The Bench Press

Originally posted by TrueLies


He can do it... When I was 16 and mind you i'm a girl, I was a weight lifting fein. I took creatine during and after my workout, I would have a little bit during school and workout. I used to be able to pick my dad up over my shoulders and swing him he was 180 lbs.

So he's 15, if he's really going at it, it can be done.
drinking lot's of water is good for your muscles while you work out.

wow.....

Originally posted by 2009
astrocreep.... i

to you

right now, i can max 235, rep 205. i can usually rep 205 6 times with 3 sets. i m sorry....i suck... but hey i m only 15

2009. hey I think you're doing great but I think its also important to note that most experts don't recommend weight training in that capacity until you reach the age of 17 so if you love it like I love it, just be careful to not injure yourself at this young age. It pays to take it slow and build everything else with your bench press. Take a look at Banshee and myself who were just talking about deltoid injuries a few posts ago. You don't want a nagging pain or the thought that an old injury could re-emerge this early in life. Be smart, be safe.

Okay, just an update. Benched 370 for 12 reps last night. Gains are coming slower now but at least they are still coming.

Well, it's not that I don't think a 15 year old can do that. It's more of the way he said it. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but doing that much isn't sucky. And anyone that can honestly bench that much at 15 years old wouldn't say something like that. "I know I suck, but I'm only 15", sounds like something someone would say when they are stretching the truth a bit. It's going beyond modesty at that point.. (By the way, it's not just because it's more than I can bench. I'm confident that there are plenty of 15 year olds who can bench more than me.) I haven't worked out in a while, the other day I did 205 pretty well though.

Ah, I see what you say there herman, but sadly, I must call Bull # on you.

205? pretty well? ^^


sometimes i'm a dick, other times i'm tom and harry.

[Edited on 10-6-2004 by Lysergic]

Originally posted by astrocreep
Okay, just an update. Benched 370 for 12 reps last night. Gains are coming slower now but at least they are still coming.

So, just an update. I finally made my goal. I got 12 reps with 407 last night. I was feeling especially good. On to 450!

Nice astrocreep, hey how much do you weigh? What are your other lifts like squat, deadlift, military press..?

Astrocreep, I think you're full of it. You don't know your one rep max? That's what the bench is all about!! At least you could fake it:

www.exrx.net...

Benching well over 500? Why aren't you competing? If you're seriously throwing up 400+ pounds at 12 reps, you might be able to bench 600 pounds if you trained for 1 rep. That would make you stronger than anyone in the NFL and put you in a very exclusive club. Everyone I know that strength trains never even comes close to 10 reps, that's for bodybuilders. Can you post a pic? I'm sorry, but I have to see it to believe it. If you post a pic of you benching 500 pounds then I will eat my cat...er...hat.

Originally posted by poonchang
Astrocreep, I think you're full of it. You don't know your one rep max? That's what the bench is all about!! At least you could fake it:

www.exrx.net...

Benching well over 500? Why aren't you competing? If you're seriously throwing up 400+ pounds at 12 reps, you might be able to bench 600 pounds if you trained for 1 rep. That would make you stronger than anyone in the NFL and put you in a very exclusive club. Everyone I know that strength trains never even comes close to 10 reps, that's for bodybuilders. Can you post a pic? I'm sorry, but I have to see it to believe it. If you post a pic of you benching 500 pounds then I will eat my cat...er...hat.

Yea, I agree actually...benching 407 (why 407 and not 405 or somthing?) is very good for one rep...but to get it 12 times is amazing...unless you are really heavy, have been seriously training for at least 5 years (probably more), or taking certain illegal "supplements", that is a very tough feat. And according to that weight lifted, you would be able to hit 600 if you did start training for strength (1-3 reps) in your lifting..

edit: I read through it again, he is a pretty big guy, and has been lifting a while it looks like...the first post was well over a year ago, and if he has been seriously training since then, it's possible...although, once you start getting into such heavy weight, it is very hard to make good progress. But he does weigh 238 as well.

I never max out on any lifts either, as it really does nothing for strength or muscle progress...basically just good for showing off how much you can lift. Usually on things like bench, squat, and deadlift I try to keep it in the 3-6 rep range. Those are all very taxing lifts on your body, so the lower reps is good for adding sheer strength, power, and gaining more muscle. But I would also be interested in your other lifts, astrocreep.

[edit on 22-3-2005 by Shoktek]

Originally posted by Shoktek
But he does weigh 238 as well.

I .

[edit on 22-3-2005 by Shoktek]

Make that 255.5 now. I have put on the bulk lately but I have been at it for 3 years breaking for one month last fall because I moved. I hadn't been able to get anything over 370 on my machine because of its limits. Its a soloflex. So, I cut a piece or rebar which I ran through the bar and placed plate weights on the outside of it. So, i load 370 on the machine and the rest is the 5lbs for the bar plus the various mixture of plate weights. I had been doing 3 sets of 15 with the 370 for well over 6 months but had no idea I could get close to 400. I was having an especially great session. You know, one of those few? Most of the time, I am exhausted from the workday so I moved benching to Sunday nights.

I was just throwing it out there. I lift for strength not to show off. I lift in private but next month the wife and I plan to join a gym so I will get official witnesses (other than her) as to what i can bench with true free weights. I have heard people say its about even and I'\ve heard people say band exercisers are harder and I've heard them say they're easier. Only one way to find out. So, once we get our membership there, I'll let yas all know. I worked out in college a lot but did a lot of wrong things. My bench hardly went over 250 then but I could do damn near 1000 on the leg sled. My favorite! Still, I always wanted to bench a lot. I think the key is good tricep and shoulder work to support it. Because my bar is not fixed, much of the effort is used to balence the weight. However, I lose the momentum most build on free weights.

