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BENCH 300

Bench300 is a proven, patent-pending, custom-designed plan to get your bench press to 300 lbs in record time! Forget everything you've been told about increasing your bench press and just follow our step by step BenchMatrix to build up your bench press each workout. Whether you're just starting out as a beginning bodybuilder, weightlifter, or powerlifter, or you're just stuck and are having trouble making progress, Bench300 will help you achieve your strength goals, faster than you can imagine. Try out our system and if you're not 100% satisfied with your results, just contact us for an immediate, no-questions asked refund!

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BENCH 300

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BENCH 300My Benching 300 Story by JSternThere are some things in life you never forget: Your first kiss, first girlfriend, first sexual experience, birth of your child, your wedding, and the first time you benched 300. Make no mistake, when you cross the 300 line, you will never forget anything about it: The gym, the music playing, your spotter, and most importantly, the way it made you feel. Yeah.I started lifting during the summer between 11th and 12th grades. I ran track in 11th grade and was challenged to bench 60 lbs on the Universal Machine (stacks) by a very small and skinny long distance runner. I watched him as he toyed with the weight and enthusiastically plopped down $5 when he bet me that I couldn't do it. Once. That's right. He bet me five dollars that I couldn't press 60 lbs a single time! Jeez, what an idiot, I thought.I positioned myself on the bench under the U-shaped chrome bars and pushed casually. It didn't budge. So I pushed harder. Still nothing. I looked around to see if someone was sitting on the weight rack or something. No, they were all around me, giggling and chuckling over how I had to, just HAD TO BE, the WEAKEST GUY in the ENTIRE SCHOOL!Summoning all of the power within my massive (heheh) 5'6 120lb body, I pushed with all of my might and this time, the bar actually moved! About one or two centimeters, actually, before CLINKING back down on the stack. Defeated, humbled, and shamed, I walked out of the weight room, never to return. At least never without being prepared to show them, SHOW ALL OF THEM that I would have the LAST LAUGH.Beginning at the end of my humiliating junior year (failing at benching 60 lbs, getting picked on by TENTH graders, having my leg broken on my FIRST DAY of karate class), I began benching. I started with 50lbs and worked my way up from there. By the time my senior year rolled around, I was benching 130 lbs and was ready to ditch the bench press in the middle of my bedroom for a real gym. One problem, though. My big brother had told me that I couldn't join the gym unless I could press 135 because no one would let me work out with them if I couldn't press 135, the warm-up weight for 99% of all serious lifters.I worked out at the gym a few days each week and by the end of my senior year, I could bench 195 lbs. But not 200. I was stuck.Over the summer, I moved away and joined a new gym and finally hit the magic 200 mark. I started college in the fall at age 17 and became a total gym rat. I spent upwards of six hours a day in the gym. Sure, it helped that they had a pool table and you could do a few sets while waiting for the next game, but the point was that I practically lived in the gym. Sure enough, my bench shot up from 200 to 270 by the end of my freshman year. Yep, you guessed it. I got stuck again at 275.That summer, at the age of 18, I competed in my first bodybuilding contest. Just prior to starting my diet, I nailed 275 on the bench. I weighed 170 lbs. I had grown to 5'11. And 300 was clearly within my sights. Little did I know how far away it would be.A series of injuries (hernia, broken fingers), girlfriends, and distractions (boxing) kept me from reaching 300 for the rest of my college years. When I finally put 300 away my first year at graduate school, it was in a dumpy little basement gym with the Scorpions 'Media Overkill' playing loudly in the background, while my classmate Scott provided some shouting encouragement and a hands-off spot.B. Why 300 is the Magic Benchmark300 lbs represents the dividing line between casual lifter and power lifter. The difference between a man and a boy. The separation of lifting for fun versus lifting for strength. Make no mistake, when you bench 300 lbs, you have entered a different world. A world of respect and awe. No one laughs at the guy who can bench 300. It doesn't matter if someone else can lift 400 or 500 lbs, by benching 300, you will have earned their respect.And by the same token, you have become someone who the 100 and 200 benchers look up to and aspire to become. When you consider that 1:100 high schoolers can bench 300, it means that you are the ONE out of the HUNDRED. That is a special group. Once entered, the 300 Club leads directly to the 400 Club. And we're not gonna kid you. Going from 300 to 400 is a huge task, but this isn't some one-off program. The 300 Club is a Team of Lifters around the world all working together to help each other achieve their goals, BREAKTHROUGH new barriers, and BLOW AWAY the COMPETITION.So we have one more thing to ask of you. When you do bench press 300 (or make an attempt at it— WITH A SPOTTER of course), bring along your iphone or videocamera and have a friend or girlfriend record the moment. Then upload the video to our site. Share your success story with others. Show them that this program works and not only will we offer you a discount on the Bench400 program, we will send you one of our awesome 'BENCH 300' SHIRT for FREE along with an EXCLUSIVE INVITATION to join the 300 Club.C. Building the Machine: How We Get to 300 (Training, Nutrition, Supplementation, Mind)We can break down the machinery to get you to 300 into four separate pieces of equipment. Keep in mind that YOU ARE THE MACHINE. If one of these pieces is missing, not working, or just plain lazy, the MACHINE WILL NOT FUNCTION AT ITS HIGHEST LEVELS. I can't tell you how many times I have seen guys in the gym for 2-3 hours a day, EVERY DAY, doing plenty of lifting and (judging by their protein shakes) using some form of supplementation, and yet their lifts seemingly go nowhere because they're not taking in enough food to FEED THE MACHINE PROPERLY. Or the guy who eats tons of food but spends most of his time in the gym checking out girls or texting his pals. Trust