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A. M. Jauregui
15th July 2003, 10:07
How much can you press on the bench press? And if you care to state, what is your weight?

As of today I am 142 lb at 5’ 10” (64.4 kg at 177.8 cm) :eek: *I like being 135.*

As for how much I can press: 165 (74.8 kg) for repetitions, 185 (83.9 kg) for less repetitions, and 205 (93) single repetition max.

edit: typos, grrrrrrrrr

StanLee
15th July 2003, 10:38
I can do my own arms.

Stan:D

A. M. Jauregui
15th July 2003, 10:51
Ya just need the proper motivation Stan... But I do not think that your significant other would approve of me spotting you. :cool:

StanLee
15th July 2003, 11:06
Ooo would you;)

To be honest, I don't really know since I don't train in the gym.

But I'll let you know when I find out.

Stan:)

David T Anderson
15th July 2003, 14:38
Originally posted by A.M. Jauregui
How much can you press on the bench press? And if you care to state, what is your weight?

As of today I am 142 lb at 5’ 10” (64.4 kg at 177.8 cm) :eek: *I like being 135.*



I'm sure you are perfectly delicious at 142Lb...;)

Actually, I don't know either my BP max or my current weight....

I can press the entire 200lb weight stack on my home gym plus the 5 and 2.5lb filler weights. It's a challenge, but I'd say I could manage half-a-dozen reps if I wasn't feeling so crummy today [summer cold, cough cough]. My normal chest workout is 12x2x140 BP, 12x2x110 Pec deck.

My body weight...my wife threw out our bathroom scale a few years ago when she decided it was just depressing her. She' since lost about 50lb with the help of Jenny Craig. I weighed a very trim 186 when I graduated police training 23 years ago...I probably weigh in the neighbourhood of 210-215 now, but I'm carrying more muscle too. There's nothing much hanging over my belt, although if I could get down below 200lb it would please me....I've got some 34" waist jeans I could wear...

elder999
15th July 2003, 15:54
Well, not as much as I could in my twenties………:p

I’m 6’2” and currently weigh in at a little over 240 lbs.-maybe 25 pounds of that is too much meat and booze and decreased activity over the last year.(188 cm, 110 kg. and 12kg. overweight….)

I currently bench about 275(125kg) for reps, 295 (135kg) for reps on a “heavy” day and have a max somewhere over 300(150kg.)and falling :(

Margaret Lo
15th July 2003, 16:36
Hmm 2 fat cats each approaching 16 lbs, one lop earred bunny, 4.5 lbs. :) Maybe if I train extra hard, I can add one small fluffy dog who hasn't eaten dinner. :p

bruceb
15th July 2003, 18:48
I gave up heavy weights in my thirties, prefering to do 100 repetitions with 50 and 75 pounds on a 25-35 pound bar.

Although in my twenties and thirties I could carry a 250-350 out board motor 10-15 feet to put it on a stand, those days are gone. 150-200 pounds are about all I can handle these days.

That would translate into picking up your 250 pound barbell, raising to to your chest, walking it 10 to 15 feet, then placing it on another stand by your self.

How many bench presses would that be?

A. M. Jauregui
15th July 2003, 23:43
The lifts that you described, Bruce, use somewhat different muscles. How are you at push-ups? That would have a more significant correlation to what you could bench press. Handstands or holding weight over your head could also give you somewhat of an idea (just a rough one at best however).

My old roommate used to work out in the manner that you do Bruce, it gave her nice definition and a descent workout. But it took so much longer then my work out...

Thanks David but I have been 135 lb for years and I do not think that all of the extra weight is because of additional muscle. *Sigh*

Margaret cats can be heavy... Those darn beasts somewhere along their history mastered dropping their center.

:)

Amphinon
16th July 2003, 14:14
Right now I am at my strongest.

I am 5'11" and 248 lbs. Although I am thicker around the middle, people always tell me I look 200 lbs.

At my last check, I bench 190 lbs. for 3 reps of 15 with no strain. On a single press I did 260 lbs.

