The average weight ladies bench

Yeah. Your attitude is totally motivating women to up the bar. Mmhmm.

meh- you don't have to like it, me or what I say. Reality is I am very supportive of women lifting.

most people either really just don't like me- or cherry pick one topic to harp- of hundreds I comment on- to talk about how negative I am. I post frequently with very helpful matter of fact advice about lifting.

Wuss. According to a certain someone, benching 135lbs as a woman is child's play, apparently. You should be repping out 2x BW easy.

FWIW, the famous Staci (http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/), last time I saw her she said she was benching 165 and probably weighed around 150. And she is ridiculously strong. For a long while her deadlift was more than mine (I've seen her pull 380lbs conventional, probably more now).

I know who staci is- I'm on the same forum. I'm not sure why she isn't putting up more honestly- she's got me totally stomped in dead and squat-and I'm 100% certain my *kitten* is bigger than hers- it's not like I'm some genetic freak with a massive upper body- I"m built very low-wide butt- thick legs. She's almost 20 lbs lighter- and puttin gup 165 so that's solid- but I would have expected a higher number from her.

I'd also be willing to bet for her 135 isn't heavy at all. Once you start working above that range- going back down is hard. Shrug- I'm not bragging about it- I just wish people would stop rating our lifts so fricking low. It's frustrating. I'm not trying to put down other people and I don't get why that's a thing- THE CHART IS WRONG- not all of you thinking I"m attacking you.

I don't care that 135 isn't your warm up weight- I care that they are calling it an elite lift. You can't help where when or how you started training- you're lifts are your lifts right now. Nothing can change that - good bad or indifferent- you work at your level.

But the chart is wrong.

I'm 5'4", weigh 135 and when I first started lifting, I just did the bar for 45 lbs. I can now bench 135! It's my current PR. I'm still doing 5x5s but might switch to a different lifting program in the near future.

Well let's be clear here for a second. You said you weigh 170 and bench 160 right? I just looked that up on http://www.strstd.com/ and that's a little past advanced. Elite starts at 190lbs. I would agree with that assessment completely. For a woman your size, a 160lb bench is very, very good. If you were able to bench 190 I would say you would definitely be in the elite category. I've never known ANY woman who could bench that much (or even close really).

I'm inclined to believe that the charts are pretty representative of the population. Are the female charts a little more lenient than the male charts? I think so. I attribute that to the very, very small percentage of women (compared to men) who lift for maximal strength. Any woman benching more than 135 is probably in the top .1% of the population. How is that not considered advanced/elite? You have to have some perspective here, the female powerlifting community is obnoxiously small. The local powerlifting competitions around here field 10-20x as many men as women for example. It's very lopsided.

perhaps I misread the "Averages" in terms of size of women for the chart- I'll admit- for someone who is 5'5" and 140, 135 is almost bodyweight- and a solid impressive lift. I will concede that mistake is mine, assuming most charts are based on those stats. .

so I take it as my POV- being a 'fat' tall 5'8" "none average" lifter-. Every chart I have EVER seen for women's lifting just always seem so much lower.
170 is my current working set 1 rep max. With a pause.
I am trying to hit 200 this summer- but I think I'm being ambitious- but I am comfortable I'll be able to put up 180 if not more after a deload and a 3 lift only test.

I mean perhaps I am a genetic freak with a massive "bench" I do not consider myself anything special- I work extremely hard for what I have. So it seems weird to think that benching that much is abnormal -
But it am always a little surprised to see excessively low benches- even for record holders- they seem low.

I mean- I am aware that technically I'm considered tall by "averages" but I have never felt tall a day in my life (other than when I rock 6" heels) I am told 170 is big for a girl- a lot- and I get shocked looks with my weight- but I have never felt truly fat in my life- so I guess I just do not see the "extra" about my size/height or lifts- it's all I have known- it's quiet normal to me and I do not feel at all like an exception to the "average" with the company I keep or the work or dance- or gym- perhaps my perception on life is just really off?? I would be willing to admit that's a possible flaw- I just have never felt anything that I have done is not achievable by someone else.

TL;DR, call me when you're benching 190. I'll send you an "Elite" medal in the mail and you can wear it proudly.

DEAL!!!
I'll PM you and you can send me something- then I can wear it with my super man underwear (which are worn obnoxiously OVER my blue leggings)

As I mentioned before. These charts are based on a paused 'competition' style lift.

The only way to change the averages on the chart is for more women to compete and push the records up.

The biggest women's bench I've seen in competition was 112.5 kg / 248 lbs.

Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpmVscPFf_g

However, 99.9% of the women who compete aren't lifting near that amount of weight.

TL;DR, call me when you're benching 190. I'll send you an "Elite" medal in the mail and you can wear it proudly.

DEAL!!!
I'll PM you and you can send me something- then I can wear it with my super man underwear (which are worn obnoxiously OVER my blue leggings)

I am serious, I will really do it. As long as you post a picture of yourself wearing it in your superman getup.

I just want to keep getting better I don't really know when I plan on stopping. The looks don't bother me as it's very rare to see a female in the weights room at all let alone using the bench press at my gym. I think im going to try lower reps more sets and then work on more reps then once I can handle that add more weight and do lower reps again building it up! I started on the Smith machine apparently the bar is 15kg but I can't say how much of that you are actually lifting. What's the whole 1rm? Is that literally the maximum weight you can do for 1 rep? Sorry im knew to this!!

I didn't say for all girls- but we shouldn't be putting a elite on a weight cap so low. The only ones who can change that are the women. And apparently I'm a fat kid- because all the women on these forums are 5'5" it seems- so for me- who appears to be a real life gigantor- at 170- that is warm up weight. All the girls I lift with- 135 IS WARM UP... and we are by no stretch elite.

I'm 5'7", weigh 191 and I look forward to my warm ups being 135 lbs! I can only bench 105. I don't know what my 1RM is, but I wish the women that venture in the weight room in my gym would put the heavy weights on. They just do a lot of reps with light weights if they do come in the weight room. I struggle and make some pretty crazy faces lifting the weight that I DO lift, but with struggle comes change and strength.

I'm always interested in what you have to say about weight lifting. I find it very informative and relative to my experience :flowerforyou:

You can definitely do it. Bench numbers come up slower- especially for women (thankfully not as slow as OHP- but still- it's a process!) - and it seems to me also that there is a very short gap between a very comfortable lift and omg I can't do this.

I'm totally fine totally fine totally fine and then add a 2.5 or 5 on each side and it becomes a life or death lift it feels like.

Squats or deads- it gets heavy and it just keeps getting heavy it seems like- but for me bench seems to jump.... but all that aside- you're numbers WILL come up. And it's true- once you start putting that big plate on- you start working above that level it moves up- there is something to be said about it- it makes you feel good putting that wheel on there- so once you start doing it you don't ever want to NOT do it.

If you lift alone and feel like you can't push your weight for training- work in the power cage with a bench and the safety rails- adjust it and test to make sure the bar lands above you still even at the deepest point- will really help you go a long way with your bench. Having the confidence to fail a lift with a proper safety- either spotter or rails will increase your confidence tremendously!!!

:smokin:

I lift 5x5, 30# on each side using a Smith machine. I don't know how much the bar weighs. I'd appreciate knowing my total if anyone knows. I weigh 130 pounds.