Louie Simmons, a legendary powerlifting coach and founder of Westside Barbell, is renowned for his innovative methods. This blog post dives into his six-week sample bench press program, designed to build explosive power and raw strength.
Building the Foundation: Speed and Strength Development
The program emphasizes two key pillars:
- Speed Work (Dynamic Method): This involves nine sets of three reps with various grip variations using a weight around 45% of your 1RM floor press. This approach hones your speed and technique.
- Maximal Strength: Special exercises like JM presses, straight-bar triceps extensions, and dumbbell extensions target specific muscle groups to build overall strength.
Westside’s Core Bench Workouts:
The program offers a variety of workouts, allowing you to choose and combine based on your preferences:
- Floor Press with Chains: This exercise progressively adds weight using chains draped over the sleeves, mimicking competition resistance.
- Overhead Band Presses: Bands attached to the top of the rack reduce weight at the chest, replicating the “shirt effect” for explosive gains.
- Football Bar Presses: This unique bar allows palms-facing grip variations, intensely targeting triceps while pressing.
- Illegally Wide Grip Benching: Pushing the boundaries with a wider grip than competition allows, this method builds strength and explosiveness for legal-width lifts.
- Band Presses: Bands attached to the bottom of the rack create variable resistance, enhancing power throughout the lift.
- Board Presses: Used strategically, board presses can be effective for advanced lifters with strong triceps, but proper form is crucial to avoid lockout weaknesses.
Remember:
- Consult a qualified coach: This program is intense, and seeking guidance is essential to ensure proper form and prevent injuries.
- Listen to your body: Pushing to failure requires adequate rest and recovery.
- Progression is key: Change exercises or weights periodically to avoid plateaus and maintain progress.
Westside’s program by Louie Simmons offers a comprehensive approach to bench press training. By incorporating speed work, maximal strength exercises, and a variety of pressing variations, you can unlock new levels of power and achieve significant gains in your bench press performance.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional training advice. Always consult a certified coach before starting any new training program.
Check out our previous post about Pushing Your Limits: Loading for Repetition and Work to Failure.