me, if you take this program seriously, you won't need to be checking out girls because THE GIRLS WILL BE CHECKING YOU OUT!The first part of the machine is TRAINING. Is that obvious? It should be. But for some it's not. Some people take their workouts as seriously as they watch a video rental. I'm talking HALF-ASSED! Texting, eating, pausing, rewinding, taking phone calls, answering the door, you name it -- these are the distractions that separate the ACHIEVERS from the LOSERS. No one ever accomplished anything GREAT by doing things half-assed.When it comes to training, we've done away with the scientific formulas that require you to be a mathematician. At Bench 300, we have developed our unique, patent-pending BenchMatrix. The BenchMatrix makes figuring out your bench press workouts as simple as coloring by number. Just find your max lift on the BenchMatrix and you'll see your workout materialize before your eyes.The second part of the machine is NUTRITION. To get your bench up to 300 lbs, I want you to forget you've ever looked at a muscle magazine or anything other crap that caters and writes specifically to steroid abusers from steroid abusers. Pay attention here: The single most-important thing you need to do in your quest to Bench 300 pounds is to consume (eat) enough calories to allow your muscles to grow stronger. That doesn't mean chicken breasts and broccoli and low carb diets that some crazy guys are trying to sell you. It means POUNDING down the FOOD and LOTS of it. If you are following the program, you'll gain strength. When you gain strength, your muscles get larger. When your muscles get larger, you gain weight. And when you gain weight, you'll gain more strength. It's the reason that the 120 lb version of me couldn't bench 60 pounds a single time, but the fat guy on the team who never lifted a weight in his life could press 150 lbs like it was a PIECE OF CAKE (literally and figuratively). When you're young (15-25), FOOD = WEIGHT = STRENGTH.With that in mind, we at Bench300 have also created the CalMatrix. Like the BenchMatrix, it's as easy as pie. Just eat your regular foods, count your calories, and we'll do the rest. The CalMatrix will show you exactly how much you need to be eating to GAIN STRENGTH.The third part of the machine is SUPPLEMENTATION. No one believes more than we do that SUPPLEMENTS ARE GROSSLY OVERRATED. And on top of mostly being WORTHLESS, they cost A LOT OF MONEY! With that being said, there are a few supplements that are worthwhile, but we also know that everyone has limits on what they can afford. That's why we've created the BudgetMatrix, to PRIORITIZE what items you can most afford based on your budget. Just figure out how much (if any) money you can spend on supplements per week and we'll direct you to the best BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.The final part of the machine is the MIND. Before you walk into that gym, you need to be mentally prepared to BATTLE those weights. In this section, we'll tell you how to prepare yourself mentally, as well as physically. When you know exactly what you are going to do in the gym before you get there, that's nearly half the battle right there. We'll show you the latest tips and tricks you need to maximize your workouts for both SUPER STRENGTH and MAXIMUM POWER.D. Intro to Terminology (Glossary)We know that some of you have been training for a while and may be familiar with certain terms that we'll be using in this book. Even if you consider yourself to be an experienced lifter, I encourage you to review this section. For everyone else, please read carefully and then re-read. We need you to understand these terms without hesitation if you are going to reach your goals.1. REP: A REP is a repetition. A repetition is the lifting of a weight a SINGLE time (each up and down). So if yesterday you benched 135 six times, we're going to call that SIX REPS. The number of reps is always indicated by a number.2. SET: A SET is a series of reps. It could be 2 or it could be 20. It could be a HEAVY SET (low reps) or it could be a LIGHT SET (higher reps). Your Bench300 Training Program consists of a fixed series of SETS of REPS. We demonstrate this by writing: 2x15. 2x15 translates to 2 (TWO) Sets of 15 (FIFTEEN REPS). That means you'll lift the weight 15 times (1st Set of 15 Reps). Then get a drink of water or snag a sip of your workout drink, let yourself catch your breath, and do another set of 15 reps.3. WEIGHTS: Weights for all dumbbells and machines are the actual number written on the dumbbell or machine stack. For a barbell, we are assuming you are using an Olympic Weight Set, in which the empty bar weighs 45 lbs. In that case, 135 lbs will consist of one 45 lb plate on each side of the bar (45+45+45=135). If you are not using an Olympic bar (which is noted by the fat round part at the end), count only the actual weight used plus five (5) pounds for the bar. Using the above demonstration, we would indicate THREE SETS of EIGHT REPS using 135 by the following notation: 3x135x84. FORM: Form is the quality of your technique used during your lifts. For example STRICT FORM indicates complete control over the weight in both the UP and the DOWN portions of the lift. On the other hand, LOOSE form indicates a relatively sloppy lifting style that can vary from bouncing to swinging the weight. POOR form usually indicates an incomplete range of motion or improper lifting technique, such as not letting the bar touch your chest on the bench press, benching with your hips high in the air and not on the bench, or squatting one-quarter of the way down on your squats.5. MAX: Your MAX (or One Rep Max, as it's sometimes called) refers to the largest (highest) amount of weight you can lift with good form for a single REP. So for example, if you know you can't bench press 225 but you know you CAN bench press 215 a single time, we would call 215 your MAX, or One Rep Max (1RM). When setting a goal, such as benching 300, it is absolutely vital to know your MAX at all times. For one, we need it to properly reset the BenchMatrix. And then you'll continually use it as you RAPIDLY CLIMB past your records and create new workouts.6. SUPERSET: A SUPERSET is actually two sets, performed back-to-back, without rest, and immediately after the other. We'll show you how to use SUPERSETS to BREAK THROUGH BARRIERS7. PLATEAUS: A PLATEAU is a sticking point, at which you are (temporarily) unable to increase your poundages. It's not the same as exhaustion, which occurs at the end of your set8. LACTIC ACID BUILD-UP: LACTIC