# How much can you bench? Be Honest...



## Fionn (Mar 24, 2009)

I'm a little bored (considering going to the gym, prolly should do some uni work!) so I've decided to post a new thread concering bench press!

I train quite a bit, I'm 5'6" (stumpy), weigh 175lbs (80kgs), and my best bench (1RM) is 110kgs (244lbs).

Anyone else?


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## jymellis (Mar 24, 2009)

i dont bench much, what i can do is handstand push ups. do a handstand, then lower yourself till your nose touches the floor, then push yourself back up to the handstand position.


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## ShadyDavey (Mar 24, 2009)

About one of those bars 

I could probably do around 250 when I was training seriously, upper body strength was not my best area.


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## Fionn (Mar 24, 2009)

holy shit thats a big bar!!! 250s not bad (llbs) 250kgs well thats just ridiculous!



> i dont bench much, what i can do is handstand push ups. do a handstand, then lower yourself till your nose touches the floor, then push yourself back up to the handstand position.



i tried that the other day, pretty difficult! i can do a few (6ish) with the wall as support but free i'm SHIT!


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## Harry (Mar 24, 2009)

I'm a weak, skinny fuck to be totally honest.
I'd be surprised if I could even do 20KG.


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## jymellis (Mar 24, 2009)

i can only do it against a wall, my balance is for shit lol. i can do about 20 in a row, i usually only do 3 sets of 10 a day.


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## sakeido (Mar 24, 2009)

I weigh about 165 and can bench 165 about 6 times.. so my max is 195  Bench has always been a weak point for me


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## Fionn (Mar 24, 2009)

> I'm a weak, skinny fuck to be totally honest.
> I'd be surprised if I could even do 20KG.



time to hit the gym then eh!


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## Harry (Mar 24, 2009)

Fionn said:


> time to hit the gym then eh!



Hell, I wish.
My job involves walking 4-6 hours a day, 4-5 times a week, by the time I get home, there is not a chance I have the energy to do and lift weights, as soon as I get home I have to rest as much as possible to be ready for the next of work.
At the most, I do a few bicep curls a few times a week.
At the least, it's great exercise and better than doing nothin'


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## BigPhi84 (Mar 24, 2009)

I don't know my max, but I normally work out with 135, 3 sets of 12. Bench has always been a weakness of mine. I got the typical asian birdchest syndrome, not to be confused with SARS. LOL.


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## Fionn (Mar 24, 2009)

> My job involves walking 4-6 hours a day, 4-5 times a week, by the time I get home, there is not a chance I have the energy to do and lift weights, as soon as I get home I have to rest as much as possible to be ready for the next of work.



Fair enuff, sounds like a fooking workout anyway!


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## Labrie (Mar 24, 2009)

I haven't benched in awhile tbh, as I mostly just use dumbbells now. Last time I benched I think it was 2 plates and 10 on each side, which works out to about 200lbs plus the bar. Lately I've just been doing a lot of incline work with 60-80lbs dumbbells.


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## jymellis (Mar 24, 2009)

Labrie said:


> I haven't benched in awhile tbh, as I mostly just use dumbbells now. Last time I benched I think it was 2 plates and 10 on each side, which works out to about 200lbs plus the bar. Lately I've just been doing a lot of incline work with 60-80lbs dumbbells.



them stabilizer muscles is where its at


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## willith (Mar 24, 2009)

Estimated 1RM: 320 lbs. (that's w i d e grip.)



This should've been a "How much DO you Deadlift, Squat, AND Bench" seeing as those are the big 3- and your squat and DL should be significantly more than bench...


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## Nick (Mar 24, 2009)

im the same i would probably max out about 85 or 90 kg


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## Randy (Mar 24, 2009)

When I used to go to the gym regularly (we're talking early high school), I was never really one for the free weights, so topped I out around 165 lbs. At the time I was about 5' 8" (on my tippy toes) and 135 lbs. (soaking wet). 

My friend was the same height as me, and only weighed 15-20 lbs. more... really unassuming guy but he could bench ~300 lbs... 250 lbs without breaking a sweat. I never could figure that guy out.


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## B Lopez (Mar 24, 2009)

willith said:


> This should've been a "How much DO you Deadlift, Squat, AND Bench" seeing as those are the big 3- and your squat and DL should be significantly more than bench...



...and press. 

also I like playing with this thing. It gets relatively close.
Predicting One-rep Max

edit: and snatch as well as clean and jerk


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## Tiger (Mar 24, 2009)

Im going to assume under 200 because I never do it. If I think about it and if my arms are ever virgin Ill try. Doing anything over my body weight matters very very little to me though.


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## Randy (Mar 24, 2009)

Tiger said:


> Doing anything over my body weight matters very very little to me though.



Same. I grew up with a few guys that were big into creatine and ultimately HGH, along with weightlifting+powerlifting. As a result, they got inhumanly "big" for a couple high schoolers, but their endurance and stamina were laughable.


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## Fionn (Mar 24, 2009)

> also I like playing with this thing. It gets relatively close.
> Predicting One-rep Max



is that thing set for lbs or kgs?



> This should've been a "How much DO you Deadlift, Squat, AND Bench" seeing as those are the big 3- and your squat and DL should be significantly more than bench...



true.


