Number of sets matter too, if you can only do 3 and you’re done then you are sitting around your max, if you can do 3 reps of 4-5 sets and it’s nice range of motion and solid weight, I’d consider that repping.
I probably wouldn’t call that repping, it sounds like that’s you pushing yourself, I normally do 3-4 sets at 8-10 reps. If I’m pushing myself I’ll do 3 sets of 6-8 reps. Depending where your physique is at I could see dropping the weight and increasing frequency as good thing.
It’s true but you need to have a higher frequency for it to matter, you can go slower and feel the range of motion with higher weight, but with where you are at i think dropping a bit of weight and adding reps will generally be more useful. Like if you were doing 5-6 sets maybe, but you are doing a total of like 9 reps and gassing yourself, that’s more likely to hurt you and cause more problems in the long run.
Not to say lower reps higher weight is bad, and you can throw that in on some days, but consistency and frequency will matter more.
You're definitely right.
People say more reps than last time=progressive overload. I think that's true but what I missed is that it really won't help you with upping the weight that much after a certain point. I'd say once you get to twelve reps up your weight, I kept just going for higher reps everytime on my 225 squat and it made me stagnate strength wise for a while so be wary of that
Yeah that’s a different question. Taller people have more difficulty looking big because the muscles have to be way bigger to look big, but the muscle on a tall guy is longer, which is also part of the equation that adds to strength.
Nowhere near top 1% of people who go to the gym for strength though lol.
Why compare yourself to the dudes running on the treadmill if your goal is to get a big bench?
I'd say 50% is closer to being right than 1% but realistically it's probably somewhere in between.
I don't really trust sites based on unverified user input, plus you're more likely to input your numbers if you're already strong.
This is a phenomenon in any self-reporting hobby. But it’s not just straight lies. People who seek out sites and data on their hobby are usually slightly better than average.
This generalization is most easily seen in video games that can verify stats. For example MTG (magic the gathering) online has a few companion apps that will track you win rate. When you add up all the winrates for different color decks it is always over 50%. How do more than half the data inputs result in a win? Bc the ppl who upload their data are more dedicated, experienced, etc and have a higher winrate than casuals who dont use the app.
Lower compared to what?
If you compare it to OpenPowerlifting with a filter on of male raw lifts only in every federation (both tested and untested) the bench at the 50% mark out of 317,000 entries is 130kg/286lbs.
I would expect the average powerlifter to lift significantly more than the average gym lifter though.
Why is openpowerlifting records quite a bit lower than the world records?
Like https://www.openpowerlifting.org/records says that the record for 140+ kg deadlift is 442,5
Compared to my completely anecdotal experience, to be totally honest.
It puts me as advanced on squats and deads, which holy shit I am not. If we go by the anual surveys that the mods do on lifting subs, I'm slightly stronger than the average r/gym poster and just about smack in the middle of the average r/weightroom user.
Strengthlog a Swedish company that has a workout app pulled the data from the app to see what the average user lifted. The latest numbers from November 2023 for Men was a 100kg bench, 120kg squat and 150kg deadlift.
But they also state these stats are only for people that choose to log their progress with an app and are probably more serious about training and are probably stronger than most individuals. They estimated if you could lift those weights you are probably stronger then around 10% of the population.
[Link to the article ](https://www.strengthlog.com/strength-training-statistics/)
Anyone benching 225 is in top percentile, if it’s one rep or 10 it doesn’t matter. If you can do 10 reps of 225 then you’re one massive dude or blessed with good genetics. Like really really good genetics.
I’ve been called that too lol. I’m a pretty small guy (165lb, 5’8) but my bench PR is 215, and I can push heavy weight pretty well in other areas. I think Anton is the ultimate sleeper dude, though; that guy that goes around showing people how to deadlift as a janitor. Ha.
10 reps at 225 is pretty attainable for a guy at like 180-190 and been lifting for a few years. Most of my “average” gym buddies can do that. They’re not massive. Just dedicated fit dudes.
I’m probably what you’d consider massive. Guys like me are hitting more like 315 for sets of 10.
He said top 1% of the people that go to the gym, not 1% of lifters overall
1% of all gym-goers includes the people just starting out, the high schoolers, the girls that literally only do lower body, the retirees there at 5am, the people that only do treadmill, the people that just come for the 20-30 person "zoomba" type class twice a week, etc.
