Saturday Night Bench Press with DrewDarden (videos)

08-22-2020, 09:46 PM

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#1

DrewDarden

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Saturday Night Bench Press with DrewDarden (videos)

It's taken them a couple of months to heal, but tonight was the first session in a couple of months that I could bench pain free. So I have a little catching up to do, but now that I can bench without the pain, that will certainly make a big difference.

255x3 paused
265x3 paused
275x3 paused (shown)

275+20 lb chain
275+40 lb chain
275+60 lb chain (shown)

Kettlebell Bench 2x15

08-22-2020, 09:52 PM

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#2

TryingBB
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Damn

Never heard or seen kettlebench press. I got some googling to do

Repped

Them bouncing bells were weird af

08-22-2020, 09:54 PM

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#3

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By TryingBB⏩

Damn

Never heard or seen kettlebench press. I got some googling to do

Repped

Them bouncing bells were weird af

Look up the Bamboo Bar or the BandBell Bar or the Earthquake Bar.

Before those existed, there was just hanging kettlebells from a barbell. I got the idea out of Louie Simmons' books.

08-22-2020, 10:01 PM

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#4

potbellymadar
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Miscer spotting you?

08-22-2020, 10:01 PM

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#5

sarcalesman
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i find it offensive when white people listen to black music in order to increase their gains and privilege. it's reminiscent of slavery.

08-22-2020, 10:02 PM

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#6

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By potbellymadar⏩

Miscer spotting you?

He’s too strong to be a Miscer.

08-22-2020, 10:24 PM

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#7

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By sarcalesman⏩

i find it offensive when white people listen to black music in order to increase their gains and privilege. it's reminiscent of slavery.

Wat

08-23-2020, 08:45 AM

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#8

DrewDarden

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What does everyone’s bench press sessions look like this wee?

08-23-2020, 08:54 AM

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#9

Xtian
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Originally Posted By DrewDarden⏩

What does everyone’s bench press sessions look like this wee?

Worked up to 275x10 followed by drop sets.

Solid sessions as always brah.

08-23-2020, 09:09 AM

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#10

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By Xtian⏩

Worked up to 275x10 followed by drop sets.

Solid sessions as always brah.

Next week I have 3x1 for my top sets. If my pecs are still feeling good, I may get crazy and work up to 315-325. I think my strength is there as long as I’m healed up.

08-23-2020, 09:19 AM

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#11

SaviorSelfJT
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Originally Posted By DrewDarden⏩

What does everyone’s bench press sessions look like this wee?

Texas Method, making serious gains every week.
5x5s on the first day of the week and a 1x5 PR at the end of the week.

The 5x5 weight is 90% of the 1x5 weight from last weight. You try to hit 1x5 PRs every time. Once you are unable to hit a PR, switch to 2x3 and keep bumping the weight

08-23-2020, 09:26 AM

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#12

SwagMorris
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Originally Posted By DrewDarden⏩

What does everyone’s bench press sessions look like this wee?

5x5 @ 70% this morning

Been cutting and doing full body workouts on a 6 week mesocycle I designed myself.

Pretty light but I’m also super setting everything and doing 1 minute rounds.

Contemplating BBB at the end of this with some arm isolations thrown in...

08-23-2020, 09:28 AM

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#13

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By SaviorSelfJT⏩

Texas Method, making serious gains every week.
5x5s on the first day of the week and a 1x5 PR at the end of the week.

The 5x5 weight is 90% of the 1x5 weight from last weight. You try to hit 1x5 PRs every time. Once you are unable to hit a PR, switch to 2x3 and keep bumping the weight

I don’t know if you’ve read Practical Programming, but there are a number of other variations on the method. If things slow down, you can explore some of those.

Things like

-Speed work on Monday (10x3) instead of 5x5
-1-3RM on Friday instead of 1x5
-4 day options

08-23-2020, 09:39 AM

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#14

KathleenRyan
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Originally Posted By DrewDarden⏩

What does everyone’s bench press sessions look like this wee?

Working my way back up after taking a month+ to handle some other chit. Did 3x8 205 with a last rep pause yesterday, just breaking the rust loose. Plan for now is to work back up to 3x8 225lb, then start lowering the reps, increase weight, and work towards a new 1RM.

Good work OP, it's good you have a friend to lift with and spot you. I'd benefit a lot from that on my bench days, self lift-off and no spotter kinda sucks.