I have never done serious weight training but rely on Kyokushin training for stength.

fifthchamber
16th July 2003, 15:12
Hi Ana..
Well...I no longer lift weights....I found it pretty useless for many things unless you competed...I did but did not find it anything I would enjoy down the line and started Budo instead..
But lets see....When I gave up my BP was fairly consistent..I could push out 150kg's for a single rep and used 130-140kg's depending on how many reps I wanted. (My height is 5'9 and weight is around 90-100kgs I think.)...But I find the best way to develop the chest for martial arts is by using body weight alone..I CAN still lift heavier weights...But work on the basis that I should train under my own 'steam' as it were..Dips are effective, or push ups...And I use push ups to work on my finger conditioning too...It does help some..Although it can get tiring it means that my chest is not bodybuilder size...Just strong enough to do what I should be using it for in training...(Which is not that much actually....Cept' push ups!)
I like butterflies better...Deeper feeling to it...IMHO.
Regards.

Margaret Lo
16th July 2003, 16:37
Originally posted by A.M. Jauregui
Margaret cats can be heavy... Those darn beasts somewhere along their history mastered dropping their center.

:)

That's right and pound for pound they can generate tremendous force with great accuracy. The bunny however, rules the cats. Has something to do w/ bunny social structure - they have a sense of hierarchy. At 4.5 lbs, the bunny can lift a steel 42" high fence panel with its teeth and get out of its pen unless its locked as opposed to just put into place. Bunny can jump 10x its height at last measure.

I'm 5'6" 135-137 lbs, I'm slim to medium compared to most people. If you are 142 at 5'10" sounds pretty slim to me.

M

A. M. Jauregui
16th July 2003, 22:45
Ben I just enjoy going to the gym. I do not have any intentions to become a body builder. In fact I really had to tone working out down during my undergraduate days for I was getting too muscular, imo.

Thanks for the story Margaret it really brought a smile to my face. I have wanted to get a bunny for a while but don’t think that I will be getting one till I settle down however. I will need to remember that rabbits are darn near super...

I would say that I am fairly slim and toned but top heavy. I have not gotten any complaints so far... What is really slim are a few of my friends that are about my height but weigh 115 to 125 lb. :eek:

Steve Williams
16th July 2003, 22:56
When I was a nutter.... make that a young nutter ;)

I was (still am ;) ) 5'9", 175lbs (am a little more than that now, about 188 :eek: )

Used to bench 225lbs for reps, 270 for less reps...... never tried any one-rep max...... but I would assume/think about 300lbs?


Now I do less weights.... usually do 180lbs for reps. :D

Tripitaka of AA
19th July 2003, 12:21
Never lifted a weight that wasn't home-made. Never been to a proper Gym. Never seen a Rep that wasn't trying to sell me something I didn't want.

I haven't done any organised exercise for nigh on 16 years, but I just found out I can do 50 press-ups. ... Sorry, I'm... breathless... and my heart is ... ... ... OK, recovered now. Yes, I just tested myself from a cold start and I can just squeeze out 50, quite fast, with the arms out at right angles from the torso.

Not terribly useful from my point of view, but it may help in your research. oh, btw, I'm 5'11" and weigh somewhere around 13 stone (is that 182lbs ?).

Bushi Jon
28th July 2003, 19:07
Hello I am 6'3" 290 and I lift 350 for 5 sets of 10 reps every other day and work on my legs and streching in between. At my prime I would bench 390 all day long Older fatter now though

A. M. Jauregui
1st August 2003, 07:26
As for how much I can press: 165 (74.8 kg) for repetitions, 185 (83.9 kg) for less repetitions, and 205 (93) single repetition max.

165 = 45+45+45+10+10+5+5
185 = 45+45+45+25+25
205 = 45+45+45+25+25+10+10
225 = 45+45+45+45+45

Hey look at that, increments of 20...

Did 185 (83.9 kg) for repetitions and set a new single rep max of 225 (102.1 kg)! Not bad for for an elapse of 16 days, imho. Gained a pound so I am now at 143 lb (64.9 kg) however. *Sigh*

Margaret Lo
1st August 2003, 16:22
If you lose 5lbs will you still be able to hit that max of 225?

A. M. Jauregui
1st August 2003, 19:33
Originally posted by Margaret Lo
If you lose 5lbs will you still be able to hit that max of 225?

Good question, sadly I do not know. Body fat measures do not work all that well for my body type so it really is hard to tell what can be done.

