Diesel Dad - Bench and Dips specifics
So now you are ready to transform into a Diesel Dad. What secret workout techniques do I have to get this done? None-Zero. There are no secrets here. The key to this routine is consistency, technique, repetition, and building off base levels. There are some core movements that you will have to do. Bench Press, Dips, Pull-ups, Stationary Rower, Jog/run, Squats, Dead Lifts, Box Jumps and Push-ups will consist of the core exercises that will be incorporated into many slices of the schedule. Each workout will be different, though there will be core movements that will be done in slightly different ways.
Bench Press. This is the core movement and will be an integral part of three workout days. The technique I use for all repetitions is a wide grip (on a standard Olympic bar that would be placing your middle finger on the circular grooves on each end. I am 5’9” which is average. For those taller you may choose to place your hands an inch or so wider and those shorter you may choose to place hands an inch closer. Also of importance, each repetition should go all the way down to your chest and touch (kiss it!). Half reps do not count and do absolutely nothing for you. If you can’t perform the rep correctly then go down in weight until you can comfortably do it the right way. This is critically important to this workout. Your back should be firmly on the bench (no “London Bridges” reps!!). You will only be cheating yourself and risk getting hurt if you cheat. Breathing is important. Before each set, I sit and compose myself, take a six count of breathing then lay down and place my arms correctly. Then I take a three count of breathing and begin. For each rep I will breathe out and in. (This sounds like common sense but there are many who hold their breath or do not breathe smoothly). I also recommend doing as many reps without pause as you can. Once you stop at the top to rest, your ability to do reps diminishes significantly. Ideally, on a max rep set I will do as many in a row (185x28 reps as an example). Then I will pause to rest and compose myself. This will be followed by 185x4, rest, 185x2, rest, 185x1, rest, 185x1, FAIL. The entire set would be 185x36. I guarantee that if my first portion had only been 185x26, my next portion would still have been 4 reps.
The three bench press workouts will be different. The first is done as part of a broader routine that also includes squats, dead lifts and other heavy movements. For this day, you would do 1 set of bench press – well actually it is 10 sets built into 1 set. To explain, the workout is 20 minutes of rapid sets, 10 in total. You will do the same reps with each of these sets but go down in weight on each set. I start at 205x20, then 195x20, 185x20, 175x20, 165x20, 155x20, 145x20, 135x20, 125x20, 115x20. From experience, the third-forth-fifth sets are the hardest. This workout is fast and will knock the hell out of your chest.
The second bench press workout is your core bench press of the week. Choose a comfortable number of total reps that you want to complete in 7-8 sets. You will start at a weight that you can do 20 reps and gradually increase the weight performed for 5-6 sets. The 2 final sets will be at the beginning weight until you compile the total rep goal. Currently, I have a goal of 140 total reps. My sets are as follows: 185x38, 205x22, 225x15, 245x10, 275x5, 300x2, 185x28, 185x20. That is it for chest on that day too. For a beginner who can do 135x20 you many want to start with 80 total reps. 135x20, 155x12, 175x8, 185x6, 205x2, 135x18, 135x14.
For the above two routines, you would only do flat bench and do it in a focused manner; that is solely do bench press and then move on to the next body parts. For the third chest workout, it is more involved and embedded in a full-body rotation (more detail on this in additional posts). For this chest workout, you will do 3 sets of flat bench press, 1 set of incline bench press, 1 set of decline bench press, 3 sets of flies (three different angles) and 1 set of bench press to exhaustion to end your workout. The flat bench press sets should begin with a set comparable to your prior workout. I do 165x50, 205x20 and 245x10. This would be followed by incline bench press 205x10 and decline bench press 245x10. The sets of flies should be done with perfect form and wide stretch. Incline Flies 65x10, Mid-incline Flies 65x10 and Flat Flies 65x10. IMPORTANTLY for the sets of incline bench, decline bench and flies you will do 10 reps in your first 4 week cycle. Every fresh four week cycle you will increase by 1 rep but keep the weight constant. So, now nine months into my 12 cycle routine I am doing sets of Incline Bench 205x18, Decline Bench 245x18, Incline Flies 65x18, Mid-incline Flies 65x18 and Flat Flies 65x18. After these 8 sets you will finish with a set of Flat Bench Press and you will be drained by this point. I do 135x30 and it is actually a hard set after a full-body workout.
