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[Greekboy]

Does anyone know what they can bench press for 1 rep? What would be the best way to go about warming up for such a thing? I've often wondered what my max bench rep is but have never tried to find out.

Thanks.

 

[Bob White]

260

 

[DaCocoBrova]

220, a few times in the 12th grade. I haven't 'maxxed' since.

 

[yoshifumi]

highest i've ever done in one rep is 175. i weigh about 103-105.

 

[Ristamar]

There are also various formulas used to estimate max bench.

EDIT: Here's a link.

 

[Greekboy]

103-105? Wow. 175 is quite impressive then.

 

[XS+]

There are also various formulas used to estimate max bench.

Really? Do tell

 

[scorcho]

Does anyone know what they can bench press for 1 rep? What would be the best way to go about warming up for such a thing? I've often wondered what my max bench rep is but have never tried to find out.

Thanks.

stretch for about 5 minutes, then start off with a set or two of your warm-up bench weight. the last time i maxed was two years ago and i did about 180 not counting the bar.

 

[SyNapSe]

highest i've ever done in one rep is 175. i weigh about 103-105.

wtf, that's pretty damn good then. 100 lbs, how tall are you?

 

[yoshifumi]

wtf, that's pretty damn good then. 100 lbs, how tall are you?

5'1"

 

[Greekboy]

Right now I am doing 275 pounds for 6 reps on my fourth and final set. I have seen the formula before in approximating your max bench press but I'm not sure how accurate it really is. Anyone know?

 

[SyNapSe]

Well, nothing to frown about.. You must be one kickass 5'1" dude!

 

[Future Trunks]

Does anyone know what they can bench press for 1 rep? What would be the best way to go about warming up for such a thing? I've often wondered what my max bench rep is but have never tried to find out.

Thanks.

Warming up? Well, hopefully you've been strength training for a few weeks (I'd go with 7 or more weeks) beforehand. Stretch, but there are schools of thought that think too much stretching may reduce the elastic strength of muscles prior to lifting (of course, it returns to normal). So, stretch, but not too the point that you're loosey.

What I do is take a light weight, like 225-275 or so and do it 10 times (note: 225-275 is for me). But these 10 reps are where you focus on your form (although, it should be natural by now if you've taken care and watched your form over the 7 weeks). You should have a grip on the bar, i.e. the weight is not in your hands coming down, it's you who is allowing it to come down. Breathe in and allow the air to fill up your stomach (not your chest). TOUCH YOUR CHEST (or, in some competitive events, let it touch and rest on your chest for a brief moment to stop and "bouncing") then explode up, breathing out all of that air you stored in your gut. If you hit a sticking point, exhale even further and explode (you'd be surprised how much air is still in you when you think it's all out) to a lockout (or a position quite close to it - depends).

Iso-pulls are good. Take a fixture that you know you can't pull and grab it, pulling back to stretch your back and arms.

Prior to lifting, it may be a good idea to do a few reps with a heavier weight. Be careful not to tire yourself. Do up to 5 or so, just to get a feel for it.

Also, pick and choose your weights carefully. Don't increase it by 5 lbs all of the time. Those extra attempts can be what make you max at 200 when you could have done 230. If the lift was easy, then do yourself a favor and increase it substantially (15-20 lbs).

There are other ways of training. Like Ballistic Bench Presses or "Iso-Ballistic Push Ups." And static contraction, but the key is to bench press like crazy to get the max up. Meaning, do a lot of the exercise to cause your body to become more adept at the lift, which will in turn increase strength, just because your body will call upon more and more muscle fibers to do the lifting.

I may have forgotten stuff, if I did, I apologize.

EDIT: Wow. Those calculators are close.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

I've done a static hold in the strong range of about 300 lbs for nearly 6/7 seconds.

5'4" 128ish pounds.

I've never bothered trying to do a full range max rep, but it'd probably be about 120 maybe less.

 

[Ristamar]

Right now I am doing 275 pounds for 6 reps on my fourth and final set. I have seen the formula before in approximating your max bench press but I'm not sure how accurate it really is. Anyone know?

Testimonial evidence can be questionable, but the formula works in my case.

I'm 6'2", a lithe 180 pounds, and I can bench 175 for 9 or 10 reps. The max I ever successfully benched without help was 225, and I may be able to eek out a few more pounds.

And 275 for 6? Nice. You must be fuckin' huge.

 

[Greekboy]

And 275 for 6? Nice. You must be fuckin' huge.

Good work too Ristamar.