The “semi-private“ personal trainer suggested that I take up running... But I prefer to not run while others could be watching... Maybe going to back to swimming (which used to be a fairly certain but slow way to slim down in high school) is the answer. *Sigh*

bruceb
1st August 2003, 20:23
Well, I have 200 pounds of weights for my barbell, and I can do 10 -12 repetitions safely.

Hold on, let me go see what I can do today....

Back in a minute of two ...

********************************************

Just did 20 reps with 180 pounds .... probably could do forty if I get a spotter. ( my old routine was 50 with that amount of weight.)

I suppose, if I started back on the weights, my max should be 300 pounds for about 5 times, but no more than 10 repetitions. That is assuming this old body is as good as it was twenty some years ago, before children?

Golly gee, A.M! Now I wanna know what the old guy still has in reserve. I am not gonna do it without a spotter.

I will let you know sometime this week.

************************************************

I guess I look at bench presses a little different.

When I do presses I must do at least five to have them count, and ten to get a perfect score of excellence.

If we use five as a minimum and ten as a max, what is the heaviest amount of weight that you can bench press five times , and ten times?

Maybe that will quantify real bench presses beyond muscle and into the realm of will power.

How about, how many reps can you do with either 150 pounds, or 200 pound without stopping. Now there is a goal. 100 or more repetitions in a row? Yeah !!!

A. M. Jauregui
1st August 2003, 22:49
Usually what I deem “for repetitions“ is 4 sets of 15 reps and “for less repetitions“ is 4 sets of 10 reps.

So for example last night I did 4 sets of 15 with 185 lb (83.9 kg). I did not try to do 205 lb (93 kg) for 4 sets of 10 reps but it should be possible - might have to start out at 3 sets of 11 reps...

As for doing 5 or 10 repetitions of near single maximum weight, I guess that I can probably do about 225 (102.1 kg) for 5 reps (it would definitely take a bit of will power, Bruce) and maybe 220 for 10. (220 would be a pain to rack 45+45+45+25+25+10+10+5+5+2.5+2.5)

Bruce if possible use a spotter - I do not want you to get crushed. Also when doing a single repetition to determine what the maximum weight I can do I leave a bit of a safety margin - I do not want myself by pulling or tearing something. Please take care of yourself Bruce!!! And listen to Margaret Lo, like I have, and eat some tendons! :)

Sapporo Ichiban
1st August 2003, 23:46
Hi Ana:

I've seen lots of regular male lifters bench in the 225 to 315 range but I've NEVER seen (or heard of) a woman benching 225. Even the really cut women I've seen at gyms are mostly doing around 135. For your bench numbers, are you talking about free weights or a machine (i.e. Universal, Hammer, etc.)? If you are talking about free weights--are you the norm out there for female lifters on the West Coast?

A. M. Jauregui
2nd August 2003, 01:19
I am pretty strong, not a body builder or anything like that, but well built. Plus being 5’10” (177.8 cm) helps. From what I have seen from the other girls at the gym that lift, are bench presses from 135 lb (61.2 kg) to about 155 lb (70.3 kg). There are a few woman that are in the 185 lb (83.9 kg) to 225 lb (115.7 kg) range: this one huge monster of a woman, some girl that does judo who always gives me the evil eye, and little old me.

There is no way that I would be able to lift twice my weight 270 lb (122.5 kg) (based on the weight that I will return too) let alone 300 lb (136.1 kg). 225 lb (115.7 kg) is only 1.57 times my current body weight - nothing that special.

I believe that there are two body builders there while cut, ripped, whatnot are relatively weak. I think that being 5’3” (160 cm) and 5’6” (167.6 cm) plus being petite really hinders their overall strength.

The bench press and dumbbells are the only free weights that I use, everything else is done on that I believe are cybex brand circuit weight machines.

bruceb
2nd August 2003, 01:26
You must be kidding me? Sets of 10?

No, no, no ... it ain't gonna work unless you get pretty good as visualizing, and even with visualizing, you need to do 300 -500 non weight movements to get near sets of 50 or 100.

Sets of 10 are for heavy near max weights .. at least that is the way I have trained. Not the norm, I know, but it does work.

Hey, A.M. lighten the weights and increase the reps to double what you are doing now until 30, 40,or 50 reps is the norm, and I be you will be able to bench press another 30-50 pounds in a month or two.

