Y'all would be surprised how many overweight guys that weigh 250+ and walk into the gym on rare occasion can bench press 225 or more with little to no training.
For guys that are 5'10" and 150 pounds, benching 225 is a big deal.
For heavy guys that are 5'10" and 250, it isn't all that difficult.
Overweight people don't walk into the gym and bench 225 on no training.
it's hard for me to say for sure, but i'm pretty confident that more people can bench 225lbs than run a 5 minute mile but i also gotta acknowledge that more people aim for that 225lbs than that 5 minute mile. just look at the people around you at work, school, or even the streets. how often do you see trending videos online with people hitting the weights at the gym compared to running intervals on a track?
to finally answer your question, i think 225lbs is harder to obtain. when people say "no pain, no gain", they're mostly talking about gym. for the average person, you can't bench 225lbs without pushing yourself to the limit. the 5 minute mile, on the other hand, is a lot easier than most people think. lots of people grind some hard intervals trying to hit those 74-75 second intervals, when the truth of the matter is that you don't even need to bother with anything that fast. it's quite simple. 40 mpw, 10 mile long run, and a weekly interval session of maybe a 12x800m at slower than 5k pace. do this enough times and you'll randomly run a 5 minute mile without specifically training for it. boring mileage isn't hard at all if you progress at it slowly.
the 5 minute mile, on the other hand, is a lot easier than most people think. lots of people grind some hard intervals trying to hit those 74-75 second intervals, when the truth of the matter is that you don't even need to bother with anything that fast. it's quite simple. 40 mpw, 10 mile long run, and a weekly interval session of maybe a 12x800m at slower than 5k pace. do this enough times and you'll randomly run a 5 minute mile without specifically training for it. boring mileage isn't hard at all if you progress at it slowly.
12 x 800 sounds like an excessive amount of reps tbh, most people do 6-8
if you're going to do that much volume i would rather do it in mile repeats instead
were not talking about "overweight" people - were talking about the average dude - 250 is a tooooooon. you make no point - those "fat" dudes are still unique and gifted in strength - again a dude lifting 250 for reps and looking "fat" isnt really a thing that person probably trained a bit for some time - so again 250 reps 2-3 is like a 425-430 mile. like a dude who just runs 3-5 days a week cassually and can run a 425 mile is talented, same with a dude benching.
also you idiots have brainrot becuase of social media and steriods use in lifting - theres tons of dudes online lifting a ton but they are all on steriods - that is not as common with runners. yes people use steriods but with lifting its much more prevalent and skewwing your ideas of what is "strong"..
yeah a 5:00min mile if you just stop eating, get skinny, and run all the time, between 15-25 - most people can achieve this mechanically - even benching 200lbs - for all those small dudes its just not gonna happen. i dont care about technique- thats just something people on roids say but mostly you need mass
I was spotting my son at the gym on Tuesday and thought of this thread. A guy on the next bench looked about 5'8" 160lbs, not visibly muscular, you'd hardly guess he lifts weights. He was repping 225 for 6-8 easily without a spotter. 225 just isn't a lot of weight.
I've been running for 25+ years now. When I am out of running shape, I have a hard time breaking 5 (4:25 PR), but I've always been able to rep out 225 somewhere between 3 and 15 times over the years.
Obviously a lot of factors like age, weight and gender matters. A 110 lb HS Girl benching 225 would be incredible (Pretty sure way more than the WR) but running a 5 minute mile, while still being a top caliber HS runner, would be nothing out of the ordinary.
It seems like most casual male gym goers, ages 18-50 that are 175lbs+ can put up 225 at least once compared to most casual male runners that you'll see at a pub fun run or Parkrun or whatever would have a hard time breaking 6 in the mile.
So for a 5-10 175lb male I would say 5min mile = 300lb bench (raw with a pause)
the 5 minute mile, on the other hand, is a lot easier than most people think. lots of people grind some hard intervals trying to hit those 74-75 second intervals, when the truth of the matter is that you don't even need to bother with anything that fast. it's quite simple. 40 mpw, 10 mile long run, and a weekly interval session of maybe a 12x800m at slower than 5k pace. do this enough times and you'll randomly run a 5 minute mile without specifically training for it. boring mileage isn't hard at all if you progress at it slowly.