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## B Lopez (Mar 24, 2009)

lbs


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## maliciousteve (Mar 24, 2009)

I've only ever got up to 113 lbs, which was easy. That's the maximum amount of weight that I've got available (bought my set a few years ago when I just started lifting), but I know I can lift closer to 200. Bit of a pain in the arse because I can't afford anything so I'll have to make do.


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## lobee (Mar 24, 2009)

maliciousteve said:


> I've only ever got up to 113 lbs, which was easy. That's the maximum amount of weight that I've got available (bought my set a few years ago when I just started lifting), but I know I can lift closer to 200. Bit of a pain in the arse because I can't afford anything so I'll have to make do.



Yeah I'm limited by my shoddy equipment and my lack of $$$ and motivation to get a gym membership. Right now I'm using an old ass bench and only 150lbs of weight including the bar. My goal is just to stay in shape and not be a complete lump of poo; I don't want or need to be the hulk.

And because I don't have much equipment I've been doing these thanks to Bobby and Tiger:
http://beastskills.com/tutorials.htm
http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229/
They're actually kind of fun and I'm noticing some improvement already.


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## budda (Mar 25, 2009)

I'm benching 110lbs right now, 2 sets of 15. the first set is 15, the second set i get to about 9 or 10 - it's brutal.

Unlike most gym-goers, i'm looking to get cut. And when I do, I will look weird to me as I'm so used to seeing the extra fat.

And then I'll probably bulk back up


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## willith (Mar 25, 2009)

Mod Edit: Dude, how long to you have to be banned for before you take the hint?


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## Tiger (Mar 25, 2009)

willith said:


> So "having to work" really doesn't seem like a viable excuse.



I get that from my overweight friends and even my girlfriend (not overweight), when they have these giant windows of opportunity.


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## wannabguitarist (Apr 3, 2009)

I put up 160 before I hurt my wrist. I doubt I can do 135 now


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## Scar Symmetry (Apr 3, 2009)

1700 lbs with one finger WOAH


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## kmanick (Apr 3, 2009)

A few years back when I was hitting the gym 3-5 times a week, I would regularly do sets of 10 with 225 and squat sets of 10 with 315.
now I'm lucky if I get to lift twice a week, so I rarely go above 225 when I squat and I usually use dumbbells for 
upper body (80-90 pounders for bench) (60-75 for overheads). I just do a lot more rep work now than I used to.
back in the late 80's early 90's I got into training to compete (yes I used the juice) and my max squad was 415 for 3. I was all leg.
That seems like a lifetime ago now.


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## guitarplayerone (Apr 5, 2009)

my squat and DL suck. my bench is 245X3 lbs atm, but I've only been working out for a year (180ish at around 10&#37; bodyfat)


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## Girth Brooks (Apr 5, 2009)

This thread is kind of worthless without vids to substantiate such claims.


Why just this afternoon I saw somebody "squat 225"...only problem was he had the worst ROM I've ever seen. He wasn't even doing 1/2 reps. Needless to say, he had the same range of motion (or lack thereof) when he was doing 135.
I see people do that on bench all the time too. They go down til their elbows are at 90 degrees (about 8 inches from their chest) and back up. This accomplishes nothing.

Touch, don't drop, the weight to your chest.


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## jufob (Apr 5, 2009)

My job involves walking, sometimes running, jumping in an out of a truck part of the time for 8 to 10.5 hrs. daily so I get all the arobic stuff I need. My employer pays for most of gym fees which help me get the upper body strength to lug around 7 string guitars. I try not to overdo and work with 80 to 120lbs with alot of reps so I don't hurt myself so I can return to work not to tired or sore but I think I could press 200lbs a few times if I had to, maybe, don't know just guessing; my goal is to look ok without a shirt on.


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## BurialWithin (Apr 7, 2009)

i weigh 220 and max 205 haha


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## Anton (Apr 8, 2009)

I'm 6 feet tall, my weight is about 100kg(220 pounds) and max rm1 in bench is 150kg which is something like 330pounds...


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## Jachop (Apr 11, 2009)

I'm horrible at benching. Around 50 kg. Then it's to fucking heavy for my shoulders to take. My weight is 73 kgs.


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## biggness (Apr 15, 2009)

My best bench ever was 410 lbs. Though, considering my size(6'5'' 285 lbs), that's not really surprising to some. People ask me, I tell them and then they are like "That's it?!?!"


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## troyguitar (Apr 15, 2009)

I weigh all of 150 and only ever really lift for fun occasionally. Using an actual free-floating bar I can do 150-175 depending on what shape I'm in at the time. Using the machines it's more like 200 or so though... those make it so much easier for someone like me who doesn't practice the exercise.

The weird thing is back in high school I was more like 130 but could barely put up 90-100. Somehow I got a lot stronger without really trying.


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## I_infect (Apr 15, 2009)

Used to work out pretty religiously. Most I would max is 300 about 5 times but oddly whenever I would up it too 305, I could barely get that up once, and that was it. Never got any higher. Weigh about 200 now, and was between 220-230 when I was lifting.


