Layout 1
Session 1- Band external shoulder rotation3 × 12–15
- Barbell bench press57.5 kg2 × 5, 1 × max
- Barbell row5 × 8–10
- Dumbbell hammer curl5 × 8
Empire Barbell — Five-Week High-Frequency Bench
Five weeks of bench rise from three to five days a week, then taper to two workouts and a Friday max test.
Not sure it’s for you? See programs like it, ranked for you →Your numbers
Worked out for an example lifter who squats 100 kg × 5, benches 75 kg × 5, deadlifts 130 kg × 5 and presses 50 kg × 5. Change any number to see your own.
Maxes
kg
1-rep maxDetails
The program’s usual settings
Week by week
Every workout, as Catalyst would give it to you from the example numbers.
Layout 2
Session 2- Dumbbell clean3 × 12–15
- Dumbbell rear delt fly5 × 15
- Barbell bench press65 kg10 × 3
- Lat pulldown4 × 10–12
- Reverse Curl5 × 10–12
Layout 3
Session 3- Band external shoulder rotation3 × 12–15
- Barbell upright row3 × 8–10
- Barbell bench press45 kg5 × 15
- One-arm dumbbell row2 × 20
- Incline dumbbell biceps curl5 × 12–15
Layout 4
Session 4- Dumbbell clean3 × 12–15
- Dumbbell rear delt fly5 × 10
- Barbell bench press
- 70×3
- 62.5×3
- 62.5×3
- 62.5×3
- 62.5×3
- 62.5×3
- Barbell row5 × 8–10
- Dumbbell hammer curl5 × 8
Layout 5
Session 5- Band external shoulder rotation3 × 12–15
- Dumbbell rear delt fly5 × 15
- Lat pulldown4 × 10–12
- Reverse Curl5 × 10–12
Layout 6
Session 6- Dumbbell clean3 × 12–15
- Barbell upright row3 × 8–10
- Barbell bench press62.5 kg4 × 5, 1 × max
- One-arm dumbbell row3 × 12–15
- Incline dumbbell biceps curl5 × 12–15
Layout 7
Session 7- Band external shoulder rotation3 × 12–15
- Dumbbell rear delt fly5 × 10
- Barbell bench press50 kg5 × 15
- Barbell row5 × 8–10
- Dumbbell hammer curl5 × 8
Empire Barbell — Five-Week High-Frequency Bench asks you questions before this workout, so its sets follow from your answers on the day.
Where it takes you
Each lift’s heaviest set, workout by workout, over the first 3 weeks, if every set is done as written.
A forecast, not a promise: it assumes every set is done as written. In the app, what you actually lift decides what comes next, by the program’s own rules.
What it trains
Working sets in the first week for each muscle, counted once for each muscle an exercise trains.
| Muscle | Main mover | Helping |
|---|---|---|
| Pectorals | 32 | 0 |
| Latissimus dorsi | 28 | 0 |
| Biceps | 25 | 28 |
| Brachialis | 25 | 0 |
| Scapular retractors | 20 | 28 |
| Posterior deltoids | 20 | 20 |
| Rotator cuff | 12 | 6 |
| Gluteals | 9 | 0 |
| Hamstrings | 9 | 0 |
| Quadriceps | 9 | 0 |
| Deltoids | 6 | 21 |
| Forearms | 0 | 33 |
| Anterior deltoids | 0 | 32 |
| Serratus anterior | 0 | 32 |
| Triceps | 0 | 32 |
| Brachioradialis | 0 | 25 |
| Trapezius | 0 | 15 |
| Spinal erectors | 0 | 9 |
The schedule
Follow the workout order and timing in the program’s notes.
How it works
The program’s own rules, as Catalyst runs them.
Train three workouts in week one, five in week two, four in week three, three in week four and two in week five, keeping their weekdays, the taper and the Friday test. Choose the weight for the one test single beforehand. AMRAP sets have no minimum rep target. Choose assistance equipment where needed. For the three rest-pause blocks, get the complete protocol, including reps, when to stop mini-sets and rest periods, before training; do not replace it with ordinary AMRAP sets. Plan any later maximum change or testing yourself.
What you need
Everything its exercises call for. Missing something? The app suggests swaps that train the same thing.
- Adjustable bench
- Barbell
- Dumbbells
- Flat bench
- Lat pulldown machine
- Squat rack
Not sure it’s the one?
See every program like it ranked for what you want, how often you train and what you have, each with why it fits and what doesn’t. Compare any three side by side.
Run Empire Barbell — Five-Week High-Frequency Bench in Catalyst
Every set ready. Every weight right.
Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the day Catalyst launches.