[HD-5000]

I'm bored.

Well, I'm working towards my goal of being able to bench press 140 lbs, right now I can do 130 lbs. I'm so weak compared to my friends

.

I'm asking this because I want to know how much the average male should be able to bench. Hey, wait a second, I shouldn't be asking a group of fools that sit at a computer, listen to music, type in posts, and mess with headphones all day!

Anyway, be honest, how much can you bench press?

 

[aeberbach]

I can't resist this. I've been to the gym 3 times a week for the past 6 months, and I'm up to 225 on the bench press and 1010 pounds inclined leg sled In my gym that leg weight is respectable but there are plenty of guys just warming up with 12 reps at 225.
I never thought it was going to make 200 at the start. Get a trainer if you can afford it or get some free advice from one who happens to be in the gym if you can't. Always train with someone else, you will sometimes need help getting the weight backto a safe position. Creatine (liquid) seemed to help in getting me from 170 to over 200.
You'll get to your target lift weight but you've got to stick to it. And while you're gaining strength don't try to diet, you'll go nowhere. Eat the right stuff, and sensibly, but you can't grow stronger without plenty of protein.

 

[timoteus]

Quote:

Originally posted by HD-5000 Anyway, be honest, how much can you bench press?

350 Lbs.

But that was a year ago. I'm not going heavy anymore because I need to thin out.

 

[dhwilkin]

300 lbs.

Not bad at all, though my long-term goal is to get 415. Eh, I've only recently gotten over nagging tendon injuries in the elbow and shoulder that plagued me for the past few years, or I'd be alot closer. So my progress is slower now, but also less likely to re-aggravate old injuries. And creatine, w/o a doubt, really helps when trying to bust through strength platueaus.

 

[royboy2k]

300 pounds!? 350!!? Those seem like pretty impressive numbers, although I'm no expert. Can I ask how big you guys are (height/weight)? I think I would max out at ~120 lbs, but I haven't benched in 2 years probably. I only weigh about 140 lbs by the way, and I'm 5'10".

 

[kerelybonto]

Beasts!

HD-5000, it takes a while to get going. As aeberbach said, lifting with someone else is key. You have to be able to push yourself of you'll never get better, and you can't push yourself without a spotter. I recommend doing a three sets of six, one set of four workout. Only go up ten pounds between each set, and aim to fail on the last couple reps or last rep of your last set of six and your last rep on the set of four. If you want to, throw in a day with three sets of ten at lighter weight.

Supplement that workout with incline bench (you'll be terrible for a while until you get the balance down) and curls at the gym and decline pushups at home (put your feet up on a chair and do a normal pushup). I like tying pushups to necessary activities, like showering. Do three sets of twenty or something every time you shower, eat, whatever -- something you do a couple/few times everyday.

And I suggest you don't forget lower body and abs. Best ab workout to do is hanging leglifts. Do them slowly (up and down) -- swinging doesn't do **** for you. Squatting is crucial.

What gym do you workout at? I worked out at a place called HealthPlus at about 435 and Roe over the summer. Pretty good gym. If your high school has a good gym, do that. Not sure what part of town you live in.

Supplements work differently for different people. I have friends who absolutely suck when they're not on creatin. I tried it for the first time this summer and it basically does nothing for me. Depends on your natural levels and various other things. What will almost always do you some good, though, is protein. Egg whites, whey protein, whatever. Best to get it without the fat of course. I started using Amino Fuel, basically just anabolic amino acids, a few months ago and think it's worth it. Especially since I basically don't eat.

So anyway. What can I bench? Not real sure, since Georgetown is a piece of **** school with a piece of **** gym. (Seriously, don't come here. Go to a real Ivy League school, like UPenn or Yale, or a real basketball school, like Kansas or Duke instead if you're considering it.) They only have lift-assisted, tracked benches. At the end of the summer I was finishing 205 on a real bench as my third set of six. Now I do four sets of six at what would be 195, 205, 215, 225 on a real bench -- but it's these crappy benches, so I have no idea what it really would be. Based on max-outs at similar reps during high school, I'd say I can max about 240-265, maybe more. Weighing under 145 (with a lot of that in my legs) puts a damper on things.

kerely

 

[skippy]

dang... are you guys talking about your max or how much you work out with? i feel like a weakling. i work out with about 140 (12 reps and 3-6 sets), and i max somewhere over 200. then again i'm about 5'0" and a bit over 100lbs.

 

[timoteus]

Quote:

Originally posted by royboy2k 300 pounds!? 350!!? Those seem like pretty impressive numbers, although I'm no expert. Can I ask how big you guys are (height/weight)?

I'm 5' 10" 250 Lbs. But believe it or not I used to be a sprinter.

My unsolicited advice to any of you who may care:
Once you bulk up it's near impossile to thin back out. If you get too big it really hampers your ability to pursue other sports that involve speed and aerobics. It's better to enjoy the workout in the gym and apply a little moderation. Resist the temptation to max out and push it to the limit. When you have to push the envelope it is better to do it aerobically instead of with weights.

I would much rather be 180 lbs. and fast than 250. That's 70 lbs. of extra muscle my heart has to supply with oxygen. Better to be fast and lean than hypertrophied and out of breath.

I realize that there are some who will disagree with everything I have said.