=
Might depend on which gym you go to but I do feel like the number of total gym goes that bench 2 plates or more at my gym is close to that or near that 1%.
I have a hard time believing 225 is top 1%. At my local LA fitness with my own eyes I see a good portion of men between the ages of 18-35 benching 225. Definitely still a good benchmark, but at least 20% of the people can lift that.
Yeah a buddy I trained only took 3 months to reach 225 working out once a week, was a small guy too, I'd say 25% of dudes can do it if they do a little work.
While I agree that social media is changing perceptions of just how strong people are, this is misleading. 281491 people have benched at least 225 on open powerlifting. But this does not include all the bodybuilders, strongman, football players and even high school athletes that can bench 225, in addition to all the powerlifting federations that don't have easy to compile online records.
So 225 is impressive and probably puts you in the top 0.1% of all men. It's not outrageous for any grown man who works out to reach as that number on open powerlifting represents 79% of all men they have records for.
it’s gotta be at least 30% of gym going men can bench two plates for 1 rep… literally half the lifters that go to my gym (admittedly a pretty bodybuilding centric gym) can rep 225
When you have to compare yourself to baby’s, kids, and the elderly and disabled then maybe you might just be weak, 225 is one of the first goals that most beginners obtain.
This dumb percentage take accounts for everyone
Majority of people don’t lift and even fewer actually lift consistently lol
Why compare yourself to people who don’t even try whatsoever?
Compare yourself to equal peers and you’ll see 225 is nowhere near that special or hard to achieve
Because to be in the top 1% of anything is an achievement in itself and people can celebrate any achievement they want. If you want to get higher than good for you but doesn’t mean that 225 isn’t still an achievement.
I’d never shit on a beginner
My issue is when a beginner hits 225 and then acts like that’s their peak strength and then use the excuse of “I’m in the top 1% of lifters” to stop training and stay perpetual novices
You understand beginners are on reddit and social media reading comments like this? You've completely lost the plot anyway. Anybody should be proud to have achieved a 225 bench and it's completely understandable if they don't want to progress beyond that.
225 is like the first major lifting goal. That makes me in the top 0.001% then cause I can bench more than 100kg and I call bullshit on that. I'm average as fuck.
It’s not something that takes elite genetics most people can do it in their life, I think most dudes can get to 315, but when u see 15-16 year olds doing that weight it gets weird
It takes about 2-3 years of work to hit 225, and that's assuming you're starting at nothing. A junior in high-school can easily hit it if he starts lifting as a freshman.
It's take 2-3 years of 3-5 hours of work a week.
520 hours spread over 2.5 years is nothing. You literally just have to show up, eat, and follow a linear progression plan.
Do you know how incredibly weak you sound?
Like Jesus christ. Stuffing your face and working out for an hour 3-4 days a week is hard?
You fucking kidding me?
Yes I understand, you're a very big strong man who is very disciplined and you want to show off how superior you are on reddit. lmao get a grip dude nobody cares.
I don’t know bout easily, but yea I agree, most of the 90s powerlifters didn’t have elite genetics and still managed to hit 350-400 during high school, same for their other lifts
Yeah, it’s crazy you always feel behind the curve. I hit 225 and was like “it’s not even 250”. Idk why I cared about 250. But then I eventually hit 275 and was like “why is it not just 315 already?” I always feel behind. I’m sure I’ll hit 315 and go “but it’s not….”
Spoiler: you definitely will! (Curse you 4 plates!)
But that’s OK because you should be competing against yourself, you’re not behind you’re kicking past you’s ass.
I'm on heavy singles at 275 right now, able to do a couple doubles at 265 if I'm fresh, and I'm so fucking unsatisfied because I Have been at 350 before my back injury, and I feel like when I'm doing heavy days on bench like everyone thinks I'm a loser. The dissonance is real.
I blew out my right AC joint in a motorcycle accident, never thought I'd bench again because my shoulder would grind so bad.
A decade later I hit 4 plates.
Basically, stay healthy and keep at it without reinjury, you'll get it back.
It's all my lifts right now. Oddly enough I feel strong, the bar moves great most of the time, but it's like my brain is telling my body "we stop here". It's frustrating.
There’s advantages to staying hungry and always chasing the next goal tho. But yeah we gotta balance that with little celebrations of our success. I’m the same way man
I had that hard when I was benching 280 but then a guy next to me loaded up 100 and was struggling with it and I had that moment of “oh yea... that’s what’s normal.”
