How long did it take you to bench press 225?

[Silverhawk851]

I don't care how much I can press ... I only care about the guy on the underwear package ... and what I need to do to catch up to him.

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

― Socrates



Now, whatever that manifests itself in, I believe the point is to keep your body in top condition, cuz why the F*ck not

Took me 8 months....the first time.
Mind you it was incessant, relentlessly pushing my body, made a rule to go up every time I went in. Even if it's just half a pound.

Then Fell off my motorcycle, ripped tendons, broken collar etc.
2nd time ...took me 2 years.

+1 on the hitting back for stronger bench. That shit works

 

[benhebert]

I started lifting weights my junior year of high school (2006) and could barely put up 95 lbs on the bench press. If you've ever stepped foot into a high school weight training class, you know that it primarily revolves around the bench. Bros on bros pumping iron.

Fast forward to now (7 years of on and off lifting) and I can throw 225 up 10-12 times on a flat bench more if it's decline. It's impressive to some because I'm only 5' 7" and weigh around 150 lbs (hardgainer who doesn't eat right), but for me it was more of a mental feat to accomplish. Putting two plates on each side and repping it just feels good.

For those interested, my routine revolves around the bench press, squat and deadlift. I don't really do much else except for pullups, dips and military press. Keep it simple.

I was wondering how long it took you to bench 225? Was it a major accomplishment for you?

 

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[SeanyHang]

I've been lifting on and off since about 8th grade. Up until then I was a fat little turd..

[Story Time]

In middle school (prior to eighth grade) I was probably about 5' 5" and 190 pounds (prettyyy freaking fat). Kids were VICIOUS about it and being a punk-rock goth type (thank GOD I'm out of that phase) didn't help. I was literally ridiculed every day and would go home with tears in my eyes, hating life and wishing I was dead. I did however have a loving family and two friends both of whom were in none of my classes. Those friends don't play a role in this story but I just wanted it to be known that I did have a TINY bit of support.. I can't imagine how horrible it must be for those bullied kids out there who have no one.

One day, in seventh grade, while walking with my bike to quickchek alongside a group of the "alternative kids" ( who weren't really friends with me but would tolerate my presence ) we were surrounded by an infamous group - in that they were arrested all the time - of sophomores and juniors who would shoot heroine and have sex with 13 year olds (real classy bunch). They started taunting us and demanded that we give them our money. The entire group I was with pretended not to be scared, kept there eyes forward and proceeding walking on silently.

I tried walking on with the group but I suppose those bullies could sense that I was the one who didn't quite fit in. I was the one whose insecurities were out in the open. I was the injured, baby gazelle.. and they were starving cheetahs. As I walked by, one of the bullies grabbed me by the back of my shirt and horse collared me into the middle of their group, who were now circling me.

"Give me your money little boy" I fully remember Bryan (the biggest piece of white trash you would ever meet) saying to me.

"I don't have any" I said looking down.

WAM. Another kid from behind punched me in the kidney. I can still here the sound of his fist hitting my back through my shirt. I tried to keep a straight face as I wasn't going to show weakness or the fact that I was now in a lot of pain.

"GIIIVE..me your money, little boy"

"GUYS! COME BACK HERE!" I yelled to the group I was with before.

WAM. Another cheap shot to my back.

"I NEED YOUR HELP!" I screamed... They just kept walking.

The group of 5 or 6 bullies started shoving me from one person to another, almost making me lose my balance and trip while I was trying to hold onto my bike. They wanted to completely demoralize me - that or they were just pieces of shit who do that kind of thing to people for fun. As I was being pushed I knew that this wasn't the person who I wanted to be anymore. I didn't want to be some insecure punching bag. I knew I had to make a choice.

F*ck it.

I slammed down my bike and pushed Bryan - who was the biggest of them all. " F*ck YOUUUUU!" I screamed with a terrified yet proud cracking voice. I knew I was about to be beaten into oblivion.. but I had enough.. I didn't care.

Bryan looked at me with ferocious eyes. He was quiet for that second but his demeanor and facial expression were as loud as thunder. He was going to rip me limb from limb.

"I'll kill you, little boy. Don't you know that I can beat you to a pulp?"

Without missing a beat I said "I have no doubt's that you'll beat me down.. But I'll be damned if I don't get a few shots on the way down".

Looking back, I laugh now.. simply because that was the lamest brave thing I think anyone could have ever said. I could've said something like "I'll break your nose on the way down" or "I'll rip out your trachea out on the way down".. But no, I went the dorky route - whatever - it sufficed.

Just like that the group that was just threatening to jump me let a gap emerge in their circle for me to leave.

I picked up my bike, and walked out of that circle.. Or at least the new me did. The old weak, fat and scared Sean died just moments before when I had through down my bike. Those bullies - those cheetahs were one of the best things to have ever come into my life. They killed me. They devoured the wounded baby gazelle. But I was reborn. I emerged out of that circle a F*cking lion.

