What is a good bench press as compared to your weight?

good job rupp wrote:

What is considered bad, average, good, and excellent? Especially when you account for being a runner (this is a little different from being a gym rat your entire life).

I'm running about 65 miles a week right now. I weigh 155 lbs at 23 years old on a 5'10" frame. I just benched 2 x 165, 2 x 175 lbs at the end of my workout. Is this average runner strength?

I heard:

bad - anything below your weight

average - being able to bench your weight

good - weight plus 25%

excellent - double your weight

sound about right?

I'd say that's close. We used to bench press in p.e. in high school and benching your weight was probably considered 'good'. Average is below to just below your weight. At age 20 I was working out with a power lifter and he was teaching me things. I weighed about 185-190 and I put up 375 one time. And I emphasize 'one time.' I think double your weight falls into 'holy f***ing crap I did what?' category. Excellent should be somewhere in between.

"you cannot "bounce" the weight off of your chest."

That's what the pause is for. I think it's 1 second in competitions, but don't quote me.

As far as working the negative, it's good for you. But for comparison purposes, it does distort things.

Hell, regular bench presses suck. Use dumbbells. Safer and much reduced chance of injury.

Has anybody here benched twice their weight while in decent running condition? If you could double your weight and run 17:00 5k I would say you are a very good all around athlete.

I benched 220lbs while weighing 155lbs and running 49 400m and 1:54 800m, 26:23 8k. No way am I running 26:23 while dragging around the muscles to bench 310lbs. That being said, I am far from a world class / top level type of athlete.

Rules in most powerlifting feds:

1. The lifter must lie on their back with head, shoulders and buttocks in contact with the flat bench surface. Shoes MUST be FLAT on the floor/built up surface. This position MUST be maintained throughout the attempt once the "PRESS" single has been given.

2. To achieve firm footing, the lifter may use plates/blocks. The entire foot MUST be flat on the surface.

3. The lifter may have a lift-off from a spotter/coach which MUST be taken at arms length not down at chest.

4. The spacing of the hands may NOT exceed 81 cm(31 7/8") measured between the forefingers. A reverse grip is permitted provided that the distance between the little fingers does Not exceed 81 cms.

5. After receiving the bar at arms length, the lifter shall lower the bar to the chest and await the signal. Before receiving the signal, the lifter may make position adjustments without penalty.

6. When the bar is MOTIONLESS on the chest, the signal will be given. The signal consist of the audible command "PRESS".

7. After the signal to commence the lift has been given, the bar is pressed upward to straight arms length and HELD MOTIONLESS until the audible command RACK is given.

8. The bar is allowed to stop during the upward motion but is NOT allowed any downward movement of either or both hands.

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Of course like all rules they can be interpretted by the ref.

I think the "keeping the feet on the floor" and "bar is motionless on the chest" would be the hardest rules to adhere to.

Alan

Most guys in the NFL can't bench twice their body weight.

snatch wrote:

Has anybody here benched twice their weight while in decent running condition? If you could double your weight and run 17:00 5k I would say you are a very good all around athlete.

I benched 220lbs while weighing 155lbs and running 49 400m and 1:54 800m, 26:23 8k. No way am I running 26:23 while dragging around the muscles to bench 310lbs. That being said, I am far from a world class / top level type of athlete.

i am 6'1 and 155 pounds. pretty thin build right? I can run a 4:45 mile and i can also bench 175 for 6 reps with proper form

Cooler Ethan wrote:

I don't think an average runner can bench their body weight. That requires some form of strength training and most distance runners don't do any push-ups or anything. These are also the kids with concave chests that fit nicely in lockers.

If your a runner you don't need to do bench press at all. stop worrying about weight lifting or you will end up like Alan Webb. And for all you retards out there I mean go get significantly slower due to having extra muscles you don't need.

In my best shape I weighed 145, 5'8, runing about 45 miles a week, and could max out on 235, and could do about 8 reps of 180.

Height makes a big difference. There's no such thing as a tall weightlifter (professional).

I'm 150lbs and 6'1". Big difference from someone who's four inches shorter and the same weight.

(this is my excuse for not being able to bench my weight. I can only bench 140lbs.)

weight is not a good metric for how much you should bench. It heavily favors short people.

4:10

well i dunno wrote:

So benching twice your body weight is considered excellent? What would be the equivalent mile time of benching twice your body weight?

Wow I am surprised just how good some of you all are at lifting....I am 6' 160, and I could probably bench about 110 to 115. (I did 115 3 times about 7 months ago-havn't lifted weights since, so maybe even lower).

My brother runs too (recreationally mostly) and he's 6'2", 155 pounds, and he can bench around 85.

I am 6'2" and weight 149 and can bench 160 4 times. I am currently running about 55 miles a week and most recently ran a 15:30 5k. I only do pushups, dips, and ab work. No formal weightlifting.

Does this mean that someone who weighs 120 pounds can break two hours??

The last time I was trying to bench, I weighed 145 pounds and got up my bench press up to 180 pounds in just a few weeks, and the goal wasn't really to get any higher. Nothing exceptional, but most folks could probably do that well ...about 25 percent higher than my body weight.

someonestolemyname wrote:

Wow I am surprised just how good some of you all are at lifting....

that's because only the people that are good at it are replying.

Benched 225 at 170 pounds, was in abour 18:30 shape at the time.

anton chigurh wrote:

weight is not a good metric for how much you should bench. It heavily favors short people.

I weigh 126 pounds at 5ft 5inches. Bench:290, 5k: 15:28. What would you say is a comparable lift for a 6ft tall person who weighs 126lbs?

I think we are a bad sample to be asking this question. I'm pretty sure that our responses would be laughed out of the gym by folks who take lifting as seriously as most of us take running. We probably sound like a guy bragging about how fast a 19:00 5k would to us. That said, I don't think of myself as being a "strong" athlete, and when I was lifting regularly, I could max at 50 lbs over my weight (185 while I weighed 135). I'm pretty sure if I could do that, most average people should be able to.