UFpwrLifter Bench Press Program

If you have reached this web page, you have undoubtedly heard of a man going by the moniker of ‘UFpwrLifter’. His real name is Long Nguyen and he is a powerlifter (or more specifically, a bench press specialist), currently residing in Florida. Nguyen is perhaps most famed for his 410lbs (186kg) bench press – a seriously impressive lift. This lift is made even more impressive by the fact that Nguyen weighed just 154lbs (70kg) at the time, making that 266% of his own bodyweight. Finally, UFpwrLifter has received much credit on social media for his perceived ‘natty’ status, which is something I have full confidence in. There are few men who can press 186kg for whom I can say with almost 100% certainty are natural lifters. Long Nguyen is one of those men.

Nguyen is an undoubtedly gifted individual in terms of genetics, and he was able to bench press 310lbs (141kg) in his senior year at high school. This genetic gift is accentuated by Nguyen’s tireless work ethic, having worked on his bench press for almost two decades at the time of the 410lbs lift, which he accomplished at just over 30 years of age. So, you’re probably wondering just how you can emulate the success of the notorious UFpwrLifter? Well, I can’t guarantee that you will achieve such lofty numbers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give it a good shot – and seriously improve your bench press in the process.

Nguyen has divulged the details of the program, which he devised through trial and error and used to help him attain bench press notoriety. It is a basic three-day per week program, which operates on percentages of your current 1RM and incorporates sets of 5 or less, with great emphasis placed upon heavy singles. Nguyen proclaims that this is a ‘keeping’ program as opposed to a ‘peaking’ program. Below I have pasted the program, which was copied from a blog post, authored by UFpwrLifter in 2016.

“Monday/ Wednesday
33% x 10 (warm up)
56% x 10 (warm up)
79% x 5
86% x 3
91% x 1
96% x 1
91% x 1
91% x 1
86% x 3
79% x5

Friday
33% x 10 (warm up)
56% x 10 (warm up)
79% x 5
86% x 3
91% x 1
91% x 1
91% x 1
86% x 2
79% x 4
79% x 3

Accessory – M/W/F
Overhead Tricep Rope Extension – 3 sets x 12-15 reps
Bodyweight Pull-Up – 3 sets x 12-15 reps”

I have created a very simple and effective Excel spreadsheet (see bottom of this post), which will calculate all of these numbers for you, as well as rounding to the nearest denominator of your choice. For example, if my current 1RM is 325lbs, my 96% lift would be 312lbs. Given that the lowest plate my gym has is 2.5lbs, I can only lift either 310lbs, or 315lbs. This spreadsheet accounts for this and calculates which of the two aforementioned weights you should use.

Basic rules of the program:

• Fridays are usually a lot tougher due to fatigue. If you can repeat the M/W routine on Friday, then do so. However, if you are feeling weak and fatigued, proceed to perform the lighter ‘Friday’ intensity in which the 96% lift is removed, in addition to a few subtle tweaks.
• Stick to the program AS OUTLINED for a minimum of 4 weeks, before testing new 1RM’s.
• Rest 4 days before testing your 1RM (usually achieved by skipping the Friday session and performing your 1RM attempt on the following Monday).
• To progress, simply stick at this program for a MINIMUM of 4 weeks before testing your new 1RM. Progression occurs by deriving your lifting percentages from this new 1RM, thus increasing your lifts after the 4-week (minimum) period.