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## gunshow86de (Jan 19, 2010)

Bump from the dead:

I did the NFL combine bench test the other day. The one where you do as many reps of 225lbs as you can. I got 24 reps completed without any spotter.

I was wondering if anyone knew of a good 1 rep max calculator? I tried a few online, but I don't think they were designed to account for that many reps. Two different ones tried to say my one rep max was over 600lbs.  In my heyday of power-lifting, I could barely squat that. I'm guessing my real 1 rep-max is somewhere between 315-330lb.

I guess I should qualify those numbers; I'm 6'3" and 250lbs, which makes them not so impressive. I was reading some of the NFL combine records, and Brady Quinn did 26 reps. I suddenly don't feel so manly.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jan 19, 2010)

200lb, aiming for 250+ by may.


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## sol niger 333 (Jan 19, 2010)

1 x BIG MAC


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## Tiger (Jan 19, 2010)

245lbs (I weight 142)


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## techcoreriffman (Jan 19, 2010)

I weigh 141.2 pounds (got weighed yesterday at a physical haha) and I'm a cross country runner. I don't really work out very much, but the last time I did I did 10 reps of 150 (including the bar). If I do work out and go for reps though, I do 110, including the bar.


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## matty2fatty (Jan 19, 2010)

I thought I was relatively strong, haha, but I guess not. I weigh about 6'2", 225lbs, and thats the most I've ever benched, and squat is about the same. Deadlift is about 315. I should do these exercises more though, I've been concentrating more on full body movements (woodcutters, that sort of thing). 

You guys are strong though, I work out at a university gym, we have a good football program (SMU Huskies, for you Canadians). I rarely see even the Offensive or Defensive linemen put up these kinds of numbers, and they're HUGE guys.


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## -K4G- (Jan 19, 2010)

Tiger said:


> 245lbs (I weight 142)




Fuck, you're very strong.

Im 5'10'' and 220lbs and can only bench the 220lbs.


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## Tiger (Jan 20, 2010)

Ive been in some serious full time training for a military job the last year and half though, it takes care of that.


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## wannabguitarist (Jan 29, 2010)

Tiger said:


> 245lbs (I weight 142)



God damn dude, I'm gonna have to start reading through that thread of your's for some workout idea once I get my shoulder sorted out.

Right before I got tendinitis in my wrist in August I was putting up 185 at 146 (5'8") pounds. I'll be lucky if I could do 150 now


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## SevenStringSam (Jan 29, 2010)

355. im 15 and 177


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## TheShreddinHand (Jan 29, 2010)

Current workout (actually did this yesterday, Thursday is Chest day!)

275 x 10
295 x 8
315 x 6

Last time I maxed was May 08' - 375. Best ever was Junior year of college (April 2002) did 405 x 1.


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## HaloHat (Feb 1, 2010)

365. When I was in High School and liked to fight lol. 
Now, if your little sister tells me to jump... how high sis?
getting old. sux.


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## Tiger (Feb 1, 2010)

wannabguitarist said:


> God damn dude, I'm gonna have to start reading through that thread of your's for some workout idea once I get my shoulder sorted out.



Pushups, pushups, pushups...


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## TomParenteau (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm almost 48 and 165lbs. I never check my max. I haven't benched with a barbell in years. I use separate dumbbells. Right now I do

10 reps with 80s
8 reps with 95s
15 reps with 70s

Good form, no spotter, no dropping the weights.


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## jymellis (Feb 1, 2010)

TomPerverteau said:


> I'm almost 48 and 165lbs. I never check my max. I haven't benched with a barbell in years. I use separate dumbbells. Right now I do
> 
> 10 reps with 80s
> 8 reps with 95s
> ...


 
i also mainly use dumbells. i like how it works the stabilizers.


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## Giamatti (Feb 1, 2010)

1 KXK Warrior V. Thing's heavy as fuck.


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## TomParenteau (Feb 1, 2010)

jymellis said:


> i also mainly use dumbells. i like how it works the stabilizers.


 
It does work well. Everything in real life seems so easy to do!


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## Samer (Feb 1, 2010)

My comfortable amount is 135 (i do this x12) 4 times

If i push my self i can get up too 225 and only do 2 or 3 reps.


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## Randy (Feb 1, 2010)

SevenStringSam said:


> 355. im 15 and 177


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## Jason (Feb 2, 2010)

SevenStringSam said:


> 355. im 15 and 177



Bullfuckingshit. You also said you can do 500lb squats in the other thread. No way you can do that and if you ever did it was a 1/4 rep.


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## xiphoscesar (Feb 2, 2010)

im 15(even though age doesnt matter) and freshman, 
i benched 260 lbs two weeks before christmas.
i was aiming for around 250lbs since last year i got 195 lbs at my school.
im aiming for 400 by my senior year


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## mlp187 (Feb 2, 2010)

Holy shit Xiphoscesar. That's crazy. When I graduated high school I was able to bench 135 once. It was my max. I didn't hit 200 until 22. Then when I turned 24 I hit 325. That was the last time I checked my max (5 years ago).


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## xiphoscesar (Feb 2, 2010)

mlp187 said:


> Holy shit Xiphoscesar. That's crazy. When I graduated high school I was able to bench 135 once. It was my max. I didn't hit 200 until 22. Then when I turned 24 I hit 325. That was the last time I checked my max (5 years ago).


 
thnx
how much do u bench now?


