Posted: 7/22/2007 3:10:48 PM EDT
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I have just purchased some weights, dumbells and a bench. I have heard it said that to be considered fit you need to press your body weight. Is this correct? If so, I am sorely lacking. I weigh 180lbs. but can only press 100lbs at present, 10 repetions 3 times in about a seven minute period. With effort on my part what is a resonable period of time to expect add the other 80 pounds? |
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Just take it easy at first. Your body has to adapt to the lifting, and that takes a bit of time. Try less weight and more reps for the first 3-4 weeks to condition your muscles, then bring the weight up gradually. Once you start increasing the weight: You generally don't need more than 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps per exercise to do the trick, the rest is just dulling the edge. Don't so the same muscles every day, and mix some aerobic stuff in to increase your blood flow/oxygen delivery. |
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When you can do 10 reps on the 3rd set, note it down. Next time add 2.5 or 5 lbs to the bar. When you can reach 10 reps for that new weight (will take a few weeks) do the same thing as before. In maybe 6-12 months you will get to 180lbs. Now with no safety spotter you will need to leave a few reps "in the tank" at all times so take it slow. If you get stuck on the same weight for a while, take a week off, then drop the weight 15% and build it back up from there, eventually surpassing where you were stuck. Do the the exercise no more than 2 times a week. |
Bull Crap, Supplements do help, ALOT. I'm on a BSN Stack, every time I go off of it my time in the gym, reps, everything decreases. They help alot. Benching your body weight is nice, I weight 179 and bench around 215 max. It isn't necessary though, take alook at alot of those basketball players, many of them can't bench there weight, and there some athletic mofos |
First things first....are we talking single lifts here, or are we talking doing reps (3 or 4 sets of 10-15 reps) with this weight? It takes time when you first get into lifting weights to find out what your true strength limits are. You may well be strong enough to press a lot more weight than that, but your body doesn't know it yet. Do reps with what you can do reps with for a few weeks first, adding maybe 5 pounds per week, and then try pressing heavier weights. I would suggest doing the bench press regularly for four weeks, adding five pounds per week. In week 4 that should put you at 120 pounds for reps. (assuming you are doing reps as previously defined with 100 pounds) Then try (with a spotter, of course) to bench 150 and see how you do. You may well find that 150 isn't as much of a challenge as you thought....and then you repeat the process in an accelerated manner (add 10 pounds per week) until you really do hit your limit. THEN you can start working on upping your limit. When you start weight lifting you will need some time for your body to acclimate to the exercises. Go nice and slow and do lots and lots of reps with weights you can easily handle for a while to ease your body into the exercises. After a few weeks you can worry about going heavier. The biggest mistake people make when getting into weight lifting is trying to lift too much too soon. It's one thing if you were into weight lifting before and are getting back into it. That you can do pretty easily depending on how long it has been. It's quite another to start lifting for the first time. Go slow, go light, get lots of QUALITY REPS with a heavy concentration on form. Then after a few weeks (I would go with at least 6 weeks if not more) you can worry about going heavy. EDIT -- If you can get into a gym and use some machines at least to start out, I would suggest doing it. You can test the limits of your strength on machines usually without the risk of a bar crashing down on your neck and killing you. Machines are also better at enforcing proper form. |
Never benched before? 100lbs isn't a horrible starting point. But I warn you, just benching your body weight is just the beginning! Soon you'll be going for your body weight x10 if you keep with it  .You should see rapid improvement if you stick with it. I've got a workout chart that I recommend for a good bench exercise, Nebraska Power Chart. This is a good power building workout. It's pretty simple, the numbers along the top are your max bench. In your case, 100. So we find 100, and for an "Upper Body" workout, your first exercise will be 65 lbs for 8 Reps, then 70lbs for 6 reps, etc. Don't be surprised if it kicks your ass a few times, once you can do the whole workout with perfect form and still have a little energy left it's time to move up! Happy lifting! Feel free to IM with any questions. |
Strength training is not for everyone and you should be careful, seriously I know guys that have torn tendons and muscles Consider Conditioning (Endurance) Try simple bodyweight exercises Pushups, Jumping Jacks, Burpees, Medicine Ball, Sandbags |
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You have to start someplace, and I am one who agrees that you should be able to lift your own body weight. Anything past that is icing on the cake. I'm 41 and weigh 210. I can bench 300. But, when I work out, I start at 135 as a warm up/stretch, then go up (185x10 reps, 205x10reps, 225x10 reps, 245x6-8reps, 275x3 and finally 300x1 three times). I could probably do higher weights if I had a workout partner to spot me and to push me. The most I ever did was 360, but that was years ago ( I was trying to get to twice my body weight,which at the time would have been 390, but dislocated my shoulder which required surgery to repair). I've lifted weights since I was in high school, but I'm far from a body builder. Just take it easy and work into it. You will be sore at first, but that will pass in a couple weeks. And don't quit when you get sore, work through it, it will pass. Acute pain, like you hurt yourself pain is a different matter, and you will be able to tell the difference. But soreness is normal, it's you working all the lactic acid and toxins out of the muscle. Once you work the junk out of the muscle, you will feel different and be stronger. Work different muscle groups on different days; Chest arms and shoulders one day, back and legs another. Have an aerobic day in there too (run/jog, bike,swim or take a aerobics session with the ladies it will kick your butt), and rest. Rest is just as important as lifting as it allows the muscles to heal/strengthen. Also change up the exercises. I do big bar/barbel stuff one work out and dumbbell exercises another. I've also taken Yoga classes, don't laugh, that stuff is very difficult; it also is a great stretch and workout. Eventually you will come up with a routine that suits you and you will see gains in your strength. Even if you are new to it, you will gain strength. |
Depends on what type of fitness matters to you. I spent 5 days a week at the the gym before bootcamp, always working with free weights. Then I enter the military and discover this cardio-crazy "PT" shit  Kicked my ass. My max bench is also down over 25 pounds. Working hard to get it back though!To each their own. |
When I started the academy, we were told that we should be able to bench 99% of our body weight. I assume that's max'in out = 1 rep. I'm goin to the gym tomorrow w/ some of my fellow recruits and this is the first time I've hit the weights in probably 2 years. Figure if I can do 100 lbs I'll be doin good, but my last job I was liftin motorcycles and pushin them bastards around 8 hours a day, maybe I'll surprise myself!! 
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