Manchester Mike

People now and again have asked how much i can bench press and i always reply... i don't know!!!

Do people include the weight of the bar??

And also, i'll do say 4 set's on bench press and my last set i may do 100kg (including the bar) but only press it twice, but if i just warmed up and went straight to pressing 100kg i'm sure i could press it more than twice, does this make sense?

How do people tell how much they can bench press?

FastFordChris

2 answers you can really give, how much you do in your routine and the max you can ever lift.

it doesnt really matter to be honest as if your doing it right then you'll be looking good as a result regardless of how much your lifting.

ballin

iTrader: (1)

who gives a fuck to be honest, thats what i would say - im not a powerlifter numbers dont matter to me

cossie362

iTrader: (3)

i normaly include the bar mate not sure if your supposed to?

Manchester Mike

LOL numbers don't matter to me either, hence admitting that i can only press 100kg twice.

Just heard people say... i can bench this.... i can bench that..... always wondered if thats including the bar and how many times they could press it.

Thanks for the input guys, i'm off to press 200kg 20 times

Bullett

iTrader: (2)

i normally include the bar and do 5 reps.!

the bar is a mars and its gone in 5!! lol only joking as above is what i do.

Kieron

I have always rated it on the heavyest weight you can push out one unaided rep on. Also I do not count the bar. If your gonna do that you may as well add half a pound on for your sweaty gloves!

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Including bar my max for 8 controlled reps is currently 87KG.

Ive never yet tried to find out what my 1RM is so will probably give it a go after i get back from my holidays just out of curiosities sake.

Martinshuter

max bench press should really be a 1 rep max and it does include the weight of the bar, which at our gym is 20kg. the lift should probably be unaided. the way i bench press is up to max weight, then 1 rep max and hold the weight on my chest for 1 second. powerlifting bench press. my max bench including bar is 220kg

stu,

if your considering a 1 rep max, make sure you strap your elbows up and have a spot incase you cant push the weight off.

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

Thanks Martin.

I have never actually used straps of any form. When do you recomend their use?

Martinshuter

its a bit of a grey area to be honest. i know seasoned weightlifters who train with straps most of the time and some dont use them at all.

my personnal preference is to only wear straps on the heaviest weight.

i use a belt and knee wraps on squats, leg press

belt and knee wraps for deadlifts

elbow wraps for bench pressing.

i find if you use a belt for the majority of your lifts you rob yourself of core strength, hence why i only use it for re max lifts.

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

IS there a weight that people recomend them? IE: An elbow is likely to dislocate above 100KG for example? Or is there no way to tell?

Manchester Mike

Cheers mate, just what i wanted

Martinshuter

its not so much the dislocation stu its more the effect in later life if you dont support the joints properly.

there isnt really a set weight where you will damage yourself.

just wear them and see how you get on. probably be able to lift more weight due to the rigidity of the joint

dojj

iTrader: (3)

i know my cousin used to do a single rep of 500lbs when he was younger but that was just the wieght, no idea what the bar weighed but i know he had 2 spotters for that "just in case" moment
with a metal plate holding his sipne together he can still do a few at 125kgs, again without the bar
thing is, he's got chains and supports and stuff to stop the bar from coming all the way down so in case he can't lift it again he can always wriggle out from underneath

i think i could probably do about 40kgs

Muzz

My gym doesnt even have a bar

dojj

iTrader: (3)

thats because you go there to work out, not get legless

fast_ford_uk

i just moved gyms, gone from fitness first fitness gym to a body building gym, do miss the saunas, showers, free drinks and film rental but the knowledge from the guys at the new gym is well worth it, plus the benches aint padded and the weights arnt plastic coverd just bare steel, loverly.....

fast_ford_uk

oh and i also dont include the bar as it weighs different depening what make it is, if every 1 does'nt include the bar then you can tell exactly what weight that person can do. i can bench 60kg 8 reps and 4 sets but dont know about a deadlift hope its around 80 - 90kg
dan

AndyBlackFRST

Surely you can't tell how much everyone can lift if people don't include the bar and different ones weigh different amounts.

The bars at my gym are 20kg, so am lifting 60kg in total

fast_ford_uk

think i wrote it wrong m8, im mean if everyone does not include the bar and only the weights then you can see if they lift more than you if yours is measured without the bar, if people measure with the bar 1 person maybe saying they can lift more when really its because they are using a lighter bar, c what i mean

dojj

iTrader: (3)

it would only work "without" bar wieght if all the bars were the same

i can probably, realisticaly, bench 30 kgs, but i'm at home and my bar wieghs about 2 kgs max as it's a tube not a solid bar in my little home bench

on the other hand, if i were to get one of these 20 kg bars and then say i could only bench 10 kgs because that was the wieght on the bar, it would make me look even weedier

with that in mind i'd be more inclided to go with the amount of wieght on the bar rather than include the wieght of th ebar into the equation as it's not going ot be the same in all gyms is it

fast_ford_uk

lol as i was trying to say

Stu @ M Developments

iTrader: (12)

My current bar weighs 7kgs so i personally add that to my weights to give me an accurate figure.

Martinshuter

probably a rule of thumb. When bench pressing add the weight of the bar even if its 7kg or even if its 20kg. why would you not add the weight of the bar?

iains2rs

When i was regular at the gym 2 years ago i could press 160kg twice. That was my max then but since i have not been regular for a while i struggle to do 80kg twice now. Think it's time to get back into it

billyboceye

always use dumbells with bench they give you good control and strenghth gain,my bench is 180kg max and rep with 150kg,fly 50kg in sets,and dumbell press 50kg in 4sets of 8reps, its not what you can do its the effort youput in