ACID BUILDUP (LAB) is the body's creation of lactic acid in response to placing stress on the muscle. LAB is what gives us our 'PUMP' and it's also what causes us to FAIL at some point during our workouts.9. LOCK-OUT: LOCK OUT (or LOCKING OUT) refers to the full and straight extension of your elbows during the upward movement on the bench press. If you can press a weight off of your chest but can't press it all the way up to the point that your arms are straight (locked out), we say that you didn't go to Lock Out or failed to Lock Out. As you'll learn, many plateaus are hit because of a failure to LOCK OUT. Our Bench300 system includes specific techniques to enable you to LOCK OUT and FINISH your bench press lifts.10. SPOTTER: A SPOTTER is the single most important person (other than you) in your quest to Bench 300. A SPOTTER is the person (or persons) who will assist you in lifting the weight off the rack and/or ensuring that you are not injured by assisting you immediately at the point at which you need assistance. Like you, your SPOTTER must be focused, prepared, and attentive. NEVER PERFORM BARBELL BENCH PRESSES WITHOUT A SPOTTER!10. FAILURE: We use the word 'FAILURE' (abbreviated as 'F') to indicate the point in time at which a given amount of weight can no longer be lifted. More specifically, it's the exact point in time at which the upward (in benching) movement stops. So if you were attempting to bench press 225 and got the bar 3/4 of the way up and couldn't LOCK OUT, we would say that you had 'gone to failure'. So for example, if we indicated: 1x135xF, that would mean one SET of 135 lbs to F(ailure), or as many times as you could bench press 135 lbs before FAILING to complete a REP.11. NEGATIVE: When it comes to Benching, the NEGATIVE is the DOWNWARD portion of the movement. From the moment your elbows bend, the weight is in the NEGATIVE portion of the lift. When we talk about NEGATIVES, we mean the technique of having a spotter hold on to the bar during the NEGATIVE portion of the movement while you attempt to lower the bar as slowly as possible. The use of NEGATIVES is a highly effective benching technique for novice and intermediate benchers.12. HOLDS: HOLDS, or STATIC HOLDS, are an intermediate to advanced benching technique in which you don't actually lower or press the weight. A HOLD is indicated by a SPOTTER helping you get the weight in the starting position and carefully spotting you while you attempt to HOLD the weight steady in the upright position for a fixed period of time or as long as possible. HOLDS frequently ask you to HOLD more weight than you can actually LIFT; therefore, you should NEVER attempt to perform HOLDS without a competent SPOTTER.13. PARTIALS: PARTIALS or PARTIAL REPS are another intermediate to advanced benching technique in which you emphasize a small portion of the overall bench press. It may be the initial press off the body, it may be the midpoint of the lift, or it may be the LOCK OUT. PARTIALS can be extremely effective at overcoming PLATEAUS, particularly when you can identify the weakest part of your lift.14. THIRDS: In Benching, THIRDS refers to the portion of the lift that is causing you the most difficulty and preventing you from completing the lift. Obviously, there are THREE THIRDS. The first third is the INITIAL PRESS off the body, the second third is called the MIDPOINT, and the final third is called the LOCK OUT. Weakness in a particularly third nearly always indicates a weakness in a particular muscle group, and allows you to quickly identify the weak muscle group and specifically train that muscle group to conquer your sticking points.15. MUSCLEWEEK.COM: MuscleWeek.com is your home away from home. Whether you're looking for support, advice, a workout partner, or just someone to rap with, you can find it on the message boards at MuscleWeek.com.

II. Training RoutinesA. Intro to Strength Training **** Notes: Basic Movements. Keeping it simple. Split routines: ** notesThere's an ACRONYM my 11th Grade English Teacher taught me, known as KISS, which stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. In every gym, in every town across this great nation of ours, you will find no shortage of idiots with little to no muscle to speak of (and certainly zero strength) doing absurd and ridiculous exercises that do very little, if anything to stimulate muscular growth and strength. At Bench300, we blame the magazines for complicating things by showing massively muscled bodybuilders demonstrating exercises they've probably NEVER performed in their entire lives before the photo shoot!So, for starters, let's Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS). You are going to train four times per week, focusing on hitting each bodypart twice per week. Your schedule can be Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday or Saturday-Sunday and Tuesday-Wednesday. It doesn't matter what days you train, so long as you are committed to training FOUR times each week. To ensure proper rest and recovery for your muscles, we recommend that you allow each muscle at least two full days rest between training. So if you train chest on Monday, you should not work your chest on Tuesday and Wednesday. When I started lifting and made my best gains (going from a 75 lb Max to a 175 Max in three months), I trained on a split where I trained Chest and Back on Mondays and Thursdays and Arms and Shoulders on Tuesdays and Fridays.Now, let's talk about the actual exercises you are going to be performing.1. Push-Ups. Huh? You just said that, right? Well, if you never noticed before, the push-up nearly directly mimics the ideal movements and mechanics used in a bench press. In fact, your ability to do push-ups (in both quantity and quality) is DIRECTLY related to your bench press abilities. Did you know that former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL All-Pro Herschel Walker NEVER even lifted a weight before he joined the NFL? And yet, Herschel did upwards of 1000 to 1500 push-ups each day. As a result, when he got to training camp with the Dallas Cowboys, some fellow lifters threw three plates (315 lbs!!) on each side of the bar and challenged Herschel to lift it. To their surprise, Herschel got under the bar and benched it ten times easily (though wobbly from never having benched before) before putting it back and asking his shocked teammates, "How much was that?"When it comes to push-ups and every other exercise, let's be clear: THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS. You and you alone, MUST DO THE