UP YOUR BENCH 30 LBS IN 30 DAYS!

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Written by Christopher Mason
UP YOUR BENCH 30 LBS IN 30 DAYS!
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INTRODUCTION
I am here to tell you it can and has been done, drug-free, and
that includes experienced trainees.
With the right combination of proper training, diet, rest, and
supplementation you can do it! If youre game, read on
George Halbert multi- title and record holding living benching legend!
Your reaction upon reading the title of this guide was one of disbelief and curiosity, wasnt it? I understand.
There are a lot of people making a lot of promises out there and very few of them pan out. Your personal
gym experience also infuences your reaction to the title.
You have not experienced such fantastic progress and follow all of the advice you have gathered from
the net and in print. Undoubtedly, you have heretofore come to the conclusion that such progress is only
possible with anabolic steroids and inhuman heredity. Please read the following VERY carefully:
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The four most important factors ranked in order of importance are:
THE FOUR FACTORS
1. Proper training
2. Proper diet
3. Proper supplementation
4. Proper rest
Brad Cardoza knows that The Four Factors are critical to success in any
strength sport
UP YOUR BENCH 30 LBS IN 30 DAYS!
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Wait a second! You have read so many times how important sleep is, right? How did it get ranked least
important?
The idea that strength training progress is nigh impossible without 8 or more hours of sleep seems to be all
pervasive in iron game culture. Sleep is important, but a lot can be done with less than optimal amounts. In
my own training, I have made excellent progress while working with signifcantly less than 8 hours of sleep
per night. As both the great Paul Anderson and Doug Hepburn knew (modern superman Chad Aichs knows
it too!), so long as you have suffcient nutrients to fuel recovery, you can get what is considered to be less
than optimal amounts of sleep and still build prodigious size and strength.
REST
As long as you consume suffcient nutrients to fuel recovery you can get less than what is
considered optimal amounts of sleep and still build Brobdingnagian size and power!
With that said; in order to make the most progress in the shortest period of time you need to optimize each
of the 4 Factors. You should shoot for 8 or more hours of sleep per night. If this is not possible, naps can
be a powerful tool to augment your nightly sleep. Power naps of 20 minutes to 1 hour taken when possible
will beneft your overall recovery.
Sleep is not the only form of rest that must be considered. Intense physical exercise outside of the gym
should be greatly curtailed during this 30 day program if you are to optimize your results. Skip your weekly
pickup game of basketball and save the majority of your energy for the gym and recovery.
Remember, this program only lasts 30 days. Make it a priority during that time and be sure to make
time for the rest you need to optimize your results.
Joey Smith AtLarge Nutrition athlete and big
bencher!
Mike Wolfe getting his Zs!
UP YOUR BENCH 30 LBS IN 30 DAYS!
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Your training routine is the single most important factor in how much weight you can bench. You can do
everything else perfectly, and may have, but if you dont train properly you wont realize the kind of results
you are capable of.
The purpose of this guide is to increase your unequipped bench (without a special bench shirt) by 30 or
more pounds in 30 days. As such, the training routine must be one of specialization for the bench. You
know the saying, Jack of all trades; master of none. The gist of those words is that specialization is
king when you want to maximize results. This is no more true anywhere than with the human body. The
very nature of human physiology mandates that we specialize our training for optimal results. Strength is
extremely specifc.
TRAINING
Mike Wolfe- AtLarge Nutritions top bencher getting psyched for a big lift!
This concept is embodied in the S.A.I.D. (Specifc
Adaptation to Imposed Demand) principle. This
principle states that the human body will respond
with a very specifc adaptation to any physical
stressor placed on it.
Remember that specialization is king when you
want to maximize results!
Mike Wolfe pushing some big weight and being the living embodiment of the S.A.I.D. principle!
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My frst exposure to the concept of training specifcity was from the writings of Ellington Darden, PhD. Dr.
Darden is one of the driving forces behind the H.I.T. (High Intensity Training) bodybuilding phenomena (he
coined the term). He is also a prolifc author of the genre.
One of many things that differentiate Dr. Darden from the rest of the bodybuilding pack is his considerable
expertise in the area of motor learning. Motor learning is the concept of skill acquisition relative to physical
movement and how those skills may or may not transfer to other movements.
It was on his old website, the name of which escapes me, that I frst read about a series of studies which
examined athletic endeavors and how skill in one specifc event translated (or not) to another. The studies
found that there was little skill correlation between very similar athletic movements.
