How much do you bench??

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Replies

  • ovidnine
    ovidnine Posts: 314 Member
    I hope the competitive lifters chime in for you because they can say better than I. IMO it was paused.

    I did a couple of paused reps like that this morning. It sucked and I don't like it. Which means its something I should be doing more often. Fuuuuu

    As to the second, you got the bar off your chest so going by my general statement I'd say "halfway up." But those were general statements and I'm certainly far from an expert though so I'm interested to see what more experienced lifters have to say.

    @Iron_Miss_Canada your thoughts? :)
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    ovidnine wrote: »
    I hope the competitive lifters chime in for you because they can say better than I. IMO it was paused.

    I did a couple of paused reps like that this morning. It sucked and I don't like it. Which means its something I should be doing more often. Fuuuuu

    As to the second, you got the bar off your chest so going by my general statement I'd say "halfway up." But those were general statements and I'm certainly far from an expert though so I'm interested to see what more experienced lifters have to say.

    @Iron_Miss_Canada your thoughts? :)

    I'd call it paused. FWIW, a pause isn't the requirement in a meet. It must be motionless. Sometimes that can be attained immediately, other times not so much. I've been a ref for 4 years in an IPF affiliate.
  • ovidnine
    ovidnine Posts: 314 Member

    I'd call it paused. FWIW, a pause isn't the requirement in a meet. It must be motionless. Sometimes that can be attained immediately, other times not so much. I've been a ref for 4 years in an IPF affiliate.

    Ahh. Good to know. There's usually a press command that happens after its motionless correct? I'm going off the videos I've seen trying to remember.

    Never been to a meet yet though I'm going to try and rectify that this year. Thanks for the info!


  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    ovidnine wrote: »

    I'd call it paused. FWIW, a pause isn't the requirement in a meet. It must be motionless. Sometimes that can be attained immediately, other times not so much. I've been a ref for 4 years in an IPF affiliate.

    Ahh. Good to know. There's usually a press command that happens after its motionless correct? I'm going off the videos I've seen trying to remember.

    Never been to a meet yet though I'm going to try and rectify that this year. Thanks for the info!


    There's three commands in the IPF; start, press & rack with accompanying hand signals (the point of which I fail to see since the lifter can't see you :neutral: ). I'm not sure if other federations have the same. I think others may have a soft start.

    Go to a meet. It's the best way to see how it's run. It's always disappointing when a new lifter loses a lift on a technicality like jumping commands.
  • Scamd83
    Scamd83 Posts: 808 Member
    30 kg for about 8 reps, may as well be nothing. If anyone has any tips on the best way to increase this, I'm all ears. Otherwise I'm just going with trying to lift weight for more reps.
  • McCloud33
    McCloud33 Posts: 959 Member
    Scamd83 wrote: »
    30 kg for about 8 reps, may as well be nothing. If anyone has any tips on the best way to increase this, I'm all ears. Otherwise I'm just going with trying to lift weight for more reps.

    progressive program like stronglifts 5x5 or starting strength, a good diet, and plenty of rest. I only started lifting about 18-19 months ago and easily added 75lbs to my bench in the first 6 months...ahhh newbie gains...
  • bellaa_x0
    bellaa_x0 Posts: 1,062 Member
    165 is my max so far
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    385lbs
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    @mcloud1977 I'd agree with @juliewatkin that it's a short paused rep. I've had paused that short on the platform before, and I've had pauses that lasted forever. It is what it is, and you start knowing which refs pause for what length.

    As for the fail, it appears to be at the point where your triceps take over from the delts as a secondary mover. It's a very common sticking point.
  • McCloud33
    McCloud33 Posts: 959 Member
    @mcloud33 I'd agree with @juliewatkin that it's a short paused rep. I've had paused that short on the platform before, and I've had pauses that lasted forever. It is what it is, and you start knowing which refs pause for what length.

    As for the fail, it appears to be at the point where your triceps take over from the delts as a secondary mover. It's a very common sticking point.

    Thanks @Iron_Miss_Canada! It's not like I'm planning on competing really, I was just curious. As for the fail, you're saying it's a weak triceps issue then? Any specific training to get past that sticking point? Narrow bench, dips, or will any tricep work help?
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    @mcloud1977 I'd agree with @juliewatkin that it's a short paused rep. I've had paused that short on the platform before, and I've had pauses that lasted forever. It is what it is, and you start knowing which refs pause for what length.