WORK! So when you get down to do your push-ups, you MUST go down until your nose and chest touch the ground and you MUST come up all the way to the point where your arms are straightened. You don't need to stop when you straighten your arms but you must LOCK OUT your arms, because this is precisely the mechanic you will be using to LOCK OUT 300 in a few months! We also want to place our hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, but not too wide. Placing our hands too wide is like holding your hands on the bar too far apart when gripping the bar to bench. It places too much stress on the shoulders and does not use your body's natural mechanics properly.2. Bench Press: Make no mistake: The Bench Press is the King of the Upper Body Exercises. But how do you properly execute a bench press? Well, it depends who you're asking. If you ask a bodybuilder, he might tell you to bring the bar down across the middle of your chest slowly and press it up slowly. But we're not just lifting to build pretty muscles for the beach (though you absolutely will be the Boss on the beach once you're banging out 300!); we're training to BUILD STRENGTH! So let's talk about benching:Hand Placement: Your hands should grip the bar slightly wider than your shoulders. Most Olympic Bars have markers where the knurling becomes smooth, like a wedding band wrapped around the bar. Find these markers. For most people, placing the outside of your pinkie just inside that marker is a good starting point.Foot Placement: Your feet should be spread apart on the floor (and ALWAYS on the FLOOR!) to provide you with a solid base. If you had a protractor, I would recommend a 60-degree angle in your leg placement.3. Close Grip Bench Press: If the regular Bench Press is the King of the Upper Body Exercises then the CLOSE GRIP Bench Press is the King of the Tricep Exercises. Think about it. Your triceps, along with your chest and deltoids is what drives the weight UP and off of your body. Strong triceps = Strong Bench Press. The tricep is the large meaty muscle in the back of the arm. Opposite of the bicep flexor muscle. The tricep also makes up 2/3rd of your arm mass. Want big arms? You need big triceps then. Triceps play a huge role in our ability to press weight. Without them pretty much all lifting would be impossible. To put the most stress onto the tricep muscle group in order for them to grow larger and stronger then look no further than the Close Grip Bench Press. Similiar in executing the regular Bench Press the idea now is to place your hands significantly closer (about 10-12 inches apart). A little less than shoulder width apart. Just simply bringing your hands closer you will feel most of the stress (weight) being shifted causing your triceps to take over majority of the exercise. You won't be able to press as much as the regular Bench Press but it doesn't matter. Your tricpes will feel the difference and will be forced to adapt to the weight. What happens when muscles adapt? They grow larger and stronger. That's a good thing!4. Bench Dips: Another reputable exercise proven to really build strength and power in the triceps, shoulders and chest is the Bench Dip. This particular movement hits the long part of your tricep on the inner back side of the arm. It's a very accessible exercise in which you can do almost anywhere practically using common household furniture. The most common way is to find a stable bench and place your hands shoulder width apart on the edge of the bench and place your feet on another platform suspending your body. Raise yourself up as much as you can straightening your arms while your legs remain straight. Now slowly lower your body or butt as close to the floor as possible feeling a stretch in your shoulders and triceps then pushing yourself upward again the initial position. Repeat for as many repetitions as you can. A good point to note is that if you lean slightly forward you will feel a little more epmphasis on the lower part of your chest giving your chest some additional work and if you lean back as much as you can without breaking good form you will feel it a bit more in the triceps. The cool thing about this exercise is that it is easy to add more resistence making the exercise harder. Have your workout partner gently place a weight in your lap as you begin the exercise. Pick a weight heavy enough to only make you be able to do about 12-15 repetitions for 2-3 sets. Once you can easily handle 12-15 repetitions with that weight then it is time to add a bit more always bringing you back to only being able to perfrom 2-3 sets of 12-15 repititions on your own. Bench Dips or any variation of the Dip exercise is a pushing exercise as is the Bench Press and Close Grip Bench Press. They all strengthen the upper-body muscles of the chest, shoulders and the triceps.5. Barbell Military Presses: The "Meat & Potatos" of shoulder exercises. Done properly the basic Barbell Military Press is one of the better upper-body exercises strengthening the shoulders, triceps and chest. As we discussed with basic CHEST and TRICEP exercises, the SHOULDERS are also very much involved with any pressing movements and neccessary to make as strong as possible. The basic Barbell Military Press is an overhead movement. Any overhead movement, especially pressing movements will place the greatest stress on the entire shoulder girdle. Before beginning this movement I suggest you take a few minute to properly warm-up. The shoulder region is delicate and very complicated. Taking a few minutes by grabbing a light dumbbell and performing a few lateral or rotating arm movements followed by some light stretching not only is smart but very required. Barbell Military Presses can be done a variety of ways. Standing, seated, with a machine or with dumbbells. We'll focus on the basic barbell version. Place a bench under a barbell rack sitting towards the barbell. While sitting the barbell should be at top of your head level. Grab the bar with a shoulder width grip. Lift up and overhead. Keep the feet firmly planted on the floor. While the barbell is overhead it is okay to tilt your head back a little and stick your chest out creating a slight arc on the lower back. Your elbows should be pointed towards the front and not on the side. Lower the bar slowly down to where the bar is now chin level. Push back up and repeat. Select a weight that allows you to be able to perform 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Your last 2-3 reps should always be a little difficult.B. The BenchMatrix (Spreadsheet