Training for the pump and run has always been a challenge for me as there is not a lot of readily available information on how to bench press your body weight for up to 30 reps or more. You can find plenty of information on how to increase your one rep max for the bench press. To a certain extent, increasing your one rep max is helpful in achieving more repetitions of a weight at or near your body weight. For example, if your Arnold bench press weight is 135 pounds and your current one rep max on the bench press is 200 pounds then your Arnold weight is 68% of your maximum bench press. If you can increase your one rep max to 270 pounds then your Arnold weight becomes a mere 50% of your one rep max; therefore, the Arnold weight becomes easier to perform physically and psychologically. In essence, you gain endurance through your gain in strength; however, I believe that your training should match what you will do in competition and training strictly for a one rep max increase ultimately will not suffice to achieve a maximum number of reps at a much lower rate. Similarly, training for a 100 meter dash is not going to significantly lower your 5k time.

I focus on the bench press aspect of the competition because many of you are runners and already have a good idea on how to lower your 5k time and because a tiny improvement in the bench press has a huge impact on your final net time. One more rep lops 30 seconds off your net time. Two reps excises a minute. In some cases, a minute drop in your net time can move you up 20 places in the overall standings. You can easily begin to see the huge impact a minor improvement can make. Also, as I alluded to earlier, your Arnold bench press weight is determined by your body weight, gender and age. For example, a 40-49 year old male must bench press 90% of his body weight. Before you get too involved in a bench press training regimen, make sure to be honest with yourself about what your body weight will be on competition day. You have to weigh in with the clothes and shoes so take that into account as well. You do not want to find out on the morning of the competition that you will actually be using five pounds more than you planned. It may not seem like much but five pounds can cost you 2-3 reps or 60-90 seconds.

In training for the bench press, I have tried the one rep max increase with limited success. I have also tried something called density training with limited success. Density training is more endurance based and to accomplish it you use your target Arnold bench press weight (you could also use slightly more than your Arnold target weight for a psychological and physical edge on race day). Your goal is to do 60 reps over a certain period of time. Start with four repetitions per set. At that rate, you will need 15 sets to accomplish 60 repetitions.

With a stopwatch nearby, do a set at the top of each minute. You can do four reps in under ten seconds so you will have about fifty seconds to rest before your next set. When you accomplish all 60 reps in 15 sets and about 15 minutes then you move up to 5 reps per set and twelve total sets. As you add a rep to each set, you have less time to rest before you start your next set and you will have just about 12 minutes to complete all 60 reps. I was able to almost complete 8 sets of 8 reps in just under 8 minutes but never moved beyond this level. I would hazard a guess that if you were able to get somewhere near 5 sets of 12 reps in just under 5 minutes that you could achieve 30 reps at one time of your target weight.

Training for the bench press has not been spot on as I have never achieved my goal of all 30 reps. 26 reps has been my best in competition, and I’ve done 27 in training. Another Arnold Pump and Run looms on the horizon and I am still confused about how best to train for the bench press portion. In the midst of this confusion, a friend indicated that he was working with a personal trainer and that the trainer had issued a challenge for the month of October: do 100 pushups everyday for the entire month. Alternatively, if 100 a day was out of your reach, pick a number within your grasp and do that amount everyday for the month of October. I did think at the time that that might be an interesting addition to my pump and run training. I filed that back in the dark recesses of my mind and promptly did nothing concerning it. Hey, registration was still a month off and the actual competition was 5 months off so why should I concern myself with additional training now?

I saw the same friend a week or so later and he mentioned the challenge again and that he had been doing his modified version of it. This reminder was enough to get me started. ” What the heck?” I said to myself. “If he is doing it then I can at least try as well.” That evening I resolved to do 100 pushups in 3 sets over a period of about 10 minutes. It was challenging but not too bad. The real challenge came after doing this every night for an entire week. I had not given myself any rest and the eighth night was close to excruciating. I recall going golfing several days into the pushup regime and not being able to swing without pain or fully straighten my left arm for several holes. At the same time, I was going to the gym one night a week and doing bench press exercises there with relatively heavy weights. I finally wised up and determined to take one night off per week and to substitute a bench press workout for a pushup session.

After maintaining the pushup training on a consistent basis for a month and a half (during the holidays, I cheated and only performed them every other day for about a week and a half), I was curious to see if that training and the once weekly bench press training had resulted in any improvement in the number of total reps I could do my Arnold weight at one time. Surprisingly, I did 28 reps! Maybe I am on to something here. While doing the test run, I was quickly reminded how difficult the last few reps are to do, so I have tried to simulate this in the pushup training by doing them until the last few pushups become equally as difficult as the last few bench press reps. I have also increased my pushup total to 150 in three sets. I may try to increase that total one more time 3-4 weeks before the competition.

By press time, you may only have a month of training left if you were lucky enough to register for the Arnold Pump and Run (registration for the 850 spots typically fills up in less than a day). Even with only a month left until race day, you may want to supplement your bench press training with this pushup regime. So far it has helped me and I am hoping it gets me all the way to my goal.

