The Perfect Powerlifting Program

How the Spanish Ruined it for Everyone

The Perfect Powerlifting Program. You haven’t found it, nor has anyone else... at least within the last five hundred years. Historians say it was lost when the Spaniards ransacked Tenochtitlan in 1521. Supposedly it was hand carved into the unearthed bone fragments of what we now know as a Dreadnoughtus. Some time in early 1500 an unnamed Aztec warrior scrimshawed a record of his physical training regimen in his pursuit of divinity on the battlefield.

In 1520 it was perfected, and he ascended into the heavens to be with Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec God of War. Then in 1521 the Spaniards invaded and destroyed a record more important to physical development than Starting Strength and The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, combined.

Some say even more important than the Magna Carta and maybe even the Harry Potter series.

How many pounds do you think that Aztec warrior

gets out of that sweet weight belt?

Nearing Perfection

Historically accurate and well documented events aside, the perfect program doesn’t exist. You will never find it. You will never create it. No one has nor ever will. Why? Because the near perfect training program requires two things:

- Individualization

- Progression

Take any pre-written program off the internet, a magazine, bone fragment, or from your buddy and chances are it lacks one of those above traits, if not both.

But what do these terms mean?

Individualization: In essence a training program should address what specific strengths, weaknesses, goals, and exercise contraindications an individual lifter has before and during the program.

            Example: Lifter-A has poor posture and their shoulders are internally rotated to a serious degree. (Standard computer guy posture.)  It would be in their best interest to not perform overhead pressing and instead fill that gap with corrective stretches/exercises until they reach a point of normalized (or nearly so) shoulder heath where overhead work can be performed more safely.

In the case of the lifter above if they were to take any number of exercise programs off the Internet, say Starting Strength or 5/3/1, where the press is a key movement they stand a high likelihood of injuring themselves before they make any real progress on the lift. If they injure themselves overhead pressing it will likely impact their ability to perform the bench press. As a result their “program” now has a 50% usability rating.

A key thing to remember about individualization is that it frequently changes. Every training session is an opportunity to better tailor your training to your individual needs.

Progression: Increasing the lifter’s performance in one or more metrics. This increase should be specific and quantifiable.

            Examples:

1.    Adding weight.

2.    Adding volume.

3.    Increasing bar speed.

4.    Decreasing rest time.

5.    Increased muscle size.

6.    Decreased body fat percentage.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of conceivable progression options.

Progression is a subject that is typically left out of common “programs” passed around by friends that are pulled from the pages of muscle rags. Do everything 3x10 week in week out with no mention of how or when to add weight, reps, or other measurable forms of progression.

Eight short weeks later and you've accidentally a Ronnie Coleman.

All this 19-year old caucasian female wanted

was to tone. Turns out she accidentally 

Ronnie Coleman'd herself.

On the other side of the coin we have over simplification of progression. All too often we have people say, “Add weight!” as the only form of viable progress. This then results in lifters reaching a plateau and finding themselves dumbfounded on how to continue progress. “Buy micro plates for micro loading!” The masses will say.

Please, don’t get me started on the stupidity of micro loading.

Rather than suffer the eventual plateau of adding ever decreasing, infinitesimally small amounts of weight, lifters can instead take a note from Doug Hepburn and linearly progress their volume instead of single-mindedly chasing intensity increases. Or like a strength mutant I know, only increase their working sets when the bar flies off their traps when squatting. 

Yeah. Pure blooded mutant. (I mean that in the most admirable way.) 

Sure, adding weight is fun and I love it just as much as the next guy. But sometimes it’s not the best option or a viable one. If a lifter can improve any one of the above examples (and likely any other measurable performance marker) they’ve become a better athlete as a result of their training.

Progress is progress. An athlete’s performance is multifaceted. Wearing blinders and only focusing on one function of progress is an unnecessary hindrance. Cast those blinders aside and progress becomes easy. Say goodbye to plateaus. 

