Thread: Bilbo method: Improve your bench press with high reps

It is translated from spanish. A spanish benchpresser can max rep 200 kg with a body weight of 80 kg. Here is his method, based on high reps:


"Hypertrophy is trained at high reps," "high reps to gain volume," or "high reps are for bodybuilding." How many times have we heard it? There is still a myth that training at high reps is not good for strength gain. That training that way has always been a bodybuilder's thing in their quest for "muscle pump" and growth. But nothing could be further from the truth. Today we would like to analyze why this theory could be wrong in practice. And nothing better than to explain it with the example of "Bilbo". And no... we are not talking about Bilbo from Lord of the Rings... but about Lord of the Bench Press. Do you want to know more? Read, read...

Bilbo is Jesús Varela, one of the best bench pressers in Spain. Some even consider him to be the best bench presser. Weighing between 80-86 kg, Varela has taken his maximum bench press to over 200 kg. Which is a feat so impressive that rarely will we see a human perform such a feat of strength. He claims to be a natural (he never took any doping substances) and that his marks are the result of his more than 20 years of experience training with weights. But is there more to it, what is his training like, how did he manage to lift 200 kg off his chest without being crushed? We'll tell you about it...

BILBO METHOD: HIGH-REP TRAINING
The Bilbo method, which Jesus himself has named after his nickname, consists of getting the most out of a series of high repetitions. That's right, as you hear it! His strength gains come from gaining explosiveness by training above 15 reps.

Bilbo himself explains that he was already good at bench presses at a young age. With conventional strength routines such as "3 x 3", "5 x 5"... he had reached a maximum of 140 kg in bench press. But he was already dragging a lot of aches and pains as a result of being exposed to moving large loads with low repetitions. His progress was stagnating and he was finding it increasingly difficult to reach new marks. Until he decided to completely change his training style and switch to high reps. Today, Varela is able to get more than 20 reps with those 140 kg of years ago.



Bilbo explains the importance of making each rep as explosive as possible and completing the set in as little time as possible. To do this you will use weights far away from your personal best (1 RM) and train in a range that can go from 15 to even 50 reps. The premise is that if you are able to exceed your number of reps with a given weight, or complete the set in less time, then your record at one rep max will go up as well. If today you have a max of 170 and you are able to move 100 kg x 20 reps... when you are able to do 30 reps with 100 kg, then your record could go up to 200 kilos. If you win in the high range, you also win in the low range, that's the key.

To do this, Jesús Varela suggests starting each workout by getting the most out of your first set. The first set is called the "bilbo set" and is the key to progress. In the bilbo set you choose a relatively "low" weight and try to get as many reps as you can. Always pushing fast and explosive, but avoiding cheating and bouncing as much as possible. Once the bilbo series is completed, the number of reps achieved is noted, since our goal in the next workout will be to beat that record.

Bilbo training has much in common with the bodybuilding training called Heavy Duty. Which was also based on the fact that you could use a single set and get the most out of it instead of doing a multi-set, multi-rep workout.

Although Bilbo's routine also adds more exercises to complement that first set bilbo. After the effective set, the rest of the workout is free. It means that we can add a few more exercises and focus on hypertrophy and congestion with sets of 12, 10, 8 ... more like bodybuilder style. You could say that the Bilbo method is a "hybrid" between explosive sets with light weights + classic bodybuilding training. In the following exercises that we choose Jesus recommends not to go to the maximum and be more conservative in order not to overtire and have better recovery. In his repertoire Jesus Varela includes bottoms (weighted and unweighted), push-ups, dumbbell presses, cables in pulley, etc..

Progress will always be sought with the improvement in the bilbo series. Thus, if in our training today we pull 70 kg x 15 reps in the bilbo series. After weeks or months, we should try to reach 18, for example. Jesus also recommends that we do not always go to failure, but keep 1 or 2 repetitions before reaching the maximum. This is so that we do not saturate ourselves excessively and stagnate before time. After a few workouts is when a record day is established where we will go to take as many as we can trying to beat the record.

When we feel that we can no longer improve at a certain weight, Varela recommends that we move to another weight in a different range and start with a new progress. For example, go to 50 kg x 30 reps and try to improve over time to 50 x 33 reps, for example.

Later you can go back again to the 70 kg weight, where we were left with a max of 18 reps, and try to take it to 20 reps. And so on. After months, after these small increments, the improvement of our 1 RM (repetition maximum) will occur. There are many, many ways to combine the bilbo sets through different progressions:

You can try to go up in weight, while maintaining reps. For example, go from 70 kg x 15 to 72.5 x 15.
You can even alternate heavy days with light days. Do one 70 x 15 workout and the next 50 x 30, for example.
Bilbo's method is "slow but sure", and anyone who ventures with it must know that improvements will come in the long term in order to avoid frustration. Gaining 1 extra rep for a given weight is something that can take several months of perseverance. And it will take longer as we become more advanced over the years.

