King Joes Barbell Club

 Doug likes to take 12 weeks to peak, but it could vary a little because of an injury or something but this is the basic cycle he likes to follow. The first four weeks he uses 4 sets of 6 reps in the bench press. On the 4^th set he goes limit. He uses each rep as a 5-pound indicator for his next workout. He starts the cycle at 400 lbs.

Example – 400 x 6, 400 x 6, 400 x6, 400 x limit (e.g. 10)
So, from the last set, five pounds for each rep over six would work out to
(10 reps minus 6) 4 times 5 (five pound for each rep over six) equals 20 (pounds more next workout).
Example (next workout) – 420 x 6, 420 x 6, 420 x 6, 420 x 8.
Many 4-20’s!
Then, by following the same plan – 2 reps more than 6 in the last set equals a 10 lb. weight increase at the next workout.

The highest he has reached in this program is 470 pounds for 4 sets of 6. These workouts fall twice a week of every fourth day, as desired and as his work schedule with the railroad with the railroad with the railroad allows.

After 4 weeks Doug goes to a double program. One workout is the same 4 sets of 6, and the next workout is 5 sets of 3. This runs for 4 weeks or up to 4 weeks before the meet. At that time he does only 5 sets of 3 for 2 weeks. 2 weeks before the meet he goes to 5 sets of 2, timing it where he gets three workouts in but rests for five days before the meet.

In past programs he had done one limit set of reps at the end of his workout with anywhere from 50 to 100 lbs. under what he was working with his program. His normal peak on the 5 sets of 3 is 500 lbs. but he has reached 520 as of this writing.