Little does this guy know he's about to 

get stuck at 220 on bench press for the next

eight months.

Your Excel Spreadsheet is Killing Your Gains

That’s right. The 12-tab spreadsheet you’ve drafted up which details every training session you’ll do for the next year, down to minutia… is worthless.

Worse than worthless in fact, it could be a hindrance to your progress.

This is where people like me who love the spreadsheet planning can take a page from someone who doesn’t. Someone who, gasp! trains by how they feel rather than having a rigid structure for their training plan.

What’s the point of drafting out a training plan that will take you from Point-A to Point-B when in the middle of it you may get sick, injured, or stall a lift?  Not saying writing a plan out is bad but more to the fact that sometimes strictly sticking to the plan can cause more harm than good. Such is the case when I find myself training “according to the plan” when I know I haven’t recovered enough from the previous training session.

So what happens in this case? What should a new lifter, or even a seasoned spreadsheet using vet, do in such a situation? 

Simple. Go with an audible. My standby “back up” training session is to do something I know I can easily recover from, or simply, do something fun in the weight room.

Yes, something fun. (News flash, lifting weights is for 99% of us a hobby. And as such hobbies should be fun 99% of the time.)

If that means you go to the gym to bench and it’s just not happening because your pecs are too beat up today why not train arms and shoulders individually? Those two parts are integral to the performance of a bench press and if you can successfully train them in that session then you’ve turned a potential bad workout into a good one. Or if you’re supposed to train the bench heavy go after lower intensity volume or speed focused training.

The target of progress has shifted that day. Reacquire it.

Us spreadsheet warriors need to stay flexible. When in doubt, ditch the plan and kill what you can instead.

The average program of a guy nine months into 

lifting weights and just finishing his first month 

on Texas Method.

Ditch the Program. Stick to Principles.

Here is where we circle back around to the success of a lifter and how it is determined by their training being both individualized and progressive- the fundamental principles to any successful training pursuit.  Those are really the only things you should rigidly plan. This means all lifters could make progress without any semblance of a “program.”

No prewritten plan.

No Google docs.

No spreadsheets.

Instead all that is needed is the understanding of their individual needs as an athlete and how to progress their abilities. This could mean that they have identified a lagging body part which lacks development, a technique fault, or other performance compromise and then instead of setting a fixed time and route on how to improve it they train their needs until they see quantifiable improvement. 

As a lifter progresses from novice to advanced their training plan in essence should go from instruction manual to outline.

Perhaps they squat slow and rather than increase the weight on the bar they’re going to maintain intensity until they can lift that weight 25% faster. Maybe they lack conditioning so they’ll make an effort to limit rest. Or a muscle may be underdeveloped so they would add in more isolation movements to bring it up to par.

Let your principles guide your training, then measure the worth of those principles by the results they produce. If they’re producing undesirable results then analyze why, reacquire your target, adjust fire, and engage in training again. Repeat as necessary until your principles continually produce quality results.

Or you know, you could just get ab implants.

Conclusion

I know much of this is very “common sense” type information. But if there’s anything I’ve learned since I’ve started training it’s that people love to write down what they’re going to do in the gym and then they do one of two things:

1. Do it exactly as written.

2. Not do anything like it at all.

Even advanced lifters are subject to this. And in my opinion the more advanced you become the more #1 becomes a hindrance to your progress.  I concede that the novices should stick to the basics and the simple linear weight progression is their most beneficial option. But there comes a time when every lifter hits a roadblock with their fancy well planned out program and then they have to make one of the choices above. If they’re feeling run down and choose the first option they stand a higher risk of injury; most likely banging their head against the wall in frustration. Choose option two and they may feel like they’re not making any progress whatsoever. There is an ever shifting sweet spot and it is important to understand that individual needs change, and because of that, progression methods sometimes need adjustment as well.  

The reality is that when the plan fails the principals can succeed. And in that success the lifter will not only become a better athlete but also a better coach to themselves.