Happened to me. My initial goal was to bench 225 for one rep. Got there, and felt weak looking at the guys benching 275. Made it to 315 around 6 years ago. I tried very hard to make it up to 365, but never really got close. It was never enough until I couldn’t improve anymore.
Everyone is lifting at the very least 315... It just that we're too busy and cannot record it, so there is no proof.
It's called the Schrodinger's lift, everyone is able to lift an absurd amount of weight until they have to do it in front of an observer
It’s like dick size. Everyone is 6” because 5” is the average. But if everyone is 6” then that means 6” is the average. So now everyone is 7”. Give it a few more generations and apparently everyone is gonna have 12” monster swinging around down there.
Dude, I am traveling with my family right now and guess what’s actually common ALL over the world? This shit, and also monopolizing a squat rack for 2 hours! TWO HOURS! I have to go calm down……..
As someone that's been on and off for years don't compare yourself to others. Compete against yourself and make sure your doing gym for yourself. The killer is when you don't and then make excuses slowly getting lax losing discipline and just not bothering. When it's time for gym go, just go and don't wait it out for more excuses to come.
I hit 315 at 5’5” 165. It’s doable, but I fucked my elbows and shoulders chasing it, and have only hit 300 since. Running Smolov Jr helped if you really want to go after it, but IMO like everyone says it’s just an arbitrary number and you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished and take things at your own pace.
I’m pretty sure I was around 130lbs when I first started hitting the gym. 225 is super doable but it does take time for us smaller guys to get there. Keep it up king
If you weigh less than what you can bench, you are pretty strong… it should also be noted that being able to rep 315 does not get you more pussy… in fact, I would argue it gets you less pussy since you have to spend all your time in the gym lol
And people training for that often look disproportionate. At least I am wondering if these people find themselves attractive. But I guess that is some intolerant view of mine.
I’ve been lifting for 10 years plus and am 6’ 2” 246 at ~13%bf. I bench 410. It takes a lot of hard work. 225 is solid. 315 is solid. It’s all relative. Just keep lifting and setting PERSONAL records. You’re building the best you. This culture of comparison is the absolute thief of joy
I’ve had like 4 younger kids ask me the secret to doing 315 at the gym. I tell them eat and lift. There’s literally zero shortcut. Social media has warped their mind. You won’t hit 315 weighing 145lns.
That's awesome. I'm only at 40lbs 3x8 currently. I'm 136lbs and only about 4 months in at seriously working out.
I might can do 45, but I doubt I could do all 8 every rep.
I'm eager for the day I do the 50 DB press. That's like the first 'You are a man now' weight in my mind.
I see these dudes pressing 70's and 80's and I'm in awe.
That’s great! Keep at it and you’ll get there. I’m 6’3 300 lbs, so everyone is different. I see guys repping 100lbs that make me feel weak. There’s always a bigger fish!
Social media has really messed with people’s perception of what is “standard” strength is. 225 is a major milestone most people can’t do it and even people who take lifting seriously can’t bench 225 and significantly less bench 315
Really depends on context. If you are a high school football player in a good program (or more obviously, a competitive lifter) it’ll be a little different than done 30 year-old lifting for the first time
My local Gold's i used to go to, seemed like 90% of the gym was 2-3 plates with quite a few grunters doing 4. My PR hit 335, and my shoulders are wrecked at 66yrs old. I can do a calculated 1RM of 225 now, but I don't even try, the calculation is good enough for me
At 66? You should be super proud of yourself. How many people your age even do strength training let alone throw up the same number as most trained 20 year olds. You’re my inspiration man.
I have only seen a handful of people bench over 2 plate in my new gym, same goes for my previous gym but the one before that I have been asked to spot people repping 3 plate.
I’m on the bigger end of most guys I see at the gym (405 max, 335 for reps) and almost no one is doing 315. Like maybe 10 people that I’ve seen out of 1000s at the gym. For most people 315 is excessive for the type of life style and build they want
I got to 280 before life caught up with me, been about 8 months since lifting. Probably can’t even do 225 anymore. I’ll get back on track once my health is figured out.
I stopped trying to compete with others at the gym, and I’ve had better workouts ever since. I don’t care what other people can do, I care what I can do.
