12 Week Bench Press Program for Max Strength (free PDF)

Almost everyone who’s ever lifted weights has, at some point, looked for the perfect bench press program to help them push more weight.

The bench press is the universal test of strength—the lift that gets the most attention and respect in any gym.

But for all the hype, most lifters have no idea how to actually improve their bench.

They grind away, adding weight randomly, stalling out, and wondering why their numbers won’t budge.

That’s where our 12-week bench press program comes in. It’s a structured, proven plan designed to break through plateaus and increase your one-rep max (1RM).

The routine is based on solid research and a program I followed years ago—one that helped me boost my 1RM by 20% in preparation for an open powerlifting meet in Texas.

I learned this approach from elite US powerlifters—guys who didn’t just lift heavy but won competitions. I didn’t win. Not even close. But my bench got stronger, and yours will too.

If you’re serious about stacking plates and pressing more weight, this bench press program is the one to follow. Let’s get to work.

Jump to the program now!

Alternatively, you can download the free PDF version of the routine using the link below:

Bench Press Program In a Nutshell

General Notes about Bench Press

Bench press is a skill lift. It is technique-dependent. Picking the right grip and setting up (i.e., proper distance from the rack, back arch, etc.) make a big difference.

Now, here’s where I need to add the truth bomb:

Bench press is not a requirement for having a big chest, or for general physical fitness.

Related: If you want a bigger chest, try our Big Chest Workout Program.

There are smart people who say that you have to bench 1.5X your bodyweight to be considered fit.

This is utter nonsense.

Some people are not built to barbell bench. Folks with long arms, narrow shoulders, and flat rib cages struggle with it.

Yet those same people rock at dumbbell or cable chest flyes.

A great many people learn to hate the gym because the “mandatory” lifts are difficult for them.

Don’t be a prisoner to a specific lift.

If you want to grow your bench, the program here will help.

Program Overview

This max bench program spans 12 weeks, 3 months. You’ll be working out your bench 2 days a week. I suggest a 3rd day that you devote to posterior shoulder work.

Day 1 will be your heavy day. It does not need to be done on Monday.

Day 2 will be a comparatively lighter day weight-wise but aimed at building muscle mass. You’ll still be working hard, applying progressive overload.

Insert 2 or 3 rest days between Days 1 and 2. You may find that you need 3 days between Day 2 and the next week’s heavy Day 1. If that’s the case, 2 days between Days 1 and 2.

Make sense?

Here’s a table to illustrate an example schedule:

The point here is that you need to be fully recovered from Day 2 for the Day 1 to follow. If you find that you’re not, back off Day 2’s workload a bit.

More is not better.

How to Determine your Current 1 RM

You’re going to need to do a little math. Start with your previous best bench, your 1 Rep Max.

For your own 1 RM you don’t necessarily need someone to signal you to lift off your chest, but you do need to pause about a second to demonstrate control.

Bouncing the bar off your chest doesn’t count.

That rep just described will represent 100% for the rest of these equations. Calculate all your training percentages off this previous 1 RM.

If it’s been a while since you attempted a max heavy single, you’ll need to do that.

Pick a day when you’re rested and well-fed to give yourself a fighting chance of setting the right baseline… in other words, your 1RM.

Use Our Calculator!

If you already know what you can bench for a given number of reps (not 1 rep obviously) you can use our in-house 1 RM Max Bench Press Calculator to estimate what your 1RM should be!

Now, set your training target. What you want your new 1 RM to be.

If you’ve been training for a while, your increases are going to be incremental, nothing spectacular.

If you’re new to lifting, your new 1 RM may be appreciably more than previous maxes.

At those amounts, you *could* base all your percentages off 95% of personal best, but 95% of 315 is 299, so you might as well make it easy on yourself and calculate off the previous 1 RM.

The concept is the same: you’ll build up to and beyond what you were previously able to lift.

The Exercises You’ll be Doing

Bench Press

No detailed explanation needed. The variables are your grip width.

The regulation grip is that the handles cannot be outside the ring that’s cut into the bar (knurling). Hands can be well “inside” the ring, just not outside.

Pause Reps

Because a regulation bench requires control and a brief pause at chest level, it makes a lot of sense to train that bottom-most portion of the exercise.

Exaggerating the pause to 2, maybe even 3, seconds, will build strength you’ll need for your new max lift.

Rack Overloads

Alright, these are straight-up incredible, and the logic behind doing them is so freaking smart.

I learned these from a guy named Tim Jackson when I was in college. (Hey Tim, wherever you are!)

You’ll need a power rack or squat rack for these.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Set the safety bars at a height so that they are just below your sticking point.
   • This limits the range of motion to that middle range that’s most difficult. The concept is working through this disadvantaged range and getting stronger where you’re weakest today.
2. Set the J-hooks (or J-cups) on the rack at the position where you would normally unrack it for a regular bench press.
3. Load the bar with weight that allows you to perform no more than 5, maybe 6, reps.
4. Unrack the barbell and lower it so that it only lightly touches the safety bars. Think “butterfly with sore feet”.
   • Do NOT, under any circumstances, bounce the weight. If a rebound is needed, check your ego and lower the weight so that you can perform all reps without stopping.
5. Re-rack the barbell.

