Q: Hi Mike, i looked at ur 6 week program, but am honestly confused. My max at the bench is 135, can you give me an example of it using the weight i use. Failure-10? i dont really get that, saying that i pyramid.. i do about 15 reps of 95, then go up to 115 and do 8 reps then 135 at max, then go back down and do like 6 reps at 115 and 12 reps at 95. Also, i know this guy at the gym who is 19 he is into all the supplements he says 'i take everything but steroids', and everytime i see him benching he is always adding weight! finaly, do u recommened any other supplements since u didnt recommend glutamine?

A: Sorry, I'm going to change the notation I use to describe that program to hopefully make it clearer. And now I also understand why you can only do 2-3 reps at 135 lbs -- it's because you exhaust yourself by doing 15 reps at 95 and 8 reps at 115 beforehand! If you did only 3-4 reps at 95 and 115 to warm up, you can probably max out (do 1 rep) at 155 or be able to do 4-5 reps at 135. So your true current max, if you attempted it, is approximately 155. With that new information in mind, here's the weights you'd use in a strength-oriented program for your bench press:

Week 1: 6 sets of bench press with 90 lbs, 5 reps per set. Take at least 2-minute rests between sets. Repeat on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Week 2: 6 sets with 100 lbs, 5 reps per set. Repeat M W F.

Week 3: 6 sets with 110 lbs, 5 reps per set. Repeat M W F.

Week 4: 6 sets with 120 lbs, 5 reps per set. Repeat M W F.

Week 5: on Monday: 2 sets with 140 lbs, 3 reps per set. On W and F: 6 sets with 110 lbs, 5 reps per set.

Week 6: on Monday: 1 set with 150 lbs, 2 reps. On W and F: 6 sets with 110 lbs, 5 reps per set.

Hopefully that makes it clearer. Have a spotter and do light low-rep warmups on Mondays of Weeks 5 and 6 before attempting the big lifts. Do not go anywhere close to failure on the warmups. After week 6 you can try finding your new bench press max. It will probably be around 165 lbs, maybe more. To find your max, again, you will need to have a spotter and do 2 sets of very light warm-ups. For example: 4 reps at 95 and 1 rep at 135 before attempting 165.

Even if the guy who 'takes everything but steroids' is on real steroids, he still cannot add weight to his bench every week. It's really simple math. Suppose you add just 1 measly pound per week to your bench. That's 50 pounds/year, 100 pounds in 2 years, 150 pounds in 3 years. Nobody short of genetic freaks and/or very heavy steroid abusers can make progress like that. It's common to use periodization programs which cycle the weights which may create the impression of extra weight added every week (look at the program I gave you: it increases weights for 6 weeks straight), but it doesn't mean that your bench max actually goes up every week.

The other thing, and I truly hate saying it, but there's a pretty good chance that guy actually is on steroids if he's so willing to take supps. Over 3% of high school 12th-graders use steroids now and the numbers only go up with time and age. Very few will actually admit it. Nobody knows the true number of steroid abusers and I've seen estimates as high as 7% of the entire population. It's much more common than most people realize. Anyway I don't want to accuse the guy. I'm sure he works his butt off, and even if he is juicing it's his choice. But I would be careful about taking nutrition or supplement advice from him.

You asked about other supplements and I'm going to tell you again that at your age you need to focus on perfecting your diet and not on the supps, both for looks and for health reasons. Get pure whey powder if you cannot get enough protein from real foods. Get creatine if your parents and your doctor OK it. But beyond that you have a natural testesterone high for the next 5 or even more years. Other people have to inject the stuff to get enough for growth while you have it in you, naturally! Take advantage of it! Eat to perfection, lift hard, and you'll get results far better than any legal or illegal supplements will ever give you. I've seen a ton of people fall into the trap of looking for the perfect supp. The end result is always either disappoitment or steroid use or both (roids are no guarantee of great results -- that's on top of possible mental and health problems that can haunt you for life). Do not look for shortcuts, learn about nutrition and training, clean up your diet to perfection to match your goals, and grow strong, lean, and healthy. Save your supp money for more chicken breasts and salmon. Sorry for the lecture, but it's the truth. Good luck to you!