Taylor Lautner Workout Secrets – Part II: Increase Your Bench Press
Summary
Jeff Cavalier of Athlean-X shares a bench press technique used to rapidly build strength and muscle mass, inspired by Taylor Lautner’s reported 30-pound muscle gain. The method — called the “Ebbene or Scrooge Principle” — involves briefly lifting heavier weight than you’re accustomed to at the end of a workout, then dropping back down to a manageable load. This approach trains the nervous system to handle greater loads, progressively pulling all other working weights upward.
Key Points
- Building 30 lbs of muscle quickly requires progressive overload — you must consistently push your muscles beyond their current capacity.
- The “Scrooge Principle” works by giving your muscles a “glimpse of the future” — exposing them to a heavier load than they’ve previously handled, then returning to normal training weight.
- Adding roughly 10% more weight on your final set is the recommended overload threshold (e.g., going from 205 lbs to 225 lbs).
- You don’t need to complete multiple reps at the heavier weight — even one rep, or just the negative (lowering) phase, is sufficient to create the neurological stimulus.
- After the heavy “Scrooge set,” drop the weight significantly (e.g., back to 135–185 lbs) and continue repping out.
- This technique works because teaching your muscles to fire at 225 lbs makes 185 lbs and 205 lbs feel easier in subsequent sessions.
- The Smith machine is recommended for this technique when training without a spotter, as it allows safe failure without injury risk.
- Over time, the weight you once barely touched for 1 rep will become a weight you can perform for 10–12 reps.
Exercise Details
Smith Machine Bench Press – Scrooge Overload Method
Target Muscles:
- Primary: Chest (pectorals)
- Secondary: Shoulders, triceps
Proper Form Cues:
- Set up under the bar as you would a standard bench press
- Lower the bar under control on each rep
- Focus especially on controlled execution during the heavy overload set
- If you reach failure, allow the Smith machine’s safety mechanism to catch the bar
How to Execute the Technique:
- Complete your working sets at your current training weight (e.g., 205 lbs for ~6 reps)
- On the final set, load approximately 10% more weight than your working weight
- Attempt as many reps as possible — even 1 rep counts
- If you cannot complete a full rep, perform the negative (eccentric) phase alone — lower the bar slowly and let it stop at the bottom
- Immediately strip the weight back down to well below your working weight (e.g., 135–185 lbs) and rep out
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- Skipping the drop set after the heavy overload — the contrast between heavy and lighter weight is key to the technique
- Attempting this method without a spotter or Smith machine, which creates unnecessary injury risk
- Adding too much weight beyond the 10% threshold, which may compromise form or cause injury
Sets/Reps:
- Main working sets: ~6 reps at your current training weight
- Scrooge overload set: 1–3 reps (or negative only) at ~10% above working weight
- Drop-down rep-out: performed immediately after, weight well below working load