 

[neil]

BTW, please don't be boneheads, run off to the gym, load up the plates, and hurt yourself. I haven't tried to max out a bench since I was a kid. I work out now with 45 lbs. dumbells in each hand on a flat bench, and 40 lbs. dumbells in each hand on the inclined and declined bench.

 

[dhwilkin]

Quote:

royboy2k said... Can I ask how big you guys are (height/weight)?

I'm 5'8'', around 175-180 lbs. I'm currently starting my endurance/mild-growth phase of working out, so I'm going back to using light weights. Which I hate, because I suck at any sort of endurance training. My body's kinda odd, though... Getting 10 reps at 225 is extremely difficult for me, yet I can still get 300 once, go figure. Actually, one of my goals right now is to get rid of 5-10 pounds of fat.
Quote:

kerelybonto said... As aeberbach said, lifting with someone else is key. You have to be able to push yourself of you'll never get better, and you can't push yourself without a spotter.

A spotter definitely helps push yourself, and is absolutely necessary if you want to max out. Still, a spotter isn't necessary to really push yourself, BUT you must have a complete understanding of how your body reacts to fatigue in general and on that particular day, and that only comes from lots of experience.
Quote:

kerelybonto said... Supplements work differently for different people. I have friends who absolutely suck when they're not on creatin. I tried it for the first time this summer and it basically does nothing for me. Depends on your natural levels and various other things.

This man speaks the truth. Most people happen to be deficient in creatine, like me, which is why it helps the majority of people. Just about everybody should give it a try for two months... if you don't see results, then you can spend the money you'll save on music.
Quote:

kerelybonto said... What will almost always do you some good, though, is protein. Egg whites, whey protein, whatever. Best to get it without the fat of course. I started using Amino Fuel, basically just anabolic amino acids, a few months ago and think it's worth it. Especially since I basically don't eat.

Yup, protein is good, and don't forget about glutamine and vitamins/minerals. I like drinking a Myoplex shake after workouts, since it's one of the few mixes that has a taste I don't mind.
Quote:

skippy said... dang... are you guys talking about your max or how much you work out with?

Heh, max, definitely. I wish I could casually toss around 300.

 

[daycart1]

I'm only at 225 which I guess is ok for a skinny (145lbs) old guy (46 yrs).

But benching is a wuss exercise compared to squats and deadlifts. So the REAL question is:

How much do you deadlift?

And no wuss whining about your lame back or whatever!!

(340 for me, the skinny old guy.....)

 

[chewmanji]

well i'm 18, 5'11", ~170 lbs, and this summer i was benching 165 lbs...but i dunno what my max is...never pushed it. and yeah, i'm not like these other crazy guys. and when i did work out (no time anymore), i probably didn't eat right. so eat right, or your development will be slower than it might be..like me.

 

[CaptBubba]

Quote:

Originally posted by daycart1 squats

Got up to about 235ish in squats and then pulled my left quad three times in two weeks and continued to play on it (I hate football). Now I can still squat a good bit for the first half of the motion, but ask me to go as deep as you are supposed to go (thighs parallel to ground) and I can barely do 115. It sucks (not to mention hurts like hell).

Now I have been more focused on toning and losing wieght . Down to 195 now from about 240 two years ago.

After hiking/biking/climbing I have figured out that I would much rather have endurance than strength. Both would be ideal but I really don't have much time to be in the gym, even though it is only about 100yds from my dorm.

If it makes you feel beter I have a hard time doing 135 for three sets of 10-8-6.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Quote:

Originally posted by daycart1 But benching is a wuss exercise compared to squats and deadlifts.

And, that ain't no joke folks.

 

[ai0tron]

"I'm 5' 10" 250 Lbs. But believe it or not I used to be a sprinter.

My unsolicited advice to any of you who may care:
Once you bulk up it's near impossile to thin back out. If you get too big it really hampers your ability to pursue other sports that involve speed and aerobics. It's better to enjoy the workout in the gym and apply a little moderation. Resist the temptation to max out and push it to the limit. When you have to push the envelope it is better to do it aerobically instead of with weights.

I would much rather be 180 lbs. and fast than 250. That's 70 lbs. of extra muscle my heart has to supply with oxygen. Better to be fast and lean than hypertrophied and out of breath.

I realize that there are some who will disagree with everything I have said." -Timoteus


Damn right man, I agree 100%, and I have vented about this very subject right here in these forums. Its good to see someone whos been there saying it. When I first started going to the gym I was hitting it pretty hard, but I started looking at some of these guys, and I did some reading, and asked some people with doctorates (who aren't advertising creatine or some other supplement) and I basically came to the same conclusion you did. Its better to be lean and mean. Lifting weights isnt bad, but lifting too much is massively counterproductive to good physical fitness.

Everyones heart is the same size, big guys should work extra hard to be lean and mean rather than bulked up.

I have a big frame but I'm actually somewhat wirey, so its difficult for me to get bulky anyways. I typically grab 60-70 lbs of barbell in each hand and do the chest press as my major weightlifting exercise.

I dont do the bench, Ive read stories about perfectly fit 19 year olds maxing on the bench press, standing up, giving there buddies a high five then falling over dead.

After I lift for about 30 minutes I run 3-4 miles and I go home happy. For me running is more of an achievement than lifting weights. Plus at 6'3" 220 lbs I can stand to lose a few. Im not sure what the typical weight for someone 6'3" is, but I know I could go all the way down to 200 easily.