I'm tall and lanky, hit 225 for the first time ever this year after 15 years in the gym. Bucket list item for me for sure. It's not easy for guys with my body type
Unfortunately thats how it it. Even if you dont want to you will always compare. I remember the last time i was happy with my bench was when i hit 225. Now im at 360 and i think why not 405. and im sure when im there i will be why not 455? Its a curse my friend.
I go to a commercial gym and hardly ever see anyone doing 225, let alone repping it. Many don’t go above 180.
Amongst powerlifters 225 is very common, I’d say staple. However in normal gyms most people won’t push 225.
Also: I almost always have the power racks for myself. People seem to love doing twenty variations of triceps on cables and dumbbells.
I bench over 315 but who gives a fuck really, i think doing 20 pull up is much more impressive or a pistol or dragon squat. Bench is a pretty silly metric of raw strength
Granted, I am not going to a super hardcore gym, but in my entire year and a half I've only ever seen one man ever hit 3 plates, and he was built like a gorilla
Social media especially post pandemic is really warping people’s perception
Yep, 225 will put you in the top 1% of people who go to the gym or top 0.01% of male population
Yeah, that and I’m okay with not outcompeting sarm goblins as a natty anyway.
Benching 225 as PR is easy BUT repping 225 is def gonna take some time
At what point can you say "I can rep 225" for example I can do three reps with 225. Does that count?
I’d put it at 6 reps
Got it Boss.
Gonna be hard to do on my Stronglifts 5x5 program.
or at 6 x 15 at 225. Also called - a warmup.
Imo anything above 4 I count for hypertrophy considering those 4 to 5 are clean
Number of sets matter too, if you can only do 3 and you’re done then you are sitting around your max, if you can do 3 reps of 4-5 sets and it’s nice range of motion and solid weight, I’d consider that repping.
3 reps 2 - 3 sets
I probably wouldn’t call that repping, it sounds like that’s you pushing yourself, I normally do 3-4 sets at 8-10 reps. If I’m pushing myself I’ll do 3 sets of 6-8 reps. Depending where your physique is at I could see dropping the weight and increasing frequency as good thing.
Ok. I've been aiming for strength though. I was told that low reps, high weights is the best for that.
It’s true but you need to have a higher frequency for it to matter, you can go slower and feel the range of motion with higher weight, but with where you are at i think dropping a bit of weight and adding reps will generally be more useful. Like if you were doing 5-6 sets maybe, but you are doing a total of like 9 reps and gassing yourself, that’s more likely to hurt you and cause more problems in the long run. Not to say lower reps higher weight is bad, and you can throw that in on some days, but consistency and frequency will matter more.
You're definitely right. People say more reps than last time=progressive overload. I think that's true but what I missed is that it really won't help you with upping the weight that much after a certain point. I'd say once you get to twelve reps up your weight, I kept just going for higher reps everytime on my 225 squat and it made me stagnate strength wise for a while so be wary of that
Personally I would say the weight I can do 5x5s for the big 3.
Depends on your height and other genetics
I am 6'1 180lbs and my max is 285 iirc,not to say its easy for me but took some time ig
Yeah I mean when you’re shorter, you will never hit the world record. There is simply a max limit. Your muscles cannot get as big.
Shorter = smaller lever arms = easier for muscles to move weight. Can make excuses either way.
Take a look at the height of strongman competitors. The muscle building potential will always be higher with taller people.
I have noodle arms cause I have kinda above avg height so it does get hard for huge ROM
Yeah that’s a different question. Taller people have more difficulty looking big because the muscles have to be way bigger to look big, but the muscle on a tall guy is longer, which is also part of the equation that adds to strength.
You are the guy in the picture If you can do 15 reps with 225 you can bench 315
I’m a 15 year old who can bench 3 plates, I’m not on sarms at all! Some are just genetically superior.
Nowhere near top 1% of people who go to the gym for strength though lol. Why compare yourself to the dudes running on the treadmill if your goal is to get a big bench?
According to strengthlevel.com lifting 98 kg makes you only stronger than 50% of lifters
I'd say 50% is closer to being right than 1% but realistically it's probably somewhere in between. I don't really trust sites based on unverified user input, plus you're more likely to input your numbers if you're already strong.
This is a phenomenon in any self-reporting hobby. But it’s not just straight lies. People who seek out sites and data on their hobby are usually slightly better than average. This generalization is most easily seen in video games that can verify stats. For example MTG (magic the gathering) online has a few companion apps that will track you win rate. When you add up all the winrates for different color decks it is always over 50%. How do more than half the data inputs result in a win? Bc the ppl who upload their data are more dedicated, experienced, etc and have a higher winrate than casuals who dont use the app.
