In trying to combine pretty much everything from BFR training alongside Mountain Dog training, I got this…
Triceps (all except No. 2 with reps of 30/15/15/15)
Biceps (all with reps of 30/15/15/15)
My personal preference would be to swap 2 and 3 on your biceps (my elbows get pretty cranky), but it looks awesome
I forgot to mention, how frequently would this be implemented in training? I’ll probably follow this alongside something similar to a push/pull routine - not sure if I should neglect direct arm training during the standard days and just run this as a ‘gap workout’, or just reduce arm-training volume during non-gap workouts.
If it’s all BFR, my hunch is you could pick an exercise and do 3-6 normal sets on your regular days and just keep what you have on your gap day. I’ve never done it, so that’s just a guess.
If it’s straight sets, I’ve not done well if I go over about 16 a weeks even splitting frequency.
Following on from the big bench question on the other ‘surge’ thread, what do you co aider a big bench and what is your bench Mr pain?
@anon6371718 hit 285lbs /130kg for 6
I’m going to do the whole year on 531 and see where my bench ends up but I’d like 225lbs for an easyish set of 10 and a clean rep of 140kg/ 315lbs. I think that’s a big bench compared to 90% of the people in the gym but it’s not big overall.
I’m talking BB benching not a power lifter though.
That’s a really good question. I think, like everything in the gym, it’s like driving on the highway: everyone going faster than me is flying, and everyone else is crawling.
I could maybe get 2 with 285, so 285 x 6 is enormous. I don’t have any further detailed standards!
Not to be picky, but that was 285x7 lol.
Weighted dips are probably the number one helper for bemch IMO. I also trained incline bench only for like 2 years or something so my incline is pretty similar to my flat bench… when i swapped back over to flat bench - my numbers only shot upwards like when Goku finally took the training weights off mid-fight scene lol.
If you really want to lift more weight on specific lifts, you would probably do well to not divorce these two training methods. There are better lifts for hypertrophy than flat bench, so make no mistake that by pushing for a big bench - you are powerlifting, just without the exorcist arch.
You can’t get a bigger bench without training bench, so most of your efforts should still be focused on benching. Past there, weighted dips, then maybe close grip bench.
This is also very true.
FWIW, i still think my bench is shit lol.
This is absolutely me
The incline at my current gym is only a slight angle less then up right and I feel so weak on it but it’s basically a BB shoulder press. The angle also feels terrible for my shoulders so I tend to stay away from it at this gym.
I personally think that because I haven’t focussed on improving my bench up to some reasonable figures I’ve left some development on the table so to speak. After 6 months on my current programme (my 531 BB style) I might be wrong but I think I’m looking the best I have in years at the moment.
I’ve never focussed too much on dips as they hurt my right wrist for some reason so weighted dips irritate it (although my elbows usually feel fine on them). Maybe I’ll try adding dips as my accsesssory chest lift when I change it next.
I’m dealing with this kind of stuff right now. I used to care so much about my bench, but I wanted full range of motion, I was doing it twice a week, it was bigger than my squat and going up all the time. I had a realization that all the guys benching more than me were either much bigger (and fatter) than me, had an arch way bigger than mine, or cared about it way more than any other lift. It was nice being able to bench more than what people expected of me but outside of those 10-30mins inside the gym, I had not a lot to show for it and neither did any of the other benchers in my “bracket”. I know there’s a massive novelty factor but my chest has grown more in 3months of dropping a BB Bench day for DB Press and more recently, a slight incline DB Press than it did in all my previous time of training. I am genuinely considering dropping it completely, maybe for close-grip bench so I’m still doing some form of barbell pressing in case I ever decide I want to work on it again. If close-grip gets slow to progress, I’ll switch to incline BB press for a cycle. Maybe even close-grip incline press which I’m sure is epic for the triceps.
To go with your statement, I was marrying two concepts and it was hindering me in both.
Can you not drag an adjustable bench into a rack?
I’m with you on dips. With it being the exercise we’ve done the least, we probably stand to make the most gains from it though.
Well, I think you were making the opposite point, but these are valid comments =)
Train big lifts like big lifts, and the rest for hypertrophy. No sense in running high rep bench press for the sake of gainz when better exercises are out there to accomplish this.
