"How much can you bench?"

[Chris D]

1 - 1rm Bench press yes (205 as of march 2005)

2 - Body fat and biceps no!!

Interesting topic!

Chris D.

[BobTheKillerGoldfish]

1 RM bench - 75 Kilos (stop laughing)
2 No idea

Personally, I train to get stronger and fitter at everything. Training is something I use to supplement everything I do, as much as it is a passtime in itself.

[kuri]

1. 1RM - basically yes for all lifts
2. I know approx neighborhood of BF, no idea on biceps size but its just south of Hulk Hogan's guns

Then again I train more for strength and sports performance than size.

[Jimbo]

Kuri I love your avatar. LOL

[commutator]

Originally posted by Lou Schuler:
Guys, I need a little help for a new project.

Two quick questions:

1. If someone asked, "How much can you bench?" or "What's the most you've ever benched?", would you have an accurate answer?

Almost too accurate, on the order of "The best I've done is X lbs for Y reps." Someday I'll recruit a spotter/partner and actually experimentally determine my 1RM.



2. If that same person asked about your body-fat percentage, or biceps circumference, or any other measure of bodybuilding success, would you be able to answer the questions accurately?

I could answer weight, bodyfat, but probably not the measurements.


My premise is that most of us hit the gym with very specific ideas about how we want to transform our bodies -- smaller waist, bigger arms, etc. -- but very few of us ever measure any of the parameters we're training.

Meanwhile, while few guys go into the gym with the idea of getting stronger, my guess is that virtually every semi-serious lifter has tested his bench-press max and could tell you what it is in a heartbeat.

Do you agree or disagree with the premise? Any other thoughts about how we judge success in the gym?

I think you're dead on about most people not measuring their progress, with the exception of the bench press. In 3-ish years of consistent strength training, I've come across 1 other person that uses logs, at least while working out.

I might also add that goals may change too. My original goal was, simply stated, to not be a blimp anymore, and had a goal weight in mind. As I deflated and became more fitness savy, it switched to getting stronger (hence the logs) and maybe keeping the bf in a certain range.

One last thing: I don't know how people can work out without logs. I couldn't remember any workout that had more than 2 exercises.

Jerry

[JMR]

I agree with your premise but I couldn't tell ya. I haven't benched in years and consider it highly overrated.

However, I could ballpark a bodyfat measurement or an arm measurement. Otherwise I just go by the mirror.

[igunick]

Originally posted by JMR:
I haven't benched in years and consider it highly overrated.

So what have you been doing all those years?

[JMR]

Rehab. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Honestly, I use a variety of machines either decline or incline, mostly decline cuz it gives me less problems. I particularly like the Nautilus decline press. I've got shoulder problems that preclude about any freeweight chest work and bench pressing all those years just killed my shoulders.

[bipennate]

1. If someone asked, "How much can you bench?" or "What's the most you've ever benched?", would you have an accurate answer?

Like most of the guys, I could give you my 3 RM on all of my lifts, but not 1 RM. Personally, I consider 1RM testing a little overated, and I think a 3-5RM gives you a little more information about an individual's conditioning and strength.

2. If that same person asked about your body-fat percentage, or biceps circumference, or any other measure of bodybuilding success, would you be able to answer the questions accurately?

Within reason, yes. I take my bf every so often, weigh myself about once per week, and visually assess my progress as well. My goals change throughout the year: the winter is used to put on a little size, and the spring-summer is for taking off the excess weight while trying to maintain the gains. Therefore, knowledge of my weight, diet, and bf% is very valuable towards these ends. If my bf% decreases but my weight stays basically the same, I am achieving my goal. In the winter, the scale is more important, along with my weights progression. Bf% takes a back seat. I don't use measurements to jusdge growth, just weight lifted and body weight...if both keep going up, without looking like a bodybuilding Bhuda in the process, then I know that I am on the right track!

My premise is that most of us hit the gym with very specific ideas about how we want to transform our bodies -- smaller waist, bigger arms, etc. -- but very few of us ever measure any of the parameters we're training.

Meanwhile, while few guys go into the gym with the idea of getting stronger, my guess is that virtually every semi-serious lifter has tested his bench-press max and could tell you what it is in a heartbeat.

Do you agree or disagree with the premise? Any other thoughts about how we judge success in the gym?

