Casey Williams is an elitefts sponsored powerlifter. When Casey needs to add variety to his bench workouts while also involving grip training at the same time he refers to Fat Bar benching. Fat Bar Bench also known as thick bar training is relatively unknown among the mainstream fitness crowd but it is widely used by the military and elite athletes.
For those who do not know what Fat Bar benching or thick bar training for that matter is it's simply barbells, dumbbells and pull-up bars with a much thicker handle. A standard barbell, dumbbell, or pull-up bar typically has a handle with a diameter of about 1 inch. A thick bar will often have a diameter of more like 2.5 inches and if you have ever picked one up you will know that it feels completely different.
In this video Casey is also lying on foam pads so that he can one exert all of his force into the pads when pushing the bar up and two it's simply more stable and comfortable on his back. Here is Casey's full Fat Bar Floor Press Routine.
Floor press
Add 2 chains per side (60# at the top)
135x10
225x5x3 sets
315x3
365x3
405x3
435x3
Add slingshot
495x3
405x10
There are many benefits to Fat Bar Benching as well as thick bar training all together. I often incorporate Fat Bar Bench into my upper body routine as well as thick bar training on pull ups and any Dumbbell workouts to constantly improve my grip and strength in my forearms. Fat Bars also stimulate far more muscle activation in the upper arms and whole upper body. Because Fat Bars make your hands and forearms work harder, the contractions in other muscles including the biceps and triceps and even the muscles in the shoulders, back and chest, will contract much harder which means more strength and more muscle.
Once you go fat, you will never go back.
- Dave Tate
You can incorporate the Fat Bar benching into your workouts to add variety and most importantly strength to your bench days.
For more of Casey Williams training tips and programs click here.