12 x 800 sounds like an excessive amount of reps tbh, most people do 6-8
if you're going to do that much volume i would rather do it in mile repeats instead
A couple of guys that can only talk running. And that's cool! This is a running forum (ostensibly).
I've been lifting consistently 3x per week for 3 years as a former marathoner. I literally couldn't do a plate on each side at the start. I'm up at 180 x 6 but that's still a far cry from a 225 1RM. What am I doing wrong? Was I just that weak at the start?
A couple of guys that can only talk running. And that's cool! This is a running forum (ostensibly).
My bad. I just couldn't resist, it was funny to me that the OP said doing 75 quarters is excessive just to suggest a workout that is, IMO even more unnecessary for a sub 5... I know I would rather do 8 x 400 and some 200s with 6 mile easy runs and call it done
To actually talk about the thread topic though: I had a few teammates who put some pretty decent effort into lifting in the offseason. Two chunkier guys hovering around 135lbs and 5'6 with a decent amount of muscle.
The first went sub 5 in his first track season mostly off of soccer training and left HS a 4:30 guy. The other took a few years to break 5, albeit with crappy training (20 mpw and racing twice a week with way too many hard intervals). Both had bench PRs of 215.
Maybe it is true that runners here underestimate the difficulty of sub 5 due to selection bias, but I have a feeling everyone in this thread might be underselling 225 a bit on the other side too.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
I've been lifting consistently 3x per week for 3 years as a former marathoner. I literally couldn't do a plate on each side at the start. I'm up at 180 x 6 but that's still a far cry from a 225 1RM. What am I doing wrong? Was I just that weak at the start?
I've been lifting consistently 3x per week for 3 years as a former marathoner. I literally couldn't do a plate on each side at the start. I'm up at 180 x 6 but that's still a far cry from a 225 1RM. What am I doing wrong? Was I just that weak at the start?
Bump, looking for guidance on this question.
Ok, a few comments, but you didn't provide enough info. 180x6 is worth about 215. That's up around 100 lbs since you started, good progress. You didn't say whether you are plateaued.
There are several things that could help your progress on BP. Your body weight on your frame will dictate your leverages. You don't want to constantly gain weight, but just be aware that it's harder to keep getting stronger at the same weight.
Your form: make sure you have a grip width that suits your levers. Feet planted, tension through from the legs. Correct bar path. This is hard to know without seeing you.
Work your back muscles in heavy rows and pull downs / chins. The upper back controls and contributes to the bench.
Triceps: emphasize triceps, but not too much volume and be aware of any elbow tendon issues.
Your training: don't do the same workout all the time. Plan some 8-10 week progressions. Through those weeks move from sets of 8-10, down to 6s, 5s, 3s, then establish a new 1RM.
Ok, a few comments, but you didn't provide enough info. 180x6 is worth about 215. That's up around 100 lbs since you started, good progress. You didn't say whether you are plateaued.
There are several things that could help your progress on BP. Your body weight on your frame will dictate your leverages. You don't want to constantly gain weight, but just be aware that it's harder to keep getting stronger at the same weight.
Your form: make sure you have a grip width that suits your levers. Feet planted, tension through from the legs. Correct bar path. This is hard to know without seeing you.
Work your back muscles in heavy rows and pull downs / chins. The upper back controls and contributes to the bench.
Triceps: emphasize triceps, but not too much volume and be aware of any elbow tendon issues.
Your training: don't do the same workout all the time. Plan some 8-10 week progressions. Through those weeks move from sets of 8-10, down to 6s, 5s, 3s, then establish a new 1RM.
Do you know what the comparison is between the Chest Press machines where you are in a sitting position, versus Bench Pressing where you are lying on the bench? Seems the Chest Press machines should be more difficult.
Ok, a few comments, but you didn't provide enough info. 180x6 is worth about 215. That's up around 100 lbs since you started, good progress. You didn't say whether you are plateaued.
There are several things that could help your progress on BP. Your body weight on your frame will dictate your leverages. You don't want to constantly gain weight, but just be aware that it's harder to keep getting stronger at the same weight.
