I weigh about 140 and I’ve never been able to quite get 225. My max seems to hover around 200.  But I don’t train for absolute 1RM strength, either.  
I like the idea of achieving weights based on a multiplier of your bodyweight rather than simple benchmarks that don’t take your size into account.  Easy for me to say since I’m miniature but pretty strong for my size.  
I’ve been working on a plan that’s overhead press/bench/squat/deadlift at 1.0/1.5/2.0/2.5x bodyweight, respectively.  Not quite there on any of them but close on all.  I’m like 5# from getting the OHP.  
As far as bench goes, if you can’t bench your bodyweight (and you’re not injured in a way that prevents it) you need to work on your strength.  
These lifts aren’t so much for bragging rights but a good indicator of where you’re at strength-wise.  A man should be physically strong.  
1.5x bench seems like a solid goal number.  

I voted “no” in the poll to help correct the numbers I guess.

C’mon man
You should know better.

Are you 600 pounds? Impressive

Yes.
But I am in the worst shape of my life.

Max work set was 315 around 22, 350 around 33, 315 around 45, then 275 up to about 50, 225 now in mid 50s

20 pounds of gut added around the waist past couple of COViD years, missing way too many workouts, and eating like a teenager.

And a lot of aches, injuries, and issues that have added up over the years.

All the power to you and thumbs up from me if you are still kicking ass and taking names at your peak or if you held your peak longer.

My deterioration in deadlift is about equal percentages, and worse for squats.

Had testosterone level checked and it’s above average for middle of 50s.  So that’s not a magic answer.

For almost any man that lifts regularly (and effectively) 225 is not a high bar to meet at all. Men who don't lift just don't realize how weak they really are.

I am 46 and still push 225 as part of my weekly  benchpress workout. I dont do as many reps as I used to and 225 is now where I top out weight wise.

In my younger days I could do 300 for a single rep and up until a couple years ago would still go up to 250 for a handful of reps but was in a whitewater rafting accident and dislocated my shoulder pretty badly.  It took over a year to get back to 225 and I dont want to push it any more than that for risk of injury.

455 PR a few weeks ago



Video is repeated to take it out the "short" category

Too be fair, there is a difference between lifting a Cola Warrior and lifting at home.

That's why I'm laughing at some of the responses here like it's some herculean feat  . When I lifted regularly 225 wasn't a big feat at all or to any of the other guys who were regular lifters .

Yes



This is from last Thursday’s heavy bench session

It's not so much that it's a Herculean feat, but that people are overestimating their ability.

I bet if I started a can you shoot 1 moa all day, like 75% of the responses would be yes.

56 in December. 195#. Lifting for the last 6 years.  Yes.

Shoulder surgery and bicep tendon repair on my right arm  in January. I got released from my 5# weight restriction in late June. I’m up to 3 set of 10 reps @ 60 now. Hopefully I’ll be back to 3 sets of 10 reps at 200 by June of next year.

The rebuilt the left about 5 years ago.

Injuries after 40 really suck.

Solid lift.

No. I also only weigh 165-170 pounds and don't lift regularly. I can lift on my lunch breaks, I just get too damn busy.  

My best is 205, over a decade ago when I was deployed and lifting 6 days a week. Weight was down to 150 pounds at the time.

Maybe you are correct I was just assuming most people in the poll are regular lifters  .

But I can see someone who has never lifted thinking it's an easy bench press to do just once .

Hell I watched first timers that never lifted thinking I'll just start off small with two 45 pound plates and struggled just to balance 135 pounds as soon as it came off the bench never mind making the lift.

225 bench is an easy goal if you lift heavy.

I was never a heavy lifter, took a 6 year break from any sort of lifting, started 5x5, and I hit 225 in 6 weeks.  A month later, I pressed 265.  My deadlift went up very rapidly as well, which was mostly mental... I was like "200 seems like a lot" then I lifted it and it felt easy so I went to 250, then 300, etc.

In my experience, most people are capable of lifting more than they think they can unless it's purely ego-driven.

Did it.

Nope.

Side topic, what is the purpose of a curved bar like that vs a straight barbell?  If it is benificial, why are they so uncommon?

NO.  I'm a 143 lb ectomorph:  a manlet to some of y'all.

51

I don’t bench often, my shoulders are fubar. But I’ll bench with my kids every once in a while, and I hit 315 for 5 a few weeks ago, not having had a bar in my hands in maybe four or five months.

But I press heavy dumb bells on the reg, so that’s how I’m able to still push weight.

Did I make it in before all the shoulder injuries ansd I could do it in high school stories.

Big nope right now. I had shoulder surgery in April and am still not allowed to lift more than 10 lbs. My arms have atrophied considerably, and a my pecs went from hard to squishy.

LOL, saw this right after I posted.

Lets switch it up…..someone at 175 lbs. lifting 225 would be lifting nearly 30% more than their body weight.

That would be an interesting poll. How many people can lift 30% more than their body weight?