for Starting Points based Approximate Max Lift)C. Strength Routines :1: (5-4-3-2-1) An ideal way to approach the Bench Press with an ideal rep scheme to get your body and your muscle primed for a ONE rep set at the end of a 5 set pyramid. Instead of using a higher rep scheme and wasting energy this approach conserves your energy and gives your body just enough warm up to for safety. Let's say you've been following the Bench300 plan for the last 3 months consistently and you feel you are close to the BIG 300 mark but not quite ready to push 3 Bills. You would approach your first set with a weight and only perform 5 reps. Then you would take about 2 minutes and stretch lightly in between and refous and envision your next set. 4 reps. Same thing. You'd take a couple minutes maybe even 3 minutes to regroup and refocus. Then you add weight (pyramiding) and now only perform 3 reps and so on and so on. Your 5th set where you only perform ONE rep should be the 300 mark. Here is an example of how I did when I was 19yrs old. After about a year of trying to get my bench up I knew I was wasting my time by starting my first set of Bench for 12-15 reps and my 2nd for 10-12 my 3rd for 8-10, my 4th for 6-8 and my last for 4-6. By the time I got to my 3rd set I was getting physically exhausted. I had so much lactic acid in my muscles by that point and I was just spinning my wheels. I then figured out that if I lowered my rep range for 5 sets I would have enough juice to finally bench 300lbs. It is then after two weeks of using this scheme I finally approached it like this: Set 1. 135lbs x 5 reps. Set 2. 185lbs x 4 reps. Set 3. 225lbs x 3 reps. Set 4. 255lbs x 2 reps. Finally... 300lbs for 1 rep. I found out I saved energy and didn't allow too much lactic acid build and I wasn't worn. I used this exact repetiton pattern to eventually move up into the 400 mark. But that's another story...2: (10-8-6-4-2) Another way to approach your bench program which is very similar to the (5-4-3-2-1) routine but this time your rep scheme is slightly higher and your selection of weight is slightly lowered. In fact I would recommend using this routine every 2 out of 3 workouts. By lightening up the work-load a little but you give your muscles a bit of rest along with your joints, tendons and ligaments. You have to be mindful of your body. No matter who you are you can't push HARD all the time. You'll end up degressing instead of progressing. In this scheme you will use a weight selection that allows you to be able to handle the set amount of target repetitions per set. Your last couple reps should be pretty difficult for you. Here is an example of how I used this routine before and even after I finally broke the 300lb barrier. After 2 warm-up sets with just pressing an unloaded bar for 20 reps I finally put 35lbs on each end making it 115lbs. 10 reps. My second set I added 2-10's on each end. After a 2-3 minute rest time to regroup and refocus I performed 8 reps with the 155lbs. My 3rd set I got under 205lbs. 6 reps. My 4th set 250lbs. 4 reps. My final set the weight was 275lbs for 2 reps. That style of training was enough to keep my muscles and body primed and always near the 300lbs barrier. It allowed me to safely work my muscles and my mind so when I switched back to the (5-4-3-2-1) routine I wasn't out of my league or unprepared. *Remember: Always keep in mind the weight is relative to you and your capabilities. I was able to do this at 19yrs old after a little less than a year of focused consistent training and eating.

NUTRITION ROUTINESA. Intro to Strength Eating : The 2 undisputed key elements for building a STRONGER more POWERFUL body is through a solid STRENGTH training program and from day to day eating habits that always include the right amounts of calories. Calories equal ENERGY and are totally neccessary to fuel our workouts and building muscle mass. The goal is to get our calories from quality sources such as foods dense in carbohydrate, fats and protein. Our bodies handle the calories it gets from each of these nutrients a bit differently as each of them have their own unique role.Carbohydrates: The body's #1 preferred choice of energy. Carbs. Carbs are quickly turned into glucose (sugar) after it is eaten and broken down. It's the main energy source for our brains and our muscles. Know how you get when you are hungry and haven't eaten in a while? You get a bit cranky, lightheaded and lethargic, right? That's glucose (sugar) in our bloodstream getting low telling ourselves to EAT SOMETHING DAMNIT! Excess carbs we eat that we don't use for fuel gets broken down microscopically and gets stored in our livers like water to a sponge. It's also stored in our muscles. In our liver and our muscles it is called GLYCOGEN. The more often we train like a CHAMP the more glycogen we use as energy. If we don't keep refueling our body with carbohydrate then we'll run out of it and find ourselves physically weaker, the weights feeling heavier and our muscles appearing smaller. Not good! Bottom line. Don't be afraid to eat those carbs and forget about all of those "Low Carb Dudes". That's for people looking to get SMALLER and WEAKER. A rule of thumb with carbs are about 300-400g of carbohydrates per day. Or you can go with the simple formula of 2-3g of carbs x's your bodyweight. That's usually a safe bet that you'll get all the carbs your body needs to fuel your workouts and keep you on your mission to throw up the Big 3-0-0. There are 4 calories to every 1 gram of carb. If you eat 300g of carbs a day that's 1200 calories right there. Do the math. You aint stupid! The best carb sources are rice, breads, pastas, cereals, potatoes, oatmeal, pancakes and fruit.Protein: If you breakdown what your muscle tissue is made of your short answer would be water and amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and muscle. When we train hard we breakdown our muscle fibers actually DAMAGING them microscopically. The soreness we feel is an inflammation of the muscle fibers. Protein (along with rest) is required to build and repair our muscle tissues to make them adapt to the putting them under stress by lifting. Put it this way.. if we lived on Jupiter where the gravity is much stronger than what it is on Earth we would all be the size of elephants and would need even more protein. Our bodies synthesize the protein we eat. It takes what it needs to repair and maintain muscle. Athletes like us who hit the weights and have goals in becomming BIGGER and STRONGER need a bit more protein than the average person. Face