It might not work for you if you have long limbs? Long limb people seem to have great tensile strength, such as waterskiing? People with shorter arms and legs seem to be able to pick up heavier weights for more repetitions. Might be another urban myth, but years ago I did some research on this and although it was test and observe, the results tended to prove this true.

On the other hand, presently, most researchers are including visualization in the body building process, because it seems that the ability to visualize certain parts of the body becoming larger and stronger during exercise without weight lifting is just as valid as lifting weights. So, if you concetrate on those parts of your body that are being exercised with weights, the results come much quicker, along with increased muscle mass and stregth, also.

Gee, I wonder if I could get a government grant to research this, among other things? A couple a hundred million would tide me over, ya think?

If I get the money, you guys want in as research subjects for a year?

(Just kidding ...unless the guberment cheese is dumb enough to give me the money, then I am not kidding.)

A. M. Jauregui
2nd August 2003, 02:27
Bruce, you are starting to sound like my old roommate Christine. Deja vu - I remember posting somewhere or another about how she would use about 100 lb (45.4 kg) of weight but do 100 or so repetitions on various exercises. It sure toughened her up... [British accent] Like steel she was! [/British accent] The only problem that I have with such workouts are that they take a bit longer.

I do not know about the validity of the urban myths that you mention but do know that visualizing does help. Best of luck on that grant! ;)

MakotoDojo
3rd August 2003, 23:49
I weigh 260, 5'11" And just did 405lbs today for three reps.

regards,

A. M. Jauregui
13th August 2003, 08:25
Woo-hoo 135 once again!!! (I can still lift the same but it does feel more labored.)

illusions117
14th August 2003, 12:04
Ana, you sound like you're in great shape. You're numbers are very impressive. As far as myself, I lift weights regularly, but I have a smaller frame for a guy. I am 5'8 and I weight about 145lbs. I do a mix of free weights and machines. On the free weights, I work out with 205lbs on regular bench and inclines. I max about 225-230lbs. I work out with 225lbs on the decline bench and I just maxed at 275lbs a short time ago. I find the machines are a lot easier though. I work out with Nautilus machines and I can bench around 300lbs on the bench on the machine and incline about 400lbs on it. My current goal is to reach 315lbs on my decline.

Pete Knox
15th August 2003, 16:28
Originally posted by bruceb
You must be kidding me? Sets of 10?

Sets of 10 are for heavy near max weights .. at least that is the way I have trained. Not the norm, I know, but it does work.

Hey, A.M. lighten the weights and increase the reps to double what you are doing now until 30, 40,or 50 reps is the norm, and I be you will be able to bench press another 30-50 pounds in a month or two.


Bruce:

This sounds intriguing. I've been wondering about going into the 15-25 rep range for a few of my exercises, and even higher for leg work. As you obviously have experience with this, I have a couple of quick questions:

1. Does the higher reps affect your joints more (or less) than other training methods? I normally will do a progression like 10, 8, 6, 4 reps, and I've noticed that when the weights get heavier (for me), I tend to have more joint pain.

2. Do you use this routine all the time, or do you periodize (i.e. high reps part of the year, low reps another part)?

3. In your experience, what ends up as the result of this kind of training -- is it more relative strength (i.e. strength gains without significant increases in muscular size or body weight) or hypertrophy (size/weight increase along with the strength increase), or more of a bodyfat reduction along with the strength increase?

4. With such a significant amount of reps, do you do more than one set?

Great advice here -- it's threads like this that make me happy to be around!

Bob Steinkraus
25th August 2003, 15:45
I am 5'10", and about 195 (around ninety kilos).

My personal best in the bench press is 305 for a single (touch and go, but strict - no bouncing or arching), and 225 for eleven reps. This was about fifteen years ago.

I don't do heavy singles anymore, but I can generally grind out ten reps with 205 on my heavy days. My next goal is 225 for ten.

Then I will work at being able to chin myself twenty times as I used to do.

3rd September 2003, 17:40
I'm 6'1" at 205lbs and the heaviest I've lifted is about 310lbs for 5 reps without a spotter. That's all the weights I've got so I've never tried maxxing out.