Huge gains are rarely going to be made in the running portion of the event. Unless you’ve done very little running up to this point, your time in the 5k is probably already set. In other words, what you could run today will be what you will probably run on race day. However, you can do something that might make a bit of a difference in the bench press portion of the competition. One or two extra reps does count for 30-60 seconds off your final time. If you haven’t established your max reps with your target weight then you should do that now so we have some sort of a touchstone for later.

For years, I have focused on training for endurance for the pump portion of the pump and run. I achieved decent results but have never maxed out with 30 reps. My endurance training is outlined in previous posts and it basically consisted of high reps and many sets of my target weight. One workout that I vividly recall was the 8 x 8 x 8 at target weight. It was 8 sets of 8 reps at the target weight in 8 minutes. That’s 8 minutes total for the entire workout. It sounds impressive but improvements weren’t that dramatic.

This year, I’ve scrapped most of the endurance stuff and have been focusing on strength gains. A typical bench workout for me is

8 x 205
6 x 225
4 x 245
3 x 265
2 x 275
1 x 285
4 x 245

Here’s a chart containing this type of pyramid workout. The idea here is to build strength and increase one rep max. I still do some endurance workouts but building strength does wonders for building endurance.

Not convinced? Check out this article on Weight Training for Fat Loss and scroll down to Conditioning Work Is Not Strength Work. The author gives a great example of two guys competing to see how many times they can squat 400 pounds. One guy maxes at 600 pounds and never does more than three reps (heavy weights and low reps). The other guy maxes out with 450 pounds but trains with lighter weights and many reps. The second guy has done 15 reps of 400 before. The first guy (who maxes at 600 pounds) has greater potential to do more reps at 400 pounds because he has a much higher one rep max. He may initially not have the endurance but endurance is easy to gain if you already have the strength foundation.

“The lighter any given resistance (compared to your maximum ability), the easier it will be to improve your endurance with that resistance.”

What does this mean for you pump and runners? Train for strength gains! If your target weight is 160 lbs. and your max bench is 220, then your target weight is 72% of your max. This means you’re going to have a hard time getting many reps of that target weight. Boost your max bench to 320 and now your target weight is 50% of your max (I suspect that when you can get your target weight to 50% of your max that you will approach the 30 rep mark). Now it’s starting to sound more likely that you can get many reps of your target weight as it is only half of your one rep max.

I know that you’re not going to significantly raise your one rep max in a few weeks but you may be able to raise it 10-20 pounds. Doing so may get you that extra rep or two of your target weight that means 30-60 seconds off your net time.

Stay tuned for more pump and run training tips!

Here’s some more Arnold Pump and Run inspiration. Watch Bernard Lagat become the President of the Boards.

Needing inspiration – How about “Gonna Fly Now!” – theme song to Rocky.

I’m feeling good and training hard. Just moved a mountain of snow and ran 5+ miles. Bring it on!

latest interval workout

1.25 mile @ 6:03 per mile pace
1.0 mile @ 5:52 per mile pace
1.0 mile @ 5:54 per mile pace
0.25 mile @ 77

all with 1.4 mile jog/walk in between

If you are searching for inspiration in your training, how about this great story on former Michigan football star, Antonio Bass.

Need a little music for more inspiration – how about one of my faves – The O’Jays – Love Train, baby!

You might recognize Fred “Re-Run” Berry from the show, “What’s Happening?”, at about the middle of this. Brilliant Stuff!

photo credit: Madrigal Photography

Today, I did 3×1 mile at 6 minute pace per mile and then a 1/4 mile at 85. I do a 1/4 mile jog/walk between each repeat. It felt easier than last time although I probably had a heavy lunch beforehand which slowed me down. I look to do another mile repeat workout in 10 days or so and hope to do 3×1 mile at 5:50 pace followed by a slightly quicker 1/2 or 1/4 mile repeat. I’ve been doing all this on the treadmill given the lousy Columbus winter weather. I’d like to get out on the track soon.

If you do train on a treadmill from time to time, set the incline up a notch to create the equivalent difficulty of running on the road.

I was looking through some of the search terms used to find this site and came across some interesting questions.

1. How many two handed chin-ups must I do before I can do a one handed chin-up?

During the times that I’ve done one handed chin-ups, I could do about 20 or so two-handers. But I could do 20 or so two-handers for years. I think my best ever was 27 two handers. I weighed close to 185 lbs. as well during my one hand chin-up training. It’s hard to say if there is even an equivalent, and I imagine it would vary from person to person given the various body types out there. I’m sure there are plenty of people who can do 20 chin-ups but who will never do a true one-handed chin-up. But if forced to answer, I would say that if I could do 50 two-handers at once then I should be able to get a true one-handed chin-up. In other words, if you can make child’s play out of two-handed chin-ups, you can either do a one-hander or get very close. Anyhow, a nice goal for me would be to get 30 two handers in a row.