it. Why do they really need to repair damaged muscles? Do they need to synthesize more protein to make their muscles grow? Not at all! Just how much protein do we need? We need protein with every meal that we eat. Every meal. Roughly about 30-50g per meal. The rule of thumb here is about 2g of protein for every pound of bodyweight. Just like carbohydrate there are 4 calories for every 1 gram of protein so keep your math skills sharp and do it! The best sources of protein is from food. Eggs, milk, beef/red meat, chicken, fish, turkey, pork and protein powders.Fats: Of all the nutrients we have available to us it seems fats have the worst reputation and is the most talked about. From low-fat diets or recipes to people believing they have to avoid FAT to become SKINNY, fat is a good guy with a crappy reputation. The role of fats in our foods play a key element in giving our foods flavor and regulating cholersterol. Fats also slows down how quick your body digests your foods keeping you fuller longer so we're not hungry all day. Fats also help our bodies use and absorb many vitamins, minerals and other key nutrients. It's our body's concentrated sources of energy. Remeber how there are 4 calories to every 1gram of protein and every 1gram of carbohydrate? Well, there are 9 calories to every 1gram of fat. Fats also keep our muscles intact in times of stress such as starvation and intense exercise and my favorite thing about fats is that it keeps our natural muscle building hormones such as testosterone running high in our bodies. That's always a good thing! A safe bet is to have about 5-10g of fats per meal. The best fatty sources of foods are, natural peanutbutter, fish-salmon, nuts-almonds, macadamias, cashews, oilive oils, sunflower oils, flaxseed oils.B. The CALMatrix (Spreadsheet for Calories based on Weight)C. Extra Calories and Where to Find Them : Finding extra calories is as easy as looking on top of your refrigerator or in your pantry. Eggs, oatmeal, peanut butter, milk, breads, fruit and in some cases even ice cream. All foods rich in dense energy producing calories. Early on when I was trying to get my bench and my other lifts up to respectable levels I knew I needed more bodyweight. Not having a decent job at the time I didn't have the cash to buy the surplus of groceries that I needed. Most of the time I resorted to whatever my mom made for the family. Having a full family I couldn't always have extra helpings of food so I used my head and got my calories from other sources. I boiled eggs and snacked on them throughout the day. I whipped up homemade "weight gain shakes " using milk, a scoop of ice cream, a handful of oatmeal and 6 egg whites. I made it a point to eat my famous peanut butter banana on wheat sandwiches washed down with a large glass of whole milk 2 or even 3 times a day. I'd even spread peanut butter on saltine crackers and eat them like most people eat popcorn during a good flick. Either way I always was looking and searching for the easiest ways to pack in the calories from foods found in practically any kitchen at anytime across the country. Little tricks like that helped get my bodyweight to where I needed in my pursuit to give me a BIGGER bench and a LARGER and much STRONGER body.IV. SupplementationThe word 'Supplementation' can mean many things, but when for our purposes at Bench300, when we speak of supplementation, we're speaking specifically about OTC (Over the Counter) products that you can purchase to assist you in reaching all of your strength goals.A. Intro to Strength Supplementation : When I first got bitten by the radioactive Iron Bug I set out on a quest to experiment with every supplement advertised in every muscle type of magazine that was under the sun. You name it. I tried it. I would get caught up with the glitzy advertisements and advertorials. I was duped by Johnny Pro Bodybuilder striking the famous " Thumbs Up " pose while holding the latest container of XYZ-Tech without any clue that these guys are loaded to the gill with steroids, growth hormones and whatever else they can put in a needle. The truth is that most supplements don't even come close to the promises so carefully written to you in their relentless ads. Over time as I progressed from the average GYM RAT to GYM STAR I noticed my list of supplements that I faithfully used always came down to the same 3 things. I call them " The Big 3 ". At that point I no longer allowed myself to get duped by glamourous ads in the magazines and became hip to their tricks to get you to buy them. My monthly list always came down to protein powders, plain creatine monohydrate and a multi-vitamin. The 3 Tried and True supplements that stood the test of time and never went out of style. Let me breakdown The Big 3 for you...* Protein Bars/Powders: We know now that we, as people trying to forge our bodies to grow larger and stronger need extra protein in our bodies for it to do just that. Grow LARGER and STRONGER. Protein powders are an awesome and super convenient way to supply ourselves with that extra protein that is NOT required by the average couch potato or person wasting away at the bars every night. There are so many different formulas out there, some contain more protein per serving, some contain extra calories comming from sugar and carbohydrates and some even are fortified with fat that will obviously contain more calories. The different labels and different companies that sell them all preach the same message of superiority that THEIR protein powder is better than the other guys. That's not neccessairly true. Our physical bodies are so complex it doesn't note the difference between XYZ-Tech protein and XYZ-Plex protein. It just knows it is getting fed protein and calories. To keep it simple and to avoid the confusion I say you should look for a protein that has at least 20-30g per serving (scoop), has less than 3g of sugar and less than 6g of carbohydrate. The more complex the formula the more MONEY it is going to cost you. Get the extra carbohydrates and fat from real food. It's cheaper and more effective. I still have a scoop or two in a shaker bottle with either milk, water or juice (depending on if I want to cut a little body fat or bulk up) right after my workout so I can start the growing and recovering process or at bedtime so I can have protein in me while I sleep. Remember, you grow BIGGER and STRONGER during sleep. Why not have some good protein in you to help with that, right?