Cube Predator is a 6-week bench press program from Brandon Lilly. It fits into a four-day training week and gives you two bench sessions: a light day and a heavy day. Each bench day starts with competition-grip bench press, then a second bench variation and upper body accessories.
It’s a follow-up to Lilly’s Cube Method, the 4-day powerlifting program he built around a back-to-basics approach. Cube Predator only covers the bench and its accessories, so you can plug it into whatever you’re already doing for squat and deadlift. The loading builds from sets of 3 at 70-80% to heavy singles in week 5, and week 6 is a new PR test.
It’s aimed at intermediate and advanced lifters who want more bench volume and frequency. You’ll need a recent max on the competition bench, close grip bench and incline bench, since each one drives its own percentages. If you’d rather bench three times a week for a 6-week peak, look at the 6 Week Russian Bench Press program instead.
Table of Contents
Cube Predator Video Overview
This video walks through how the Cube Predator bench program is laid out.
Cube Predator Program Spreadsheet
Enter your competition bench, close grip bench and incline bench maxes on the Setup tab. The sheet fills in every barbell weight for all 6 weeks, ramp-up sets included. Each week has its own tab with both bench days. You pick the dumbbell and accessory weights, and a Last Week column shows what you used the week before.
Program by Brandon Lilly. Source
Cube Predator Program Overview
- 6 weeks, with a new PR test in week 6
- 4 training days per week (Lilly uses Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday)
- 2 bench days: a light day and a heavy day on Saturday
- The other 2 days are lower body, programmed however you like
- Close grip and incline percentages come from their own maxes, not your competition bench
Lilly benches his lifters on the light day midweek and saves the heavy day for Saturday, after two lower body sessions. Between 6-week waves, the only thing that changes is the second and third bench movement. Swap them for variations that target your weak points.
Light Day
- Competition grip bench press
- Close grip bench press
- Incline dumbbell press: 4 sets working up, 12, 10, 8 and 5-6 reps
- EZ bar skull crushers: 5 sets working up, 12, 10, 8, 6 and 5 reps
- Seated Arnold press: 4×12
- Dumbbell flyes: 4×10
- Barbell rows: 4×10
- Abs
Heavy Day
- Competition grip bench press
- Dumbbell bench press with palms facing (lower the dumbbells toward your armpits): 4 sets working up, 10, 8, 6 and 5 reps
- Incline bench press
- Dumbbell French press: 4×15
- Lat pulldowns: 4×12
- Military press: 4×12
- Abs
Week-by-Week Bench Loading
Every competition bench session starts with a few lighter ramp-up sets before the work below. The spreadsheet lists each one for every week. Sets are written sets x reps, so 5×3 is 5 sets of 3. AMRAP means as many reps as possible.
| Week | Light day comp bench | Light day close grip | Heavy day comp bench | Heavy day incline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5×3 at 70%, then 2 AMRAP sets at 60% | 3 AMRAP sets at 70% | 5×3 at 80%, then 2 AMRAP sets at 70% | 3×5 at 70% |
| 2 | 5×3 at 75%, then 2 AMRAP sets at 65% | 3 AMRAP sets at 75% | 4×2 at 85%, then 2 AMRAP sets at 65% | 3×4 at 75% |
| 3 | 5×3 at 80%, then 2 AMRAP sets at 55% | 2 AMRAP sets at 70% | 5×3 at 80%, then 2 AMRAP sets at 70% | 3×3 at 80% |
| 4 | 4×3 at 85%, then 2 AMRAP sets at 60% | 2 AMRAP sets at 75% | 3×1 at 90%, then 2 AMRAP sets at 80% | 3×3 at 75% |
| 5 | Work up to 1 rep at 90% | 2 AMRAP sets at 75% | Singles at 90%, 92.5% and 95% | 5×3 at 70% |
| 6 | 3×5 at 70% | 2 AMRAP sets at 65% | New PR test | None (PR day) |
Week 6: PR Test
In week 6 the light day drops to competition bench, close grip and incline dumbbell press. On test day you work up through 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 95% and then take a single at 100% or more.
Lilly’s rule for test day: once the PR is set, the workout is over.
The Cube Method Book
Cube Predator borrows its training philosophy from the Cube Method. For Lilly’s full thinking on training and the original program, pick up The Cube Method on Amazon.
Cube Predator FAQs
What is the Cube Predator program?
It’s a 6-week bench press cycle by Brandon Lilly. You bench twice a week, once light and once heavy, with close grip, incline and upper body accessory work on each day. Week 6 ends with a new max test.
How many days a week is Cube Predator?
The bench work takes two days a week. Lilly sets it inside a four-day week, so the other two days are for your squat and deadlift training.
Can I run Cube Predator with another program?
Yes, that’s how it’s meant to be used. Keep your current squat and deadlift days and replace your bench work with the two Cube Predator days. Just make sure the other program doesn’t add more bench volume on top.
What max do the percentages use?
Lilly works from a training max. His example: with a 300 lb training max, the week 1 light day is 5 sets of 3 at 210 lbs (70%). Close grip and incline bench each use their own max.
The spreadsheet calculates from whatever numbers you enter for all three lifts, so enter training maxes if that’s how you want to run it.
What do I do after Cube Predator?
Run the next 6-week wave off your new max. Lilly keeps the competition bench the same and only changes the second and third bench movements, so pick new variations for your weak points. For other options, see the best bench press programs.
Updates
- September 26, 2026 – Rewrote the intro, added a program overview with both bench days and the week-by-week loading, added FAQs and replaced the broken book widget with a link. Rebuilt the spreadsheet to match Lilly’s article set for set, since the old one had some wrong set and rep counts. It now fills in every barbell load from your maxes.
