week 3 - 4 sets x 8 reps with 100 kilos and a 4/1/0/1 tempo and 60 seconds rest.
• Week 4 - 4 sets x 9 reps with 100 kilos and a 4/1/0/1 tempo and 60 seconds rest.

The number of repetitions increases, the number of sets decreases slightly and the time under tension decreases slightly but remains in range, while the rest intervals also become shorter.

This is a basic example of how the complete hypertrophy table might work.

Program design with the full hypertrophy table

Now let's use all this information to build some muscle! The goal in putting together any hypertrophy program should revolve around training as much as possible within the limits of recovery capacity. Frequency combined with the above principles will guarantee results as long as overtraining does not occur.

The following training split could be considered:

• Day 1 - Chest, shoulders, back
• Day 2 - No training
• Day 3 - legs and arms
• Day 4 - No training
• Day 5 - Chest, shoulders, triceps
• Day 6 - Back, legs, biceps
• Day 7 - No training

• Don't be afraid to group muscle groups in different ways during the same training cycle.
• To maximize recovery, train at a higher intensity on days 1 and 3 and at a lower intensity on days 5 and 6.
• Choose one exercise per muscle group on days 1, 5 and 6, and two on day 3, but keep the total number of training sets in mind. As a rule of thumb, you should not perform more than 12 work sets. Hypertrophy is largely the result of increased frequency. The goal is to damage a muscle in the gym and leave the gym, recover and then come back to the gym.
• Use the same exercises over the course of four weeks.
• On days 1 and 3, keep the rest intervals constant, but increase the percentage of 1RM you use for each exercise each week.
• On days 5 and 6, keep the weight constant, but reduce the rest intervals between sets by 5 seconds each week.
• If you are one of those people who only build up slowly, do not increase the weight every week, but every second week and carry out the program for a period of 6 weeks.
• When you have completed the first run of 4 to 6 weeks, then change the exercises and choose new percentages, new repetition numbers, a new tempo and new rest intervals. However, keep the basic principle of using higher percentages of 1RM weight on days 1 and 3 than on days 5 and 6.
• Warm up well for all exercises before starting the actual training.

Day 1 - Chest and back (9 sets)

All sets are performed at a 4/1/0/1 tempo.

Day 2 - No training

Day 3 - Legs and arms (12 sets)

All sets are performed at a 4/1/0/1 tempo.

Day 4 - No training

Day 5 - Chest, shoulders, triceps (9 sets)

All sets are performed at a 3/0/2/0 tempo.

Day 6 - Legs, back, biceps (11 sets)

* Two sets with your feet high on the rack and feet close together and two sets with your feet further down and feet further apart.

All sets are performed at a 3/0/2/0 tempo.

Day 7 - No training

Conclusion

Although Pripelin's chart was originally designed for strength gains, it can also be adapted for hypertrophy gains to help exercisers who want to modulate their intensity in an organized manner. All in all, this program contains the right amount of volume, intensity and frequency to be very effective - always assuming that the diet matches.

Bodybuilding tends to be much more about feelings than reasons - at least that's how the media portrays it. The problem with this approach is that feelings are not a reliable guide. Getting a pump certainly feels like you're growing, but without a logical rationale, you never know if this is actually the case.

Training with a rationally designed program builds confidence and works. And above all else, confidence in a program is ultimately what determines the success and progress of the exerciser. This program could build that kind of confidence.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/prilepins-table-for-hypertrophy

By Scott Dixon

Do you want to get strong? This expert guide will teach you how to increase your strength. Learn how to optimize your training sessions and diet for maximum strength gains!

This guide will teach you the following:

• What the differences are for beginners between training for muscle gain and training for maximum strength
• Which 7 exercises are the cornerstones for building strength
• What is the fastest way for beginners to build strength
• How often you should test your maximum weight and the best way to do it
• How to improve the form of bench press, squat, deadlift and overhead press exercises
• What widely used strength-building programs and systems such as Starting Strength, Wendler's 531 and Westside are available
• How to best structure a training plan for building strength
• How you should warm up and what you should do to prevent injury
• What support exercises you can use to target weaknesses in strength
• How to use the right nutrition and supplementation to maximize your results and how to structure a meal plan

Introduction

The aim of this strength building guide is to provide you with all the tools you need to build strength as quickly as possible. You'll learn about popular strength building strategies and exercises, how to improve your form on the bench press, squat and deadlift, and how to optimize your diet and supplementation to achieve your goals.