Dr. Dardens new book
For instance, the fastest runner in a straight line
was usually not the fastest when running in a circle.
Another example was hitting with a tennis racket
vs. a badminton racket. The best at hitting the
tennis ball was not the best at hitting the badminton
bird. Why? Specifcity of motor movements! Just
because two movements are similar does not
mean that the motor skill required to perform one
translates well to the other.
You can read more about his thoughts on the topic
in his latest book The New Bodybuilding for Old-
School Results which is available through his new
website www.DrDarden.com (a cool site to visit).
SPECIFICITY AND THE BENCH
If the desired training adaptation is a big bench press you have to perform the movement with high
frequency in order to build your motor skill. As per the concept of training specifcity, demonstrable
strength is highly reliant on the optimization of your nervous system relative to a specifc movement.
A young Dr. Darden on the left
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Another titan of the iron game, Louie Simmons (www.Westside-Barbell.com), preaches something which
might seem to fy in the face of the S.A.I.D. principle and the idea that frequent practice of a given exercise
is required to optimize results. Louie espouses the virtues of the conjugate method. This method dictates
that the lifter frequently alternate exercises by body part on their maximum effort (M.E.) days (M.E. days are
practiced once per week and see the lifter typically work up to a 1 rep maximum lift). Louie normally has his
Westside lifters alternate their primary M.E. day exercise every 1-3 weeks.
Louie knows that training with heavy loads for 1-3 repetitions taken to, or near the limit of ones momentary
ability (otherwise known as failure) is what produces the greatest increases in 1-rep maximum (1RM)
demonstrable strength.
Heavy loads taken near to, or to failure frequently can also quickly lead to neural stagnation and
overtraining. The variety (in neural stimulus) provided for by the conjugate method allows the lifter to
effectively avoid this pitfall. It works, and Louie has a stable of the strongest men and women in the world
to prove it.
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Louie Simmons (center) and some of his Westside Barbell crew
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Before you get totally confused, lets make it all ft together. You must practice a specifc movement
frequently to optimize your motor skill at performing the movement and thus your demonstrable strength.
You must also train to, or near to, your limit with very low repetitions and high loads if you are going to
maximize your 1RM in any given movement. Finally, if the frequency of low rep, high intensity sets for a
given exercise is excessive, overtraining will quickly occur (with conjugate variation being the cure).
CLARIFICATION
TRAINING POINTS:
Specifcity
Frequent training to build skill
Conjugate variety
Big bencher Joey Smith
So, how do you optimize your results over a 30 day period? How do you perform the bench press
frequently with heavy loads and not overtrain? The solution lies in using high frequency with a
conjugate style variation of load.
UP YOUR BENCH 30 LBS IN 30 DAYS!
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The conjugate method works because even small variations in a movement incur a very different stress
on the nervous system thus taxing it in a different manner. This precludes neural stagnation (and thus
overtraining). For our 30 day purpose, the variation in neural stress provided by the conjugate method is
desirable, but we still need the practice afforded by frequent benching.
The solution lies in variation of the loads used. Load is another factor which affects or stresses the nervous
system and is something that can be varied easily. Varying the loads used each training day for the bench
press will prevent overtraining during the program and allow for frequent benching in order to optimize
neural acclimation to the movement.
Joey Smith getting ready to roll!
Joey Smith looking THICK! He knows the value of the conjugate method!
For the 30 days of this program you will be
benching three times per week. Each session will
use a percentage of your beginning 1RM (with
the loads being graduated from week 2 on).
The balance of your training will be performed in
a more traditional fashion.
UP YOUR BENCH 30 LBS IN 30 DAYS!
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Each of the sets listed is a working set. These are post warm-up sets which should be preceded by 2-3
progressive warm-up sets (unless the specifed body part is already warmed-up, the choice is then yours).
The bench press working sets should follow the rep formula exactly as outlined. The balance of working
sets should be stopped 1-2 reps short of failure unless otherwise noted.