* Pre-Workout Supplements: Pre-Workout supplements include NO (nitric oxide) supplements, fat-burners, and other supplements designed to give the focus, energy, and nutritional needs to take your bench workouts to the next level* Post Workout Supplements: Post-Workout supplements include Creatine, glutamine, glucosamine, and several other popular products. For those on a limited budget, we recommend starting with creatine. Creatine hit the stage in the early 1990's and has been a staple in everyone's supplement program who has a desire to grow BIGGER and STRONGER. It is NOT a steroid or anything close to it. Creatine is NATURALLY occuring and can be found in lots of food that most people eat on a regular basis. Our body stores creatine from the foods that we eat or in supplemental form in our muscle cells. It is a combination of 3 amino acids (building blocks of protein and muscle tissue) at the right dose that our muscles use as ENERGY to contract and move. It's the ideal supplement for anybody who weight trains seriously or plays any sports where EXPLOSIVE and POWERFUL movements are required (football, hockey, track, rugby). It also helps increase the SIZE of your muscles through VOLUMIZATION. It can pull some of the water that we drink into the muscle cells swelling the muscles making them appear LARGER and more FULL. There are so many different creatine formulas out there today. Some are mixed with sugar and some are mixed with caffeine. Some have BOTH. Like protein powders and different labels every company will claim their XYZ-CELL creatine is better than XYZ-MASS for whichever reason. This isn't exactly true. Remember how complex our physical bodies are. At the end of the day our bodies only know that it is getting extra creatine and it knows what to do with it. A plain ol' white creatine monohydrate is probably the best bang for your buck. Keep it simple. No need to go with the myth of a "loading phase". That's a marketing PLOY to get you to finish the container to hurry up and go buy some more. Research shows very little to no evidence that a loading phase is neccessary. So we're clear that means having a serving of creatine 3-5x's a day for the first 4-5 days then following up by having it 1-2x's a day afterwards. Just use a serving of it right after your workout. I like to dump a scoop of creatine in my shaker bottle with my protein after my workout. That's the ideal time to use it.*Multi-Vitamin: Multi-Vitamins are an easy way to ensure that, as hard training athletes, we get all the nutrients needed that we may not be getting from foods. It's nothing more than a simple pill or tablet (often found in liquid form) containing many different vitamins and minerals. All rolled in one. Even on a strength or weight gaining diet there still is a chance we won't get all the proper nutrients we need to be at our best. Storing, processing and even cooking our food can reduce the amount of available vitamins and nutrients found in them. With so many commercials and so many types of multi-vitamins to choose from it can be quite confusing. Mega Man, Centrum, One a Day, the list goes on. Some contain IRON. Some do not. Some are forumalated for men and some are formulated for women. That just means the dosage is a little different to suit that genders' needs. Like, a woman might need a bit more calcium than a man, right? Choosing the right brand is entirely up to you. Consulting with your physician is always a good idea if you have any medical situations that may contraindicate the need for a multi-vitamin. Going with a formula based on your gender is probably your best bet. Don't forget that a strength gain diet, which is abundant in a variety of different foods along with a couple daily protein shakes which is also fortified with vitamins and minerals.. you're probably getting what you need. Just to be on the safe side as most multi-vitamins are water-soluable ( you pee out what you don't use ) it's not a bad idea to throw one in for insurance sakes. 1-2 tablets a day with breakfast is how I've been doing it for the past 15 years. That seems to be the norm with most.B. The BUDGETMatrix (Spreadsheet for Supplement Budget based on Monthly Allowance/Budget) : It isn't a secret that supplements can be pretty expensive. Hell, some of them have price tags on them that can be considered downright highway robbery! Just because a supplement has a high price tag (generally over $50) it doesn't mean it is BETTER or that it contains something special. More than likely it is because the company has to make their money back somehow for how much they spend on advertising and for singing Johnny Pro Bodybuilder to a contract. When purchasing supplements I now go quantity of quality. Remember what I said about our physical bodies. Our bodies are so complex it will not tell the difference over one brand name or the other. In my experience I have come to accept that the term "high quality" is a selling point more than anything els. Even the most clever of the supplement consumer must know how to budget themselves and cut corners. In these times we have to. I'm not High Rollin'. Are you? If you stick with The Big 3, a monthly budget is very feasible for practically everybody. In order I would put your money towards plain creatine monohydrate over the protein powder and over the multi-vitamin. Reason being is because you can easily get your protein and vitamins naturally through your STRENGTH gaining diet. You can with creatine as well but it would require a hell of alot more food. We're trying to push BIG wieght not push maximum density! A budget of $20-$30 bones should be adequate for a 4-6 week supply of creatine. If you use it as I outlined - post-workout only - it will last you a bit longer. Next I would set aside $25-$40 bones for your protein powder.MONEY SAVING TIP: Raw protein powder costs between $3-4/lb. So try not to spend more than $10/lb at the store. So, for example, you wouldn't want to spend more than $20 for a 2lb container of protein!A normal 2lb container lasts the average user having 1-2 shakes daily 2-3 weeks. It's probably always better to get the 5lb container of the same protein because you end up getting the most bang for your buck and get enough to last you around 4-6 weeks. Finally an extra change you have can go towards a decent multi-vitamin. I often use Centrum's daily multi and for about $8 bones taking only 1 a day it can last me about 4-5 weeks. Wise Man once told me that it isn't about how much money you have or how much you make it's about how smart you are to keep most of it while still getting what you want. That's great advice, by the way.