I think that the 'average' lifter really goes into the gym for either health or to simply 'look good,' which is very subjective. Weights are a means to those ends, but they are not always the focus. For many people, achieving a look that they are pleased with transforms their workouts into a 'maintanence' mode, and they slowly lose interest/focus in acquiring further mechanical load improvements/gains. Complacency is one of the biggest enemies of the weightlifter, IMO, recreational or otherwise.

[lifesaparty]

1. i know my 3rm for the main lifts and usually test every 8-10 weeks. i test my 3rm and use a max calculator to find my 1rm. i base some of my lifts off percentages (following chad waterburry's methods) so I need to know my maxes.

2. i know a rough estimate of bf%, nothing else though... all i care is if I am getting stronger and faster

[Q.]

Originally posted by Lou Schuler:
1. If someone asked, "How much can you bench?" or "What's the most you've ever benched?", would you have an accurate answer?

No. As has been mentioned before, I work out alone so I wouldn't try to max out on this exercise. Plus, I quit benching as a regular exercise over a year ago.

Originally posted by Lou Schuler:
2. If that same person asked about your body-fat percentage, or biceps circumference, or any other measure of bodybuilding success, would you be able to answer the questions accurately?

Yes, I just had the BF measured in the past month but haven't measured biceps in years.

Originally posted by Lou Schuler:
My premise is that most of us hit the gym with very specific ideas about how we want to transform our bodies -- smaller waist, bigger arms, etc. -- but very few of us ever measure any of the parameters we're training.

Meanwhile, while few guys go into the gym with the idea of getting stronger, my guess is that virtually every semi-serious lifter has tested his bench-press max and could tell you what it is in a heartbeat.

Do you agree or disagree with the premise? Any other thoughts about how we judge success in the gym?

Maybe the age factor is a legit variable here. I work out 5x/wk so I think I'm as serious as the next person but (1) I'm not a competitive power lifter so I don't need to work on my bench press and (2) I'm older and married so the "pretty muscles" are not as much a priority to me as I perceive them to be for the younger, single guys although I do care about my overall body appearance and fitness level.

[Ogedei]

So I thought I should do some measuring.

Even though I didn't know where I was off the top of my head I had it all recorded in Mybodycomp.com. O just did new measurements.

I am please to say that it's the first time in awhile it has reported a loss of BF%. Usually according to it my fat loss is outstripped by lean mass loss. This time I maintained all my fat loss and lost 3 lbs of fat as comapred to 2 months ago.

I don't know how accurate that is.

I do now that my last bicep measure was 12.75 and the new one is 13.25. That's a gain of .5 an inch. And i'll take that all the way to the bank.

I have spent the last month eating above maintenance, or trying my damndest to, so it is nice to see some size gain, even if the scale hasn't moved much.

End result I suspect even if most of us can't tell you the stuff off the top of our heads we have ways of checking our progress out. Even if we don't do it enough.

Og.

[canuckguy]

The short answer:

1. Not 1RM, but 3-5RM

2. Yes.


The long answer:

I got serious about weight training as an adjunct to a weight/fat loss program. I don't think of myself as a bodybuilder per c'est, just someone who is trying to improve his overall level of health and fitness.

But in order to achieve my fat loss goals, I have to monitor my progress. So I weigh in daily on a tanita type scale; measure and calculate BF% monthly; and only yesterday had my body composition tested using something called a "bod-pod". It would appear that I've still got some serious cutting to do, but then, I can see that every time I look in the mirror. Now I've got a number to work from as well.

I just happen to know my 3-5RM on the bench because I hit it this week. First time I've asked for a spot and actually needed it. Failed at 3 on Monday, made 5 on Wednesday with just a wee bit of help. Unfortunately, I've still got a way to go - about a 30% increase - before I hit bodyweight.

[wannabe]

Hmmm, cool thread. I want in.
At 5ft5," 158lbs, I'm jush a widdle guy.

My Max bench is 215lbs 4x.(w/lift-off help)
My bf% is about 13% according to my skin caliper chart. I measure 1" above my hip bone.
I know there is a 7 site test, but I have no idea where suprillic is. Can someone relay the 7 sites in dumb-dumb terms?

[jwrives]

I have kept a log of my workouts for the past 4 years, but I rarely test my max because I almost always work out alone. I guess I could use one of the calculators and make an estimate.

As far as BF% or size measurements I have in the past kept fairly accurate measurments because I had some specific goals set for myself. Since I have achieved those goals I tend to just use the "look in the mirror" method to see if I am still happy with where my body is.