I've never really focused on the bench press, but do push-ups (usually 5 sets of 30 - 60 reps of regular push ups) on a regular basis. I guess this training carries over somewhat to the bench...
FWIW, I also do hindu pushups every morning.

Steven

Pete Knox
3rd September 2003, 17:43
sresell:

Do you do the regular pushups and the hindu pushups on the same day, or do you alternate them? How many days a week do you do pushups (of either type)?

Ron Rompen
3rd September 2003, 23:17
ok, i'm a dummy homer simpson wanna-be....


WHAT is a hindu pushup?

MakotoDojo
3rd September 2003, 23:21
Originally posted by Ron Rompen
ok, i'm a dummy homer simpson wanna-be....


WHAT is a hindu pushup?
First ya need a hindu...

It's called dive bombers as well, feet wide butt in the air head goes down as if your going under a fence etc... Someone may post a link or pic.

And actually you really don't need a hindu after all..

;)

Pete Knox
3rd September 2003, 23:22
Originally posted by Ron Rompen
WHAT is a hindu pushup?

You may have heard of it described as a dive bomber pushup as well. Assume the pushup position, and spread legs wider than shoulder width (2x shoulder width is even better) with your butt in the air. Arc forward through your hands, starting with your head, then shoulders, chest, and finally hips. When you are finished with this move, you should be almost like in a yoga "downward dog" position - Looking straight ahead, with head and shoulders and chest in a neat vertical plane, and your groin pressed into the ground. To complete the hindu pushup, return directly to the starting position - for a dive bomber, reverse the arc.

Kinda hard to describe. Check out Matt Furey's site if this doesn't make sense.

4th September 2003, 00:14
Actually divebomber push ups are performed slightly differently from a Hindu pushup. Here's a link to how a divebomber push up is performed. (http://www.trainforstrength.com/ex-1.shtml) There's also an explanation on the difference between dands / hindu push-ups vs. divebombers.

Pete,
I do the Hindu pushups daily as part of my "Five Tibetan Rites" morning routine (http://www.alchemilla.com/martial/5rites.html) (FWIW, I also do a joint health movement program in the morning).

The regular push-ups I do every other day, although on occasion I get on a kick and do them every day for a couple of weeks, along with my other bodyweight/Kettlebell exercises. After completing the designated number of regular pushups, I usually end with a set of "diamond push-ups" to failure.

Steven

Pete Knox
4th September 2003, 00:19
sresell:

Very interesting stuff. The Tibetan rites link reminds me a bit of some yoga poses I've seen. I'd be interested in hearing about your joint health program as well, as that is a bit of a problem area for me.

4th September 2003, 02:07
Pete,

I was originally taught the "5 Tibetan Rites" by a Yoga instructor. And have seen all of the exercises in other Yoga books. Since learning of the 'rites', I've purchased the book and followed the program. It has done a lot to alleviate some old injuries in my back and is also a great way to start your morning.

The joint health program I do is by Scott Sonnon (of ROSS fame) and is called "Warrior Wellness - Six degrees of freedom". This series is about "joint health" (increasing your ROM), dynamic relaxation, flexibility and strength. The program takes you through three distinct levels (over three tapes) and start you out with basic joint movement exercises and includes exercises for all the major joints in your body (neck, shoulder, elbows, wrists, fingers, spine, hips, knees, ankles etc). It is in a 'follow along' format and escalates in difficulty as you progress, i.e. the joint exercises become more complex, as it includes different planes of movement in one exercise.

I've been doing these since the beginning of the year and it has done wonders for my shoulders (where I have chronic injuries) and my knees. BTW, it is not a stretching program although some of the exercises help in this regard...

I also supplement with biomechanical exercises (shown in Scott Sonnon's other materials).

If you have any questions, let me know.

Steven

Pete Knox
4th September 2003, 13:50
Thanks a bunch! I've heard about Sonnon's stuff before, so I'll be sure to check it out.

Troll Basher
4th September 2003, 14:04
Here is a good formula to see how well you are doing in your maxs.
We use this formula for competions.

Take the weight that you push for your 1 rep max and then divide it with your body weight.

Example:

Person A weighs 100lbs and benches 200lbs..

200/100= 2

The closer you get up to or over a "2" the stonger you actually are.
If you are not doing at least 1.3 and over you need to hit the gym and get in shape.