I am not huge. I am 6ft and weigh about 195-200 pounds. Quite a few people around the gym see what I push and have accused me of "juice" even though I've never tried it. Funny thing is that the ones doing the accusing are usually the ones pushing the same weight month after month and have no clue how to workout.

 

[Future Trunks]

I've done a static hold in the strong range of about 300 lbs for nearly 6/7 seconds.

5'4" 128ish pounds.

I've never bothered trying to do a full range max rep, but it'd probably be about 120 maybe less.

Yeah, I've done about 680 for 11 at one point. Racking that stuff hurts the wrists once you let go of the weight. At that point, I realized that I need to research static contraction more and make sure I'm not injuring myself. See if I can maximize the training with lighter weight...I've already got a damaged knee from squats (note: 600 lb squats @ 2 reps on your 5 and final set, without a squat suit or knee wraps and on a lower cal diet is a bad idea), I'm just blessed that my knee only suffered in leg extensions and some athletic agility, but can do squats just as good.

 

[Greekboy]

Good info there Future Trunks. Thanks. That is fucking insane weight at squats...600 pounds! Was that free squat? Also, what is a static hold that you guys are talking about?

Thanks.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

I laid off the static contraction because they only had a smith machine, and it had an angled line of motion. I'm sticking to partial full range now, it's alot easier on the joints and shit.

Though I've never had a problem with static squats. I maxed out the machine at the gym at about a half ton(1000 lbs). Knees felt like fine, my quads felt fantastic though.

 

[Ristamar]

Good work too Ristamar.

I am not huge. I am 6ft and weigh about 195-200 pound. Quite a few people around the gym see what I push and have accused me of "juice" even though I've never tried it. Funny thing is that the ones doing the accusing are usually the ones pushing the same weight month after month and have no clue how to workout.

Thanks. So how long have you been lifting? I've been at it just over a year, though, I recently missed a whole month thanks to an injured wrist, among other things. I'm not really hardcore, either (never did any squats, deadlifts, and such), but I try to go consistently.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

Good info there Future Trunks. Thanks. That is fucking insane weight at squats...600 pounds! Was that free squat? Also, what is a static hold that you guys are talking about?

Thanks.

It basically goes against any an all "traditional" work out regimens.

Instead of working the full range exercise, like say a bench press down to your chest to full extension, you hold the weight statically one/two inches from full extensions. The weight needed is usually 200% of what you could normally do full range. You need a smith machine/power rack to do this. There's a static contraction machine, but it's expensive.

The 1000lbs(may have been 900 or so actually) I held up for 20 secs or so was about 10 degrees less than your leg fully extended

 

[Greekboy]

Thanks. So how long have you been lifting? I've been at it just over a year, though, I recently missed a whole month thanks to an injured wrist, among other things. I'm not really hardcore, either (never did any squats, deadlifts, and such), but I try to go consistently.

It will be 4 years straight for me at the end of this August. I started at 162 pounds and am now 195-200 so maybe that's why people question me so much. Do you do barbell curls with the olympic bar (bench press bar) for biceps or military dumbbell presses for your shoulders? I find those to be great mass builders.

 

[Future Trunks]

Good info there Future Trunks. Thanks. That is fucking insane weight at squats...600 pounds! Was that free squat? Also, what is a static hold that you guys are talking about?

Thanks.

Yeah, that's freeweights. Hopefully I haven't stifled my potential with the injury.

Static holds are lifts in which you hold a load that's greater than you can handle (25-50% sometimes) at the point of "maximum contraction" or something like that for a period of time. IF you reach about 20 seconds then that means you should step up the weight next time you perform the exercise. And Munch is right, you will need a Smith machine...well, I take that back. You don't NEED one...but I wouldn't use a freeweights device. Honestly, that's all I know about it. I was lifting one day and some older, business dude was impressed with me, so he whips out this book and starts talking to me about it, so I decided to try it during strength training phases.

Munch: Man, you got a device that can hold a 1000??? You lucky son of a gun. Our Smith here at UCF could only go up to 720-ish. It felt like nothing doing that as a static hold, so I quit doing them. I need to go to Gold's Gym or something....but that's just gonna damage my self-esteem even further.

 

[Ecrofirt]

It's been about a year since I've really done much lifting, but at the time it was 300 pounds. I weighted 175 pounds when I did it, so I was doing 171.4% of my total body weight.

 

[Greekboy]

Thanks for the info on static holds guys. Future Trunks your a freak man. How big are you?