I am a big guy. My chest is 50+ inches but with this weight, my shoulder ached for nearly two days. I have a sensitive rotator from a tear when I was young so I have to be careful with it. Thats why the soloflex is so good. If its too much, one can simply let go. Plus, my shoulder never gets over extended because the bar stops at my chest.

I don't care about records and such. I do it because I am a goal oriented person. I love setting goals and reaching them.

Well, I'm outta here!

AC

Ohh, you're using a machine? That explains the 407 because using free weights, you move in increments of 5 pounds...but I doubt you would be able to bench near that amount on regular bench press, just because you have to use more stabilizing muscles. Free weights are so much better than machines..when I first started working out a few years ago I was doing around 270 for reps on the bench machine..then I switched to free weights and couldnt bench 100 pounds. So it will be a huge difference. It is much harder with the free weights. But let us know how it goes..

This is a bit different than a machine that uses pulleys and such. The bar is free to move and requires stabilation. The bands strecth and retrun. there is no momentum at all. Each rep is done from no beginning help such as the little bounce some of us used to do off our chest with the weight bar. yeah, I'm 36. I've been lifting a long time so free weights aren't entirely foreign to me. I've been under my share of weight bars. However, since I live so rural, weights take up so much space, and that amount is so heavy to lay one one's floor, this seemed like a real good thing.

Actually, I can curl much more free weight than I can when using the soloflex. My younger brother was a lifter all the way through highschool and he swears the soloflex is tougher. While it forces one to balance the bar, it restricts other "cheating" prevelant with free weights. Don't get me wrong, I love em and still use them for curls and such but I just cannot store that amount of free weights in my home.

Originally posted by astrocreep
This is a bit different than a machine that uses pulleys and such. The bar is free to move and requires stabilation. The bands strecth and retrun. there is no momentum at all. Each rep is done from no beginning help such as the little bounce some of us used to do off our chest with the weight bar. yeah, I'm 36. I've been lifting a long time so free weights aren't entirely foreign to me. I've been under my share of weight bars. However, since I live so rural, weights take up so much space, and that amount is so heavy to lay one one's floor, this seemed like a real good thing.

Actually, I can curl much more free weight than I can when using the soloflex. My younger brother was a lifter all the way through highschool and he swears the soloflex is tougher. While it forces one to balance the bar, it restricts other "cheating" prevelant with free weights. Don't get me wrong, I love em and still use them for curls and such but I just cannot store that amount of free weights in my home.

Yea I'm not familiar with that particular machine, some of them are pretty close to the real thing. Still, just the fact that free weights are "free", you are taking on the entire load and work of the exercise, whereas usually any kind of machine is still helping in some way...but I will be interested to see how your strength goes over to bench. Maybe you will do less, maybe even more...keep us updated.

Originally posted by Shoktek


Yea I'm not familiar with that particular machine, some of them are pretty close to the real thing. Still, just the fact that free weights are "free", you are taking on the entire load and work of the exercise, whereas usually any kind of machine is still helping in some way...but I will be interested to see how your strength goes over to bench. Maybe you will do less, maybe even more...keep us updated.

Will do. I might try and get to the new gym (our town didn't have one until recently) before I had planned because I'm curious now. I don't have much time this month due to travel for work (I'm actually using the Holiday INN internet right now) and I figured the fee would be wasted plus I have to make sure I have a spotter which has been an issue too.

The important thing for me is that I have found a way to add free weights allowing me to keep progressing. I searched the web last night for any article pertaining to the accuracy of the soloflex not being good but found nothing. Actually, the only cons I found were people bitching about the increase in resistence near the top of a rep when the band reaches its stretch limit. I have to agree. Those hundred pound suckers are tough and 2 inches thick. But trust me, I did not pay 1900.00 bucks for mine. I got it slightly used for 300.00. I've used it 3 years now and its something I would highly recommend for someone with issues getting to a gym and having trouble finding a spotter.

AC

Originally posted by astrocreep
getting to a gym and having trouble finding a spotter.

Well, if you don't have a spotter you can just start out fairly light...until you know your limits. I never use a spotter, and still occasionally can't get the bar back up. But people in my gym usually look out for it and help me out, and I do the same for them. Once you get to know people there, they will help you out if you need a spot or anything. The gym is especially good for meeting people too, including hot cardio girls. But I digress....

I never have a spotter. I just make sure I say within my limits. You can use a smith machine to help spot if you want to push it a bit, but it does feel a bit odd having your horizontal motion limited.

Originally posted by poonchang
Astrocreep, I think you're full of it. You don't know your one rep max? That's what the bench is all about!! At least you could fake it:

The reason i don't know my one rep max is that

A. even with the extension I made to allow plate weights, I used all I had on hand and have to buy more so I am lifting all I have.

and

B. I do sets of 6 minimally. If I cannot get 6 reps, I do not count it.

Since I started this endeavor again 3 years ago, I have worked under a new philosophy. Because I am hampered by having to add 10 lbs at one time, I waited until i could do 2 sets of 15 before moving up. Then I could do one set of 6 with the new weight and worked out with it until I could get 2 sets of 15 before moving another 10 pounds. I started off benching around 185, what I used to warm up with in college but thats been more than a decade ago. I set a goal of 250 and reached it. I set a goal for 300 which I reached one year later. I just didn't begin and now all of the sudden, I can bench a lot. It has taken a long time and a lot of effort. It has become as much a part of everyday life as eating dinner to me.

Plus, its only a small part of it. Only one of four days of lifting per week.

[edit on 25-3-2005 by astrocreep]