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## soliloquy (Mar 30, 2010)

to be honest, i dont really know. i never push myself to one rep max. one of the reasons being that i'm always working alone in my basement, and the only help i may have may be my sister who struggles to curl 5 lbs on her biceps. 

many years ago, i used to only go for max reps and really hurt myself bad! at the time, i was curling 50 lbs on my biecpes for a max rep of 3 for a set of 2. doing about 120 for 3 reps 1 set for bench and all that. but it really started taking a toll on my bones and my body was just hurting. 

so i stopped working out for a few years and picked it up again recently. 
now i do super light weights with lots of reps and lots of sets. 
for bench, i'm focusing on 2 30 lbs dumbells for 15 reps with 4 sets, followed by 2 sets of burpees, then pushups to failure, or almost to failure.


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## Paulfocused (Mar 30, 2010)

This thread somehow reminds me of this guy I met in my freshman year of high school who weighed 141 lb. and could bench 270 lb. (one rep, and good technique). I thought he was strong as hell, until I saw him give up on only 205 lb. squats. He's basically a 5' 1'' ft. tall Jonny Bravo.

As for me, I used to lift weights a good bit. I like it but I plateau in strength fairly quickly and always loose weight when I work out. I weigh 163 lb at 6 ft. and low body fat, so I suppose I have a fair amount of muscle (I just turned 17). I'd like to get into weight lifting again, but it only seems to make me loose weight. I read somewhere about the different body types (ecto, meso, endo -morph). I suppose I'm mostly an ectomorph because my bones are fairly small (small wrist, 28 in. waist), I have plenty of energy, and I can eat plenty of junk food without gaining a pound. I'm not sure how I'm going to actually gain muscle though, all those pushups and bench presses and my chest is still flat. Anyone have any tips? Or am I pretty much screwed?


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## jymellis (Mar 30, 2010)

Paulfocused said:


> This thread somehow reminds me of this guy I met in my freshman year of high school who weighed 141 lb. and could bench 270 lb. (one rep, and good technique). I thought he was strong as hell, until I saw him give up on only 205 lb. squats. He's basically a 5' 1'' ft. tall Jonny Bravo.
> 
> As for me, I used to lift weights a good bit. I like it but I plateau in strength fairly quickly and always loose weight when I work out. I weigh 163 lb at 6 ft. and low body fat, so I suppose I have a fair amount of muscle (I just turned 17). I'd like to get into weight lifting again, but it only seems to make me loose weight. I read somewhere about the different body types (ecto, meso, endo -morph). I suppose I'm mostly an ectomorph because my bones are fairly small (small wrist, 28 in. waist), I have plenty of energy, and I can eat plenty of junk food without gaining a pound. I'm not sure how I'm going to actually gain muscle though, all those pushups and bench presses and my chest is still flat. Anyone have any tips? Or am I pretty much screwed?


 
tillapia,tuna,and salmon, lots of it!


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## soliloquy (Mar 30, 2010)

Paulfocused said:


> This thread somehow reminds me of this guy I met in my freshman year of high school who weighed 141 lb. and could bench 270 lb. (one rep, and good technique). I thought he was strong as hell, until I saw him give up on only 205 lb. squats. He's basically a 5' 1'' ft. tall Jonny Bravo.
> 
> As for me, I used to lift weights a good bit. I like it but I plateau in strength fairly quickly and always loose weight when I work out. I weigh 163 lb at 6 ft. and low body fat, so I suppose I have a fair amount of muscle (I just turned 17). I'd like to get into weight lifting again, but it only seems to make me loose weight. I read somewhere about the different body types (ecto, meso, endo -morph). I suppose I'm mostly an ectomorph because my bones are fairly small (small wrist, 28 in. waist), I have plenty of energy, and I can eat plenty of junk food without gaining a pound. I'm not sure how I'm going to actually gain muscle though, all those pushups and bench presses and my chest is still flat. Anyone have any tips? Or am I pretty much screwed?



you need to boost these:
protein- take 1.5-2 grams for every lbs of your body weight. protein shakes help! 
calories- get at least 3000 on a dead day. but aim at 3500-5000 calories. its a lot, and thus, you would need weight gainers or mass gainers or something.
fats- cant cut em out. cut down your sugar in take, but boost your fats. start having more good fats that come from fish and flax seed.

you also need to eat every 2 hours or so. eating that much is tough. take a look at some of the hollywood stars like ryan renolds. he put on about 30 lbs in 2 or 3 months, and all he did was eat. ask him to do that again, and he'll bitch slap you as he hated eating that much constantly. 

cut all your junks. for calories, sure, you can throw in a few burgers here and there.


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## Paulfocused (Mar 30, 2010)

Ah makes sense, because I used to eat a lot of ice cream and other sugars thinking that it'd stop me from burning everything off. Of course it didn't work and I still lost weight while the guys around me got bigger. When I read about the body type thing Ryan Reynolds was mentioned as an ecto-/ecto-meso along with his qualities (many of which were similar or the same as me). Thanks a lot, I'll definitely try all that whenever I begin lifting again. It's going to be cool to watch the scale go the other direction.