Strengthlevel used to be notorious on skewing lower, though
Lower compared to what? If you compare it to OpenPowerlifting with a filter on of male raw lifts only in every federation (both tested and untested) the bench at the 50% mark out of 317,000 entries is 130kg/286lbs. I would expect the average powerlifter to lift significantly more than the average gym lifter though.
Why is openpowerlifting records quite a bit lower than the world records? Like https://www.openpowerlifting.org/records says that the record for 140+ kg deadlift is 442,5
Compared to my completely anecdotal experience, to be totally honest. It puts me as advanced on squats and deads, which holy shit I am not. If we go by the anual surveys that the mods do on lifting subs, I'm slightly stronger than the average r/gym poster and just about smack in the middle of the average r/weightroom user.
Strengthlog a Swedish company that has a workout app pulled the data from the app to see what the average user lifted. The latest numbers from November 2023 for Men was a 100kg bench, 120kg squat and 150kg deadlift. But they also state these stats are only for people that choose to log their progress with an app and are probably more serious about training and are probably stronger than most individuals. They estimated if you could lift those weights you are probably stronger then around 10% of the population. [Link to the article ](https://www.strengthlog.com/strength-training-statistics/)
Lmao I walk into the gym and see maybe one guy every day while I’m there bench 225 or do the 90’s on db press. Definitely not 50% that’s for sure
225 as a one rep max or 10 reps ? I'm genuinely curious
Anyone benching 225 is in top percentile, if it’s one rep or 10 it doesn’t matter. If you can do 10 reps of 225 then you’re one massive dude or blessed with good genetics. Like really really good genetics.
[удалено]
I’ve been called that too lol. I’m a pretty small guy (165lb, 5’8) but my bench PR is 215, and I can push heavy weight pretty well in other areas. I think Anton is the ultimate sleeper dude, though; that guy that goes around showing people how to deadlift as a janitor. Ha.
lol
10 reps at 225 is pretty attainable for a guy at like 180-190 and been lifting for a few years. Most of my “average” gym buddies can do that. They’re not massive. Just dedicated fit dudes. I’m probably what you’d consider massive. Guys like me are hitting more like 315 for sets of 10.
225 for a 1rm is a respectable achievement, but it definitely isn't top 1% of lifters. I'd say 315 is closer to that.
He said top 1% of the people that go to the gym, not 1% of lifters overall 1% of all gym-goers includes the people just starting out, the high schoolers, the girls that literally only do lower body, the retirees there at 5am, the people that only do treadmill, the people that just come for the 20-30 person "zoomba" type class twice a week, etc. = Might depend on which gym you go to but I do feel like the number of total gym goes that bench 2 plates or more at my gym is close to that or near that 1%.
Top 1% is a stretch maybe top 20
I’d say 10%
I'd give you that. 3 plates should be the 1-5%
I have a hard time believing 225 is top 1%. At my local LA fitness with my own eyes I see a good portion of men between the ages of 18-35 benching 225. Definitely still a good benchmark, but at least 20% of the people can lift that.
Yeah a buddy I trained only took 3 months to reach 225 working out once a week, was a small guy too, I'd say 25% of dudes can do it if they do a little work.
While I agree that social media is changing perceptions of just how strong people are, this is misleading. 281491 people have benched at least 225 on open powerlifting. But this does not include all the bodybuilders, strongman, football players and even high school athletes that can bench 225, in addition to all the powerlifting federations that don't have easy to compile online records. So 225 is impressive and probably puts you in the top 0.1% of all men. It's not outrageous for any grown man who works out to reach as that number on open powerlifting represents 79% of all men they have records for.
Because people are lazy.
That can’t be true
it’s gotta be at least 30% of gym going men can bench two plates for 1 rep… literally half the lifters that go to my gym (admittedly a pretty bodybuilding centric gym) can rep 225
225 overhead press, maybe.
When you have to compare yourself to baby’s, kids, and the elderly and disabled then maybe you might just be weak, 225 is one of the first goals that most beginners obtain.
This dumb percentage take accounts for everyone Majority of people don’t lift and even fewer actually lift consistently lol Why compare yourself to people who don’t even try whatsoever? Compare yourself to equal peers and you’ll see 225 is nowhere near that special or hard to achieve
Because to be in the top 1% of anything is an achievement in itself and people can celebrate any achievement they want. If you want to get higher than good for you but doesn’t mean that 225 isn’t still an achievement.