Strength-building training vs. muscle-building training for beginners

During the initial stages of training, there won't be many differences between training to build strength and training to build muscle. Both goals require a substantial increase in strength in key exercises such as bench presses, squats, overhead presses and rowing, as well as building muscle.

While experienced exercisers need to focus primarily on training in the lower repetition range (1 to 5 repetitions per set), exercisers who have just started training and want to build strength should focus on a repetition range of 5 to 10 repetitions per set for most basic exercises.

Definitions and common terms

The following is a list of definitions of common terms that you will find in most articles dealing with building strength and in descriptions of training programs.

• Intensity: Intensity is often seen in the context of "high-intensity training". In strength training, intensity is the percentage of your maximum weight for one repetition (1RM weight) that you are working with for a given exercise.
• Volume: Volume can represent the number of sets per training session, the number of repetitions for a specific exercise with a given weight or the total number of repetitions multiplied by the weight used.
• Periodization: Periodization involves a cyclical change in intensity and/or training volume using specific cycles to allow for better recovery and continuous gains.
• Overtraining: The term overtraining refers to stressing a muscle, the central nervous system or ligaments and tendons beyond their ability to recover effectively.
• Unloading: Unloading represents a planned period of rest or lighter training to reduce symptoms of fatigue or overtraining while maintaining current strength levels.
• Max Effort (ME): Max effort in this context refers to heavy (intense) training days during which a trainee works up to a 5, 3 or 1RM weight for a specific exercise. Maximum effort days can be considered as training days with maximum weights.
• Dynamic Effort (DE): Dynamic Effort training days focus on speed training, which stands for performing an exercise with approximately 50 to 60% of the 1RM weight using fast/powerful repetitions. Dynamic effort training sets often consist of single repetitions for deadlifts, 3 repetitions for bench presses and 2 repetitions for squats. Training days with dynamic effort can be regarded as training days with maximum speed of movement.
• Training days with high repetitions (repetition effort, RE for short): On training days with high repetitions, the focus is on performing sets with a higher number of repetitions in the range of 6 to 12 repetitions. Each set is performed until muscle failure or at least close to muscle failure.
• Support exercises: The function of support exercises is to target weak points and increase the strength of key muscle groups so that the body becomes as strong as possible as a unit.

Basics of strength training

Define your goals

Before you choose a training program and put together a solid nutrition plan, it's important that you first define your goals. Take a minute to think about your long-term goals and write them down. Try to keep these goals realistic, but still challenging. 200 kilos on the bench press may be possible in 5 years, but certainly cannot be achieved by 99.99% of the population within 6 months.

Once you have defined your long-term goals, it's time to think about your short-term goals. No small step is too insignificant. Think about where you want to be in a month, in 6 months and in a year.

And remember that the key to achieving your goals is to maximize your efforts. Strong bodies are built with "one extra repetition at a time" using small but consistent steps.

The 7 primary natural strength exercises

If your goal is to build strength, a good starting point is to analyze what the human body is good at. We are designed to perform certain movements and exercises with ease using multiple muscle groups and maximizing leverage ratios.

The 7 primary natural strength exercises that the body is good at performing are as follows:

• Horizontal Press: Pushing a weight away from the torso. An example of a horizontal pressing exercise would be bench presses.
• Horizontal pull: The pulling of a weight towards the body. An example of a horizontal pulling exercise would be barbell rowing.
• Vertical press: Pushing a weight away from the body overhead. An example of a vertical push exercise would be shoulder presses.
• Vertical pull: The pulling of a weight from an overhead position towards the body. Examples of vertical pulling exercises would be pull-ups and lat pull-downs.
• Squats: Bending the hips and knees with the torso semi-erect, as if you were reaching for something lying on the floor in front of you. An example of a squat variation would be classic squats with a barbell in the neck.
• Pulling a weight off the floor: Moving a weight off the floor in a position of maximum leverage (knees bent and hips flexed). An example of such an exercise would be deadlifts with a barbell.
• Carrying a weight: Holding a weight in one or both hands and walking or running with that weight. An example of such an exercise would be the farmers walk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkzk_RqlYig).