Going for a big bench without the intent of attending a powerlifting meet is sheerly for the sake of ego, and I’m here for it. If you wanted to train both hypertrophy and strength, then I still recommend following my advice above, wherein following a planned progression model for the lift (bench, in this case) but with assistance work that would improve hypertrophy as well… This is how I’ve pretty much always modeled my training, only it’s been much more effective when using 5/3/1 base.
Ignore the weight for non-strength movements (dealer’s choice on which ones to pick, I like reverse-grip bench and flyes) and just focus on the pump/mind-muscle connection. My Chest/Tricep strength/hypertrophy day would look like this: (note that I don’t currently train like this)
This would meet goals of increased weight (first priority) while still producing enough intensification activity via subsequent exercises to still stimulate growth.
Just noting I couldn’t agree more with what @anon6371718 said there.
I don’t care that much about progressing anymore that I’m willing to do even the back-of-the-napkin thinking that 5/3/1 requires, but I completely agree that training movements and building muscle are two different animals.
I like Meadows’ basic set-ups, because I’m old and cranky/ creaky, but when I get bored there I throw in a CT rep scheme for awhile. So let’s say leg day might look like:
In fact, now I’m feeling like a genius, so that’s probably this afternoon’s leg day. I guess the point is we can probably split some difference since we aren’t getting on stage. I can’t handle the heavy lifting very well when I start getting really lean, which I haven’t done in maybe 5 years; I think that’s where we see the “bodybuilding” training really show itself.
After writing this out, I realize it’s got nothing to do with bench day, but whatever - every day is leg day, bro.
I think if I dragged a bench into the squat rack I’d be hated forever lol I’ve got the options of incline DBs (which I’m currently using) and then incline smith which actually feels quite good.
It’s something I’ve often pondered and thought about but can you be ‘big’ without being able to hit some kind of strength benchmark. In my mind, how can I be small or at least not bigger than I am now if I go from benching say benching 85kg for 10 to 100kg for 10.
I’ll maybe come back to this topic when I have more time.
I didn’t think that was such a bad thing, it certainly isn’t in the gym I go to as it is the only way people can do it safely. Then again, people row in the fucking racks at my gym. 
“Dude can you row outside of the rack” probably happens every single day.
At least they weren’t curling in the squat rack!
The only reason it would annoy people at my gym is we only have 1 rack you can squat in but do have the smith and incline and incline benches for incline.
If it were at my gym, this would be a fair assumption as I would one of the people hating you 
Squat racks are for squats.
Benches are for benching.
Platforms are for various Olympic lifts (deadlifts can be included).
Power Racks can be used for various heavy lifts… i suppose bench could be included here, but most people I find benching in the power rack have less than 2 plates on bench.
Not that less than 2 plates is bad, just that if you die under 225lbs - you probably deserve it IMO. Just let the plates fall off the side like an adult lol.
You guys are spoilt. Standing/Seated Overhead Press, Incline/Decline Barbell Benching, Squat variations and even fucking dips can only be done in the one of two racks in my gym. And with there being only one dedicated barbell bench area, people often flat bench in them too.
It gets worse. The only pullups bars in the gym are attached to them so you get people asking “is it okay if I do some weighted chins behind you?”. Sometimes you walk in and it feels replicant of a jungle gym you’d take your kids to.
Jesus that sounds horrid!
Is this thing on?
I’m still on the road, but well-equipped hotel gyms this time. I decided to play around with the CT “Best Damn” this week, and get back to something a little more structured next week. He’s got new ones dropping in the forum soon, it looks like; I’ll likely do that when they’re available.
Today was Push
Leg Press
Worked up to the stack
RP set: 7 + 3 + 1
Machine Press
Tried to do it like a floor press - close grip, dead-stop
Worked up to a little less than the stack
5 cluster reps
Slow Eccentric Incline DB
40/6
50/12ish + stretch hold
DB Side Raise + Myo Reps
20/6
30/12 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3
5 rounds of:
Disgustingly bored of hotel workouts. Did some treadmill and cable stack stuff today.