THE CAUSE
This is a BONUS program to help with the promotion of the Make- A-Wish Programs that Work Manual.
All proceeds from this manual are going to the Make A Wish Foundation in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
We are very close to breaking our all-time record for donations in one year, and with your help we should be able to really push this over the top.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
1. The obvious answer is to order it again if you already have, but we REALLY appreciate your donation. It’s been though your donations that we’ve gotten this far. THANK YOU.
2. Share this article on Twitter, Facebook and any other social networks you use.
3. If you haven’t supported this effort yet, there’s still time to take action, but we’re pulling the eBook and no longer taking donations past December 31, 2011.
4. If you already have the book PLEASE let us know what you think about it in the comments below.
If you have no idea what I’m writing about, you can read about the manual and the cause in the letter I posted HERE
BUST A BENCH PR
How would you like to end the year with a PR in the bench press?
Follow these simple steps, and the odds of this happening with increase substantially.
Your final max-test day will be New Year’s Eve. You can move the dates around as you see fit, but make sure you have the same number of rest days between each session.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
* Percents are based on your CURRENT best bench or what you think this is.
* Don’t under or over-shoot this number.
* Make your best guess based on your own experience.
* Do NOT test or max out your bench now.
* I’m assuming this will be a raw bench max.
Saturday, December 17th
Bench Press:
* 20-30 total warm-up reps using PERFECT technique (see videos) with weight under 50%. These sets should all be in the 3-5 rep range.
* 50% for 9 sets of 3 reps. Three sets will be a close grip (index finger on the smooth part of the bar), three sets will be with a moderate grip (pinky on the rings) and three sets are wide (forefinger on the ring).
Flat Dumbbell Presses:
* As many warm-ups as you need.
* Work up to 2 heavy sets of 8 reps.
Tricep Work:
* Do your normal triceps training, but cut the volume in half
Delt Work:
* Do your normal shoulder work, but cut the volume in half.
NOTE: If you can’t do this first session, don’t worry about it. Just start with the second one.
Wednesday, December 21st
Close-Grip Incline Press:
* Work up to a max set of 3 reps.
Tricep Work:
* Do your normal triceps training.
Delt Work:
* Do your normal shoulder work.
Technique Bench Press with Reverse Bands:
* Use a weight at that is equal to 50% at the bottom if the bands were NOT on the bar.
* Perform 10 sets of 3-5 reps using PERFECT TECHNIQUE (see videos).
Saturday, December 24th
Bench Press:
* 20-30 total warm up reps using PERFECT technique (see videos) with weight under 50%. These sets should all be in the 3-5 rep range.
* 50% for 9 sets of 3 reps. Three sets will be a close grip (index finger on the smooth part of the bar), three sets will be with a moderate grip (pinky on the rings) and three sets are wide (forefinger on the ring).
Flat Dumbbell Presses:
* As many warm-ups as you need.
* Work up to a max rep set of 15 reps. Rest 5 minutes and try to get 15 or more reps with the same weight.
Tricep Work:
* Do your normal triceps training, but cut the volume in half.
Delt Work:
* Do your normal shoulder work, but cut the volume in half.
Wednesday, December 28th
Pin Presses:
*Using a moderate grip (halfway between what you would consider close and what you would consider wide), work up using small jumps (20-30 pounds) to a heavy set of three. This heavy set of three should be done with a weight you could do for five on a good day.
Rope Pushdowns:
* 3 sets of 15-20 reps – just get the blood flowing. This shouldn’t be hard at all.
Side Delt Raises:
* Use a weight that is 50% of what you would normally use and perform 2 sets of 20 reps
Saturday, December 31st
Bench Press:
*Perform 5-7 warm up sets with 20% or less, keeping the reps in the 3-5 rep range.
*Keep working up using three reps until you get to 50%. This should be another 2-3 sets.
*At the 50% mark, begin doing singles working up to a new 5-pound record.
* As you near the 90% mark, make sure your second to last set (the last set will be the PR) is not a ball-buster to do. Think of it as an opener. It should be a weight you can do for a hard triple.
* Break your record by 5 pounds. If this goes well, take one more record and call it a day!
NOTE: This will NOT work if you’re an elite or pro lifter, unless you are in meet shape.
The Videos
So you think you can bench series
Dave Tate Teaches the Bench Press at the UGSS
FINAL ITEMS:
1. If you have the Programs That Work Manual already PLEASE let us (and others) know what you think about it. Was it worth the money? Did you learn anything? We would love to know your thoughts.
2. If you do this program, please check back and let me know how much your broke your record by.
3. Finally, you need to hit EVERY holiday party, eat all the cookies you can, and fully bloat up for the final week with the goal of putting on 5% bodyweight.
Best of luck to you all. Have a happy, safe and strong holiday season and thank you for supporting this cause.
All PROCEEDS GO TO THE MAKE - A - WISH FOUNDATION














Bought the eBook to support the MAW foundation – not really caring about the content. Coming from Elite, I knew it would be good. I plan on trying two of Dave’s programs – the Dynamic Squat Cycle and the 60-pound Deadlift Program.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and thanks to EliteFTS for supporting my adventures in the Iron Game.
Really appreciate this program and everything that Elitefts offers. Good stuff!!!
The holiday bloat is key to hitting new PRs
As always, a great article. I bought the book because its for a good cause. The bonus is that theres tons of great information in it! Thanks Dave and Merry Christmas!
now we’re cooking Dave! keep the programming and peaking articles coming , your experience here is greatly appreciated
5lb PR for me tonight…15lb PR for my two training partners! Thanks a lot!
Got a 10 lb PR. Made some discoveries re-watching technique videos. Been struggling with a very low bench for awhile, and new technique made all the difference. I felt like I had a lot more in me today. My girlfriend also got 5 lbs
I feel like the incline bench also made a difference. I noticed bar path really effected the success of that lift. I hadn’t used this exercise with a barbell in over 6 years.
Happy new year!
WTF!
I did this exactly as written and my bench went from 275 to 315. Can you post a full 12 week program?
Thanks for the program Dave. Got a 15 pound pr. Tried to be as big of a pig as I could but only picked up a few pounds bloatwise. I think the reduction of volume helped too.
I am enjoying the MAW programs that work too! Lotsa good info in there.
Ed