For experienced powerlifters, it’s exceptionally hard to progress in weights beyond a certain point. The body comes too trained to deal with heavy weights. As such, it does not get enough stimulation for gaining strength or achieving hypertrophy.
Fortunately, you can overcome such a training plateau by following comprehensive powerlifting programs meant for competitive powerlifters.
Finding a detailed but no-frills bench program, however, is not easy, especially if you don’t have any powerlifting expert to advise you.
So, what can the people who struggle to max out their bench-pressing capabilities do?
Don’t worry; we have the perfect solution. Brandon Lilly’s Cube Predator program could just be what your body needs to fulfill its maximum potential before a competition.
What Will I Learn?
Brandon Lilly is a well-known name in the world of powerlifting. Formerly acclaimed for his titles and records in the sport of powerlifting, he’s now popular as an effective coach for aspiring lifters.
During his coaching tenure, he came up with the highly-popular Cube Method, which specialized in training advanced powerlifters for competitions and meet events. The primary attribute of the Cube Method was helping powerlifters smash through plateaus and achieve new Personal Records (PRs).
Brandon Lilly also devised another variation of his original Cube Method – the Cube Predator 6-week bench program. The primary difference between the two is that the Cube Method is effective for lifters belonging to all ranges. Thus, it’s not as effective for peaking.
The Cube Predator Bench program, on the other hand, is more inclined toward training experienced powerlifters. The 6 week bench program also focuses more on hypertrophy and repetitions.
At the same time, the program places emphasis on achieving new PRs during some points in the training cycle.
The main principle of the program is to push the body to the limit where it can reach a new potential.
The Cube Predator program follows an undulating periodization pattern. Here, training intensity and training volume fluctuate after every workout session. Since there are no linear patterns, the muscles get stimulated more efficiently, allowing maximum hypertrophy.
The program is also designed to focus on training frequency and training volume. Although the schedule is light enough to allow the body to rest and recover well, the intensity is never too low. As such, beginners should not try their luck with this program just yet.
There are two primary training days in this program – the light day and the heavy day. But in total, Brandon recommends four maximum training days, where the rest are adjusted for assistance exercises based on the powerlifter’s requirements.
On each training day, however, the lifter should devote some time to working on their lats. If the powerlifter is experienced, they can also introduce a fifth “bodybuilding day” for further gains. But even there, they should prioritize lats and hamstrings.
By the end of the sixth week, training volume will decrease rapidly to allow the body to get out of the training cycle in peak physical condition. Thus, the powerlifter will have achieved maximum preparedness while improving their 1RM performance by 1-2%.
To give you a summary, these are the key pointers used in this training program:
Brandon Lily’s Cube Predator program is one of the most effective training modules for peaking right before a meet event or a competition.
The original Cube Method was tweaked to work to the advantage of powerlifters who are looking to achieve maximum preparedness in bench pressing.
As per Brandon Lily, there should only be four days of workouts during this training cycle. The distribution will allow powerlifters to rest and recover well between consecutive training sessions.
Such a training regime should ideally prepare the powerlifter to get used to dealing with fatigue during training sessions and achieve peak preparedness at the end of the cycle.
At the end of the training program, the powerlifter should be able to improve their 1RM performance by 1-2%, depending on their initial 1RM. The number can be higher as per the powerlifter’s capabilities.
The Cube Predator 6-week bench program makes efficient use of the powerlifter’s 1RM capabilities to determine weights and prepare a sound training routine for peak preparedness.
To devise your own schedule, you can download the entire 6 week bench program template from here.
Be sure to input your accurate 1RM numbers to derive optimal results.
Don’t miss:
Brandon Lily was a champion at powerlifting. He became an even better coach, helping several powerlifters achieve maximum peaking capabilities through his various training programs.
The Cube Predator Program is a highly efficient one, especially for improving one’s numbers at bench presses before a professional competition.