    As for the fail, it appears to be at the point where your triceps take over from the delts as a secondary mover. It's a very common sticking point.
    The one and only time I got a bw bench, Avi was head ref. He was testing for his national certification. When I looked at the video, I got a gift. I wouldn't have given the press command. I'll take it though :smile:
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
    Right now I'm up to 55 lbs, but I only started benching about two months ago.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I suck at bench. 3 months in and 80 5x5
  • After my next meet, I will be retooling my bench ground-up. It's broke. Researching now. Its kind of humiliating, it used to be best (and only) power lift. Now sucky.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited January 2016
    ovidnine wrote: »

    I'd call it paused. FWIW, a pause isn't the requirement in a meet. It must be motionless. Sometimes that can be attained immediately, other times not so much. I've been a ref for 4 years in an IPF affiliate.

    Ahh. Good to know. There's usually a press command that happens after its motionless correct? I'm going off the videos I've seen trying to remember.

    Never been to a meet yet though I'm going to try and rectify that this year. Thanks for the info!


    There's three commands in the IPF; start, press & rack with accompanying hand signals (the point of which I fail to see since the lifter can't see you :neutral: ). I'm not sure if other federations have the same. I think others may have a soft start.

    I've also lifted in the APF and its the same.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    @mcloud1977 I'd agree with @juliewatkin that it's a short paused rep. I've had paused that short on the platform before, and I've had pauses that lasted forever. It is what it is, and you start knowing which refs pause for what length.

    As for the fail, it appears to be at the point where your triceps take over from the delts as a secondary mover. It's a very common sticking point.
    The one and only time I got a bw bench, Avi was head ref. He was testing for his national certification. When I looked at the video, I got a gift. I wouldn't have given the press command. I'll take it though :smile:

    I distinctly remember the first words I ever said to Avi were "meh, it's bench" back when it was by far my weakest lift.

    I'm dying to see video of my one good lift from Commonwealth. From internal feel I know it was a fantastic lift, I just want to see what it actually looked like.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    McCloud33 wrote: »
    @mcloud33 I'd agree with @juliewatkin that it's a short paused rep. I've had paused that short on the platform before, and I've had pauses that lasted forever. It is what it is, and you start knowing which refs pause for what length.

    As for the fail, it appears to be at the point where your triceps take over from the delts as a secondary mover. It's a very common sticking point.

    Thanks @Iron_Miss_Canada! It's not like I'm planning on competing really, I was just curious. As for the fail, you're saying it's a weak triceps issue then? Any specific training to get past that sticking point? Narrow bench, dips, or will any tricep work help?

    Honestly one of the biggest things I see in your bench is how loose and relaxed your whole body is. Not a criticism and if all you're doing is having fun in the gym with a complete program nothing really wrong with it.

    If you want to work on your triceps to move more weight through your sticking point (which isn't necessarily a sign of weak triceps, more it's a point in bench that almost everyone struggles with), my tricep work includes narrow grip, board work, pin press, JM press, tates, skull crushers. I can't do dips on a regular basis because they put too much stress on my ac joints. Rep ranges vary based on what the overall goal of the training cycle is - from lower reps on a max strength cycle to high rep on a hypertrophy cycle.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    I don't flat bench. So I guess zero.

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  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    edited January 2016
    235lbs one rep best, never tried to max, I could have probably got 240-245 up on that day, though I don't think I had a 2nd rep at 235. this was at a body weight of 146 lbs.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    I did 182.5lbx5 @ 175lb a few weeks back, but I have no clue what I did to my shoulder. I took a week off after that since I had some shoulder pain and when I was pain free for normal everyday activities I tried 160lb and it re-aggravated it. I knew better though during warm ups and should have stopped.

    So, right now, nothing until I'm pain free, and then I have to stay pain free after much lighter workouts.
  • Larissa_NY
    Larissa_NY Posts: 495 Member
    This is the internet. Everyone on the internet benches 400 pounds. It's a rule.
  • bangingiron
    bangingiron Posts: 72 Member
    Enough
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    ucalegon wrote: »
    Look at all these overachievers! 65lbs here. (But then, I started recently and have gone up from 45 pretty steadily!)

    I've made it up to like 80 pounds.

    I'm new to lifting also. I'm at 75 pounds with StrongLifts 5x5. Ya gotta start somewhere! My goal is to bench my body weight. Now, that's an incentive to keep losing!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,073 Member
    Ain't that the truth! lol At my peak in the summer, I wanted to bench 1.5x BW, but was a good 50# away. But I was able to make up the difference by increasing my bench by 20#, and lowering my BW by 20# (1.5x 20# = 30#).

    Or in numbers:

    Before: 255 by 202 BW (ratio of 1.26)
    After: 275 by 182 BW (ratio of 1.51)

    So my bench went up a bit absolute (20#) but went way up relative (.25 BW).
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