As you see, there are no tricks her, no secret exercises, no new secret techniques from the Orient. These are very basis movements emphasizing repetitions and scaling up in weight. I do not do cable-crossovers or any nuanced exercises.
Dips go with Bench Press like peanut butter and jelly. A strong tricep is paramount to a strong bench press. Your tricep will look like you have gotten kicked by a mule as you progress with this workout. It will be beefy, well defined and have a huge indentation in the middle of the muscle. Yes, there are other exercises that will develop the tricep, but the Dip is by far the best.
Just like Bench Press, Dips should be done with strict form and completed on a stand-alone Dip rack. The grips/handles should be slightly more than shoulder width apart. For the repetition, start on top with your arms locked out and dip down to where your arms are below parallel. Doing at least one of the set of dips to failure is ideal. I have noticed that as you are repping out you can regroup on top with your arms locked and compose yourself to do a few more reps.
I do Dips three times a week. One workout lasts one minute and consists of one set/maximum reps. After you complete this you would go on to jog. Easy enough, right? A second Dip workout is incorporated into the calisthenics workout. You should do a set number of Dips in 1-3 sets. I do 70 reps in this workout and I break it out into a set of 45 and a set of 25.
The core workout is completed after the Bench Press workout where you do 7-8 sets for 100 or more reps. The Dip component of this workout entails doing 100 – 200 total reps of Dips in 6-8 sets total. Presently, I do 200 total Dips. I begin with a max set of 60 reps. I follow this with sets of 40, 35, 30, 20, & 15. These sets are done using your body weight only, and a warning … you will be very fatigued after Bench Press, so it will not be easy. Regardless, it should only take 15-20 minutes in total.
I spend a lot of time talking about, preparing, visualizing, and mapping out a Bench Press and Dips routine because I believe these two movements are essential for a Diesel Dad physique. The next post will detail the other core movements, including Pull-ups, Box Jumps, Push-ups and Jogging. But again, I want to reiterate that Bench Press and Dips are the two most important exercises you will do in this workout.
Bench Press. This is the core movement and will be an integral part of three workout days. The technique I use for all repetitions is a wide grip (on a standard Olympic bar that would be placing your middle finger on the circular grooves on each end. I am 5’9” which is average. For those taller you may choose to place your hands an inch or so wider and those shorter you may choose to place hands an inch closer. Also of importance, each repetition should go all the way down to your chest and touch (kiss it!). Half reps do not count and do absolutely nothing for you. If you can’t perform the rep correctly then go down in weight until you can comfortably do it the right way. This is critically important to this workout. Your back should be firmly on the bench (no “London Bridges” reps!!). You will only be cheating yourself and risk getting hurt if you cheat. Breathing is important. Before each set, I sit and compose myself, take a six count of breathing then lay down and place my arms correctly. Then I take a three count of breathing and begin. For each rep I will breathe out and in. (This sounds like common sense but there are many who hold their breath or do not breathe smoothly). I also recommend doing as many reps without pause as you can. Once you stop at the top to rest, your ability to do reps diminishes significantly. Ideally, on a max rep set I will do as many in a row (185x28 reps as an example). Then I will pause to rest and compose myself. This will be followed by 185x4, rest, 185x2, rest, 185x1, rest, 185x1, FAIL. The entire set would be 185x36. I guarantee that if my first portion had only been 185x26, my next portion would still have been 4 reps.
The three bench press workouts will be different. The first is done as part of a broader routine that also includes squats, dead lifts and other heavy movements. For this day, you would do 1 set of bench press – well actually it is 10 sets built into 1 set. To explain, the workout is 20 minutes of rapid sets, 10 in total. You will do the same reps with each of these sets but go down in weight on each set. I start at 205x20, then 195x20, 185x20, 175x20, 165x20, 155x20, 145x20, 135x20, 125x20, 115x20. From experience, the third-forth-fifth sets are the hardest. This workout is fast and will knock the hell out of your chest.