... All despite the Spanish conquistadores setting our training knowledge back a few hundred years. If only almighty Huitzilopochtli could see our gains…

Science has proven that the most bioavailable protein source

comes from the still beating heart of a virgin 

sacrificed atop an Aztec temple.

(Disclaimer: Don't sacrifice any virgins for gains.)

Saving Your Bench with the Sling Shot

In my first foray into shilling the Slingshot I discussed how my bench was stagnant for a very long time. I tried many things, none of which really broke me through that plateau. I bought a Slingshot but didn’t give it time in my training, viewing it just as a novelty. Then in an act of desperation I applied it more seriously to my training, then completely left that plateau behind.

Call it shilling if you want. But this is one of the very few things I’ve purchased that has had a near immediate positive and quantifiable impact on my lifting performance. I love my Slingshot and I want to yell it from the top of a mountain.

Unlike milk, the Slingshot is a good choice.

Many readers had questions about why I thought it was better than other training tools? Boards, bands, and chains. Why it is better than using other accessory movements? Close grip bench, incline bench, overhead pressing.  How strong should a lifter be before using a Slingshot? And how exactly should the Slingshot be properly implemented into a lifter’s training.

Boards

These require you to have a training partner who knows what the hell they are doing. Then, since you’re doing overload work chances are you’ll also need a hand off. That’s two more people needed to overload your bench training. You know how many people the Slingshot needs? One. You.  For me, this is a big one as I don’t have a crew to train with and am not exactly the kind of lifter who wants one anyways. I enjoy my “alone time” in the gym.

Can you press off boards by yourself? Yeah. But I don’t want to strap a 2x4 to my chest with a knee wrap, nor do I want to shove it down my t-shirt. Screw that.

Another aspect of using boards to overload your bench is that it reduces the range of motion and thereby changes the way in which you bench. This is compounded with each additional board you press off of. Not too noticeable off of a one or two board but as you stack those Lincoln Logs up your bench groove is affected more and more.

Go ahead and bring some shit like that into a commercial gym.

You'll be nicknamed "Bob the Builder with the pathetic bench."

Bands and Chains

First these tend to cost much more than a Slingshot. Sure, if you want to buy one set of bands that might be $20 and maybe you can go to a junkyard and find some chains. Yeah… you bring those rusty sons-a-bitches into your gym and get tetanus. I don’t think those are the kinds of muscle contractions you’re wanting there, bro. Go ahead and be a cheapskate. Spend $20 on one set of bands and get a deadly medical condition from your rusty chains because you don’t want to support the corporate machine.

The more important aspect, even more important than not catching tetanus, is that when using bands and chains the weight changes as it moves through the range of motion. This is called “accommodating resistance” and many of you already know how this works. The gist is as you get near the end of the movement the weight on the bar becomes heavier. This isn’t true with the Slingshot.

When using the Slingshot 405 always feels like 405 in your hands, no matter where the bar is in the range of motion. The weight on the bar never changes. This is important because much of your nervous system feedback originates in your hands. That’s one of the reasons why grip strength is used as a measure of vitality and general health. (.pdf warning) By using the Slingshot instead of traditional accommodating resistance tools like bands or chains your body feels the weight on the bar, and whether it’s at lockout or on your chest, 405 will always feel like 405 in your hands.

Banded, chained, deficit deadlifts. Hell, lets just 

see how many training variables we can throw into

our gym time!

Why not use other accessory movements?

Well from my perspective an athlete should spend a significant portion of their training practicing the movements judged within their sport. This is of course up for debate. With the Slingshot you can practice your actual competition movement as a powerlifter, through its full range of motion, at overloaded intensities. Does it change your groove? Yes, but at a far less degree than something like a close grip, incline, or decline bench.

