To be a true student of the Iron Game, one must study and acknowledge the legends that came before us. They often have tried-and-true methods of getting strong that should be passed down to the next generation of Iron Warrior. Before Garry Frank, Eddie Coan, and Kaz, there was a man named Pat Casey.
Pat Casey is a bonafide legend of the Iron Game and his no-nonsense approach to strength building should be a lesson to us all. Bands, chains, and specialty bars have their place, but nothing can replace busting your ass with heavy pig iron. To many, Pat Casey is one of the strongest men to ever walk the earth. He was the first man in history to bench press 600 lbs, squat 800 lbs and total 2000 lbs. And this was all done in an era before bench shirts and squat suits
Having achieved these feats nearly 50 years ago, before the proliferation of bands, chains, and specialized bars, Casey had some serious knowledge that we can all learn form. The powerlifter had long arms, long legs, and a short torso, not exactly the body type you think of for a “big bencher.” But he overcame these genetic traits with brutal workouts and a smart selection of exercises.
In Bruce Wilhelm’s book, “Pat Casey: King of Powerlifters,” he interviews Casey about how he built such a mammoth bench. In the book, Pat says that he needed a jolt in his training after hitting 500 lbs in the bench press. Here are the moves that helped him get to the next level.
Do heavy lockouts at two positions: 4” and 7” off your chest. When doing these lockouts, warm up thoroughly and then go for 5 singles at each position. Casey felt singles were best for strength building because they called upon the fast-twitch muscle fibers.
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HEAVY INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
Warm up and then do 3 heavy sets of 3-5 reps. According to Casey, this attacks the chest muscles at a different angle and also helps to build the delts and the general shoulder girdle.
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WEIGHTED DIPS
A staple in Casey’s training, weighted dips build tremendous overall upper body strength and hit your triceps, pecs, and delts hard.
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LYING TRICEP EXTENSIONS
Do extremely heavy pullover/tricep extensions. With the bar on the ground behind your head, pullover the weight and then do a tricep extension. Perform 5-6 sets of 3-5 reps. Casey’s best in this lift was 365 lbs for 3 reps!
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SEATED PRESS
Use a wide grip and press the bar from your chest overhead. Casey says this exercise aided his bench press enormously.