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## soliloquy (Mar 30, 2010)

Paulfocused said:


> Ah makes sense, because I used to eat a lot of ice cream and other sugars thinking that it'd stop me from burning everything off. Of course it didn't work and I still lost weight while the guys around me got bigger. When I read about the body type thing Ryan Reynolds was mentioned as an ecto-/ecto-meso along with his qualities (many of which were similar or the same as me). Thanks a lot, I'll definitely try all that whenever I begin lifting again. It's going to be cool to watch the scale go the other direction.




to be honest, i really dont believe in ecto/meso stuff. sure, there are people who are naturally born with wider or narrower bones. but i dont believe that a certain group of people from some part of the world put on more fat, while others put on more muscle etc. in my opinion, its peoples excuse of being in or out of shape. in the end, it all comes down to what you eat. 

there is a number going around that 70-80 percent of what you do is eat when it comes to body building. 10 or so percent is sleep and rest. and the remaining 10 or so percent is actually working out. 


for fast results, try this lil thing called creatine. it helped me gain 30 lbs(mostly in water, some in muscle, and some in fat) in about 4 months. but it does take a toll on your body, so you really need to do cycles of it in small doses.


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## Tiger (Mar 30, 2010)

Unless you are training a LOT and are really serious about it, this advice is just going to make you fat. Not to offend anyone but I've been on a vicious non stop training cycle nearly two years now thats only going to continue...you can gain muscle mass/strength pretty easily while eating sensibly. Taking in 3000-5000 calories will help you put on a little bit of muscle and a whole hell of a lot of fat. I've maintained about 6% body fat since October, but my strength and speed gains have been steadily increasing. I take in on average 3500 calories a day, and thats what I burn. Go figure.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Mar 31, 2010)

Tiger is right, eating way the fuck over maintenance is 

a) a pain in the ass
b) not the right way to bulk

IMHO if you're trying to gain go 500-1k over your maintenance at the most..


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## RenegadeDave (Apr 1, 2010)

236 and I've not had the balls to 1RM in ages (no spotters, don't care enough to get any). I did 285 the other day to finish a set on chest 4x. If I had to venture A guess, I'd throw out 315-325. Best ever I weighed probably 275 and it lifted 405 once. That was five years ago. Seeing 4 wheels on each side was my goal, I met it and kind of backed off the power lifting. 

It's easier to put up big numbers with a bigger frame (I'm 6-6)


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## ATI (Aug 3, 2010)

Stealthtastic said:


> Tiger is right, eating way the fuck over maintenance is
> 
> a) a pain in the ass
> b) not the right way to bulk
> ...


It's not that hard IMO. Whole bowl of brown rice with chicken and a glass of milk is literally 1000 calories.

From jan-march i was eating 3kcals at 115lbs bodyweight, and within that time i went up to 140lbs with minimal bf% gain.

Just requires some time in the kitchen 
also
Bench: 185lbs 3x5 @ 130lbs bodyweight


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## Customisbetter (Aug 3, 2010)

115, i weigh 165


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## jaretthale78 (Aug 3, 2010)

holy necro batman


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## Harry (Aug 4, 2010)

Heh, was weird looking back on my posts on the first page.
I don't do that walking thing anymore and funnily enough starting doing weight training, for muscle mass not too long ago.
Can't say I've ever tried to see how much I can do of any exercise in a single rep as it's never been a concern of mine but I'd haunt a guess that if I did try it, maybe about 70 pounds.


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## TreWatson (Aug 4, 2010)

2 lbs.

I dunno, last time i checked i could handle the bar plus 2 65 lb. weights (like, 4 times). how much is that?


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## MF_Kitten (Aug 4, 2010)

i'm extremely skinny and slender, and i never exercise or do any remotely hard work, so i'm really weak. it's been a while since i attempted to bench anything, but when i did i think my limit was like 20-30 Kg or something. i'd exercise and get better, but that's uncomfortable 

i'm strong and agile enough, and have enough endurance to live my current life. a little extra wouldn't hurt, but i still haven't really needed any more. if i were to exercise, it'd be to get in shape for health reasons.


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## right_to_rage (Aug 5, 2010)

Im not sure my 1 rep max, but currently I can do about 6x 140lbs, and I weigh 155lbs. 

It isn't a lot, but I'll get to hit the gym with more consistency after exams are through and class is over.


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## eclipsex1 (Aug 5, 2010)

I don't like maxing out.. I mainly do low weight high rep... But before school let out, I was doing 185 4 sets of 12 reps. My body weight varies between 175 and 195. X_x. Over the summer I just do push-ups, and a little dumbbell work.


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## asmegin_slayer (Aug 5, 2010)

I'm 5'7-5'8, 158lbs. I've never taken weight training classes and never really had friends who did it, so it was never in mind. I'm 26 now and the past 2 years I've made a significant change.

I could barley do 100 lbs bench pressing, but now I think I can reach up to 150lbs. I know I could do better, but haven't been working on it much.

What I have been working on is Dumbell press. I remember doing 15lbs each arm and I will just be unbalanced could barely do 2 sets of 10 reps.