Person A only pushes 200lbs but then he only weighs 100lbs. so he pushed twice his body weight. Which is pretty good.

So if a 200lbs person pushes 300lbs. then his score of 1.5 won't be as good even though he pushed more weight.

Phatso
18th September 2003, 12:33
I'm only 15 and not very strong at that. I benchpress 75kg (by my school's weights equipment). I'm about 5'6 and below 9 1/2 stone...not sure exactly how much I weigh in lbs.

bruceb
23rd September 2003, 18:26
You know, I have a hard time with this thread because it deals with a static pick up with a person on their back.

The practical applications of unloading fifty bags at one hundred pounds each would seem to be old fashion, but the practical application of how much a person can lift ... at least to me it is.

All right then, How many times can you bench press 100 pounds non-stop?

Anybody that gets over 100 times, you win ... come to my house I have some chores for you to do.

elder999
25th September 2003, 23:11
Originally posted by bruceb
You know, I have a hard time with this thread because it deals with a static pick up with a person on their back.

The practical applications of unloading fifty bags at one hundred pounds each would seem to be old fashion, but the practical application of how much a person can lift ... at least to me it is.

All right then, How many times can you bench press 100 pounds non-stop?

Anybody that gets over 100 times, you win ... come to my house I have some chores for you to do.

Well, first off, Bruce, how does that compare to those of us(like myself) who weigh well over 100 lbs. (about 240 right now:( ) AND CAN BANG OFF MORE THAN 100 PUSH UPS(well over 100), NON-STOP?

Secondly, anyone who does ground work recognizes the possible practical application of strength developed with the bench press in a cross chest, and possibly even mounted position.

Thirdly, while there is some merit to your question about the 100 lb. bench press, I believe you'll find that many of those who can do high bench presses can also push that weight (100 lbs.) for many repetitions over 100.

Troll Basher
26th September 2003, 08:56
Originally posted by elder999
Well, first off, Bruce, how does that compare to those of us(like myself) who weigh well over 100 lbs. (about 240 right now:( ) AND CAN BANG OFF MORE THAN 100 PUSH UPS(well over 100), NON-STOP?


This is actually "muscular endurance" rather than power.
Power would be you 1 rep max, endurance would be your ability to maintain a work load for a period of time.
Not the same type of muscle fibers.


Originally posted by elder999
Secondly, anyone who does ground work recognizes the possible practical application of strength developed with the bench press in a cross chest, and possibly even mounted position.

With ground work you are using more of the muscle fiber that falls into the "muscular endurance" catagory with the use of some explosive power from time to time as compared to power lifting witch using a different type of muscle fiber, mostly explosive.

elder999
26th September 2003, 15:22
Originally posted by Troll Basher
This is actually "muscular endurance" rather than power.
Power would be you 1 rep max, endurance would be your ability to maintain a work load for a period of time.
Not the same type of muscle fibers.



With ground work you are using more of the muscle fiber that falls into the "muscular endurance" catagory with the use of some explosive power from time to time as compared to power lifting witch using a different type of muscle fiber, mostly explosive.

Well, I know that, and maybe Bruce does as well. THe fact is that if you train correctly for both types of strength-and both types are of use in martial applications-you'll have both types,and that those of us who can bench for a large weight, or a large weight at reps, can and do often apply strength in just the way he intimated-more than 100 push ups at a weight of 240 pounds easily equals 100 reps of bench press at 100 lbs.

As far as the application of explopsive power in ground work, that's precisely what I was talking about again-you can't have one and not the other, not in a self-defense situation, anyway. While I do it for training, I really don't care for rolling on the ground in the street, and train to end it as quickly as possible, and get up and away.....

luihu
28th September 2003, 11:04
So, 100lbs and 100 reps?

100 lbs is around 45kgs,right? If you weight 100kg and I'm only 77kg is it enough for me to do 100 reps with 77lbs (something around 37kg, maybe), or does every slim guy get a major disadvantage on your challenge Bruce?

I weight 77kg and my max for one rep benchpress is 105 kg.

With 50 kgs I can do around 35-40 reps and I would expect, that I'll manage to do around 100 push-ups (although I haven't tried that for awhile, atleast since may).

József Pap