Later in the program, you’ll be raising the safety bars so that they’re high, near the top of your range of motion, i.e. near lockout.

At this phase, you’re going to train your central nervous system to get used to what that heavier-than-ever weight feels like.

Load the bar beyond what you’d be able to lift though a complete range of motion. Perform 3 to 5 reps.

This is the magic. So much of performance lifting is neuro-muscular. Once your brain and spinal cord “learn” what heavier feels like, your muscles will follow.

Close Grip Bench

There are 2 benefits to doing a close grip as part of your workout. For one, close grip tends to bias the triceps and anterior delts more than a wider grip.

Both those muscles play major roles in a strong bench.

Triceps Extensions

A bodybuilding favorite and great for strength training also. Cables preferred. Pick the attachment of choice and go to work.

If you have no cable machine available, EZ Curl or barbell skull crushers, or JM presses work too.

The Smith Machine–if you have one handy–also is great for JM presses also.

Front Raises, or Side Laterals

Dumbbells or Cables, either works. For building a big bench, I’d suggest using the thumbs-up grip for the Front Raises.

The 2nd benefit is that you just might find–as I did–that you’re actually stronger with a narrower grip. 

The Bench Press Program

Weeks 1 – 4

Day 1

1. Bench Press
   • Warm up
   • 3 sets of 4 reps @ 75 to 80%
2. Pause Reps. 2-second pause holding bar at the chest. Do *not* rest the bar on the chest. Maintain tension.
   • 2 sets of 5 reps @ 65 to 70%
3. Rack Overloads, set the safety bars just below your sticking point, 85 to 95%
   • 3 sets of 5 reps

Day 2

1. Bench Press
   • 3 sets of 4 to 6 reps @70%
2. Close Grip Bench
   • 2 sets of 4 to 6 reps @65%
3. Triceps Extensions
   • 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps
4. Front Raises or Side Laterals in the Scapular Plane
   • 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps

Weeks 5 – 8

Day 1

1. Bench Press
   • Warm up
   • 3 sets of 3 reps @ 85 to 87.5%
2. Pause Reps
   • 2 sets of 4 reps @ 75%
3. Rack Overloads, set the safety bars near the top of your range of motion (lockout)
   • 2 sets of 3 to 5 reps 105%

Day 2

1. Bench Press
   • 3 sets of 3 reps @ 77.5%
2. Close-Grip Bench
   • 2 sets of 4 to 6 reps @ 70%
3. Triceps Extensions
   • 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps
4. Front Raises or Side Laterals in the Scapular Plane
   • 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps

Weeks 9 – 12

Day 1

1. Bench Press
   • Warm up
   • 3 sets of 2 reps @ 90 to 93%
2. Pause Reps
   • 2 sets of 4 to 6 reps @ 80%
3. Rack Overloads, set the safety bars near the top of your range of motion (lockout)
   • 2 sets of 3 to 5 reps 105 to 110%
   • Discontinue after Week 10

Day 2

1. Bench Press
   • 4 sets of 2 reps @ 82.5%
2. Close Grip Bench
   • 3 sets of 5 reps @ 75%
3. Triceps Extensions, discontinue at Week 11
   • 2 sets of 6 to 8 reps
4. Front Raises or Side Laterals in the Scapular Plane, discontinue at Week 11
   • 2 sets of 6 to 8 rep

⚠️ Stay away from the gym for 3 to 5 days prior to attempting your new 1 Rep Max. During that time, eat well, and get plenty of sleep.

General Guidelines

• Sleep a minimum 7 to 9 hours nightly.
• Maintain protein intake (1.8 to 2.2g per kg bodyweight). Opt for a high-bioavailable protein source, such as whey isolate or casein, fish, beef, or chicken. Plant-based proteins can be fine; however, many have low bioavailability and require higher total volume food consumption to meet the target percentages.
  • Most plant-based proteins are incomplete, meaning they lack all the necessary amino acids. Soy products (like tofu and tempeh) and quinoa are 2 that have all the essential aminos.
• Stay hydrated (3 to 4 liters of water daily). It’s especially important to be well-hydrated prior to lifting, particularly for older lifters.
• Stay critical of your form and technique, such as how much time it takes between unracking the weight and beginning bar descent, or breath control.
• It’s a good idea to include a back, or Pull, day in your workout schedule. Strong posterior delts, traps, lats, and other less obvious support muscles will help grow your bench press. We do not get into those exercises here. Rule of thumb: avoid too much volume
• Log all workouts. Track progress. Adjust as needed.
• Never sacrifice form.
• Concentrate on every rep.

Application Notes

• Always warm up. Just don’t expend too much energy during warm-up. Get your joints moving with light weights and then stair step up with 2 to 3 sets of big jumps in weight using 3 to 4 reps for each set. Rest 3 minutes or so in between.
• Use a spotter for heavy sets.
• Use your brain. Concentrate on every rep. Visualize every set before you do it. And for heaven’s sake, leave the smartphone in your bag or locker.

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Download our Bench Press Program PDF below:

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We write custom programs. If you have specific physique goals–such as “I’d like wider shoulders”, or “I’d like more ‘V’ in my back”–we can write one for you. Reply in the Comments or simply contact us and we’ll get back in touch. First come, first served.