I stole this from a post by Chuck Miller AKA Chuck Deluxe on the Power & Bulk board:
I tried ladders a couple years ago after reading some of Bob's posts and did very well with them. Made a 15-pound meet PR (from 375 to 390) off about a 10-week training period. I did the following reps every Wednesday on regular grip benching:
1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3
I started with 275 and just did all 9 sets with that. I added 10 pounds every week for the first 5 weeks, reaching 315 for all 9 sets. At that point, I wanted to push the last ladder up but cumulative fatigue was becoming a factor. So, I did staggered ladders taking 20-pound jumps like this:
275x1-2-3
295x1-2-3
315x1-2-3
I kept up like this, adding weight in small jumps, until the week before the meet. On my final ladder day, I did:
300x1-2-3
320x1-2-3
340x1-2-3
On Saturdays, I close-gripped 5x5, never going above 300. Typical Saturday:
220x5
240x5
260x5
280x5
300x5
My last bench day was the close-grip session the Saturday before the meet. I then rested 6 days and went 340-360-380 and 4th with 390.
This is from memory, but I think most of the details are accurate. Ladders are a great bench program, in my experience.