THE PROGRAM
Mike Wolfe getting ready to hit his triceps
KEY:
3 x 65% x 3 reps = 3 working sets with 65% of your starting 1RM for 3 reps per set
1x10 = 1 working set of 10 reps
MONDAY:
Bench Press - 3 x 65% x 3 reps
Skull Crushers - 2 x 10
Triceps Pushdowns 1 x 10
Squat 2 x 5
Lat Pulldown (curl grip) 2 x 10
Calf Raise 2 x 10, to failure
Machine Ab-Crunch 2 x 10, to failure
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Donnie Thompson hitting a big deadlift
WEDNESDAY:
Bench Press 2 x 75% x 3 reps
Triceps Pushdown 1 x 10
Deadlift - 2 x 3
Ab-Crunch 2 x 10, to failure
FRIDAY:
Bench Press 2 x 85% x 2 reps
Dumbbell Bench Press - 1 x 30 or more reps, to failure
Skull Crushers 2 x 8
Triceps Pushdowns 1 x 10
Leg Press 2 x 6
Lat Pulldown (curl grip) 2 x 10
Calf Raise 2 x 10, to failure
Ab-Crunch 2 x 10, to failure
TRAINING POINTS:
For everything other than the bench work, try to progress by performing 1 more rep,
or the same number of reps with a small increase in the resistance each session.
Again, stop 1-2 reps short of failure unless otherwise noted.
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Follow this schedule exactly for week 1. Then, for weeks 2 and on, you should increase the loads used
for benching by 5 lbs per set (per day) if youre starting 1RM is 150 lbs or less. If your starting 1RM is 155
295 lbs, use 10 lbs per set. For 300 395 lbs increase the loads by 10 lbs per set for the Monday and
Wednesday sessions, and 15 lbs for the Friday sessions. Finally, if youre starting 1RM is 400 lbs or more,
use a 15 lbs increase for the Monday and Wednesday workouts, and 20 lbs for Fridays.
TRAINING POINTS:
1RM < 150 lbs = increase loads by 5 lbs per set
1RM 155 295 lbs = increase loads by 10 lbs per set
1RM 300 395 lbs = increase loads by 10 lbs on Mon & Wed, and by 15 lbs on Fri
1RM > 400 lbs = increase loads by 15 lbs on Mon & Wed, and by 20 lbs on Fri
Westside Barbell Powerlifter - Travis Bell
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SAMPLES OF BENCH PROGRESSION
Beginning 1RM Bench Press = 200 lbs
WEEK 1:
Monday 200 x 65% = 130 lbs
Wednesday 200 x 75% = 150lbs
Friday 200 x 85% = 170 lbs
WEEK 2
Monday 130 + 10 = 140 lbs
Wednesday 150 + 10 = 160 lbs
Friday 170 + 10 = 180 lbs
WEEK 3
Monday 140 + 10 = 150 lbs
Wednesday 160 + 10 = 170lbs
Friday 180 + 10 = 190 lbs
WEEK 4
Monday 150 + 10 = 160 lbs
Wednesday 170 + 10 = 180 lbs
Friday 190 + 10 = 200 lbs
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Beginning Bench Press = 330 lbs
WEEK 1:
Monday 330 x 65% = 215 lbs (round to the nearest 5 lbs)
Wednesday 330 x 75% = 250lbs
Friday 330 x 85% = 280 lbs
WEEK 2
Monday 215 + 10 = 225 lbs
Wednesday 250 + 10 = 260 lbs
Friday 280 + 15 = 295 lbs
WEEK 3
Monday 225 + 10 = 235 lbs
Wednesday 260 + 10 = 270 lbs
Friday 295 + 15 = 310 lbs
WEEK 4
Monday 235 + 10 = 245 lbs
Wednesday 270 + 10 = 280 lbs
Friday 310 + 15 = 325 lbs
Chase Sullivan-Doyle
Chuck Vogelpohl pulls big!!!
UP YOUR BENCH 30 LBS IN 30 DAYS!
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Nearly everyone that tries the program, and you will most likely be no exception, feel that they are not
performing enough work, especially in the beginning. You will want to do additional work for your pecs,
shoulders, and everything else. The compulsion will be strong. It must be resisted! Remember, you are
most likely trying this program because you are unhappy with your current bench press progress or
1RM. This program was not put together haphazardly and has been proven in practice. As the loads are
increased weekly the intensity of effort will climb and you will see the light as your bench and other lifts
begin to soar.
A CAUTIONARY TALE
TRAINING POINTS:
Follow the program exactly as prescribed!
Donnie Thompson - monster bencher!
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I rank supplementation 3rd in importance among the 4 Most Important Factors to strength training
success. Proper training and diet are more important, but that fact does not minimize the benefts that the
right supplements can provide. If you want to optimize your results, and that is what this program is all
about, you need to augment your regimen with the right supplements.
If you are active on the net and read bodybuilding or powerlifting publications you are literally bombarded
with ads and advice that recommend a myriad of supplements. The reason only 5 products are mentioned
on the following pages is because short of true anabolic tissue building drugs (even those that are sold as
supplements due to loopholes in the law) they are part of a very select list of supplements that actually
provide an ergogenic beneft.