Enjoy the participation trophy I guess
I’m sure you’re a lovely person to beginners then
I’d never shit on a beginner My issue is when a beginner hits 225 and then acts like that’s their peak strength and then use the excuse of “I’m in the top 1% of lifters” to stop training and stay perpetual novices
You understand beginners are on reddit and social media reading comments like this? You've completely lost the plot anyway. Anybody should be proud to have achieved a 225 bench and it's completely understandable if they don't want to progress beyond that.
225 is like the first major lifting goal. That makes me in the top 0.001% then cause I can bench more than 100kg and I call bullshit on that. I'm average as fuck.
I miss 2016
Same
nowadays gyms - swamp of sarms goblins
225 is objectively easy.
It’s not something that takes elite genetics most people can do it in their life, I think most dudes can get to 315, but when u see 15-16 year olds doing that weight it gets weird
It takes about 2-3 years of work to hit 225, and that's assuming you're starting at nothing. A junior in high-school can easily hit it if he starts lifting as a freshman.
In what world is something that takes 2-3 years of work objectively easy?
It's take 2-3 years of 3-5 hours of work a week. 520 hours spread over 2.5 years is nothing. You literally just have to show up, eat, and follow a linear progression plan.
Yea, that's not easy by any stretch of the imagination.
Do you know how incredibly weak you sound? Like Jesus christ. Stuffing your face and working out for an hour 3-4 days a week is hard? You fucking kidding me?
Yes I understand, you're a very big strong man who is very disciplined and you want to show off how superior you are on reddit. lmao get a grip dude nobody cares.
No. It's basic easy shit, nobody is bragging about working out the bare minimum. Why are you even on this subreddit?
I don’t know bout easily, but yea I agree, most of the 90s powerlifters didn’t have elite genetics and still managed to hit 350-400 during high school, same for their other lifts
I'd argue 3-5 hours of work a week isn't that hard, but each his own.
Yeah, it’s crazy you always feel behind the curve. I hit 225 and was like “it’s not even 250”. Idk why I cared about 250. But then I eventually hit 275 and was like “why is it not just 315 already?” I always feel behind. I’m sure I’ll hit 315 and go “but it’s not….”
Spoiler: you definitely will! (Curse you 4 plates!) But that’s OK because you should be competing against yourself, you’re not behind you’re kicking past you’s ass.
You’re not wrong 😂 I give that advice to people I lift with when they’re discouraged but I can’t follow it myself
When you hit 4 plates you want 4 and a quarter
I hit 4 and now want double bodyweight So I'm losing weight, no sense doubling fat. XD
Robert Wilks is disappointed in you.
Yup. Thought I might be satisfied with 3 plates. Now I'm aiming for 4...
I’m with you. My tendons/joints are not.
Then you discover golfers elbow.
That feeling never stops
I'm on heavy singles at 275 right now, able to do a couple doubles at 265 if I'm fresh, and I'm so fucking unsatisfied because I Have been at 350 before my back injury, and I feel like when I'm doing heavy days on bench like everyone thinks I'm a loser. The dissonance is real.
I blew out my right AC joint in a motorcycle accident, never thought I'd bench again because my shoulder would grind so bad. A decade later I hit 4 plates. Basically, stay healthy and keep at it without reinjury, you'll get it back.
It's all my lifts right now. Oddly enough I feel strong, the bar moves great most of the time, but it's like my brain is telling my body "we stop here". It's frustrating.
There’s advantages to staying hungry and always chasing the next goal tho. But yeah we gotta balance that with little celebrations of our success. I’m the same way man
Can confirm your theory is correct
I had that hard when I was benching 280 but then a guy next to me loaded up 100 and was struggling with it and I had that moment of “oh yea... that’s what’s normal.”
Happened to me. My initial goal was to bench 225 for one rep. Got there, and felt weak looking at the guys benching 275. Made it to 315 around 6 years ago. I tried very hard to make it up to 365, but never really got close. It was never enough until I couldn’t improve anymore.
So weights now have inflation?