 

[Ristamar]

It will be 4 years straight for me at the end of this August. I started at 162 pounds and am now 195-200 so maybe that's why people question me so much. Do you do barbell curls with the olympic bar (bench press bar) for biceps or military dumbbell presses for your shoulders? I find those to be great mass builders.

Sounds like a reasonable, admirable gain after 4 years of hard work.

I generally use a smaller curling bar, so I'll have to try that out, and I just started doing presses with dumbbells. My right shoulder was slightly messed up for awhile, so I had to be careful with it. At least my time off allowed that part of my body to heal.

 

[Ecrofirt]

In my first two years of lifting, I went from max benching at about 150 to an even 300, and I never really gained any weight.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

Munch: Man, you got a device that can hold a 1000??? You lucky son of a gun. Our Smith here at UCF could only go up to 720-ish. It felt like nothing doing that as a static hold, so I quit doing them. I need to go to Gold's Gym or something....but that's just gonna damage my self-esteem even further.

Wasn't a smith machine(good to know what they can hold though), it was a 45 degree sit down squat machine. Pretty much maxed it out, save for two 45 plates. Funny thing, I stopped going cause I got busy, and when I came back(a month or two later) I found the machine "out of order". I haven't tried putting that much weight on it since.

 

[Ristamar]

In my first two years of lifting, I went from max benching at about 150 to an even 300, and I never really gained any weight.

Heh. I haven't gained a pound yet, either, and I'm not really trying to put on weight. I kinda like being sub-200, but I have some room to play with.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

In my first two years of lifting, I went from max benching at about 150 to an even 300, and I never really gained any weight.

You have, it's just that you've lost fat at probably the same rate you were gaining muscle weight. It evens out.

 

[Ristamar]

You have, it's just that you've lost fat at probably the same rate you were gaining muscle weight. It evens out.

Yeah, undoubtedly. He (and I) just meant net weight.

 

[Greekboy]

Sounds like a reasonable, admirable gain after 4 years of hard work.

I generally use a smaller curling bar, so I'll have to try that out, and I just started doing presses with dumbbells. My right shoulder was slightly messed up for awhile, so I had to be careful with it. At least my time off allowed that part of my body to heal.

Yesterday I was doing 135 pounds for curls on the bar after I did back and today my right arm/elbow joint has that "dead" arm feeling. I used to train back/bis on the same day over a year ago and then switched to a separate bis/tris day. I went back to back/bis 3 weeks ago but I've been really sore. I might switch it up to back/tris and chest/bis I think. The dumbbell press is a great exercise. I usually do 4 sets at 8,8,6,6 for reps.

 

[Future Trunks]

Lisa: 5'9 3/4," 320 (for now - trying to get to 280 by Winter)

Munch: Ahhh, Hack Squats device (not the machine though), I wish we had those. They're supposed to be really good. Heck, I wish UCF had a 45 degree decline leg press. I miss those 1400 lb (machine maxed out) x 20 rep calf raises...

But man, at least you got to experience having 1000 lbs on your back...nowhere I've ever been has have a squat device that could support it. That'd be awesome!

**Bows to Munch**

 

[Greekboy]

Fuck Future Trunks you are a freak....a tank. Keep up the good work!

 

[Slo]

I haven't lifted in 3 years, and it's definetly showing. The best I've ever done is 260 @ 185. I really should start again.

 

[Lil' Dice]

385lbs once, and i weigh 176lbs.

 

[Greekboy]

Pretty crazy there Lil' Dice.

 

[Future Trunks]

Fuck Future Trunks you are a freak....a tank. Keep up the good work!

Nah, I could be bigger. In fact, I'd like to get up to 250 lbs muscle if I can, with fat loss, I'd like to get my overall bodyweight to be around 280-290 (if I'm 250 lbs muscle, if I go with my current LBM, I'd like to get down to 250 total).

Lil' Dice: Nice. I wish I could lift twice my weight on the bench.

 

[Greekboy]

I feel that many guys neglect their traps and legs when they workout. What do you guys think. Any other neglected body parts?

 

[Future Trunks]

Rear Deltoids - (you won't really notice it cosmetically, but when it comes to strength training, if you've been neglecting them, you'll find out when something tweaks because of the imbalance)

And Calves, definitely calves.

 

[Greekboy]

Yup. Nobody goes as heavy as I do on my calves in the gym. Don't forget about forearms. Rarely do I see guys hitting them..or should I say properly when the odd guy does.

EDIT: LMAO. Notice the bench press links at the bottom of the page? WTF?!