2. How much weight would I have to add to a two handed chin-up before I could do a one hander?

Again, I don’t think there’s is any real equivalent between the two. I added 125 lbs. to my 185 lb. frame and despite getting 1 two hander, I still couldn’t do a one hander. Warning - I’m surprised I didn’t have a stroke or hernia trying to do this. I’ve never pulled so hard in my life. Using a dip belt to strap 125 lbs. around your waist just doesn’t seem too brilliant either. A weight vest might be a better option. Do this at your own risk! It could lead to DEATH or serious injury.

In looking back at this experience however, the extreme pull required to do the 125 lb. weighted chin-up very closely resembled the extreme pull required to get my first one-handed chin-up.

3. What other risks are involved in training for a one hand chin-up?
One arm negative chins/come-downs can really strain your elbows especially if you don’t maintain a slow and steady descent all the way to the bottom. Weighted chins can also strain the elbows, wrists, lower back in addition to the other obvious dangers of being above the ground with a lot of weight strapped around your waist.

4. Will training with the Gravitron 2000 help me achieve a one handed chin-up?
It’s a good starting point but the Gravitron 2000 provides a lot of support and eliminates any twisting of the body. It’s also easy to cheat using the Gravitron 2000 or similar machine. Nevertheless, if you get to the point where you can do 5-6 with one plate and one hand then you’re getting pretty close.

I just ordered the book, “Daniels’ Running Formula”. I’m interested to use it to benefit my training and race times.

Today ran 4.8 miles in 35:41 – 556 calories, 161 peak hr, 143 avg hr
9:35
8:55
8:40
8:30

Here’s Scott on the bench at the 2009 Arnold Pump and Run. He got 18, but for some reason they didn’t count two of his reps. I think he just got a stickler. Scott ran right around 17 minutes for the 5k and is ready for the Flying Pig in May.

Here’s me on the bench at the 2009 Pump and Run. I got to 10 reps no problem. In fact, it was almost too easy. I got to 15 and re-evaluated my condition – still seemed too easy. Got to 20 and knew I could surpass my goal of 23. Did 25 reps and almost 26. I guess the minute sets really helped. The bench coupled with a 19:30ish 5k got me to a net time of 7 minutes+. We’ll see how that places. Maybe top 40 overall – perhaps top 30. I was happy. My best overall time by far. On to the Flying Pig in May.

The rivalry renewed - Scott and Andy tangle again 21 years later.

Start of the 5k

Other thoughts – I think the minute sets really helped out quite a bit. That was a great suggestion that I got from a weightlifting forum. If you’ve never done a pump and run, it is basically 3 stages of stress. Stage 1 is the weigh-in which doesn’t sound stressful but if you come in overweight you are going to be benching more than you planned on. Imagine going in thinking you will be benching 175 and find out that you have to do 180. Most people will scoff to themselves having read this and think – no big deal, only 5 more pounds. I’ve been training for 4-5 months with the thought of benching 175. Moving up 5 pounds is something I hadn’t planned on for those 4-5 months. A curveball on the day of the event is not something you want to face. Plus, I’m trying to do 175 for as many reps as possible. Now, I’ve got to do 180 for as many as possible? I’m probably going to lose 2-3 reps which translates to 60-90 seconds difference in overall time.

Stage 2 is the bench press. With the time change, we were basically benching at 7:00 in the morning. You’re never sure how your body is going to react. Your only warm up is push ups unless you bench at home beforehand. Scott was unlucky to have two of his reps disqualified. Imagine getting through several reps and then having the spotter tell you that the last rep didn’t count. That will really throw you off your game if you are not ready for it. If that doesn’t do it, imagine having a second rep disqualified. I was happy they moved the bench press out of the corner of the Expo hall. There was a lot more room to move around and it seemed much less cramped.

Stage 3 is the run which takes place almost 3 hours after the weigh in. You’re tired and you’ve already gone through a couple stages. You’ve been up since before 6 am with the time change. It’s tough to keep your mental focus for that long. I kind of lost mine during the run this year. Not that I would’ve gone much faster but I definitely felt like I was resting on the laurels of having exceeded my bench press goals. It would’ve helped to have run a 5k in February as a tune up. That also shows you how important the bench press is. You can make up a lot of time with just a couple more reps. I got two extra than I had dreamed of getting and kind of figured that busting my ass on the run wasn’t going to make as much difference.

I was jokingly telling Scott that they should add chin-ups as well to the event. Maybe if they added a 5 minute deduction for each one arm chin up, I’d win hands down.

photo credit: Madrigal Photography

2009 – 19:35 25 bench presses of 175 = 7:05
2007 – 20:44 18 bench presses of 180 = 11:44
2005 – 20:22 16 bench presses of 180? = 12:22
2003 – 19:26 18 bench presses of 175? = 10:26

Went for an hour run today and did minute sets of 175. Got 7 sets of 6 and then 5,3,3 – average heart rate on the run was 144.

I should be in my best shape ever for this year’s pump and run. I’m looking to run sub 19 and do 23 bench presses. That would put me in the 7:30 range. Let’s make it happen.