SUPPLEMENTATION
AtLarge Nutritions Max/mum Mass SIack groups 4 proven muscle building and recovery
products together at a discounted price to help you to opI/m/ze your resu/Is.
The everything but the kitchen sink approach to supplementation is truly a waste of your hard earned
money. Dont be fooled by fashy advertising and madeup pseudo-scientifc terminology. Stick with real
science that you can actually reference at places like www.pubmed.com.
On the following pages I describe the right supplements to help you in your quest to optimize your training
results. They are proven to help you safely achieve your goals. I frmly believe AtLarge Nutrition products
to be the best products of their kind on the market. You can, of course, with the exceptions of ETS and
RESULTS which are unique to AtLarge Nutritions lineup, substitute similar products.
SUPPLEMENTATION POINTS:
The everything but the kitchen sink approach is a waste of your hard earned
money! Choose quality supplements that are proven effective.
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MAXIMUS
Perhaps the most unique weight gainer supplement available. It has a highly
effective protein blend of whey, casein, milk protein isolates, glutamine, and egg
albumin providing over 60g of protein per serving! In addition, it provides over
70g of energy-fueling, recovery-stimulating carbohydrates.
What truly sets MAXIMUS apart from its competition is its inclusion of
Microlactin at a proven dose of 2g per serving. Microlactin improves general
recovery, reduces delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS), and can help
to reduce minor joint pain. Finally, the addition of inulin helps to promote the
superior nutrient absorption required by the growing strength trainee.
ETS
AtLarge Nutritions unique recovery promoting product. ETS proprietary blend of
Microlactin, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins C and E allows you to train harder, more
often. Optimal recovery is of prime importance in any strength training program.
No other supplement on the market will do more for recovery than ETS. In addition,
ETS can help with minor joint pain and tendonitis. Finally, it provides a direct
strength enhancing effect.
RESULTS
RESULTS consists of 4 individual ingredients: dextrose, Creapure creatine
monohydrate, -Alanine, and HMB. Each ingredient is included at a scientifcally
proven effective dose. RESULTS will help you to lose body fat, signifcantly increase
lean muscle mass and strength, enhance your muscular endurance, and promote
blistering intensity in the gym!
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CREATINE 500
AtLarge Nutritions Creatine 500 is Creapure creatine monohydrate. It is one
of the purest monohydrate products available. Creatine monohydrate is the most
scientifcally studied and proven (proven to be both effective and safe) strength and
lean muscle tissue building non-hormonal supplement in the world. Its inclusion is a
must if you want to be as big and strong as possible.
OPTICEN
Using Opticen immediately after an intense session in the gym (i.e. post-
workout or PWO) will help to maximize your results. A single serving provides 40g
of its proprietary protein matrix (whey concentrate, casein, milk protein isolate,
whey isolates, glutamine peptides, and egg albumin), 35g of recovery promoting
carbohydrates, and a myriad of micro and macronutrients. These nutrients combined
with its liquid state (for accelerated absorption) will quickly place your body into
PWO anabolic overdrive!
SUPPLEMENT WRAP
Including these products in your regimen will make a signifcant improvement in the results you achieve.
MAXIMUS is particularly important because it makes the high calorie intake required by the program
much easier to consume. Just 2 MAXIMUS shakes made with milk will add upwards of 2,400 quality
calories to your daily intake.
Phil Harrington, holder of the 181 lb class squat record (905 lbs), uses Opticen
to fuel his post-workout recovery
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If you truly want to get the most out of this program, and are someone who normally has trouble putting
on muscular body weight, you need to consume a minimum of 25 calories per pound of body weight.
If you are a naturally heavy-set individual, or are over 40 years of age, such high caloric intake is not
recommended and you should focus on a healthy diet and the other factors in this guide.
Diet is truly one of the most important factors to your strength training success, but possibly not in the
manner you expect. Most people who have a cursory knowledge of strength training are convinced that
the stereotypical bodybuilding diet is what one must follow in order to see progress in the gym. They are
certain that boiled chicken breasts, tuna, and plain rice must be the staples of their dietary regimen. For
those seeking to gain a maximum amount of size and strength in a minimum amount of time nothing could
be further from the truth!

