The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [176]
PHASE II: REESTABLISH HOMEOSTASIS19
After the six-week interim phase, all initial gains have been solidified: the athlete’s bodyweight regulation thermostat has been reset, while pushing strength has been retained. The body has “forgotten” flat barbell benching, and when we reinstitute our classical regular/wide/narrow flat bench strategy, the training effect is achieved. Chest, arms, and shoulders are (once again) shocked into growth. More muscle means a bigger bench.
PHASE III: ASSAULT ON 300
This is how you can, if you don’t miss a thing, add 100 pounds to your bench press in six months.
TOOLS AND TRICKS
The Bench Press Interviews (www.fourhourbody.com/bench) What separates the 1x bodyweight bencher from the 2x? The 2x bencher from the 3x? If you could add one thing to most training programs, what would it be? I asked all of the above questions and more of some of the best in the power business, including Dave Tate, Jason Ferruggia, and Mike Robertson. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, we couldn’t include them in the book, but you can find them here.
The Purposeful Primitive by Marty Gallagher (www.fourhourbody.com/primitive) Perhaps the single best book on bodybuilding, powerlifting, and fat-loss that I’ve read in the last five years. This diverse tour of elite physique enhancement covers training, diet, and otherworldly anecdotes from a wide cast of characters, including Dorian Yates, Ed Coan, and Kirk Karwoski.
Powerlifting USA Magazine (www.powerliftingusa.com) If you want to get serious about the sport of powerlifting—where bench, squat, and deadlift maxes are totalled in competition—Powerlifting USA is the oldest and most trusted source for training and gym recommendations. If you have any delusions of strength grandeur, find an upcoming meet in “coming events” and observe world-class powerlifters live. Stop puffing out your chest before you walk in.
Mark Bell, owner of Supertraining Gym in Sacramento, California, can bench press 854 pounds at 275 pounds bodyweight.
Some world-class bench pressers use near-contortionist form to compete: a full back arch with the feet under the hips (or even closer to the head). This shortens the distance you need to press—a good thing for adding poundage—but it can produce injuries in novices and intermediates.
Mark uses a stable slight bridge and places his feet flat on the floor. He uses this form to bench 854 pounds, so there’s no reason you can’t use it to bench 500 pounds or less.
Here is the process:
Top view of set-up.
Side view of before and after set-up. Notice that his heels are approximately under his knees.
1. Lie on the bench with your head half off of the edge.
2. Take your power grip (Mark has his ring fingers on the smooth bands), lift your chest to the bar, and pinch your shoulder blades together as if holding a penny between them.
3. Keeping your butt in place and your shoulders pinched, arch your back and push your shoulders down toward your hips.20
4. Reset your back on the bench and aim to have the top of your head aligned with the edge of the bench. Mark is the size of a truck and can’t quite manage. Most of you will not have that as an excuse.
5. Now your shoulders are protected. This position will be quite uncomfortable, and it should be.
6. Your legs and glutes should be fully tensed, and your toes should be pushed into the front of your shoes. If your legs and glutes wouldn’t be fatigued after 20 seconds, you’re not contracting them hard enough.
7. Now you’re ready for the hand-off from a spotter. Never bench alone if using free weights.21
8. The spotter should, using an alternating grip like in the deadlift (see Lamar’s photos in the last chapter), lift the bar off the supports and help move it to just over your nipples.
9. Now that you’re supporting the weight over your nipples, depress your shoulders fully—as if you were starting a rowing movement—before bending your