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The popularity of the bench press needs no introduction – it’s the Prom King, captain of the football team and is banging the hottest cheerleader. Besides questions on accessory work, the bench press and how to increase it is the top question I get asked. But anytime I give advice to someone they respond with a host of reasons why it won’t work for them. So let’s present some of the best ways to increase your bench press, the excuses and then responses to the excuses.

5 of your training questions answered.

A couple years ago, I was involved in a motorcycle accident.  While riding on I-70, I was struck from behind by a speeding car.  Can you guess what the asshole driver was doing?  It rhymes with "nexting".

I love doing dips, although I'm 100% convinced they didn't help my bench press. I do think they helped my press, though.

The main movement stays the same and keeps strength in the program. This allows you to progress from week to week and actually get stronger, something lacking in about 99% of non-assisted bodybuilders' routines.

The difference in Jim's new book is the inclusion of the wavy Leader and Anchor cycles, and the black-and-white concepts of how to move from template to template intelligently with the 7th Week protocols; add in to that fully programmed and integrated supplemental, assistance, and conditioning suggestions for each template, and you're all of the sudden provided with one-on-one coaching levels of programming...

When I was first introduced to pull throughs, I was incredibly  underwhelmed. To get any sort of effect, the reps had to be pushed very high and the weight was frustratingly limited due to the fact that you can't load the exercise with any more weight than you    can get into position with. But I did them anyway, because a lot of strong folks swore by them, and I assumed they must have some magical properties of some kind.

I like weighted chin ups. I'm not voting for them in the next "Five Awesome Exercises" election but they certainly have their place. I've championed chin ups for years, mostly because they're great for the upper back, lats, and arms. And because you can do them anywhere – chin-up bar, top of the Smith machine, scaffolding, top of the monolift, playground equipment, etc. Weighted chin ups are a good idea IF you can do them, and even then you still need to keep bodyweight chin ups as part of your training (unless you can bang out multiple sets of 20 with good form). And if that's the case, gain some weight!

Question: What would you do to bring up a weak lift? For example, my dead, press, and squat are about right relative to each other but my bench is comparatively very weak. It's embarrassing. How would you recommend using 5/3/1 to fix something like this?

"If you can’t do chins, you are either hurt, fat or weak - And none of these three things are good...doing this will greatly increase your chin volume without taking any extra time or energy from your workouts."