The second bench press workout is your core bench press of the week. Choose a comfortable number of total reps that you want to complete in 7-8 sets. You will start at a weight that you can do 20 reps and gradually increase the weight performed for 5-6 sets. The 2 final sets will be at the beginning weight until you compile the total rep goal. Currently, I have a goal of 140 total reps. My sets are as follows: 185x38, 205x22, 225x15, 245x10, 275x5, 300x2, 185x28, 185x20. That is it for chest on that day too. For a beginner who can do 135x20 you many want to start with 80 total reps. 135x20, 155x12, 175x8, 185x6, 205x2, 135x18, 135x14.
For the above two routines, you would only do flat bench and do it in a focused manner; that is solely do bench press and then move on to the next body parts. For the third chest workout, it is more involved and embedded in a full-body rotation (more detail on this in additional posts). For this chest workout, you will do 3 sets of flat bench press, 1 set of incline bench press, 1 set of decline bench press, 3 sets of flies (three different angles) and 1 set of bench press to exhaustion to end your workout. The flat bench press sets should begin with a set comparable to your prior workout. I do 165x50, 205x20 and 245x10. This would be followed by incline bench press 205x10 and decline bench press 245x10. The sets of flies should be done with perfect form and wide stretch. Incline Flies 65x10, Mid-incline Flies 65x10 and Flat Flies 65x10. IMPORTANTLY for the sets of incline bench, decline bench and flies you will do 10 reps in your first 4 week cycle. Every fresh four week cycle you will increase by 1 rep but keep the weight constant. So, now nine months into my 12 cycle routine I am doing sets of Incline Bench 205x18, Decline Bench 245x18, Incline Flies 65x18, Mid-incline Flies 65x18 and Flat Flies 65x18. After these 8 sets you will finish with a set of Flat Bench Press and you will be drained by this point. I do 135x30 and it is actually a hard set after a full-body workout.
As you see, there are no tricks her, no secret exercises, no new secret techniques from the Orient. These are very basis movements emphasizing repetitions and scaling up in weight. I do not do cable-crossovers or any nuanced exercises.
Dips go with Bench Press like peanut butter and jelly. A strong tricep is paramount to a strong bench press. Your tricep will look like you have gotten kicked by a mule as you progress with this workout. It will be beefy, well defined and have a huge indentation in the middle of the muscle. Yes, there are other exercises that will develop the tricep, but the Dip is by far the best.
Just like Bench Press, Dips should be done with strict form and completed on a stand-alone Dip rack. The grips/handles should be slightly more than shoulder width apart. For the repetition, start on top with your arms locked out and dip down to where your arms are below parallel. Doing at least one of the set of dips to failure is ideal. I have noticed that as you are repping out you can regroup on top with your arms locked and compose yourself to do a few more reps.
I do Dips three times a week. One workout lasts one minute and consists of one set/maximum reps. After you complete this you would go on to jog. Easy enough, right? A second Dip workout is incorporated into the calisthenics workout. You should do a set number of Dips in 1-3 sets. I do 70 reps in this workout and I break it out into a set of 45 and a set of 25.
The core workout is completed after the Bench Press workout where you do 7-8 sets for 100 or more reps. The Dip component of this workout entails doing 100 – 200 total reps of Dips in 6-8 sets total. Presently, I do 200 total Dips. I begin with a max set of 60 reps. I follow this with sets of 40, 35, 30, 20, & 15. These sets are done using your body weight only, and a warning … you will be very fatigued after Bench Press, so it will not be easy. Regardless, it should only take 15-20 minutes in total.
I spend a lot of time talking about, preparing, visualizing, and mapping out a Bench Press and Dips routine because I believe these two movements are essential for a Diesel Dad physique. The next post will detail the other core movements, including Pull-ups, Box Jumps, Push-ups and Jogging. But again, I want to reiterate that Bench Press and Dips are the two most important exercises you will do in this workout.
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