DIET
If you want to increase your bench press 30 lbs in 30 days you need high calorie foods to fuel your training
and provide the calories needed to not only recover, but to supercompensate from said training. Solid
foods should be the core of your diet, but consuming the requisite number of calories from solid foods
can get tiresome and prove to be nearly impossible for some. Liquid meals are easier to consume and
more readily digested. A full serving of MAXIMUS mixed in 4 cups of whole milk provides 1,200+ quality,
growth-promoting calories. As mentioned in the supplementation section, 2 of these shakes per day can
make all the difference in terms of allowing you to hit your daily caloric intake goal while on the program.
Donnie Thompson, one of the worlds strongest men, knows that
training for strength requires eating for strength!
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Mike Wolfe shows what BIG BENCHING does for a body!
DIET POINTS:
Here is a brief list of strength training super foods:
Whole milk
Cheeses
Peanut butter
Eggs
All meats
Nuts
Pasta w/sauce
Oils and butter
Strength training super foods
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For those who struggle to gain quality weight and are forever proclaiming that they eat a ton of
food and could not possibly eat more, I say, Balderdash!
The reason certain trainees feel that way is because they have not conditioned their stomachs for maxi-
mum mass. Just like you need to train your body to make it huge, you need to train your stomach by
expanding it suffciently such that you are able to consume the necessary calories to fuel growth. The only
way to stretch your stomach is to consciously over-eat. You obviously do not want to gluttonize to the
point that you feel ill, but you must get close in order to spur the desired stomach expansion adaptation in
relatively short order. An easy way to accomplish this goal is to piggyback your meals with a MAXIMUS
shake (consume the shake immediately after your meal).
DIET POINTS:
A MAXIMUS shake made with milk provides over 1,200 high-quality, growth-pro-
moting calories in an easy-to-consume drink.
Total caloric intake is more important than the macronutrient breakdown of the foods you consume
over this 30 day period. You will fnd that when consuming the calorie dense foods required by this pro-
gram, your macro breakdown is roughly equally distributed between protein, carbohydrates and fats. You
may have read or heard in the past that protein ingestion should constitute 40% or more of total caloric
intake for strength trainees. Dont confuse the resistance trained individuals increased need for quality
protein with protein as a percentage of total caloric intake. When you are consuming a high calorie diet like
the one recommended here, you will consume a lot of protein (300+ grams daily), but by virtue of the fact
that your overall caloric intake is so high, protein will only end up constituting about 33% of the total.
Donnie Thompson, the highest powerlifting total ever - 2,850 lbs!
DIET POINTS:
Remember to consume at least 25 calories per pound of body weight!
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The bottom line is that you need to eat a lot of relatively unrefned, calorie-dense, high-protein foods
in order to get as big and strong as possible in 30 days.
You need not worry about excess body fat accumulation with a program such as this due to its brevity and
the fact that it is a shock to your system. The massive caloric intake combined with heavy resistance
training called for in this program will result in the addition of a large amount of lean muscle mass and a
modest deposition of body fat during the 30 day period.
TRAINING POINTS:
Use this program sparingly (once or twice per year) and you can continuously reap
its benefts.
Ox Mason
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There is an old story about a former Mr. America bodybuilder training his protg that very vividly illustrates
the level of commitment required to be the biggest and strongest you can be. As the story goes, the master
and his apprentice were at the beach one day. Both were wading in the water when suddenly the former
Mr. America grabbed his pupil by the head and pushed him beneath the waves. The pupil was literally
forced to struggle for his life. When he fnally made it up for air, the master simply said to his liege that only
when he wants to be a great bodybuilder as much as he wanted to breathe moments before would he
fnally achieve his goals.
GETTING THE JOB DONE
Joey Smith summons the determination necessary to achieve his goals
Stupid? Yes, but highly effective in making the point that the mind, the will, are the keys to extraordinary
results. The vast majority of trainees simply do not possess the single-minded determination required to
achieve the results they claim to desire. How do you engender such dogged determination in yourself?
For me, it simply boiled down to my competitive nature and making a decision and then having the will
to follow through with it irrespective of other infuences. When I decided that I wanted to become as
physically big and strong as I could (without tissue-building drugs), that goal became the sole focus of my
life virtually to the exclusion of everything else.
IN CLOSING
Ok, you now have all of the tools you need. The rest is up to you.
Give this program the kind of laser focus described above for just 30 days and you will be absolutely
AMAZED at what you will achieve!!!
Chr/s Mason
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J.T. Hall shows the results of determined training
QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK
If you have any questions or feedback about this program, please post them in the WannaBeBig
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