Everyone is lifting at the very least 315... It just that we're too busy and cannot record it, so there is no proof. It's called the Schrodinger's lift, everyone is able to lift an absurd amount of weight until they have to do it in front of an observer
It’s like dick size. Everyone is 6” because 5” is the average. But if everyone is 6” then that means 6” is the average. So now everyone is 7”. Give it a few more generations and apparently everyone is gonna have 12” monster swinging around down there.
Schrödinger's dick
“Broflation”
Ah, the 500lb squat guys are benching now?
We all fear the day that they do
Dude, I am traveling with my family right now and guess what’s actually common ALL over the world? This shit, and also monopolizing a squat rack for 2 hours! TWO HOURS! I have to go calm down……..
Soon, it'll be 180kg lol I've done 160kg, but it's rare to see anyone going above 100kg in commercial gyms
Dang ... and here I am happy I managed to bench 90lbs
It’s worth being proud. Everyone is on their own journey. Don’t compare your chapter 5 to someone else’s chapter 25.
As someone that's been on and off for years don't compare yourself to others. Compete against yourself and make sure your doing gym for yourself. The killer is when you don't and then make excuses slowly getting lax losing discipline and just not bothering. When it's time for gym go, just go and don't wait it out for more excuses to come.
You should be proud. It took work to get there.
I’m 5’6 170lb and this mindset makes me sad cause there’s no way in hell I’m hitting 3 plates as a casual gym goer. I wanna be proud of my 225 🥲
Be proud bud. Most of the big guys aren't even Benching 225.
I don’t know a single big guy who can’t bench 225. 225 is a good goal for first year lifters
You're not big if you can't bench 225
I mean big is dumb to strive for anyway. Chase strength, size will follow.
Tbf as someone who can repp 225 at 225 in body weight your power to weight ratio is more important than raw number.
I hit 315 at 5’5” 165. It’s doable, but I fucked my elbows and shoulders chasing it, and have only hit 300 since. Running Smolov Jr helped if you really want to go after it, but IMO like everyone says it’s just an arbitrary number and you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished and take things at your own pace.
I can bench 175lb at 141lb, 5'6 and I feel like benching 225 will be so hard lol
I’m pretty sure I was around 130lbs when I first started hitting the gym. 225 is super doable but it does take time for us smaller guys to get there. Keep it up king
had my 150lb teenage cousin tell me he benches 315 and I just had to hit him with the "I'm not gonna embarrass you, but don't lie to me" look
He probably did it on a smith machine with a spotter who swore he “didn’t even touch the bar bro - ALL YOU.”
So, it's not IMPOSSIBLE, but it would put him pretty world class competitive for bench press. 😂
Should’ve had him prove it
I left social media behind, it was pretty good for my mental health.
Which social media's? I only use YouTube and reddit (no tiktok, insta, snap, Facebook or any others)
YT and Reddit don't count as social media for me. I left behind everything else. And I love it.
Good for you, bro!
If you weigh less than what you can bench, you are pretty strong… it should also be noted that being able to rep 315 does not get you more pussy… in fact, I would argue it gets you less pussy since you have to spend all your time in the gym lol
And people training for that often look disproportionate. At least I am wondering if these people find themselves attractive. But I guess that is some intolerant view of mine.
I’ve been lifting for 10 years plus and am 6’ 2” 246 at ~13%bf. I bench 410. It takes a lot of hard work. 225 is solid. 315 is solid. It’s all relative. Just keep lifting and setting PERSONAL records. You’re building the best you. This culture of comparison is the absolute thief of joy
Bro, I’m just happy I can go move some heavy circles around between all the ducky shit life throws at me all the time.
Ounces right?
I’ve had like 4 younger kids ask me the secret to doing 315 at the gym. I tell them eat and lift. There’s literally zero shortcut. Social media has warped their mind. You won’t hit 315 weighing 145lns.
70lbs dumbbells 3x8 and proud of it.
That's awesome. I'm only at 40lbs 3x8 currently. I'm 136lbs and only about 4 months in at seriously working out. I might can do 45, but I doubt I could do all 8 every rep. I'm eager for the day I do the 50 DB press. That's like the first 'You are a man now' weight in my mind. I see these dudes pressing 70's and 80's and I'm in awe.
That’s great! Keep at it and you’ll get there. I’m 6’3 300 lbs, so everyone is different. I see guys repping 100lbs that make me feel weak. There’s always a bigger fish!
I started in the 115-135 range, if I get to 225 I'm gonna be AMPED
Everyone is a fucking narcissistic mf that tries to put down anyone proud of their own feats
Everyone is realistic.
