🏋️‍♂️ 5 tips for a better bench press

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Here’s everything you need to know about this week:

• A workout plan centered around gaining mass.

• Tips for a bigger bench press.

• 74-year-old Rudy Kadlub squats an incredible 470 pounds.

Workouts

Get Swole

While you might post pictures at the end of your weight cut, you probably prefer the skull-blasting training of the bulking phase you did months prior. If you’re looking to pack on some winter mass, we’ve put together the only bulking workout and diet plan you’ll ever need. 

This strategy uses the extra calories you are pumping into your system to amp up the frequency and intensity of your workouts while hitting all your body parts. Trying to do this in a caloric deficit will leave you beat up and worn out, but with some extra meals under your belt (and in your stomach), you’ll be armed for the plate-rattling sessions ahead.

This isn’t exactly a paint-by-numbers plan, mind you. You know your body and have your favorite pet exercises, so this bulking workout plan has some room for personal preference when it comes to exercise selection. What’s not up for discussion is the training intensity. You’re trying to add muscle, so you’ll need to lift like it.

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Training Tips

Bench Booster (BarBend’s Version)

If someone says they don’t want a bigger bench press, they’re lying. (Those strongmen and Olympic weightlifters aren’t fooling anyone.) For everyone open to admitting their bench-seeking lifestyle, the article below contains a complete dossier on how to press more than ever.

And this isn’t all about tips to get physically stronger. Maybe your setup needs some tweaking. Or maybe you just need to learn how to drive through the floor with your legs. Once you’ve addressed your technique, you can begin looking at your programming to develop a plan to combat your weak points. Your journey to a bigger bench press begins today.

Powerlifting

A Master at Work

File this under “age is just a number.” At 74 years old, Master’s powerlifter Rudy Kadlub continues to lift bigger, heavier weights, providing us with an ever-impressive collection of feats shown on social media. 

Kadlub owns the Masters (70-74) world squat record in the 100-kilogram class, having white-lighted 210 kilograms (463 pounds) in competition. Now, in training, he has comfortably squatted 213 kilograms (470 pounds). Remember, Rudy isn’t a starting college linebacker, but he sure lifts like one. 

Kadlub will compete in the IPL World Championships on November 16, hoping to set even more all-time world records in his age bracket. Check out the technique he uses to continue to squat big weight while living as a septuagenarian. 

Everything Else

The Science of Size

• Bodybuilder, powerlifter, coach, and fitness content creator Jeff Nippard gets all academic with a list of science-backed bodybuilding principles. Listen to what the lab coats have to say as they exchange their beakers for dumbbells.

• Squirm your way to a better warm-up routine while rocking your core and posterior chain with the inchworm exercise.

• Lithuania is hosting the equipped version of the IPF World Championship beginning on November 13. You can watch every lift (or just pop in at your leisure) by following the official stream.