Your form: make sure you have a grip width that suits your levers. Feet planted, tension through from the legs. Correct bar path. This is hard to know without seeing you.
Work your back muscles in heavy rows and pull downs / chins. The upper back controls and contributes to the bench.
Triceps: emphasize triceps, but not too much volume and be aware of any elbow tendon issues.
Your training: don't do the same workout all the time. Plan some 8-10 week progressions. Through those weeks move from sets of 8-10, down to 6s, 5s, 3s, then establish a new 1RM.
Thanks for the advice! I've done my bench every other workout, mainly in 5 sets of 10, 8, 7, 6 and 5 reps or so. I weigh 175 right now.
I've never focused on getting my legs planted for the bench. I need to work on that for more leverage.
Ok, a few comments, but you didn't provide enough info. 180x6 is worth about 215. That's up around 100 lbs since you started, good progress. You didn't say whether you are plateaued.
There are several things that could help your progress on BP. Your body weight on your frame will dictate your leverages. You don't want to constantly gain weight, but just be aware that it's harder to keep getting stronger at the same weight.
Your form: make sure you have a grip width that suits your levers. Feet planted, tension through from the legs. Correct bar path. This is hard to know without seeing you.
Work your back muscles in heavy rows and pull downs / chins. The upper back controls and contributes to the bench.
Triceps: emphasize triceps, but not too much volume and be aware of any elbow tendon issues.
Your training: don't do the same workout all the time. Plan some 8-10 week progressions. Through those weeks move from sets of 8-10, down to 6s, 5s, 3s, then establish a new 1RM.
Thanks for the advice! I've done my bench every other workout, mainly in 5 sets of 10, 8, 7, 6 and 5 reps or so. I weigh 175 right now.
I've never focused on getting my legs planted for the bench. I need to work on that for more leverage.
Sounds good. Planting the feet and keeping tension doesn't mean lifting your ass off the bench. Your rep scheme was good for a beginner, but you're ready to move on. The issue is that you will be tired when you get to the 5 rep set and not move the weight that you could. Try doing 3-4 sets of only 8s after warm up. After a couple weeks get right into 3-4 sets of 6 as heavy as possible. You'll need to drop the weight for the last couple. A few weeks of 5s, where you hit them fresh after warmup will yield the most gains. 3s are good for peaking, but only for a week or two. After those 8-10 weeks try a max if you feel good. Back off your other exercises a little that week.
I've been lifting consistently 3x per week for 3 years as a former marathoner. I literally couldn't do a plate on each side at the start. I'm up at 180 x 6 but that's still a far cry from a 225 1RM. What am I doing wrong? Was I just that weak at the start?
If you were a pretty good marathoner you are probably pretty predominantly slow twitch, which will make powerlifting a bit disproportionately hard.
It takes me like 2 months of getting in the gym 2-3 times a week before I start being able to hit 225, but I’m also finding that there just isn’t really such thing as me training to finish the final 4ish miles of a marathon effectively. I have to plan on a severe bonk and it’s not because i’m running out of glycogen, it’s because my muscles are just absolutely shredded by the end of the race regardless of how I train.
I've been lifting consistently 3x per week for 3 years as a former marathoner. I literally couldn't do a plate on each side at the start. I'm up at 180 x 6 but that's still a far cry from a 225 1RM. What am I doing wrong? Was I just that weak at the start?
6 reps @180lbs implies a (roughly) 210lbs 1rm according to strengthlevel. That's not a far cry from two plates at all. You could be a month or two away from it if you train correctly.
And looks can be deceiving. At my gym I see lanky dudes benching 2plates+ for reps. I also see thicc guys with massive arms that have never gone beyond benching 165lbs and that's stopping an inch above their chest.
This post was edited 37 seconds after it was posted.
I did 10x170, 7x180, 6x185, 5x185, 4x190 tonight on the bench with about 3.5 minutes rest. Felt really good but I ran out steam towards the end of the 4th set and that made the last set pretty tough. I don't have a spotter in the home gym. How do you approach a one set max attempt? I'm assuming a warm up set or two, then give it a rip?