By Shane Robert
Last week I wrote about the usefulness of a power rack or strong spotter setup like the Verse Heavy-Duty Spotter Legs and arm combo. The focus of that article was primarily on using the squat and offered but one simple example of how to incorporate heavy overload rack work into a training program. While the program could easily be used for other lifts, it wasn’t a lift-specific program. This week, I want to share a bench-specific rack workout.
THE MAN BEHIND THE ROUTINE
I can’t take credit for this program since it came from iron legend Chuck Sipes. It is a doozy of a program that really piles weight onto your bench. There is no trickery here, just hard and heavy training. Before we get to the program, however, I think it is important that everyone learn a little about Mr. Sipes, as he is a name often overlooked in the annals of lifting history.
Chuck Sipes was born in Sterling, Illinois, in 1932 and moved to the Central Valley in California in his early childhood. He began lifting weights at 16 to put enough muscle on his undersized frame to play high school football. His training partner in that Modesto garage gym was Chuck Coker, future inventor of the Universal Machine. Sipes initially competed in weightlifting, like everyone of that era, before turning his attention to bodybuilding, where his combination of muscular size, definition, and exceptional forearm development quickly distinguished him from his contemporaries.
Sipes rose to prominence during the late 1950s and 1960s, winning the IFBB Mr. America title in 1959 and the IFBB Mr. Universe title in 1960. He continued competing at the highest levels of the sport, placing third at the 1966 Mr. Olympia and second in 1967, behind Sergio “The Myth” Oliva. In 1967, he also won the NABBA World Championships, and in 1968 he captured the IFBB Mr. World title. Standing approximately 5’ 9” tall and weighing around 220 pounds at his peak, Sipes imposing physique was characterized by massive arms, a thick chest, broad shoulders, and a remarkably small waist. His competitive success established him as one of the most impressive bodybuilders of the so-called “Golden Age” of bodybuilding.
STRENGTH BEYOND THE PHYSIQUE
Sipes was no show pony with overinflated pump muscles. His strength matched, or even exceeded, his physique. He was outspoken against the use of “tissue-building drugs,” aka steroids, yet reportedly bench-pressed 570 pounds at a bodyweight of approximately 220 pounds, squatted 600 pounds, and performed barbell curls with 250 pounds. His training combined lifting heavy compound lifts more or less all the time (right up to maximum lifts) with high-volume bodybuilding work, minimizing rest between sets, and using other intensification schemes like supersets, partial repetitions, and overloaded movements designed to build both strength and muscle mass (as we will see in the program to follow).
A LEGACY OF HARD WORK
Beyond competition, Sipes worked as a California state park ranger, often leading summer wilderness programs for troubled youths. His extraordinary dedication, experimentation, and physical toughness stood out as unique even in an era that seemed to have those qualities in abundance. Sipes’ methods of savage strength training and old-school bodybuilding, combined with an almost inexhaustible work ethic, have stood the test of time and lend credence to the idea that sometimes, more really is more.
Lest you think that is an over-exaggeration, I now give you the:
CHUCK SIPES POWER ROUTINE FOR INCREASING THE BENCH PRESS
MONDAY/WEDNESDAY
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Bench Press: warm up with 2 x 10 escalating weights, then do:
2x6, 2x4, 2x2, 1-4x1 (each set should be heavy but not maximal for the given reps. In modern parlance, something like 8.5-9 RPE)
You do 2 sets with the same weight before adding weight for the next rep range.
TUESDAY/THURSDAY
- Quarter Bench Press: 5x8 with 50-100 pounds for most people
- Regular Bench Press: 5x1 @8.5-9
- Bench Lockouts or one-eight bench: 3x4 reps with 100-150 lbs. over your best bench press
- Bench Press: 5x2 @8.5-9
The overload numbers are an example. Keep in mind that Sipes was writing for an audience who was easily benching over 300 pounds. Adjust accordingly.
FRIDAY
- Wide Grip Incline Press: 4x6
- DB Incline Press w/slow eccentric and pause at the chest: 4x6
- Light DB Pullovers: 6x20
- DB Flys w/DEEP stretch: 4x8
For all days, add weight when the sets/reps can be achieved easily. Probably somewhere like an 8 or lower RPE by the final set.
PUTTING THE ROUTINE TO WORK
That, my friends, is a TON of work. However, I can personally attest to the effectiveness of this routine, having seen it add 50 or more pounds to lifters' benches in mere weeks.
This is a specialization routine and not meant to be followed forever. Sipes himself acknowledged this and advised lifters that they should change to something else after about nine months.
