3 YEARS TO 400 POUNDS
By Shane Robert
I’ve mentioned numerous times in the pages of this blog that I really enjoy reading old articles from by-gone strength magazines. I don’t care if they are about lifters, by lifters, routines, or diets. They are all interesting and so very unique. Especially the farther back you go. As time wore on, the topics and routines started to become more homogenized. Any time I see something that is quite different from what you normally see, my interest piques.
The following routine from Bill “The 13th Man to Bench Press Over 400 Pounds” Anton, was sold as the routine he used during his college years to bench press over 400 pounds while weighing just around 200 pounds. For a mere $3, you could hold the keys to that elusive 4-plate bench or your money back!
Keep in mind that this is a 3-year program. That may sound like a lot, but that is less than one Olympic cycle, or the time it would take you to graduate high school. It goes by faster than we all assume on paper.
You will bench 3 days per week “without fail” using the following sets and reps for each 3-month block of the year:
YEAR 1
- Quarter 1 (3 months) - “Take a weight you can handle for 12 repetitions and perform 10 sets. Each week add 5 pounds to your previous weight. Don't start too heavy, but if you find that after a while you cannot continue to add weight, stay at the present weight you are using until you can complete the 12 reps for the full 10 sets.”
- Quarter 2 - 10x8. “Same theory applies if you get stale. Stay at that weight until you master it.”
- Quarter 3 - 12x5
- Quarter 4 - 15x3. “At this point of your training you should be benching in the neighborhood of 265 pounds…”
YEAR 2
- Quarter 1 - 12x8. “Be sure to fight the last rep of the last sets out.”
- Quarter 2 - 12x6.
- Quarter 3 - 13x5
- Quarter 4 - 15x3. “At this point of your training you should be bench pressing in the neighborhood of 350 pounds.”
YEAR 3
“Test your one rep maximum record once or twice a month.”
- Quarter 1 - 12x5
- Quarter 2 - 15x3
- Quarter 3 - 15x4 for the first month; 10x2 for the second 2 months
- Quarter 4 - 1st Month: 10x3; 2nd Month: 12x2; 3rd Month: 13x1
My experience tells me that this is not a program that will work for a rank beginner who has never been benched before. To have a realistic chance of reaching a 400 lb bench after three years on this program, I would expect the lifter to begin with roughly:
- Minimum: ~225 lb bench
- More realistic: 250–275 lb bench
- Ideal starting point: 275–300 lb bench
With these numbers, that means the starting 10x12 sets would use something like the following numbers, respectively to the above maxes:
- 135-150
- 145-160
- 155-170
I haven’t run this program, and I have no idea if it will work, but it is interesting and one of the only multi-year programs that I have seen outside of a textbook. On the bright side, if it doesn’t work, you can get your $3 back.