There are many other exercises that the human body is good at performing, such as jumping and shoulder raises, but most of these exercises are derivatives of the 7 exercises mentioned above. This means that if you increase your strength in most or all of these 7 primary exercises, your body will be able to perform almost any task with strength.

The primary strength building exercises

Most strength training workouts are very similar and include a core group of several exercises. These exercises are all variations of the 7 primary natural movements.

• Squats and front squats
• Bench press and close grip bench press
• Shoulder press and push press (standing shoulder press with momentum from the legs)
• Deadlift and Romanian deadlift
• Barbell and dumbbell rows
• Power cleans and variations of the Olympic weightlifting exercises

There are also several other exercises that can be very helpful for a beginner looking to build strength quickly.

• Pull-ups with a wide grip and palms facing away from the body
• Pull-ups with a narrow grip and palms facing towards the body
• dip
• Plank
• Abdominal exercises with additional weight such as sit-ups with a weight plate or cable crunches
• Glute-ham raises
• Good mornings
• Side bends
• Farmers walk

It should be noted that this is not a complete, all-inclusive list. A full list of high quality exercises can be found under the heading "Exercise List of Supporting Exercises" in one of the following parts of this article series.

The fastest way for a beginner to build strength

It's not uncommon for a beginner to fall into the trap of looking for a magic strength building workout or a magic strength building system. In this context, you should always remember the following: there is no magic training system. The key to fast and consistent progress is to follow these essential rules:

• Stay consistent: stop looking for excuses and skipping training sessions. If you want to increase your strength, then you need to get into the gym and train week after week.
• Stick to the basics: Stick to a basic program. Simplicity works very well for strength training in the beginning. Training evolution or complexity is something you will need in the future - but not now. Get strong with the basics. Most popular strength-building programs have a minimalist structure that uses the same effective strength-building exercises.
• Eat enough: To maximize your efforts in the weight room, you need to make sure you're eating right. Eating too little or eating too much junk food can severely hamper your progress.
• Make a plan: You can't come to the weight room without a plan. Plan when and how you want to increase the weight on the bar. A strength building program requires a progression plan. No training session should be done without a plan or a specific goal.

The 4 big exercises - Plus 1

At the core of most strength building programs are classic squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and bench presses. Power cleans are also frequently used. Squats, deadlifts and power cleans are considered posterior chain exercises. A posterior chain exercise works almost every muscle on the back of the body from head to toe including the back, gluteus, hips, hamstrings and more. Squats and deadlifts are considered the most effective strength building exercises.

Shoulder presses and bench presses are pressing exercises. Pressing exercises work the shoulders, chest, back and arms (to varying degrees). A properly structured strength building approach will aim to create some sort of balance between bench presses and overhead presses so that shoulder girdle health can be maintained.

Do I need a weightlifting belt?

Is a weightlifting belt necessary? This is a popular and often heatedly debated question. Although there are good arguments on both sides, most experienced exercisers choose to perform heavy workouts using a weightlifting belt.

Here are some pros and cons of using a weightlifting belt:

Pros:

• A weightlifting belt can help support the spine.
• A weightlifting belt can increase self-confidence

Cons:

• A weightlifting belt can result in slight changes in exercise form. When using a weightlifting belt for the first time, don't start with heavy weights straight away. Work on your exercise form with a weightlifting belt using lighter weights first.
• A weightlifting belt that is too tight can impair blood circulation and/or cause changes in blood pressure.

The role of the central nervous system

Although it is the job of muscle tissue to move heavy weights, the central nervous system (CNS) also plays a crucial role in this process. In many ways, the CNS acts like a source of energy - when it becomes active, you will begin to recruit more and more muscle fibers.

This is one of the reasons why a proper warm-up is necessary before a heavy workout. If you try to move a heavy weight before your CNS is fully activated, you will try to move that weight using fewer muscle fibers. The result will be more stress on joints and connective tissue and therefore a higher risk of injury.

