Baddest Motherfuckers Ever #19- Pat Casey

Nowadays, it's not uncommon to see a lot of guys weighing in the 200s benching 600+ lbs, so you'd think that a guy like Pat Casey would fall by the wayside in a discussion on big benchers.  That, however, is because most people wouldn't take into account the fact that triple-ply bench shirts can double your bench, and equipped guys often can barely handle half their opener in a warmup without their shirts or suits.  Casey, however, was the first guy to ever bench 600, squat 800, or total 2000, and he did like a fucking beast in a tshirt and shorts.  How'd he do it?  Sheer badassedness, some sick genetics, schooling from the first guy to officially bench 400, and by never missing a scheduled workout.  I'm not sure if you guys are seeing a pattern among these BME posts, but there's definitely a solid one at this point- consistency is the ultimate key.  Through wind, through sleet, through rain or snow, bitch betta have my money, and I'm going to the mothafuckin gym.

My bitch better have my money/Through rain, sleet, or snow/My whore better have my money/Not half, not some, but all my cash/'Cause if she don't,/I'm gonna put my foot in her ass. 

In re the second reason Casey was such a fucking beast- the Godzilla-strong cocksucker benched 420 at a bodyweight of about 215 when he was 17 years old.  Hideously unfair, for sure, in the eyes on anyone who was, like me, pumped about a 285 bench when they were 17.  Nor was this a big fucking deal for him- according to Bruce Wilhelm, "he did not have to check his bio-rhythm chart, or to be totally rested or to have his own equipment to do his best lifting on."  Oh, and to add insult to injury, Casey competed only as a bodybuilder at the time, rather than a powerlifter.

That's not to say that Casey trained like a poofter- he trained in marathon sessions on a regular basis, doing 7-8 hour sessions of weighted dips.  Once, at a bodyweight of 300, he did a single with 308 lbs hanging off him.  Additionally, he'd occasionally bench with no spotter in a shed without electricity, by candlelight (and nearly killed himself doing so on at least 2 occasions).  This wasn't uncommon for him, as Casey trained by himself, reading magazines to motivate himself, and then just busting his ass for endless hours doing the most ridiculous shit of which he could think, like a neck bridge pullover and press with 405 lbs.  According to the man himself, "At a bodyweight of 300 and using a 250 pound dumbell I did 200 repetitions. I started with sets of 5, then 4, gradually descending all the way down to singles. I did this over a 7 hour period of time and I can readily attest to the fact that I was totally thrashed. I felt shot for the next two weeks. But for some reason at that time I felt that they helped. On several other occasions I did over a 100,000 pound workload dipping, working over a period of 8 hours."

Insane.  Casey credited his massive benching power to his marathon dipping sessions, in addition to having done thousands of bench press lockouts in his homemade bench in the aforementioned shed.  He mentioned that he got the guy from Marvin Eder, another bonafide badass who lifted insane poundages prior to the advent of lifting equipment or the prevalence of gear.  Additionally, like Eder, his workouts were fucking beastly.  Wilhelm lists the following as a typical week in the gym for Pat Casey:

Monday:

Bench Press Lockouts: . Singles from 4 inches off chest. 3 singles from 7 inches off chest. After lockouts, 2 sets of regular benches with 405 x 3.

Dumbell Incline: 3 sets of 5 reps warmup. 120 x 10, 200 x 3 sets of 5 reps. Best: 220 x 6 @ 285 bodyweight.

Lying Triceps Extension: 5-6 sets of 3-5 reps.

Chins: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Curls: 3 sets of 5 reps @ 100 pounds. I feel that I should have done more curling.

Tuesday

Squats: 135 x 5, 22 x 3, 315 x 2, 405 x 2, 585 x 2, 650 x 5 singles, 515 x 10.

Leg Extension: 3 x 20 reps.

Leg Curls: 2 x 12 reps.

Deadlifts from below knee: (working on sticking point) 315 x 5, 405 x2, 515 x 1, 565 x 6 singles.

Wednesday and Thursday

Rest. I worked an 8 hour job during the day.

Friday

Bench Press: 135 x 20, 225 x 10, 315 x 5, 405 x 5, 515 x 1, 560/570 x 5 singles, 405 x 10, 315 x 20.

Seated Military Press: I had to turn my head to the side to get the barbell past my face. 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 315 x 3, 400 x 1, 315 x 5, 225 x 8.

Dips: Bodyweight x 3 sets of 5 reps, then 10 sets of 205 x 5 reps.

Saturday:

Lockout Squats: above parallel, squat down and stop on pins. Dead stop. No bounce at the bottom. 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 315 x 3, 405 x 2, 515 x 1. 585 x 1, 650 x 1, 750 x 5 singles, finish with full squat – 405 x 5 with a pause at the bottom. These lockouts were mainly for the feel of handling heavy weight.

Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 20 reps.

Leg Curls: 2 sets of 12 reps.

I would also throw in some bodybuilding movements and neck work.

Monday

Wide Grip Seated Presses: Warm up with 10 repetitions and then do 10 sets of 5 reps. Finish with one set of 20.

Cheating One Arm Lateral Raises: Perform 5 sets of 5 repetitions and finish with one set of 20.

Cheating One Arm Front Raises: 5 x 5, 1 x 20.

Dips: With body leaning forward. 8 x 5, 1 x 20.

Wednesday

Handstand Presses Against Wall: With hands on boxes. 10 sets of 5. If you cannot do a complete press-up from the position do a half press until your strength increases enough to do full movements. You can add weight by tying a plate around your waist.

One Arm Lateral Raises: On incline bench. 5 sets of 8, 1 x 20.

Bent Forward Lateral Raises: 5 sets of 8, 1 x 20.

Dumbbell Shrugs: 10 sets of 10, 1 x 20.

Friday

Seated Press Behind Neck: 10 sets of 5, 1 x 20.

Dumbbell Shrugs: 5 sets of 10, 1 x 20.

One Arm Dumbbell Presses: 10 sets of 5, 1 x 20.

Strict Standing One Arm Lateral Raises: 6 sets of 10. Alternate arms without rest.

Workouts like those detailed above made Casey insanely, frighteningly strong- we're talking super-chimp on steroids and HGH strong.  So fucking strong, in fact, that Casey once picked up a bench and moved it across the floor, failing to realize at the time that it had been bolted directly into the fucking concrete.  Thus, the next time you think you've fucking torn it up in the gym, remember- there's always someone who's taken it a step further, so it's time to take two fucking steps forward and lay down your fucking marker on history.