Jesus Varela recommends doing a maximum of 2 effective sets (bilbo) per week in bench press, leaving rest days in between. This is due to how demanding the series are, in order to recover properly. If you want to train more days, it is better to focus those workouts on hypertrophy and congestion away from failure and not include more bilbo sets.



Although Jesus has always specialized in bench presses, he has also recently started to incorporate new workouts including: squats, bicep curls, rope climbs, shoulder presses, etc. At least for the different basic exercises of each muscle group (squats, barbell curl, military press...) he still uses his famous set at the beginning of each workout to progress.

This method is what has allowed Jesus to train all these years without suffering injuries and achieving a bench press of more than 200 kilos.

In addition to seeking explosiveness, Jesus recommends never neglecting muscle hypertrophy.



BILBO METHOD: THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT EXAGGERATING THE LUMBAR ARCH
One of the curiosities is that Jesús Varela does not make use of the famous lumbar arch of powerlifters. Instead, he employs a slight delay of the scapulae to keep the shoulders safe and the pectoral muscles outward.

Despite being a strength athlete, Jesus mentions the important role muscle hypertrophy plays in muscle gain. The reason he doesn't use the powerlifter arch is because, in his own words, "shortening the path of the bar takes work away from the pec and we won't be stimulating it to its maximum."

For Jesus, it's better to move more weight because the pec has gotten bigger than to use an exaggerated arch.

Muscle growth and development is key, and that's why his method has so many hints of bodybuilding training. And he must know something... especially when he's a Spanish champion.



JESÚS VARELA, BENCH PRESS RECORD HOLDER
Jesús Varela currently holds a record of 200.5 kg with bench press in competition (champion of his category) and 217.5 kg training at home. He also competes in bench press with repetitions.



JESÚS VARELA ON YOUTUBE
Jesus also has his YouTuber side with a very interesting and growing channel. In it Jesus keeps us abreast of his records, uploads his complete workouts and gives many useful tips on his training, exercises and keys to progress. Without a doubt it is a recommended channel that you should not miss.



HIS NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTATION
Bilbo doesn't follow any special strict diet. He claims that he eats everything and is not a big fan of protein foods. Therefore he supplements his diet with protein shakes. PROTEINS and CREATINE are the supplements he uses.


ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BILBO TRAINING:
-ADVANTAGES:

Safety: definitely the most remarkable. It is a highly safe and effective training method to avoid injuries. The weights we move rarely exceed 65% of our maximum. This avoids pains, breaks, joint overloading, etc. As strenuous as a bilbo series can be, the loads to be used remain relatively light.
Better strength gains in the long term: because of the above mentioned. Being a safe training where we do not overexert the body and nervous system, this allows us to extend the progress for longer without stagnating. The fact of training for several years without serious injuries, means that we have fewer breaks in our training and in the long run we may achieve more strength than using heavier and riskier methods.
It keeps you more motivated: you go to each workout with the bug to beat your previous record of repetitions, so it "hooks" you and gives you the necessary motivation. Apart from that, it is very enjoyable, because except for the first mandatory set, the rest of the workout is free and you can change it according to your tastes and feelings.
It is very easy to understand for everyone: it does not require any mathematical calculation or strange formula to calculate the weights to use in each workout, unlike other routines. The weights to use are very intuitive.
It does not require a great previous warm up: It saves you the task of having to spend a lot of time warming up and approaching as it happens with heavier workouts. Being low weights there is little risk and you'll be ready for the effective series.
-DISADVANTAGES:

Slow progress: it is possible that after several months of training you may only gain 1 repetition for the weight you are working with. Which in the short term can be very discouraging.
In case you fail, it can delay you: it is not the same to fail a series in which you have already done 20 or 40 reps, than to fail one of 3 or 5. The psychological feeling of having wasted the series without achieving the goal is greater in the first case.
It requires adaptation if you want to move maximum loads: if you are one of those who like to test their maximum strength from time to time, you will probably need an adaptation routine to heavy loads. By always pulling at high reps, you may lose neuromuscular efficiency when using heavy weights, making it difficult to transfer that explosiveness to your maximal strength attempts.
Example: At DeporTrainer we tested the Bilbo Method also with squats! Take a look at an example set:



DO WE RECOMMEND THE BILBO METHOD? Absolutely YES. The Bilbo Method proposes a different approach and breaks the rule that "strength is only trained at low repetitions". We recommend that you try it and give it some time because in the end you end up improving. Jesus Varela has shown that you don't need to train at low reps to be one of the best.

We hope you liked this article. And, as always, we will write more.