V. Mind over Matter"If you don't mind; it doesn't matter."A. Intro to the Strength MentalityAs you master the Bench300 program to get stronger and more powerful, SMASHING personal bests and BREAKING school records, you'll find that occasionally, you'll get STUCK at certain weights. We call these sticking points 'plateaus'. When you hit a plateau, more often than not, it's a MENTAL PLATEAU, rather than a physical plateau. The reason we know this is because most plateaus occur at recognizable points for everyone across all levels: 200 lbs, 225 (two plates per side), 275 (two plates and a quarter), 300, and 315 (three plates) are the most frequent plateaus novice and intermediate lifters encounter.I like to call 200 and 300 'audible plateaus' because we hear them and they sound intimidating, or we think about them and become overwhelmed at the thought of hoisting that amount of weight over our chests and faces. I call 225, 275 and 315 'visual plateaus' because they signify amounts that we recognize on sight and the prospect of looking at the barbell and seeing two or three large plates can be equally, if not more intimidating than just imagining the amount lifted.In this chapter, we'll discuss techniques to help you OVERCOME PLATEAUS and develop a STRONG MIND that will allow you to CRUSH HEAVY WEIGHTS without self-doubt or fear of failure.B. Focus and Planning (before going to the gym) The difference between those we see in any given gym or weight room who CAN move some REAL WEIGHT and those who seem to be spending more time texting, talking and flirting with the Juice Bar girls than actually making themselves BETTER is that some guys have a plan before they walk into the gym or begin their lifts and the other ones do not. About an hour before I scheduled myself to go lift I would visualize and "see" myself lifting the weight I wanted to lift that day. In the theater of my own mind I would actually remember how 135lbs feels in my hands, how 185 feels, how 225 feels and so on. I would pay attention to all of the details and leave nothing to chance. I always wear my favorite "lucky" t-shirt when I'd bench. I even cue up the right music in my headphones. I know which particular bench I want to use and at which point I want my spotter to step in and "give me a little juice " (no pun intended). Call it superstition or call it craziness. Whatever. I always find these details are essential to a successful workout.A training journal can also be useful. To this day, I still use a simple spiral notebook to track and record the weights used and reps executed each week, along with a little note at the bottom of the page. "Weights felt heavy...did 225lbs for 6 today. need to get 8 next week." as an example. This gave me the information I needed to set the right goals while I was on my mission to press the Big 3 Bills. I knew I was doing everything right if either my weight, reps or BOTH went up with at first 185lbs, then 205lbs, then 225lbs and so on. ALL workouts should be IMPORTANT to you. Remember: You are a living breathing thinking MACHINE. A loaded barbell is an inanimate object. It has no life of it's own. Who's going to win?So take out your pen and write this down and read it EVERY TIME you get ready to PLAN YOUR WORKOUT. Then read it again before your workout:I am a SOLDIER.
I am going to WAR.
I go to war PREPARED.
I FIGHT to the FINISH.
I NEVER QUIT.
VICTORY is MINE! SPARTANS Never Retreat, SPARTANS Never Surrender! ( I had to throw that ' 300 ' reference in there. Sorry. I couldn't resist.)C. Conquering Strength Plateaus : It happens. It happens to all of us. We attack the weights religiously during the week, we get all of our calories in, we get decent sleep at night and we seem to be dotting all of our i's and crossing all of our t's. So why is it we are stuck and can't seem to push more than a certain amount of weight and can't seem to get any stronger? Well, my friend this is what we call a PLATEAU. Plateaus happen because our bodies are always adapting to what we are doing.These hairy situations often happen at the worst possible times. Just when you seem to be making progress and your motivation is at it's peak and you're breaking personal records your body starts to rebel and you sort of get frozen in time unable to move past your personal bests. The truth is it is probably more destructive on your MIND than anything els. It sucks! You're motivation starts to get shaky and you start of second guess yourself. The good news is that plateaus are just temporal bumps in the road. They can be overcome with a little attention to detail. Start paying more attention to your sleep patterns. Are you getting a solid 7-9 every night? We strength training athletes need a bit more sleep than the other people as we constantly need more time to recover from what we do to our bodies with the weights. Reevaluate our weekend sleep patterns -vs- our weekday sleep patterns. Sometimes in life the stresses of school, jobs and family obligations can pull our energies elswhere. That's cool, though. Nothing wrong with that. We just need to be sticlters about how much sleep we get and make a solid 7-9hrs a day a neccessity. We also need to be sure that we're constantly getting our calories in on a regular basis. Missing a feeding time here and there is okay. Nobody is perfect and we're all busy, right? Missing a feeding time regularily is when it can have a direct impact on performance. Plan ahead. Always think about tomorrow and when you are going to eat and how you are going to make that happen. Once your feeding and caloric intake is steady and cruising it should be another measure taken appropriately to keep us moving forward in the gym. Finally I'd like to point out that taking a week or so off completely away from all strength training is always a strategic tool to take a leap forward when we resume again. Sometimes just solid sound sleep isn't enough. Our muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and even our Central Nervous Systems need an active break. Don't sweat it! You won't be weaker or lose all that you've gained when you hit the weights again. You'll probably be stronger as your well rested machine is filled with gas, tuned up and ready to go! These are just a few of the better ideas on how to conquer and move past strength plateaus. There are probably many other ways but these 3 are usually the culprits in such cases.D. Setting New Goals : Setting new goals for yourself is essential when you get to or break past a plateau. You also have to keep them realistic and on point. If getting you to break past the BIG 300 barrier is our goal and you're still stuck at 205 for a triple then there is no reason to start thinking about pushing 400. First conquer 225 then 245 then 275..295 and so on. Setting small more easily attainable will keep your mind from getting frustrated and will keep you from giving up. Baby Steps, my friends! Making smaller goals prioritizes steps neccessary in acheiving the larger overall big picture. Write them down, keep a training journal or an online log like what you see at Muscleweek.com Keeping an online journal is a great way to bring others into goals and giving people the ability to depend on you and go through it with you. Focus and visualization is key. Believe it possible. See yourself eventually pushing the weight. See yourself breaking your own barriers and give it the time it needs to materialize. Remember, you become what you think about the most. If you see yourself as a big bench pressing powerful person doing something about it to stay that way then that's exactly what you will become any GOALS without a PLAN is nothing more than a wish.