Deathbench is a 10 week bench specialization program from Redditor Matt Disbrow (/u/mdisbrow). You bench twice a week for the whole block: one heavy day built on ten ramping top sets, and one volume day where the bench weight stays fixed and the accessory work does the damage. It’s a disciple of the “if you want a bigger bench press, bench more” church.
The heavy day is where the name comes from. You work up through 5 sets of 3, then 3 sets of 3, then 2 sets of 2, ten sets in total, and the weights climb about 5 lbs a week across the block. Everything after that is triceps and midsection volume, and the doses are big: skull crushers for 5 sets of 12, triceps extensions for 5 sets of 20, and ab wheel for 5 sets of 25, every single session.
Matt has stated that he originally intended Deathbench for lifters benching 315 lbs or more, though he’s seen progress from someone benching 275. There’s no magic number, but if you’re well under that, a 3x weekly bench program like Greg Nuckols’ 28 Programs will likely serve you better. This program assumes you can already handle heavy pressing volume twice a week.
Table of Contents
Program Overview
- Length: 10 weeks
- Frequency: 2 bench sessions per week
- Structure: One heavy day, one volume day
- Loading: Driven off a bench 1RM you enter, climbing weekly
- Versions: Original and taper
- Accessories: Run at RPE 8
- Units: The sheet rounds to 5 (lb) or 2.5 (kg)
Both versions are built around two sessions with different jobs. The heavy day moves up in weight every week. The volume day holds the bench weight steady for the entire block (in the sample sheet it sits at 220 lbs against a 295 lb max, a little under 75%) and adds pressing volume through incline and dumbbell work. Disbrow’s sheet suggests spacing the two days out, Sunday and Wednesday or similar.
Deathbench Weekly Structure
Day 1: Heavy
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 5×3, then 3×3, then 2×2 | Weight climbs across the three groups, and again each week |
| Bench variation | 5×5 (weeks 1-5), 5×3 (weeks 6-10) | Rotates: floor press, slingshot, close grip |
| Skull Crushers | 5×12 | RPE 8 |
| Triceps Extensions | 5×20 | RPE 8 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×25 | RPE 8 |
Day 2: Volume
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 5×5 | Same weight all 10 weeks; paused from week 6 on |
| Incline Press | 5×8 (weeks 1-5), 5×5 (weeks 6-10) | RPE 8 |
| Flat Dumbbell Press | 5×15 | RPE 8 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 5×10 | RPE 8 |
| Close Grip Bench | 3×8 | RPE 8 |
| Skull Crushers | 5×12 | RPE 8 |
| Triceps Extensions | 5×20 | RPE 8 |
| Ab Wheel | 5×25 | RPE 8 |
Week 6 is where both versions shift gear. The heavy day’s variation lift drops from sets of 5 to sets of 3, the volume day’s bench becomes a paused bench, and incline comes down from 8s to 5s. The bench weights keep climbing throughout.
Original vs Taper Version
The original runs the same two-day structure for all 10 weeks and finishes with the heaviest triples and doubles of the block. Use it when you’re training for the sake of training and want to end strong without peaking for a date.
The taper version is the one to run into a meet. It keeps the same first three weeks, then changes three things: two deload points where all volume day work drops 20% (week 4 and week 8), a compressed top end where the later weeks cut down to doubles rather than triples, and a final week where the heavy day becomes max effort doubles with instructions to keep adding weight until failure.
Original Deathbench Spreadsheet
Enter your bench 1RM and your rounding increment on the top left and every weight fills in. Source: Matt’s original r/Fitness thread.
Taper Version Deathbench Spreadsheet
Same inputs, with the deloads and the max effort finish built in. Source: Matt’s r/powerlifting taper thread.
If you’d like to donate to Matt, his PayPal address is mdisbrow85[at]gmail.com.
Deathbench FAQs
Why is it called Deathbench?
Between the ten ramping top sets on the heavy day and roughly 45 sets of triceps and ab work a week across both sessions, the volume is the point. Matt’s original thread called it a 10×3 bench program, which is the heavy day in shorthand.
Do I need to bench 315 to run it?
No, that was the level Matt wrote it for rather than a hard requirement, and he’s noted progress from a lifter benching 275. What matters more is whether you can recover from two high-volume pressing days a week. If you can’t, you’ll stall in the back half.
Which version should I run?
Run the taper version if you have a meet or a max attempt roughly 10 weeks out, since it deloads twice and finishes with a max effort day. Run the original otherwise.
What do I do for squats and deadlifts?
Deathbench only programs the bench press and its accessories, so lower body work is on you. Keep it to two sessions a week and treat it as maintenance while the bench is the priority.
Can I use kilos?
Yes. Set the rounding cell to 2.5 for kg or 5 for lb and enter your max in the same unit.
Updates
- Converted the post to the block editor and documented the actual week-to-week structure of both versions, including what changes at week 6 and how the taper differs. Replaced the deprecated legacy spreadsheet embeds with the standard preview embeds.
- August 24, 2020: Updated the spreadsheets to allow for lb (5) or kg (2.5) rounding.
