Dave Tate's 6-Week Bench Cure, Modifications

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

Hey guys I recently stalled on bench and although it hasn’t completely stopped it has been going significantly slower. I was working up to a 4RM back at my home gym and when I came back to school I could only do it for 2 reps (wider bar here) so I kept that for 2 weeks adding 3-5lb. both weeks. This week I added another 5lb and only got 1 rep. Now I really wouldn’t consider this bad progress considering I’m obviously not going to be able to increase by 5lb. each week but normally I would just keep adding weight as the reps dropped, and now I’m at 1 rep. Also, my pin presses are at 2x1 now as opposed to 2x3 like in the previous weeks so it seems like I should change things.

My split is almost exactly like how it’s set up in the bench press cure article anyway (2 push, 2 pull/legs), the main thing I would be changing is how I go about benching. I have just a few questions before starting though and I’d appreciate any help with this I can get. Mainly on exercise selection:

  1. Rows are put on upper/bench day. I currently do them on my lower (which is legs/pull) days. Can I keep the rows on lower body days or is there some important reason to keep them on pushing days? I don’t do much volume for legs in general so keeping the back movement there would keep workout times more reasonable as well

  2. For “Free Time: For 20 minutes, do any upper-body movements you like. Keep all sets over 8 reps.” I know it says any upper-body movement, so I was thinking of having chest worked there since the only chest exercise being done is benching which is working my triceps a lot more with this style. I am interested in bodybuilding mostly so I was thinking of just putting flat flyes one day and incline the other so I can work chest without adding more pressing

  3. For 2-board presses I figured I would just do towel or pin presses. Is that OK?

Thanks a lot guys and I’d be interested to hear about any experience you’ve personally had with the routine or other suggestions.

2

You can’t just bench and add weight every week. You’ll hit a wall pretty quickly. You need to follow an actual program.

3

[quote]Wild_Iron_Gym wrote:
You can’t just bench and add weight every week. You’ll hit a wall pretty quickly. You need to follow an actual program.[/quote]

I was doing an actual program, and now my plan is to do the “bench press cure” as mentioned above.

So anyway, same questions as above.

Thanks again everyone

4

Anyone?

5

what are you benching and how long have you been doing that program? I would add more back and tricep work and reps on the close grip have always helped me

6

Me and my brother, especially my brother, increased our bench dramatically doing heavy overhead presses. Lots of volume too, and I always hold and the top of the last rep for a few seconds. Plus when we work arms we do heavy close-grip bench. I change it up from flat, incline and decline from week to week. Anyway my brother has always had problems with bench and he went from 215 1rm to 245 1rm in 6 weeks.

7

Follow the program the way your supposed to run it.