Why not use other accessory movements? Close grip bench? Overhead press? Bottoms-up pressing?  Dumbbell benching? Again, it goes back to spending time practicing your competition movement. If your time in the gym is limited then the Slingshot is your best friend because you accumulate the necessary volume with your competition movement without having to spend excessive time in the gym training a variety of other lifts, which may or may not be of benefit to your bench.

"Bro, it's not gay if it's functional."

The more time you spend doing other movements the less time you have to spend refining your competition technique. Additionally, the carryover to your competition movement is fairly unknowable. Maybe it’s not your triceps holding back your bench. Maybe your technique just sucks and you need more practice.

How bummed would you be if you spent a few months training a close grip bench only to see a five pound improvement on your competition bench? Speaking from experience, seriously bummed.

When people ask how to get their bench one rep max to increase the answer is most often, “bench more.” Well, this allows a lifter to both get more practice benching, and overload that movement to cause adaptation. This will undoubtedly benefit to your bench.

How Strong Should You Be Before Using the Slingshot?

Before a lifter purchases a one of these, they need to take an honest look at their training. Because maybe it’s not your strength that should determine whether or not you purchase a Slingshot, perhaps it is something else. Are you getting enough reps per week on the bench? Have you filmed yourself benching to examine your technique? What about having a qualified lifter or coach teach you some tricks of the trade? 

Essentially, what else have you done in an attempt to get through your bench press plateau?

The Slingshot should not be the first course of action against a bench press stall. Don’t spend your money if you don’t have to! But, if you’ve tried many, many things, and none of them gave you the desired results, then maybe the Slingshot is a good option.

I do however think that a mid to upper 200-pound bench press is a reasonable range of performance to consider incorporating this tool into your training. This is because I believe that most lifters can get to this level without spending extra money on their training. Hell, I was stuck in the 275-to-295-pound range for at least a year before I bought one, and longer still until I incorporated it into my training. 

You should go mildly insane trying different 

means of progress before jumping on the 

Slingshot gain train.

But then again, a 200-pound bench is pretty damn impressive for a 123-pound female powerlifter. So, in her case a Slingshot may be a good option. Not so for a male 198 lifter. Perhaps a better determining marker for Slingshot use would be using bodyweight multipliers- if so then I would say somewhere around 1.5 times bodyweight. Of course, heavier lifters will have a problem with this bodyweight multiplier performance marker. I’m sure you’re seeing the confounding factors of determining when to implement the Slingshot in your training.

What it boils down to is this: What else have you tried? And for how long have you tried it?

How to Effectively Implement the Slingshot into Your Training

As I said in my first post, I generally followed two routes when I more seriously implemented the Slingshot in my training. At the time I was already benching twice per week, so what I did initially was simply do some overload sets with the Sling Shot after my regular bench work on one of the days. After eight weeks or so I switched to having one day’s workout dedicated to the Slingshot and the other dedicated to raw benching. Below I’ll go over, more or less, how I went about effectively incorporating this training tool into my long-term programming.

I do recommend lifters generally follow the same route I did. Use it a little, learn how it works, get comfortable handling 100%+ intensities. Then as your understanding of how the Slingshot works grows, and as you get stronger with it, then look to moving its use to a separate day.

(Keep in mind I program off of a Goal Weight, which is around a 2-3RM, and all percentages are based off of your raw bench Goal Weight.)

In this first example you’re undulating weekly your intensity and reps per set. Decreasing the volume as the 4-week training cycle progresses. Notice that both bench press and Slingshot intensity and volume closely align with my First Tier (T1) guidelines for weeks one through three. Week four is when the total workout volume for each combined drops within the T1 guidelines. This is because the intensities are so high with each that it warrants half as much training stress. 

This is a nice introductory option because it is simple and leaves the total Slingshot work up to the lifter. They have a maximum and minimum number of sets to complete with the Slingshot. So if they’re feeling great that day then push it. The benefit of this is that due to the decreasing volume the intensities can be slightly higher. This is at the sacrifice of developing more practice with the Slingshot via greater repetition.

