www.wannabebig.com - Chris Mason 30 in 30

Since I have hurt my back and can't squat or deadlift right now I figured I would work around the problem and focus on my bench press. I tried Chris Mason's 30in30 program last year and had some success taking my raw bench to 305. I'm not near that now so I based the program off of a 270 1RM. 270 is something that I can hit easily and figured basing the program off of that would be a good start and not beat myself up too much as the program progresses.

Everything on the 30in30 can be found HERE.

Below is a snapshot of the program.

Monday
•
Bench Press - 3 x 65% x 3 reps
Skull Crushers - 2 x 10
Triceps Pushdowns – 1 x 10
Squat – 2 x 5
Lat Pulldown (curl grip) – 2 x 10
Calf Raise – 2 x 10, to failure
Machine Ab-Crunch – 2 x 10, to failure

Wednesday
•
Bench Press – 2 x 75% x 3 reps
Triceps Pushdown – 1 x 10
Deadlift - 2 x 3
Ab-Crunch – 2 x 10, to failure

Friday
•
Bench Press – 2 x 85% x 2 reps
Dumbbell Bench Press - 1 x 30 (or more reps, to failure)
Skull Crushers – 2 x 8
Triceps Pushdowns – 1 x 10
Leg Press – 2 x 6
Lat Pulldown (curl grip) – 2 x 10
Calf Raise – 2 x 10, to failure
Ab-Crunch – 2 x 10, to failure


Training points - For everything other than the bench work, try to progress by performing 1 more rep, or the same number of reps with a small increase in the resistance each session. Again, stop 1-2 reps short of failure unless otherwise noted.

Follow this schedule exactly for week 1. Then, for weeks 2 and on, you should increase the loads used for benching by 5 lbs per set (per day) if you’re starting 1RM is 150 lbs or less. If your starting 1RM is 155 – 295 lbs, use 10 lbs per set. For 300 – 395 lbs increase the loads by 10 lbs per set for the Monday and Wednesday sessions, and 15 lbs for the Friday sessions.

Finally, if you’re starting 1RM is 400 lbs or more, use a 15 lbs increase for the Monday and Wednesday workouts, and 20 lbs for Fridays.

Beginning Bench Press = 270 lbs

Week 1
•
Monday – 270 x 65% = 175 lbs
Wednesday – 270 x 75% = 202.5 lbs
Friday – 270 x 85% = 229.5 lbs

Week 2
•
Monday – 175 + 10 = 185 lbs
Wednesday – 202.5 + 10 = 212.5 lbs
Friday – 230 + 10 = 240 lbs

Week 3
•
Monday – 185 + 10 = 195 lbs
Wednesday – 212.5 + 10 = 222.5 lbs
Friday – 240 + 10 = 250 lbs

Week 4
•
Monday – 195 + 10 = 205 lbs
Wednesday – 222.5 + 10 = 232.5 lbs
Friday – 250 + 10 = 260 lbs

Week 5
•
Monday – 205 + 10 = 215 lbs
Wednesday – 232.5 + 10 = 242.5 lbs
Friday – 260 + 10 = 270 lbs

Week 6
•
Monday – 215 + 10 = 225 lbs
Wednesday – 242.5 + 10 = 252.5 lbs
Friday – 270 + 10 = 280 lbs