Benching 225 is equivalent to what mile time?

I just realized I said that the Jeff's 5:00 seems too fast, but I didn't actually give my own number. Maybe 5:20?

Here is the thing, though, MILE ABILITY IS A DUMB THING TO COMPARE TO MAX BENCH.

- If you go to the gym 3x/wk and do 3x10, or 5x5, or basically anything your average person is doing, that is effective training to improve your bench. MOST PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY LIFT ARE TRAINING SOMEWHAT EFFECTIVELY TO IMPROVE MAX BENCH.

- If you go for a jog 3x/wk and do basically what every average jogger seems to do (jog for 20-30 minutes at an easy pace with HR ~130 or something), that is not effective training to improve your mile (at least not past the initial "couch-to-active" gains of doing any running at all). MOST PEOPLE WHO RUN REGULARLY ARE NOT TRAINING AT ALL EFFECTIVELY TO IMPROVE THEIR MILE TIME.

If you pull the average jogger off the path and time trial them at everything from 400 to a half marathon, I would bet their best scores will be in the 5k. They don't have much speed or much endurance (relative to trained runners), and their routine best prepares them something that doesn't demand as much speed and specific endurance as the mile (or require as much endurance as the 10k+).

Come find out.

theJeff wrote:

You think that because you are scrawny.

D2sprinter wrote:

Question is the subject.

In highschool we did a "Mr Athlete" test where they look at 10 different things and use a point system to determine it.

I was 16 when I did it. 6'3 170. My bench max was 235 and my mile time was a 5:10. That was all natural no training. I think thats pretty much the number

PhDoping wrote:

So you would acknowledge the data is a bit skewed...

Think about the % of men in the gym that can bench 225 vs. the number that could make a 6 min mile... I would argue the latter represents a far greater proportion in the population. You can have all the heart/balls in the world, but bench press is brute strength.

Let's put it this way: If you put a gun to the head of your average fit dude whose max bench is 205, with a mile PR of 6:10, my bet is he makes the mile. Running is more of a mental game.

This might be neither here nor there, but I think its pertinent nevertheless.

Regardless of your bodyweight....if you have short arms benching is going to be way easier. If you have short femurs squatting is going to be easier. If you have long arms deadlifting is going to be easier.

Based what what I see at the gym and what I see on the Army APFT my guess is that for those with average genetics 225 Bench is about as common to see as a 6:00 mile.

315 is about as common to see as a 5:00 mile.

I’m not talking about doing those at the same time I’m talking about what I’ve seen people do.

I’ve seen about as many jokers Bench 315 as I’ve seen run the equivalent of a 5:00 mile. Ditto for 6:00 and 225.

Alan

The Bench is a jokers lift anyway. Every weekend wannabe goes to the gym on Monday and bounces 225 off their chest with their butts off the bench and says it’s good.

How bout a squat? Deadlift?

Alan

theJeff wrote:

only needed response wrote:

5 minutes. All other answers are wrong.

Before I clicked, I thought to myself: 5 minutes.

The more I think about it, it should be slower. If we are equating adding a plate with adding a minute as a benchmark (pun intended), 225 = 6min mile, 315 = 5min mile, and 405 = 4min mile.

Most of your general athletic population can do 6min/225lbs. It takes some real talent and training to do 5min/315lbs. Only elites with years of training can do 4min/405lbs.

Saying that 225 = 5min mile indicates that you have only ever been around puny runners your whole life (or, your hs football team was awful).

UMMMM. Most of the athletic population CANNOT BENCH 225! Not in Basketball, Soccer, definitely not running "like to see Rupp accomplish",

you are absolute full of crap

225 lbs x 1-rep means you definitely are not breaking 5-minutes but in terms of EFFORT they can not be compared...

to appease this ridiculous thread, I would say 225lbs is like a 4:30 mile, it is NOT easy and I challenge and fat SOB considering 80% of America is OBESE, to try it.

I said 6:00, and stand by it.

6:00 = 225

5:00 = 315

4:00 = 405

Good post otherwise, though.

HM wrote:

Come find out.

theJeff wrote:

You think that because you are scrawny.

Don't have to. You think running is easy and lifting is hard.

I don't have to stick my nose is the garbage to know that it stinks.

You think that because you are scrawny and you have surrounded yourself with similarly scrawny people.

D2sprinter wrote:

Question is the subject.

This is an ideal way to determine a beginner decathlete. Guys like Caitlyn Jenner and Ashton Eaton probably carry both strengths. Its designed for big strong guys that have decent endurance. Benching that for an ethiopian would take 3 years to get there....but for a basic white guy maybe like 3-6 months to bench that. Running sub 5 probaby takes a normal ethiopian 3-6 months but takes a basic white guy 3 years. I feel like build should be the 3rd factor.