This second example has less raw volume as a sacrifice to incorporate more Slingshot work afterwards. This is a good option for a lifter who has their technique dialed in. This is a simple linear progression of intensities across the four weeks. The raw work reps and sets stay consistent for simplicity’s sake. The Slingshot overload work alternates weekly between five reps and three reps, with the last set of the Slingshot work being as many reps as possible (AMRAP). So just like the first example, if you’re feeling great that day, push your Slingshot work. If not, do the bare minimum. The benefit of this over the first option is more practice (volume) with the Slingshot work versus lifting heavier with the Slingshot. 

It should be noted that weeks three and four will be very stressful so make sure your recovery is on point. But I wouldn't be surprised if lifters were getting eight to ten reps on week three AMRAP and six to eight reps on week four AMRAP.

At the end of one to three of these types of training cycles with the Slingshot I suggest you move on to one of these second two. This is of course dependent upon whether or not you can manage a 2^nd bench day in your week. If not, consider taking a concept from one of these second two examples and implementing it after your raw work in order to continually progress your Slingshot bench.

This third option is a good one for more experienced lifters. You’ll work up to either a five or a three rep max, depending on the week, then drop 20 to 30 pounds and complete the reps and sets as written. Very much along the lines of the format of option one. This option carries a lot of total volume with the Slingshot, and that means practice! Another great thing about this is that since it is removed from percentages it allows the lifter to potentially lift intensities greater than 110% of their max, or more, with the top set if they’re having a great day. This means practice at super high intensities. This option can be repeated until your Slingshot bench stalls. At that point in time consider another protocol in order to continue improving your Slingshot bench. This has the benefit of an auto regulation set up at the expense of handling a variety of intensities depending on how the lifter is performing that day. There's no clear progression map so the lifter needs to know themselves and their training well enough to identify if they're making progress or not.

The fourth and final option I’ve created is simple linear progression with the Sling Shot. This is for the lifter who is thinking long term. Doing six reps at 65% of your Goal Weight is very, very easy with the Sling Shot. But keep in mind that you’ll be working up to six reps at 95% that same day. This allows you to practice the technique with the Slingshot, and learn its groove, with sub-maximal weights for a longer term.  

By the fourth week the lifter has already completed 48 total reps with the Slingshot at very manageable weights. When beginning their second cycle they can restart the first set at 75% instead of 65% and continue the same percentage increases as before so that by the end of their second cycle they’re now doing singles at 120% of their max. An option for this is to make the last set of each training day an AMRAP set like how it is set up in option two. I enjoy AMRAPS with my bench, so maybe give that a go if you've got a similar mindset. 

The benefit of this is that because it is for the long term the progress is likely to continue for longer before a stall. Also beneficial is the ability to practice singles with supra-maximal intensities. This may be of importance for a lifter who is aiming to compete at the end of a training cycle. In that scenario I would absolutely incorporate paused work with the Slingshot at 100%+ of your Goal Weight. 

There are near endless possibilities with how a lifter can incorporate the use of a Slingshot into their bench training. I’ve laid out only four simple progressions that demonstrate how a person could do so. My first priority in training the Slingshot is volume, not intensity; this is because a lifter needs to practice using the tool they’ve purchased. I don’t think Bob Vila built a house the day he bought his first hammer. Likewise it isn’t smart to base your first experiences with the Slingshot on your dumbass testing max singles with it- like I did. And that’s how it ended up in my gym bag for nearly a year because I thought it was useless.

It wasn’t that the tool was useless; I just didn’t know how to use it. And that made me the tool.

Don't be a dumbass with your Slingshot.

Other Advice

Personally speaking I know that if I can get four to five reps of a weight with my red Slingshot I can probably make a single with it raw. If I can do a single with my Slingshot I can probably do 40-60 pounds less without it.