NOW! forward a year and half later I can now do 50lbs on each arm.


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## Charles (Aug 6, 2010)

I'm working on it (and believe it or not I used to be a crap ton worse) but I'm doing 105 x12 right now.

Hitting the gym hard so that I no longer resemble a stalk of bamboo...


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## GalacticDeath (Aug 10, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> i'm extremely skinny and slender, and i never exercise or do any remotely hard work, so i'm really weak. it's been a while since i attempted to bench anything, but when i did i think my limit was like 20-30 Kg or something. i'd exercise and get better, but that's uncomfortable
> 
> i'm strong and agile enough, and have enough endurance to live my current life. a little extra wouldn't hurt, but i still haven't really needed any more. if i were to exercise, it'd be to get in shape for health reasons.


 
I'm the same way. I NEVER work out or exercise, besides the ocassional running in the woods. I tried benching about 45 lbs the other day and only got about 5 reps lol. The only reason I'm working out now is to get the ladies


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## The Overturn (Aug 12, 2010)

My best was two years ago when I actually worked out. 155 lbs max haha, but i only weigh 150 lbs now. no clue what I was back then


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## anthonyferguson (Aug 12, 2010)

never really do bench... max is about 40 kg/ 88 lbs. I do quite a lot of chest press with dumbells and have improved from lifting 12.5 kg/ 26.5 lbs to 17.5 kg/ 38.5 lbs on each arm in about 3 weeks! awesome!


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## fretninjadave (Aug 12, 2010)

Deadlift: I've lifted over 460 lbs but thats my absolute max

Squat: I once squated 1034 lbs .850 lbs plus my big ass

Bench: 250 lbs at my best

gorilla press: also 250 lbs 

I've been involved with heavy lifting my whole life through work.


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## Bevo (Aug 18, 2010)

My max bench was 200 lb for 4 reps ohhhhh 20 years ago! 
Then I was 5,8 and 170 now I am still 5,8 but 155 and can bench 90 lb, I play hockey and race MX no other gym stuff.

Would be cool to do that weight again!
Maybe on my 50th birthday LOL!!


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## Sang-Drax (Aug 18, 2010)

For now, 86kg/190 lbs - 5 sets of 5 reps, but I'm still increasing it little by little. No idea of how much I could lift in RM.


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## Moro (Aug 18, 2010)

One *MILLION* pounds!







Sorry, I just had to. Carry on...


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## Tiger (Aug 18, 2010)

And to me Overhead press > Benchpress any day


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## Murmel (Aug 18, 2010)

I've only benched once. And I never work out. I did 55lbs or 25kg like 5 times 
I'm a skinny mofo.


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## Origin (Aug 18, 2010)

Somewhere between jackshit and 'well, I guess that's alright if you don't work out.'


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## Vicissitude27 (Aug 28, 2010)

Back in my competition days(a club in college), I was benching 315lbs.  
I was 200lbs and 6 ft. I only do reps now, no maxing.
Most I ever got with 4 plates(225lbs) was 15 reps. Now I'm 190lbs. I'm trying to slim down.


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## Chris Bowsman (Aug 28, 2010)

Just started recently. I'm at 140, two sets of 10. Would I be better of doing more 5s?


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## Harry (Aug 28, 2010)

Chris Bowsman said:


> Just started recently. I'm at 140, two sets of 10. Would I be better of doing more 5s?



To be honest, you just do what works for you and what kind of goals you have in mind.
Experimentation is key , and I cannot stress the importance of diet enough.
To be honest, lifting is the easy part.......it's getting the nutrition right and the right amount of rest between each workout that is the biggest challenge.


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## Fionn (Aug 28, 2010)

man i thought this thread was dead!!! last 1RM was 120kgs! that was a few months ago, not been for a while tho!!! max dead is 160kg! And ^post is so true food is the key!


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## blr5109 (Aug 28, 2010)

My max about a month ago was around 430...haven't lifted heavy since then


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## scottro202 (Aug 28, 2010)

Probably 110, if I'm lucky/on a few Red Bulls

I'm 16, 5'7, and 140, and pretty skinny. There's not much to me, the most heavy lifting I ever do is my guitar and amp


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## chaosxcomplex (Aug 29, 2010)

Well, I feel like a nerd here, but I just started lifting about a week ago. I'm 6'1, 185lbs. I'm not sure how much my bar weighs, I'm estimating it at around 40 lbs. If this is correct, then I've been doing sets of 10 with 110 lbs...I don't have enough weight to know my 1 rep max., right now I'm trying to just get used to the movements and all that. I can do pushups all day, starting situps/crunches...thats my problem area...love handles and belly flub. I have an exceptionally strong back and legs, I can move stuff that people who are "bigger" than me can't, and I know how to throw my weight and have been working on "explosivity".

This might not go here, but I've been told that once I get comfortable with lifting, the best results will come if I just do everything to failure. As in don't do just sets of 10, do it till I can't. I do this with pushups, but it seems a little more intense with free weights. My goal is mostly just becoming stronger, but I'd like to have bigger arms and a more defined chest...


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## Charles (Aug 29, 2010)

I've gone up to doing three sets of five for 120.