Uncle Gary wrote:

In highschool we did a "Mr Athlete" test where they look at 10 different things and use a point system to determine it.

I was 16 when I did it. 6'3 170. My bench max was 235 and my mile time was a 5:10. That was all natural no training. I think thats pretty much the number

Didn't ya know!? We all bench 235 and run 5:10 with no training.

at my high school there was a coach's challenge (football) that they'd buy a steak dinner for any athlete that benched 5X 250. About 3-5 kids a year would do that and they worked very hard to get to that level. Track team was more sprint oriented and XC was not big at all. Maybe a 12-15 on the team, and more than half were basketball players or wrestlers. About 4-5 kids a year would break 5 in the mile. I think the equivalency for that endeavor would be 5X 250 was about 4:39 for the mile. A number of kids can do it, but for most it's going to take months of dedication to get there. Not that hard for a gifted few.

compressed wrote:

Like Solomon, allow me to split the difference.

5:30!

Liberate yourself from the tyranny of round numbers.

I hit 245 for a max bench in college while I weighed around 145 - 148. I found that 225 for the bench came noticeably easier than 5:00 for the mile. I ran a 5:03 PR for 1600m in high school.

Yeah, I know, I'm not the typical 3:43 mile PR guy everyone else is on Letsrun.

HeavyWeight wrote:

I ran a 2:31 marathon and could bench 225lbs. Actually my max bench was 305lbs at the time.

I'm trying to find photos now, but if you look for pictures of from the 2006 Chicago Marathon, my name is Chris Smith and I flexed for every camera I could find on the course.

Chris! I found you:

This thread is making me feel good about myself. I was a pretty lousy runner, but apparently my strength to mile time ratio was pretty good.

theJeff wrote:

bull#$it wrote:

UMMMM. Most of the athletic population CANNOT BENCH 225! Not in Basketball, Soccer, definitely not running "like to see Rupp accomplish",

you are absolute full of crap

225 lbs x 1-rep means you definitely are not breaking 5-minutes but in terms of EFFORT they can not be compared...

to appease this ridiculous thread, I would say 225lbs is like a 4:30 mile, it is NOT easy and I challenge and fat SOB considering 80% of America is OBESE, to try it.

You think that because you are scrawny and you have surrounded yourself with similarly scrawny people.

I approve of this comment

HeavyWeight wrote:

I ran a 2:31 marathon and could bench 225lbs. Actually my max bench was 305lbs at the time.

I'm trying to find photos now, but if you look for pictures of from the 2006 Chicago Marathon, my name is Chris Smith and I flexed for every camera I could find on the course.

That being said I'm definitely not the norm at the gym. Running 10miles at 10mph is what I consider an easy run on the treadmill. Just yesterday I did 12 x 400m with 90sec rest at 12.6mph. You want to see everyone stare at you, do that when you weigh 195lbs at 5'11".

A 2:31 marathon and a 305lbs max bench?!? I wonder if anyone else can match this feat of manliness. You must run and lift on pure hate.

Maybe Alan MF Webb and his 60 pull ups (I'm pretty sure I read that he could do that many pull ups in high school) or Chris MF Solinsky.

D2sprinter wrote:

Question is the subject.

People here vastly overestimate the impressiveness 100m times and bench press maximums.

Last Thursday, I put up 200 lbs twice just to show off for my athletes who said that I couldn’t do it once. I have not touched a weight in 3 years. I am 5’11”, 145 lbs and can run a 2:30 marathon. As a high school sophomore I benched 240 and weighed 138 lbs.

I ran 100m in 12.87 when testing our FAT system last Spring. I was a 54/2:00 guy in HS.

None of the claims I have made above are that impressive. People here will act like I am a liar and truly believe that what I am saying would make me “elite” in sprints and weightlifting. LRC is full of morons.

I agree and I’m actually a gym rat and see people lift all he time.

6:00 is a lot faster than people realize.

Also Bench is a poor choice because ppl do half benches all the freaking time. Also most ppl in the gym benching 225 weigh 200+. There is a surprising strong correlation with body weight to Bench even moreso than other lifts

Alan

GBohannon wrote:

D2sprinter wrote:

Question is the subject.

People here vastly overestimate the impressiveness 100m times and bench press maximums.

Last Thursday, I put up 200 lbs twice just to show off for my athletes who said that I couldn’t do it once. I have not touched a weight in 3 years. I am 5’11”, 145 lbs and can run a 2:30 marathon. As a high school sophomore I benched 240 and weighed 138 lbs.

I ran 100m in 12.87 when testing our FAT system last Spring. I was a 54/2:00 guy in HS.

None of the claims I have made above are that impressive. People here will act like I am a liar and truly believe that what I am saying would make me “elite” in sprints and weightlifting. LRC is full of morons.

Oh, and to the answer the question, 225 is not that good. Those saying 6:00 are on the right track.