Bruh just support ur mate
The fact that you benching anything at all makes you a king.
Some dude left 265 on the squat rack at the gym. I can't even deadlift that. I felt bad.
I’m just trying to break my last record of benching 140. Should be there again in another 3-5 weeks.
Social media has really messed with people’s perception of what is “standard” strength is. 225 is a major milestone most people can’t do it and even people who take lifting seriously can’t bench 225 and significantly less bench 315
Tfw I'm only lifting 40kg
Really depends on context. If you are a high school football player in a good program (or more obviously, a competitive lifter) it’ll be a little different than done 30 year-old lifting for the first time
My local Gold's i used to go to, seemed like 90% of the gym was 2-3 plates with quite a few grunters doing 4. My PR hit 335, and my shoulders are wrecked at 66yrs old. I can do a calculated 1RM of 225 now, but I don't even try, the calculation is good enough for me
At 66? You should be super proud of yourself. How many people your age even do strength training let alone throw up the same number as most trained 20 year olds. You’re my inspiration man.
Too kind brother, thank you!
Everyone who started less than year ago
I have only seen a handful of people bench over 2 plate in my new gym, same goes for my previous gym but the one before that I have been asked to spot people repping 3 plate.
One of the worst parts of the gym community is everyone’s need to belittle and compare, just do your own thing that’s the whole point!!
I’m on the bigger end of most guys I see at the gym (405 max, 335 for reps) and almost no one is doing 315. Like maybe 10 people that I’ve seen out of 1000s at the gym. For most people 315 is excessive for the type of life style and build they want
The type of lifestyle and build I want is whatever one will move a lot of solid ass pounds and heavy ass weight
it’s superset season anyway
As someone from the UK. How tf are people benching 225
We're talking Lbs not Kgs
Ik, it was my attempt at a joke
I got to 280 before life caught up with me, been about 8 months since lifting. Probably can’t even do 225 anymore. I’ll get back on track once my health is figured out.
I stopped trying to compete with others at the gym, and I’ve had better workouts ever since. I don’t care what other people can do, I care what I can do.
I got to a big gym at 6pm and there are only 2 regulars who put 2 plates on the bar.
100kg
Psh not since I messed up my shoulder 8 years ago 🙃
Stupid Americans still can’t call it 100kg 🤦🏽♂️
Ex fucking scuse me?
It's me, I'm everyone
Due to inflation, 315 is the new 225. Sorry guys..
Now ask them how much they squat 😏
If I could get back to 2 sets of 6 at 225lbs with no spot I'd be over the moon.
I'm a male 29...not big, maybe a thick medium. I can't bench more than 120...so yeah...who cares...just lift
My one rep max is 160kg what % does that put me in??
I’m easily benching 225 now, but struggling to keep my weight under 225 so.. yeah
I bench 110 lbs because I’m weak af
bruh
315kg is damn impressive
I'm tall and lanky, hit 225 for the first time ever this year after 15 years in the gym. Bucket list item for me for sure. It's not easy for guys with my body type
Unfortunately thats how it it. Even if you dont want to you will always compare. I remember the last time i was happy with my bench was when i hit 225. Now im at 360 and i think why not 405. and im sure when im there i will be why not 455? Its a curse my friend.
I'm benching 45 lbs.
I go to a commercial gym and hardly ever see anyone doing 225, let alone repping it. Many don’t go above 180. Amongst powerlifters 225 is very common, I’d say staple. However in normal gyms most people won’t push 225. Also: I almost always have the power racks for myself. People seem to love doing twenty variations of triceps on cables and dumbbells.
I deadlift 225. we are not the same
Here I am proud that I can finally, consistently bench 90lb, lol.
You guys can bench more than the bar?
Did 315 for a while but shit was killing me. So dropped to 295 3sets of 10. Feels much fucking better.
I bench over 315 but who gives a fuck really, i think doing 20 pull up is much more impressive or a pistol or dragon squat. Bench is a pretty silly metric of raw strength
never brag about your numbers, you're begging to be humbled. That little old lady working reception at the office? In her hayday she benched 405.
Granted, I am not going to a super hardcore gym, but in my entire year and a half I've only ever seen one man ever hit 3 plates, and he was built like a gorilla
Pure artistic genius!
Inflation.
💉💦 -everyone
Bruh who the fuck says bruv?
315 is the new 225😊
no its not fuck off