Bench Press Pyramid Week 1: Full Pyramid Warm-up; 1×8 - 75 percent of max; 1×6 - 85 percent of max; 1×1 - 95 percent of max; 1×6 - 85 percent of max; 1×8 - 75 percent of max Retract your scapula, extend your thoracic spine. Slowly rotate your arm at the shoulder in small circles counterclockwise and clockwise. Perform 10-12 rotations in each direction and switch arms. This exercise will teach your shoulder to be strong in a particular range of motion. Bench Press Start •Lie on bench with eyes directly under bar and head, hips and feet flat on the floor. •Grab the bar with a palms out grip with thumbs wrapped around bar, slightly wider than shoulder width. Spotter should be in proper position. Movement •Slowly lift bar off supports in a slow controlled movement. embark on the road to a 300 plus pound bench press. It's no surprise that everyone fights over the benches at the gym on Monday evenings. The bench press or variation of it should be a staple of every program. If you're one of the people scrambling for an open bench you're on the right track. When done correctly the bench press can be a full 8. Repeat this workout twice per week with at least three days of rest between each session. Increase the starting bench press weight by five pounds (or 10 pounds if you can handle it) per week to keep progressing up to the 300-pound bench press goal. You'll get there -- just be patient and stay motivated to achieve this milestone. From this starting place, the next step is to slowly increase the amount of volume and intensity stress in the program each week. First, add the appropriate amount of weight to the bar at a given volume. For most people, adding 2.5 lb to 5 lb the volume work and intensity work every week works well. 12 Week Heavy Day Deadlift Cycle. On heavy deadlift days your cycle will be the following: Week 1 - 55% x 8 sets x 6 reps. Week 2 - 60% x 7 sets x 5 reps. Week 3 - 65% x 6 sets x 4 reps. Week 4 - 70% x 5 sets x 3 reps. Week 5 - 75% x 4 sets x 3 reps. 13: 585×1 paused with a bench shirt (1st week with a shirt) Thursday: Behind the Neck Press Pyramid*. Dumbbell Lateral Side Raises 2×10-12. Hammer Grip Dumbell Dumbbell Lateral Raises 2×10-12. Bent Over Dumbbell Raises 2×10-12. *Ed doesn't outline his BTN press programming but says it mimmicked his bench. Push your hips back and bend your knees to reach down and grasp the bar so your hands are just outside your knees. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, drive your heels into the floor and Apply Williams' tenets to the following three-days-a-week program by Elliott Hulse, C.P.T. Over eight weeks—focusing on form and pushing your reps to failure on every working set—you could add up to 35 pounds to your max bench. Yes, it's an aggressive goal but also attainable. Your moment of "instant gratification" awaits. Week 1 of Your Deadlift Programming Every deadlift workout will follow the same pattern. We will use an estimated 1RM of 200 pounds to illustrate a sample deadlift program. If you are not sure, here is how to calculate your 1 Rep Max for this deadlift program. First deadlift warmup set: 5 reps using 100 pounds or 50% of your 1 Rep Max. Slide backwards along the bench and under the bar until your upper ab area is directly under the bar. Tuck your feet back under the bench directly beneath the hips, with the balls of the feet in contact with the floor and heels raised. Slide or "contract" your body back towards the bottom of