Working my way up


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## Bevo (Aug 29, 2010)

Not to derail but are any vegatarians lifting?


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## Krankguitarist (Aug 29, 2010)

These days I've been doing my workouts with 3 sets of 8-10 reps, so I'm lifting around 150 lbs.

Back when I was doing 5 sets of 5, though, I was benching circa 200 pounds.


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## xiphoscesar (Aug 29, 2010)

i still bench the same but with seperate barbells i finally got up to70s, hopefully ill be able to lift 100s by next year (junior year)


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 1, 2010)

Haha so many bullshitters even on this site! 

I mean,yeah sure theres probably a fair amount of people lifting weights intensively and can lift pretty heavy on here, but the whole of ss.org lifting the same weights as amateur power lifters(yes a little exaggerated).

I mean hats off to some of the guys on here, your a bunch of oxen and one day hopefully I can lift as heavy as you but there are a lot of bullshitters. You might as well start a thread about "how long is your dick" see where that goes.

EDIT: Not a rant at the OP at all


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## Krankguitarist (Sep 1, 2010)

^ one might have to take into consideration if proper form was used...

See a lot of people at the gym with 200+ lbs on the bar doing half reps. Not that a half-rep isn't a bad way of isolating and working on weak spots in a lifting movement, but I get the impression that this isn't quite the goal in mind when their form is sloppy...

Anywho, I've got a friend who *claims* that his max squat was something like 450 lbs in high school. I have my doubts. People have a tendency of seeing how much they can lift through rose-colored filters.

Me, I'm 6'2", about 10-11% bodyfat, and 190 lbs. My max sqatting weight was about 225 for 5 sets of 5, with failure on the 4th and 5th sets on reps 4 and 3 respectively.


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## Matt-Hatchett (Sep 1, 2010)

I bench 295. 3 sets of 5. It sucks


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## Harry (Sep 2, 2010)

Krankguitarist said:


> ^ one might have to take into consideration if proper form was used...
> 
> See a lot of people at the gym with 200+ lbs on the bar doing half reps. Not that a half-rep isn't a bad way of isolating and working on weak spots in a lifting movement, but I get the impression that this isn't quite the goal in mind when their form is sloppy...
> 
> ...



 on the good form part
It's all about good form for me. Although depends on the body area, but if I know something is going to be too heavy for me to do 6-10 reps with good form, I wont do it really. 
There's just too much risk involved with injuring yourself trying to do huge weights with sloppy form.


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## Krankguitarist (Sep 2, 2010)

^ I fucked up my shoulder pretty bad a few months ago from lifting without warming up first. No bueno. My form suffered, and I couldn't move my right arm past shoulder-height for about two weeks. Took me a month and a half after that to start using it again.

Never again. Never a-fucking-gain.


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## wannabguitarist (Sep 2, 2010)

wannabguitarist said:


> Right before I got tendinitis in my wrist in August I was putting up 185 at 146 (5'8") pounds. I'll be lucky if I could do 150 now



I started working out again recently but haven't really focused on actual bench as much just to keep things easy on my wrists and shoulder. Decided it was better to make sure my technique was good. I did do 160 once a few weeks ago but the second rep required help once I got halfway up. Oh well.

The biggest thing I miss being able to do was 20 pull-ups. Getting back into the gym is so god-damned hard


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## Maniacal (Sep 2, 2010)

A few weeks ago I was doing low reps, I did:
Warm up followed by
5 sets of 5 at 142.5 kg 

strict form, not spotting, no bouncing, right to my tits. 

You will always get people lifting badly and them claiming to be super strong. Training at a gym can be hilarious.


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 2, 2010)

Maniacal said:


> A few weeks ago I was doing low reps, I did:
> Warm up followed by
> 5 sets of 5 at 142.5 kg
> 
> ...



Reading eh?

Which gym do you go to?


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## Bobo (Sep 2, 2010)

I used to bench more than I'd squat. Laugh at my bird legs


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## Maniacal (Sep 3, 2010)

Wingchunwarrior said:


> Reading eh?
> 
> Which gym do you go to?



No longer in Reading, I just havent updated my profile. 

I live in Newbury now, used to go to Flex gym but it closed down so now I go to some shitty leisure centre gym.


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 3, 2010)

oh ok.

Yeah man I'm going to fitness first in tilehurst.

Pretty good, all the equipment I could need, but you get the usual "lets train our arms and chest and tomorrow and the day after that", and the classic " Ah man yeah i'm going to the gym to get a six pack" Its all good but it saddens me that you get so many people wasting there money and then give up after a while because they haven't turned into Lou Ferrigno in a couple of months.


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## Maniacal (Sep 3, 2010)

Yeah I know what you mean. My favourites are the guys who try and lift as much as they can with the worth form possible...followed by a 5 minute mirror session


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## lobee (Sep 3, 2010)

Just failed doing 5x5 at 175lbs(5-5-4-3-3) for the third time in a row. I guess I'll have to de-load Wednesday and work my way back up.


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## josh pelican (Sep 3, 2010)

I can press more coffee than anyone I know.


