If you like to bench press and/or if you want to build your chest, you are going to LOVE this workout.

This one lit up my chest like nothing has in years.

I call it Rack/Range Bench Press.

In it, you're going to address every single portion of the barbell bench press range of motion separately. This allows you to maximize the workload on the ENTIRE range of motion of the bench press, according to the strength curve of the exercise.

You're going to be starting with light weight and high-reps for full range of motion. Then, with NO rest other than the time it takes you to change weight, you'll be adding weight and DECREASING your range of motion as you go through the workout, ending with an extremely heavy, single-rep lockout. Then you'll work your way all the way back down to your starting weight.

It sounds a bit complicated (and it kind of is) but the end result is that you're going to hit pretty much every single muscle fiber that you've got in your chest, working it with the most amount of weight and volume it can handle the whole way through.

This will be easier to see as I show you the methodology, but bottom line, the hypertrophy stimulus you get with this workout is just off the charts.

 

How to Do It

The first thing you're going to need to do is understand that partial-range training can be very beneficial when done correctly and with purpose. If you have an irrational fear of partial-range training, you need to get over it immediately because you're leaving a lot of strength and muscle development on the table.

A primary variable of this technique is changing range of motion, along with changing resistance.

To do this one, you're going to need a power rack (not optional), a bench and a barbell...nothing fancy here...just free weight and hard work.

Set up the safety rails in the rack to just below your chest level. For the first 2-4 sets, you'll be doing a paused bench press to the chest (full range of motion) with very light weight. I'm using 95 lbs for the first set here.

It should be a weight you could easily get at least 30-50+ reps with in a normal set...warm-up weight, basically. Definitely start light enough where the weight is easy.

Pause for a second or two at the bottom then press back up.

Perform as many reps as you can until you get close to where lactic acid accumulation will shut you down. Keep a few reps in reserve (RIR). The goal here is not to push yourself to the limit on the way UP...that happens on the way DOWN.

Now add weight. I added 20 pounds to the bar (two tens) bringing it to 115 lbs...still very light but because you just finished the other set, you won't get a ton of reps.

The ONLY rest you get is the time it takes you to add weight.

Then do another paused-press set, just like the first one, bringing the bar down your chest, holding for a moment, then pressing back up.

Get as many reps as you can, keeping a few reps in reserve.

Add more weight. I went up to 135 lbs next, still doing paused presses.

This is where we're going to introduce the "magic number 5."

Very simply, when you get to a point where you can't get 5 reps with a weight, that's when you raise the rails so that you DECREASE the range of motion while also increasing weight.

So in the next picture, I've got 155 lbs on the bar and I raised the rails to just slightly above my chest so I'll now be doing bottom-start "pin presses" on each rep. This means fully setting the bar down on the rails, relaxing somewhat, then developing tension through the chest and pressing up from there.

Because the bar is still set on the J hooks, the first rep will start like normal. Then begin the pin presses from there. This is also necessary because you will have a very hard time getting under the bar for bottom start pressing if it's half an inch above your chest.

Again, get as many reps as you can but keep a few reps in reserve...it's only going to get worse from here.

At this point, when you're pressing at or near the sticking point, you're going to be raising the rails fairly frequently because it's the weakest point in the range of motion, don't worry if you only get one set at these lower heights.

Be VERY sure you're using that 5-rep rule-of-thumb. If you can get 5 reps or more, stay at that height and add weight. If you get 4 reps or fewer, raise the height and add weight.

In terms of how much weight to add, you can play it by ear. There were times when I was adding 20 lbs and times where I was adding just 10 lbs, because I wanted to get another set at that level. How much you add and when is up to you.

Once you get to a point where the height of the rails will overlap the height of the J hooks, you'll need to adjust how you raise the rails.

In my case, I just slid the hooks up really high and didn't use them anymore. I would then just lift the entire rail up one notch with the barbell on it still. This is how my rack works and the weight isn't too heavy when it's just one side.