You can test the strength of the CNS after each heavy training session. To do this, after you have completed your heavy workout, reduce the weight on the bar by 25% and perform a set. This set will feel incredibly light as your central nervous system is fully activated and recruiting maximum amounts of muscle tissue.

How often should I test my 1RM weight?

There is no urgent need to test your maximum weight (1RM weight) regularly on different exercises. Performing heavy single repetitions is physically demanding and requires weeks of recovery.

Instead of regularly testing your maximum weight, concentrate on increasing the weight in each training session. Push yourself and try to increase the number of repetitions and weight whenever possible while maintaining good form.

Most strength training systems will include some form of low repetition training, which will require a consistent increase in weight. Many beginner programs use sets of 5 reps and include a structured method of increasing the weight. You can use these heavy sets of 5 reps to estimate your 1RM using one of the many calculators available on the internet.

If you want to test your 1RM weight, you should do this no more than every 3 to 6 months and allow yourself several training-free days for recovery afterwards.

How to test your 1RM weight

The structure of these progression schemes is designed to help stimulate your CNS for maximum performance. Do not ignore this progression and refrain from large weight jumps. Large weight jumps do not adequately stimulate the CNS and can result in less than optimal performance. Large weight jumps also increase the risk of injury.

Rest. Follow the recommended recovery guidelines when testing your maximum weight on the bench press. This is not a sprint. If you don't have enough time to test your maximum weight for one repetition, wait until you have enough time.

Allow your body the correct amount of rest between heavy sets to recover. Some of these repetitions may seem easy and you may not need 3 minutes rest. If this is the case, then rest for at least 2 minutes and then try to perform the next repetition.

Use the following progression schemes based on your roughly estimated maximum weight. Rest for at least 2 minutes between challenging sets and 3 to 5 minutes between challenging sets if needed.

Continue until you reach a repetition that is very challenging. Only increase the weight by 2.5 to 5 kilos for the next repetitions once you have reached this point. If you fail a repetition, reduce the weight to a more realistic weight using your best estimate.

If you fail on the second attempt, stop the workout.

100-199 pounds* max weight (1RM)

• Bar x 5 reps
• Bar x 5 repetitions
• 75 x 3 repetitions
• 95 x 1 repetition
• 115 x 1 repetition
• 135 x 1 repetition
• 155 x 1 repetition
• 175 x 1 repetition
• 195 x 1 repetition

* 1 kilo = 2.2 pounds

200-299 pounds maximum weight (1RM)

• Bar x 10 repetitions
• 135 x 5 repetitions
• 185 x 3 repetitions
• 205 x 1 repetition
• 225 x 1 repetition
• 245 x 1 repetition
• 265 x 1 repetition
• 285 x 1 repetition

300-399 pounds max weight (1RM)

• Bar x 10-15 reps
• 135 x 5 reps
• 185 x 3 reps
• 225 x 1 repetition
• 275 x 1 repetition
• 305 x 1 repetition
• 325 x 1 repetition
• 345 x 1 repetition
• 365 x 1 repetition
• 385 x 1 repetition

Training for different strength sports

The structure of strength training sessions can vary greatly depending on the specific goals:

- Powerlifting: Powerlifters generally train 3 to 4 times per week and structure their workouts around bench presses, squats and deadlifts. In many cases, an upper body/lower body split is used, which includes two days of pressing exercises for the chest, triceps, back and shoulders and two days of training for the posterior chain.
- Strongman: Many strongman style workouts are very similar to powerlifting workouts. It is not uncommon to see a weekday training session based on pulls, a weekday training session based on presses and a weekend training session focused on training for specific competitions.
- Olympic Weightlifting: Olympic weightlifters are known to train 6 or 7 times per week - often with multiple workouts per day. An Olympic weightlifting workout is very technique-based and apart from squats, the focus of these workouts is on repetitions of the Olympic weightlifting exercises and their variations.
- CrossFit: Although CrossFit is not a specific strength sport, many CrossFitters focus heavily on training with variations of the Olympic weightlifting exercises. Strength endurance is also an integral part of CrossFit training.

In the next installment of this article series, we'll take a closer look at proper exercise form for heavy multi-joint exercises.

Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/strength