Brad Gillingham’s 12 week raw bench program is a no frills, bench-only program that runs on two bench sessions a week, a heavy day and a lighter volume day. On the heavy day you work up to a top single, then drop down for back-off sets of 3 to 5 reps. The light day is higher-volume work in the 60 to 77.5% range.
The whole plan is built around one number, your current raw bench max. Working weights climb from 90% of your 1RM up to 102.5% over the 12 weeks, so you’re pressing supramaximal singles by the back end of the program. It’s simple and repeatable, and it packs plenty of quality bench work into two sessions a week.
It’s aimed at intermediate and advanced lifters who want to bring up their raw bench. Since it only trains the bench press, you’ll need to slot in your own squat and deadlift work around it. If you’re newer to lifting, you’ll get more out of a full linear program first. For other options, see our 12 week bench press programs.
Table of Contents
Brad Gillingham 12 Week Bench Program Video Overview
Brad Gillingham walks through the thinking behind the program in this Q and A with Cast Iron Strength.
Brad Gillingham 12 Week Bench Program Spreadsheet
Enter your current raw bench max on the Setup tab and the sheet fills in every load for all 12 weeks. Log the weight and reps you hit in the green cells as you go.
Source: Brad Gillingham’s raw bench program on Maryland Powerlifting.
Program Overview
You bench twice a week for 12 weeks. The heavy day is a top single plus back-off sets, and the light day is higher-rep volume work. Every percentage below is based on your current raw bench 1RM. The heavy top single climbs a little each rotation while the back-off and light work keep the volume up.
| Week | Heavy Day – Top Single | Heavy Day – Back-off | Light Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 x 1 @ 90% | 3 x 5 @ 80% | 2 x 8 @ 65% |
| 2 | 1 x 1 @ 92.5% | 5 x 3 @ 82.5% | 8 x 3 @ 60% |
| 3 | 1 x 1 @ 95% | 5 x 3 @ 85% | 2 x 8 @ 67.5% |
| 4 | 1 x 1 @ 97.5% | 5 x 3 @ 87.5% | 8 x 3 @ 60% |
| 5 | 1 x 1 @ 92.5% | 3 x 5 @ 82.5% | 2 x 8 @ 70% |
| 6 | 1 x 1 @ 95% | 5 x 3 @ 85% | 8 x 3 @ 60% |
| 7 | 1 x 1 @ 97.5% | 5 x 3 @ 87.5% | 2 x 8 @ 72.5% |
| 8 | 1 x 1 @ 100% | 5 x 3 @ 90% | 8 x 3 @ 60% |
| 9 | 1 x 1 @ 95% | 3 x 5 @ 82.5% | 2 x 8 @ 75% |
| 10 | 1 x 1 @ 97.5% | 5 x 3 @ 85% | 8 x 3 @ 60% |
| 11 | 1 x 1 @ 100% | 5 x 3 @ 87.5% | 2 x 8 @ 77.5% |
| 12 | 1 x 1 @ 102.5% | 5 x 3 @ 90% | 8 x 3 @ 60% |
Brad Gillingham 12 Week Bench Program FAQs
What is the Brad Gillingham 12 week bench program?
It’s a 12 week, bench-only program from powerlifter Brad Gillingham. You bench twice a week, a heavy day and a lighter volume day, and work your top single up from 90% to 102.5% of your 1RM over the 12 weeks.
How many days a week is it?
Two. One heavy bench day and one light bench day each week. That leaves plenty of room to program your own squat and deadlift training around it.
Who is this program for?
Intermediate and advanced lifters who want to specialize on raw bench. It assumes you already know how to warm up to a heavy single and grind out back-off sets. If you’re still adding weight to the bar every session, a linear program will serve you better right now.
How do I figure out my weights?
You don’t have to. Enter your current raw bench max on the spreadsheet’s Setup tab and it calculates every load for all 12 weeks. If you don’t know your max, the Calculators tab estimates it from a weight and reps you’ve hit.
What if I miss the top single?
Missing a rep here and there happens, especially once the singles push past 100%. If you’re missing regularly, your entered max is too high. Drop it a few percent and let the percentages catch back up.
Updates
Rebuilt the spreadsheet to the current Lift Vault format with a Read Me tab, a Setup tab, auto-calculated loads, and a color legend. The percentages and weekly structure are unchanged. Weight values round to the nearest 5.