If you have a rack where you have to slide the rails out, just raise the J hooks up one notch, lift the bar one end at a time and set it on the hooks, raise the rails one notch, then put the bar back down on the rails, one end at a time. In essence, step the bar up, raise the rails, then step it back down.

From here onwards, you're going to be doing pin presses directly off the rails with no unracking or racking the bar. The bar will be high enough off your chest that you'll have no problem getting under it.

Now you're going to keep repeating the process, using that 5-rep rule-of-thumb.

As you put more and more weight on the bar, your range of motion will be getting shorter and shorter, PERFECTLY matching the strength curve of the exercise so that you're maximizally overloading the movement over the entire range of motion.

Eventually, you will get to the point where your range of motion is as short as it can go. This is where you stop worrying about the 5 rep rule and you just focus on weight.

When you start doing these heavier sets, be very sure to keep a couple of reps in reserve on each set. You don't want to bring your nervous system drive all the way down, because you want to keep moving up in weight.

Once you start really pushing these heavier loads, it's time to focus on your partial-training technique and high-threshold motor unit activation.

Instead of trying to press the weight up, solidify your torso and try to push your back down into the bench (lke a push-up). This will help with muscle activation.

Keep gradually stepping up in weight until you get to the point where you can only get one reps with your top-end weight. For me, this was 415 lbs.

As you can see, the range of motion is extremely short. The more weight you have on the bar (even when the rails are set at the same height as with lighter weight), the more the bar will bend and the more your joints, muscles and body will compress, further shortening the range of motion very slightly (but enough to make a difference).

Don't hold the presses more than a second or two at the top. We're just looking for the muscle contraction and activation, not long-duration connective tissue loading.

The weight increments that I used were as follows:

95, 115, 135, 155, 175, 185, 205, 225, 245, 265, 275, 295, 315, 335, 355, 365, 385, 395, 405, 415.

 

After you've hit that one-rep press, it's time to start coming back down.

Again, to be clear, you get NO rest other than the time it takes you to switch weights and rail height.

Start stripping weight off, changing the weights by the same increments you increased them by on the way up. You'll get fewer reps (due to fatigue) but you will likely FEEL stronger, because you're reducing weights.

You're going to again use the 5-rep rule-of-thumb here.

However, on the way down, once you get get MORE than 5 reps at a weight (e.g. 6 or more), that's when you'll lower the safety rails to the next level down.

Keep the pattern going, reducing the weight and lowering the rails until you get all the way back down to your starting weight.

 

At this point, a very interesting thing will happen...

Becuase of all the heavier, shorter range pressing you did, the ENTIRE range of motion of the bench press will be equally fatigued (and equally strong), meaning that it will be just as hard to press at the top lockout as it is to press out of the bottom/sticking point, even with light weight.

It's a weird feeling...embrace it and try to push out as many reps as you possibly can until complete failure. These are the reps to really dig in on.

During these reps, it will seem like you can actually feel every single muscle fiber you've got in your chest contracting.

When you're done with that set, that's it. No more for chest, and you're done for the entire workout. Your nervous system will be shot and it won't be beneficial to do anything else after it.

This workout took me about 37 minutes to complete, start to finish.

I recommend taking a day off training after doing this one (or plan on doing an easy workout). It will help with recovery.

I would also recommend doing this workout no more than once a week, at the very most. You can work your chest again later in the week, but doing an entire workout like this too frequently will be too much to recover from.

When all is said and done, you will have worked pretty much EVERY single muscle fiber in your chest to exhaustion or near exhaustion. And your chest will be pumped in a way it has never been pumped before.

If you decide to give this one a try, definitely let me know how you like it!

And yes, you CAN use this method with other exercises...I did it with squats and it was awesome (I don't think it would be a good fit for deadlifts, though).

Watch the full video for this workout here.

If you'd like to start from the workout demo, click here.

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Want More Insane Workouts Like This?

•  The Single Dumbbell Attack
•  Total-Body Countdown Murder
•  The Inside Out Core Crusher
•  Lactate Tolerance Training for Chest
•  Dueling Banjo Hell

Nick Nilsson
The Mad Scientist of Muscle

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