08-23-2020, 09:49 AM

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#15

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By KathleenRyan⏩

Working my way back up after taking a month+ to handle some other chit. Did 3x8 205 with a last rep pause yesterday, just breaking the rust loose. Plan for now is to work back up to 3x8 225lb, then start lowering the reps, increase weight, and work towards a new 1RM.

Good work OP, it's good you have a friend to lift with and spot you. I'd benefit a lot from that on my bench days, self lift-off and no spotter kinda sucks.

Good stuff. 👍🏻

As soon as they’re back in stock, I’m buying monolift attachments so I won’t even need a handoff.

08-23-2020, 10:05 AM

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#16

SaviorSelfJT
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Originally Posted By DrewDarden⏩

I don’t know if you’ve read Practical Programming, but there are a number of other variations on the method. If things slow down, you can explore some of those.

Things like

-Speed work on Monday (10x3) instead of 5x5
-1-3RM on Friday instead of 1x5
-4 day options

Way ahead of you, I bought the PP book digitally off of amazon and am reading through it. Had no idea the 4 day split option even existed. I might be misinterpreting the book but he seems to break the TM into "phases". Like in phase one, you're just doing the regular program and "downgrading" the rep scheme on friday each time you can't progress anymore, basically until you are just doing singles as heavy as you can on friday. Then in phase two you are cycling through those rep ranges on friday every week, then in the next phase you are cycling exercises like speed work instead, or even rack pulls instead of deadlift etc

All so that the program can be run for a year+ instead of just a few weeks

08-23-2020, 10:06 AM

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#17

Aristotelian
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I did my first flat bench sets in over 7 months yesterday.

Felt weak as a kitten. Warmed up but only hit a bit over half what I used to press.

I switch between the 5x5 progression and volume work. I also heard of the speed training version that Lou Simmons talks about and am thinking of incorporating that kind of work as well.

I followed this with incline bench - 2 sets of max reps.

Was a great way to start my upper body workout.

It honestly felt so good to grip a barbell after all this time. The DOMS is mitigated by that pleasure.

08-23-2020, 10:14 AM

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#18

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By SaviorSelfJT⏩

Way ahead of you, I bought the PP book digitally off of amazon and am reading through it. Had no idea the 4 day split option even existed. I might be misinterpreting the book but he seems to break the TM into "phases". Like in phase one, you're just doing the regular program and "downgrading" the rep scheme on friday each time you can't progress anymore, basically until you are just doing singles as heavy as you can on friday. Then in phase two you are cycling through those rep ranges on friday every week, then in the next phase you are cycling exercises like speed work instead, or even rack pulls instead of deadlift etc

All so that the program can be run for a year+ instead of just a few weeks

I haven’t read the book in a couple of years, and I’ve actually read two different editions. So you’re probably not misinterpreting anything. It’s probably a combination of my fuzzy memory plus an updated edition.

Originally Posted By Aristotelian⏩

I did my first flat bench sets in over 7 months yesterday.

Felt weak as a kitten. Warmed up but only hit a bit over half what I used to press.

I switch between the 5x5 progression and volume work. I also heard of the speed training version that Lou Simmons talks about and am thinking of incorporating that kind of work as well.

I followed this with incline bench - 2 sets of max reps.

Was a great way to start my upper body workout.

It honestly felt so good to grip a barbell after all this time. The DOMS is mitigated by that pleasure.

Nice.

Maybe a couple of Advil will help out with that DOMS.

08-23-2020, 10:18 AM

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#19

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By TikTokGlow⏩

Stop doing sets of 3 on bench

I will.

Next week I’ll do three singles.

And the week after that I’ll do 3x5.

Then I’ll be back to 3x3.

08-23-2020, 10:21 AM

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#20

MajorTendonitis

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Your killing it Bro . Glad to hear your on the mend . I actually wasn’t aware you were injured , sorry to hear that

08-23-2020, 10:26 AM

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#21

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By TikTokGlow⏩

And when do you do higher volume sets of 8s and 10s?

We do them regularly.

Last night I did singles with chain following the 3x3 because I was testing out the pecs, but it’s not unusual at all for us to do sets of 10 (whether it’s bench, military, or squat day) following top sets.

08-23-2020, 10:30 AM

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#22

DrewDarden

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Originally Posted By MajorTendonitis⏩

Your killing it Bro . Glad to hear your on the mend . I actually wasn’t aware you were injured , sorry to hear that

I went through a period of a few months there where I was having pulls/strains all over my body (pecs/hamstring/groin, even twisted my ankle). That seems to be behind me though. Knock on wood.