The last time I was able to bench 225 was in 1978. I maxed at 240 in 79. No way in hell I could do it today.

Slightly deeper bench and more comfortable squat.  The benefits are not incredible.

More pec engagement because the bottom position is deeper.  Helps shoulder position as well.  Better for the grip position when used on the squat.  They are not as common because specialty bars can get expensive, and benefits are not as well-known or accepted.

Yes, but with great difficulty, lots of pain, I'm recuperating from a major surgery. Lifting is a part of my physical therapy. I miss being young.

I'm 49 and go to the gym regularly; weigh 188 @ 6' 1".  I can do 225 twice, maybe three times but I'm stuck in a plateu at the moment.

My squats are terrible, deadlifts are going ok-ish.  Everything snap, crackles, pops.  

I just turned 52, weigh 185 and can bench 270.  I lift 4 days a week, cardio on Fridays.

Yes. And I can barbell row 200.

But I weigh 250 so it isn't very impressive considering that it's less than my body weight.

Working my way back.  I hit 180 today.  Age and busted shoulders takes a toll

Used to be able to when I was big into lifting. Can't anymore, doing lots of cardio instead.

I have a rotation of about 10 different bench variations that I do on my heavy bench day. The Buffalo Bar is really meant for squatting but on bench it increases ROM and makes the lift harder. I use it for bench because I’m kinda a psycho. You don’t see them often probably because they’re kinda expensive. The Duffalo Bar which is a nicer version of this bar is like $600 and limited somewhat in what it can be used for obviously

Edit: badly beaten but oh well

I am 67.  If I need a 225 lbs. bench pressed, I'll slip a Hispanic $20 to do it.

"I weigh 400lbs so I squat and deadlift that all day getting off the couch and going to the fridge."

@grady

I haven't dipped into the S&C forum in a long while, but it seems you've been uber consistent for a number of years.  Well done!  You were benching under 200# when you started, weren't you?

 

455 1rm for me @ 255.
225 is nice warm up weight to get the blood pumping.

Damn dude you made that look easy, you have 495 in ya.

Nope. Last time I benched I could comfortably do a couple reps at 180 but I was really feeling it after that.

I’m 5’11 and I only weigh 138 pounds lol. I’m a twig. I work out and lift a lot, and I’m maaaaaybe above average strength for my size. Maybe only slightly, but probably not. With how I’m built I will never be able to hit the mid 200s. I have always been more into track and sprinting and jumping and whatnot. I can never be a strongman, but hey that’s alright with me.

Allison Hind is one of my favorite female benchers, here’s her ATWR 335 @ 148



1:55 mark

There’s hope for you lighter guys if a 148 chick can bench that much

Yes, for a set of 12.

This is 100% true. Before I started lifting I too didn't realize how weak I truly was. I could do 70 pushups and 15 pull ups, but couldn't bench 200 pounds! I could hike and run for hours, but had trouble squatting 225, and I weighed 220 (6'4" height).

Now, after 6 years of good training, I can bench 365, squat 515, and deadlift 600, which are decent numbers, but really nothing special.

Most men are actually weak and soft and have no understanding of what it means to have strength and muscle mass.

I grew up on a grain farm and despite the FaRM StrOnG misconceptions out there, endurance was far more an asset than strength. I was a lanky but wiry kid that never stepped foot in a gym. At 18 I was 6’2” at 195 pounds.

As I got older and moved away from the farm I got into lifting a little bit, but I always hated being inside, especially a gym. I began doing endurance athlete stuff to stay in shape. The little bit of time In the gym made me a bit thicker and even though I was lean and was training for marathons and triathlons, I never got below a body weight of 205. Kids happened, a career, back to college and the endurance stuff had to go.

I owned my own business and my way of staying in shape was a pull-up bar in my office, push-ups when I could and the occasional game of basketball. It worked fairly well. I never got over a body weight of 215 pounds and I wear the same size pants that I wore in high school.

Then The WUFlew hit and everything shut down. With two pre-teen boys and a teenaged girl who plays volleyball on a pretty high level I decided to buy a squat cage, a bench, lat pull system, Olympic bar and 300 pounds of bumper weights. For the first time I began consistently lifting.

Starting out I could bench a set of 5 at 165. I took it slow because I’m in my late 40’s but 6 months later I was repping with 205 and maxing out with a single lift of 235. A year later I maxed out at 255 and was repping with 225. I dropped the weight a bit from my max and increased the reps and kept that routine for a while. Then about a month ago I caught ______ and subsequently pneumonia that had me pretty sick for a long time. I got back in the weight room last week and 205 felt pretty heavy for a 5 rep set. I dropped it to 185 and did sets of 10. A couple days ago I put 225 on the bar and it went up and down. Made me feel pretty good.

So yes, I can bench 225. I weigh 215. My goal was to bench my body weight and I think continuing to lift heavier and heavier weights are a recipe for injury at my age. I may do a max weight single lift every once in a while, but overall if I can bench my body weight and just keep increasing the reps I’ll be happy.

Around 15 reps going for 20