Training program
8-week bench press specialization program with load calculator
Build a stronger bench with three focused sessions each week: one heavy day, one volume day, and one speed day, while squat and hinge work stay on maintenance.
- Days / week
- 3
- Block length
- 8 weeks
- Cost
- Free
Your numbers
Enter what you can lift and every percentage below becomes a real weight, rounded to what you can actually load on the bar. Nothing is sent anywhere — it stays in this page.
The week
Heavy bench
- Barbell bench press1×385% 1RM
- Barbell bench press3×575% 1RM
- Barbell row4×8-10RPE 8
- Triceps pushdown3×10-12RPE 8
Rest
Volume bench + squat
- Back squat3×5RPE 7
- Barbell bench press5×670% 1RM
- Incline dumbbell press3×8-10RPE 8
- Face pull3×15-20RPE 7
Rest
Speed bench + hinge
- Deadlift2×5RPE 7
- Barbell bench press8×360% 1RM
- Overhead press3×8RPE 7
- Lat pulldown3×10-12RPE 8
Rest
Rest
The week adds up to
- Sessions
- 3
- Working sets
- 41
- Rest days
- 4
Most sets
- Barbell bench press17
- Barbell row4
- Back squat3
- Face pull3
Choose your start day
The coach can size every set to your current max and adjust the next week from the reps and RPE you log.
Who this bench program is for
This block suits an intermediate lifter whose bench has slowed while the rest of training can sit at maintenance. You should already bench with a repeatable setup and know a current one-rep max or a sound estimate.
How the three bench days work
The heavy day starts with a triple at 85% of your one-rep max and controlled back-off work. The volume day supplies most of the pressing reps at 70%. The speed day uses crisp triples at 60%, with every rep moving the same way.
How to progress for eight weeks
Add 1–2% to the main bench work when every prescribed rep is clean, then reduce volume in week four before building again. Keep the displayed percentages tied to a recent max rather than changing the max after one good session.
What to do when a bench day stalls
Repeat the load once. If the same prescription misses again, remove 5% from that day and finish the remaining work with good bar speed. Persistent misses on all three days usually mean fatigue, so cut accessory sets before adding more bench work.
Accessories and maintenance work
Keep one upper-back movement and one triceps movement on each bench day. Squat and deadlift stay deliberately easy at RPE 7; they preserve the patterns without competing with the bench block. Swap accessories freely when joints or equipment require it.
This is a training template, not medical advice. Loads are starting points, not prescriptions — scale them to your own experience, and talk to a qualified clinician before starting a new program if you have an injury or a health condition.