Like I said above when explaining the example templates, focus on volume rather than intensity. It is important you learn how to use it, otherwise you’ll throw it in a dark corner of your gym bag and hate me for writing these posts. I know it’ll seem exciting to throw on an extra plate over your raw max and try and hit it for a single. Sure, it is fun. But that won't build your raw bench like repetitive overload will. Volume with the Slingshot will build your bench. I promise.

It will be scary once you start getting into the 110%, 120%, and 130% or more of your raw max intensities when using the Slingshot. You’ll never have gripped a bar harder or wrapped your wrists tighter. This is a good thing. Harness that fear and use it to get stronger.

Think of the Slingshot as your spotter bro that helps out just a bit off your chest then lessens the help as you near lockout. The difference is that with your spotter bro you never really know how much assistance he gives you. With the Slingshot the assistance is consistent, and that’s very important. You know how much help you’re getting, and you know your progress is real and not your bro saying, “It’s all you!” When in reality, he’s damn near deadlifting the bar off your chest and you’ve made absolutely no progress whatsoever.

"All you bro! Army Strong! Hooah!"

Don’t Buy it if You Don’t Need it

Seriously… take an honest look at your training history. How long has your bench progress stalled? What else have you tried? There’s no need to add another variable into your training if you don’t have to. Training should be as simple as possible, especially for novice and intermediate lifters. Try a few things to fix your bench before dropping the cash on one of these. Because if it is your technique that is holding you back adding overload work won’t help you at all. In fact, it will be more likely to injure you. Then the only progress you’ll be making is burying your face deeper and deeper into bags of potato chips and pints of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked.

But, if you have $50 to throw around, buy one. Because I don’t see how it will have a negative impact on your training if all your other ducks are in a row. If you choose to follow one of the above protocols I’m confident you’ll make progress on your bench.  

"I'm your one-way ticket to PR City." 

- Ulysses S. Grant, November 10, 1865

Too Long. Didn’t Read.

- The Slingshot is better than boards, bands, or chains, because it doesn’t limit the range of motion and the weight felt in your hands doesn’t change during any point in the lift.

- The Slingshot may be a better option than using a different accessory lift because that accessory may have little to no carry over to your raw bench. By using the Slingshot you’re still benching and practicing that movement.  If anything, the increased frequency and volume alone will be of benefit. The overload work will certainly help too.

- When should a lifter start using the Slingshot? It’s hard to pinpoint a specific weight, or bodyweight multiplier, but if a lifter has diligently tried other means to attempt progress, then the Sling Shot is a good option. Suggested weight ranges would be mid to upper 200’s or somewhere around 1.5x bodyweight.

- When programming Slingshot work first focus on volume over intensity. This is so that a lifter can practice with the tool their using and learn how to use it properly. It is my opinion that supra-maximal singles with the Slingshot are near useless and overloaded volume is the key to progress when using the Slingshot.

- Don’t chicken out when un-racking 110% of your max. That’ll turn the bench into a guillotine. Have confidence under the bar. That alone will benefit your raw bench greatly.

- There are many strong lifters who got there without a Slingshot. It's not a magic pill.

- Don’t buy it if you don’t need it! If your bench sucks because you don’t know how to train then adding this variable to your training is not going to fix it! Get your technique dialed in first, then add the Slingshot. Bake your cake then put frosting on it, because the people who eat frosting by itself are fat. 

And nobody likes fat people. 

"Hi, I'm Bob Vila and welcome to 'This Old Bench.' 

Today we're going to carve a wooden spoon to 

shovel ice cream into your face as you cry about

the sorry state of your bench press."

How the Sling Shot Saved My Bench Press

In this post I am going to try and convince even the most natty, so RAW you capitalize it, so raw you’ve got salmonella poisoning, lifters that they should spend the $50 or whatever it costs for one of Mark Bell’s Slingshots.

Calling themselves raw like it's a fashion statement.

Before we get to all that, no, Mark isn’t paying me to write this. No I haven’t been sent any free shit from HowMuchYaBench.Net. Hell, the closest interaction I’ve had to the man himself is following him on twitter.