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 5, 2010)

Maniacal said:


> Yeah I know what you mean. My favourites are the guys who try and lift as much as they can with the worth form possible...followed by a 5 minute mirror session



Yeah man I mean what annoys me a lot is my mates or other people going to the gym and not liking or at least respecting bodybuilders. I personally think modern bodybuilders look horrible, disproportioned freaks but how could you not like these physiques:


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## Fionn (Sep 5, 2010)

modern bbs dont look much dif than those pics, personally i think dexter jackson is one of the best of all time!








and i agree about the bb hate, its pathetic, people realise its un-attainable for them so they slate it! Sad!


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## kittencore (Sep 5, 2010)

^^


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 6, 2010)

> modern bbs dont look much dif than those pics, personally i think dexter jackson is one of the best of all time!



Dexter is definitely and exception in modern bb, he is one of my favourites at the moment but guys like Markus Ruhl,Ronnie Coleman(in his later career),Kai Greene and many others just look like there up posing cos their freaks and not because they have proportion,symmetry and aesthetics.


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## Cyntex (Sep 6, 2010)

Right now I am getting back into working out. So far I can only bench 40Kg x 5.  My weight is 60kg and my height 1.74m. I train to keep in shape, not too get all buff, though I wouldnt mind gaining some mass, but that would require me eating a lot more.

Just wondering how many of you train with spotters? I have a squat/gun rack of my own, but pushing my limits seems kind of risky without somebody to watch my back/neck.


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 6, 2010)

Cyntex said:


> Right now I am getting back into working out. So far I can only bench 40Kg x 5.  My weight is 60kg and my height 1.74m. I train to keep in shape, not too get all buff, though I wouldnt mind gaining some mass, but that would require me eating a lot more.
> 
> Just wondering how many of you train with spotters? I have a squat/gun rack of my own, but pushing my limits seems kind of risky without somebody to watch my back/neck.



Yeah I use a spotter, but only for bench press and squat.But really I have a spotter because I train with my mates everyday.

To me I think it is very beneficial to train with someone,it becomes a lot more fun and feeding off each others energy and pump can be really helpful with your own motivation.

However only if your buddy has the same ultimate goal as you I would recommend this.You don't want someone telling you he just wants to "tone up" or "I don't want to be any bigger than this(points at a health magazine with a guy with low % bodyfat and abs but not anything special muscle wise)" and you want to sculpt your body like a Greek god.

Otherwise you just end up disagreeing on what exercises to do,sets,reps,weight etc.


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 6, 2010)

kittencore said:


> ^^



You just proved my point.


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## chucknorrishred (Sep 6, 2010)

Fionn said:


> modern bbs dont look much dif than those pics, personally i think dexter jackson is one of the best of all time!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



watch this 


i just started working out again

on arm days ill bench (150), curl(70), standing presses(50 cuz of sholder pain), pullups(10) and if i feel like it push ups. 

on leg days ill do dumbell squats (100), lunges (60), single leg extentions (80), and leg curls (75) yep weak legs. 

i work out at home


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 7, 2010)

watch this 




Dude that is one of the best documentary I've ever seen.Seriously man that was really interesting.

Cheers man, but I definitely think it deserves its own thread.


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## Cyntex (Sep 9, 2010)

Wingchunwarrior said:


> Yeah I use a spotter, but only for bench press and squat.But really I have a spotter because I train with my mates everyday.
> 
> To me I think it is very beneficial to train with someone,it becomes a lot more fun and feeding off each others energy and pump can be really helpful with your own motivation.
> 
> ...



Hm, some good points you post. I figured the part of feeding of eachother's energy would indeed be very beneficial, a bit of competition never hurt anyone.

Too bad the 2 friends I have that train, work out at a really expensive gym ft sauna's, swimming pools and what not. The fee is 60 euro's (75-80 american dollars) a month. And one of them even doesnt go that often too :s for that kind of money omg.


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## Wingchunwarrior (Sep 9, 2010)

> Too bad the 2 friends I have that train, work out at a really expensive gym ft sauna's, swimming pools and what not. The fee is 60 euro's (75-80 american dollars) a month. And one of them even doesnt go that often too :s for that kind of money omg.



Maybe try and convince some of your other friends to join your gym, tell them it will get them bitches

Or ask at your gym if you could pair up with somebody else, I've had personal trainers ask me that.

And if all else fails train by yourself, My brother for instance trains on his own and prefers it.He says he will push himself much harder than anyone he trains with and in that sense a partner would only sort of bum out your workout and decrease intensity.

So don't worry about it, if you can get a partner great, if not just keep yourself focused.
But if you are in a gym, when you bench press I wold get someone quikly to spot on your last sets or use a smith machine.

Hope this helps


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## Sang-Drax (Sep 9, 2010)

Cyntex said:


> Hm, some good points you post. I figured the part of feeding of eachother's energy would indeed be very beneficial, a bit of competition never hurt anyone.
> 
> Too bad the 2 friends I have that train, work out at a really expensive gym ft sauna's, swimming pools and what not. The fee is 60 euro's (75-80 american dollars) a month. And one of them even doesnt go that often too :s for that kind of money omg.



I train by myself. I don't use spotters; rather, sometimes I use my cellphone to film myself doing squats or deadlifts to see if it's all right.


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