The Biggest Bench Ever!

"My crown is in my heart, not on my head, Not deck'd with diamonds and Indian stones, Nor to be seen: my crown is called content; A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy." William Shakespeare In this section I am going to reveal for the very first time the bench press routine that gave my wife the biggest bench in the history of women's powerlifting, 402 lbs! Since becoming the only woman ever to bench press 400 pounds she has repeated that feat three more times in strict national and world competitions. She has also doubled that exact weight in the gym preparing to shatter her own world record! My wife, Tamara Rainwater-Grimwood, was not always a great bench presser. Actually, it was her worst lift for a very long time. Tamara competed at a body weight of 154 lbs. in 1990 and bench pressed 143 lbs! It was the following training year that we realized how horrible her bench press actually was. Tamara spent the next six months unlearning bad habits and initiating our training principles. Together we devised a bench press system from a set of ideas that we were compiling to help both of us with our lifting. Today, we call these ideas the Grimwood rules of principle and we still follow them to the tee. As well as affording my wife the biggest bench ever, this program was instrumental in helping many other big benchers with their success. Just to mention a few, Jamie Harris, SHW Powerlifter, improved his bench press by 200 pounds twenty months to become the strongest bench presser of all time with his recent 740 pound effort! Grant Pitts, SHW Powerlifter, added fifty pounds to his bench in six months to become one of the only men ever to bench press 675 pounds without the aid of a bench shirt! National Powerlifting Champion Tonya Meyers credits her fifty plus pound advantage to the Grimwood Strength System! Collegiate All American candidate Steve Keim from N.C. State University praises the Grimwood 'Strength System as being the very best that he has tried! Retired Miami Dolphin inside linebacker Rick Liddell says that in nine months his bench is stronger than ever with our system! The following bench press routine involves a period of muscle conditioning and incorporates our patented alternating week principle! The Grimwood Bench Press Power Cycle: 15 weeks to meet! Week 1 (Monday / Light) 1. Stretch (5-10 minutes) 2. Bench Press (light / 50% of current max) Warm up, very lightweight x 1 0 reps 3 sets (light weight x 10 reps 3. Seated Overhead Shoulder Press (Dumbbells) 1 set very light weight x 10 reps 3 sets light-moderate weight progressive x 10 reps 4. Dumbbell Press (flat) 3 sets light-moderate weight progressive x 10 reps 5. Dips (body weight) 3 sets x 1 0 reps 6. Stretch (3 minutes) 7. Vertical Hang (body weight, upright position) 3 sets x 15-30 seconds each Week 1 (Tuesday / Light) 1. Stretch (5-10 minutes) 2. Close Grip Bench (elbows in) 1 set very light weight x 1 0 reps

3 sets light-moderate weight progressive x 1 0 reps 3. Tricep Cable Push-downs 5 sets light-moderate weight Progressive x 15-20 reps 4. Superset Tricep Push-downs W/,Straight bar curls 3 sets light-moderate weight progressive x 15 reps 5. Lying Tricep Extensions (optional) 3 sets light-moderate weight Progressive x 10-15 reps 6. Stretch (3 minutes) 7. Vertical Hang (body weight, upright position) 3 sets x 15-30 seconds each Week 2 (Monday / Heavy %) 1- Stretch (5-10 minutes) 2. Bench (60% of current max) Warm up (just enough) 3 sets x 5 reps one final set to failure (apprx. 50% of your current max) 3. Seated Overhead Shoulder Press (Dumbbells) 1 warm up set x 10 reps 3 sets moderate-heavy weight progressive x 8 reps 4. Dumbbell Press (flat) 3 sets moderate-heavy weight progressive x 8 reps 5. Dips (body weight or weighted) 3 sets x failure 6. Stretch (3 minutes) 7. Vertical Hang (body weight, upright position) 3 sets xl 5-30 seconds each. Week 2 (Tuesday / Heavy) 1. Stretch (5-10 minutes) 2. Close Grip Bench (elbows in) 1 warm up set x 10 reps 3 sets moderate-heavy weight progressive x 8 reps 3. Tricep Cable Push-downs 5 sets moderate-heavy weight progressive x 10 reps 4. Superset Tricep Push-downs w/ straight bar curls 3 sets moderate weight progressive x 1 0 reps 5. Lying Tricep Extensions (optional) 3 sets moderate weight progressive x 10 reps 6. Stretch (3 minutes) 7. Vertical Hang (body weight, upright position) 3 sets x 15-30 seconds each Week 3 Mon./Tue. (same as week #1) Week 4 Mon./Tue. (same as week #2 except bench) Bench (65% of current max) Warm up (just enough) 3 sets x 5 reps one final set to failure (apprx. 50% of your current max) Week 5 Mon./Tue. (same as week #1) Week 6 Mon./Tue. (same as week #2 except bench)

Bench (70% of current max) Warm up (just enough) 3 sets x 3 reps one final set to failure (apprx. 50% of your current max) Heavy Hand Outs 3 progressive sets at least 1 0% over max, hold each one for five seconds, then rack Week 7 Mon./Tue. (same as week #1) Week 8 Mon./Tue. (same as week #2 except bench) Bench (80% of current max)(shirt optional) Warm up (just enough) 3 sets x 3 reps a final set to failure (apprx. 50% of your current max) Heavy Hand Outs 3 progressive sets at least 1 0% over max, hold each one for five seconds, then rack Week 9 Mon./Tue. (same as week #1) Week 1 0 Mon./Tue. (same as week #2 except bench) Bench (90% of current max)(shirt) Warm up (just enough) 2 sets x 2-3 reps a final set to failure (apprx. 50% of your current max) Heavy Hand Outs 3 progressive sets at least 1 0% over max, hold each one for five seconds, then rack Week 1 1 Mon./Tue. (same as week #1) Week 12 Mon./Tue. (same as week #2 minus shoulder exercises) Bench Warm up (just enough) (100% of current max)(shirt) 1 set x 2 reps (102.5% of current max)(shirt) 1 set x 1-2 reps (105% of current max)(shirt) 1 set x 1-2 reps Heavy Hand Outs 3 Progressive sets at least I0% over max, hold each one for five seconds, then rack Week 13 Mon. Warm up to and include bench opener, no assistance, that's it! Week 14 REST !I Week 15 MEET!! MEET!! MEET!! This power cycle assumes that you have reached a competitive peak before starting this program. It is based on improving your maximum competitive performance. If you are a new lifter or if you are still building towards your peak then you will probably far exceed this five percent increase over sixteen weeks!

Remember to always follow the Grimwood rules of principle. Do not skip around through the program. Keep your workouts light on the alternating weeks! Tips: Try overloading the bar on your heavy days for heavy hand outs. This weight should be more than you can bench by at least ten percent. Three sets, holding each set for five seconds will suffice. Try pin presses on your heavy bench days when you are not wearing your shirt. This is an isometric exercise which helps strengthen the area around your sticking point. Place the bench inside the power rack and set the safety bars an inch or so below your sticking point. Place the bar under the safety bars and press against it just as you would be benching. Hold the press for five seconds as hard as you can. Repeat this isometric movement for three sets! (Optional) Good Luck! Copyright 1995 Rainwater Grimwood Enterprises, Inc.

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