I’m also not one to shill products. Especially those I don’t believe in.

Now to the testimonial.

Like many lifters I experienced a plateau on my bench. For a long, long time. My plateau was at 275 pounds. And for three years or so it would hover around the 275-to-290-pound range. Some months it would be 290, the next month 275. “What the hell am I doing wrong?” I thought to myself.

After growing frustrated I tried many things. Benching from pins (bottom-up press), bands, reverse bands, close grip only cycles, more overhead and incline work… damn near everything. And none of it really broke me through that plateau. Again, and again my bench would get stuck in that shit-tier range.

My best bench pre–Slingshot era. 295 pounds, touch and go. 

295 on the bench will barely turn heads in a YMCA. I can’t be having that.

Biker bro can definitely rep 315. 

Then I bought myself a Slingshot. I played with it a bit. But never took it seriously. I bought it cause I had the extra money and I figured, why not give it a shot? Well, after a few training sessions I put it away in my bag and reverted back to my retarded super natty, raw RAW, zealot status.

That was one of the stupidest mistakes I’ve ever made in my lifting career. For little did I know the one thing that would save my bench was collecting chalk dust in my gym bag.

Stupid.

Then in the fall of 2013 I was sick of my plateau. Granted, my bench had now at least reached the consistent level of 285 or so, but 300 was only happening on a day when all the planets were aligned, I had eaten my Wheaties, and found $20 on the gym floor. So out of frustration I started using my Slingshot. I pulled it out of early retirement, because I was sick and tired of having my bench press be on vacation in Florida. 

My bench had moved so far south it was getting

weak & tan on Daytona Beach.

I trained it weekly. Mandatory one day per week Slingshot work. At first it was just some overload sets after my raw bench work. That then turned into its own day- A day dedicated to training overload work with the Slingshot.

And my bench began to move.

First I got 290 with an ok pause. 

Then about a month later I got 295x2, paused. 

And the progress just kept coming. Along with using my Slingshot every week I also moved to flat footed benching which greatly improved my ability to recruit leg drive. My Slingshot mirrored exactly my raw bench programming, only differing in one way- the intensities were about 20-30 pounds greater.

Soon after incorporating it on a once per week basis my raw bench climbed to 300 with a clean pause. Then 305. Then that coveted 315 goal was achieved. Mission accomplished. Go home people. Show’s over.

Then I came out to Afghanistan. Training got harder. More focused. The Slingshot was getting used like a Greek slave circa 480 BC. I’d train with it on Tuesdays and then raw bench on Saturdays.

Greek BDSM.

Much like powerlifting.

And my bench began to move so fast it was like I had morphed into Goro from Mortal Kombat. Throwing that bar with my four arms like I was an Italian pizza man.

305, 315, 325 for reps… raw, without the Slingshot.

Meanwhile my Slingshot bench was climbing just as fast. Hitting into the mid 300’s for reps. Nothing felt better or built more confidence under the bar as holding 365 in my hands and repping it with my Slingshot.

An actual photo of me after using the Sling Shot

consistently for a few months.

After months and months of avoiding testing my true bench max and just building it through repetition, both raw and with my Slingshot, I decided it was time to test my max.

And just like that, I had benched 365 pounds. Just three or so pounds away from a two times bodyweight bench press. 

Plateau destroyed.

Mind you, I compete raw. I typically had trained raw. And like many raw lifters I saw using gear outside of the usual knee sleeves, wrist wraps, and belt, as abhorrent. I once was a raw dogmatist. Then I pulled my head out of my ass and realized that with the proper use and implementation, something like the Slingshot can be a raw powerlifter’s secret weapon. It is my opinion that for the money there is no better piece of equipment a raw lifter can purchase in pursuit of improving their bench press. 

I don't know who this guy is, but he's got a Slingshot

so he can probably bench more than you.

Thank you, Slingshot. You’re my best friend. 

Second installment here.