I got on my bike and rode up to the "alternative" group. "You abandoned me. F*ck all of you." I said right before I rode home and immediately started doing bicep curls (hey, I was young.. that was the only workout I knew).

Those bullies never bothered me again.



*For the curious* I'm now 24 and last I remember hearing, two of those kids in the group of bullies have since passed from an overdose, which is a shame.. It's terrible that they were so addicted that they let it get that far. Bryan is now in jail for 10-15 years from beating some guy with a lead pipe. I forgave the group that abandoned me pretty quickly soon after I started lifting weights and rising through the ranks of arbitrary middle school popularity (although I was never friends with any of them ever again). I realized they were simply a spineless bunch that were too afraid to help out a fallen comrade. If anything I pitied them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Since that day I have been a fitness enthusiast. I also became very popular in eighth grade/high school due to my new found confidence - which admittedly felt nice after being ostracized for so long(but that's a story for another day).

In high school I would lift a lot, but due to being younger without too much testosterone my gains were relatively small. My senior year I was probably lifting about 185 but was in superb shape.

2 Years later I was working at a gym and literally ate, slept, and shit fitness. When I was 20 I was lifting (benching) about 320. That all came to a halt at around 21 though, when I had severely torn both rotator cuffs. I could barely lift my arms above my shoulders until I was 23 without incapacitating pain shooting down my arms and back. I kind of fell into a depression - it's hard identifying as a big guy let alone putting in all the work (lifting everyday and eating right) just to have it all go right back to where you started.

One faithful day at 23 though, I woke up and was fine. Literally a miracle. I started hitting the gym again and am now benching about 280.


I should note that I definitely have a mesomorph body type. I get fat fast, I get skinny fast, I put on muscle fast, and I lose muscle fast. I actually let myself go about 6 months ago and put on a decent amount of weight (fat). In the past month through cardio and intermittent fasting alone I've dropped 25 pounds. I've also put on 5 pounds of muscle in the past 2 1/2 months. It's weird - but I'm not complaining (except for the fact that I get fat so quickly).


To Everyone who actually read this... Thank you. I know it was kind of all over the place and I don't know what came over me to write my whole story, but reliving that day was extremely therapeutic. Sometimes it's nice to reflect and remember why you became the way that you are.

See you all on the forum,
Much Love,
Sean

 

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[Alveko]

Well, i actually do believe most of the stats posted but i would say there are a handful that are quite fishy to say the least lol.
Could type out a lot of other stuff but I'll just leave this one right here...

 

[AustinS28]

Oh and vid...that is 435 from the summer.

 

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[joocenasty]

lots of e-stat's going on around here... lol

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I was wondering how long it took you to bench 225? Was it a major accomplishment for you?

I use to be able to do 410 on an incline plated press ... mind you I have a small frame w/tiny wrists. It was always funny to me when a guy twice my size would be doing less as I get a strange "eye brow raising" look.

As for the amount of time, it took me maybe a year to build up to it, but I've been lifting for years.

Unfortunately, such a heavy workout put me on a surgeons table as my tendons and ligaments could not handle the stress. I probably could have went heavier if my support structures would have remained healthy.

 

[The-J]

I'll tell you when I get there.

I'm glad that the Fastlane Forum is starting to talk more openly about health and fitness-related issues (not that being able to bench more = being more healthy, of course). We don't wanna be a bunch of unhealthy rich dudes whose life revolves solely around the acquisition of money.

 

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[jockinbox]

sophomore year in high school, our PE coach asked us what our goals were

I said "bench 315" I had recently seen the Wolverine movie and was reading that he was benching around that when he stepped onto the stage

Everyone laughed, I had never lifted a weight before that day

Senior year, I ran a health fair at the track. Every single student in the high school attended & I benched 315 for 3 reps (first attempt at that weight too lol)

I racked it and started laughing..I don't think anyone knew why

 

[jockinbox]

lets see if you guys are for real

225 LB BENCH PRESS CHALLANGE​

Maximum Reps with 225 lbs on a flat bench, no pause

Ill go first, enjoy (29 reps)

 

[jesseissorude]

it could be just a simple error of unit conversion too

... but 1000 kg is 2200 lbs. Definitely not a conversion error. that dude was just lying

 

[Jill]

Took me about 6 months.

 

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[dknise]

I disagree with this.
Bench press should never hurt your back, you shouldn't even be using any back muscles for it. A lot of people have weak chests so doing bench press is a great exercise but you need to know your limits. Once you know your limits, break them and push past them. The mind is a lot weaker then your body, always remember that. It might be different for you though since you have a bad back.

Ohhhh buddy... I know you're 18... so you have no idea what's coming to you. It likely won't be in the next couple years, but every guy who's athletic at all ends up with lower back problems, and I can tell you the sciatic pain from benching is intense. Anything that activates your core for stabilization has the potential to activate the pain.

Most of the sharks on Shark Tank have ruptured their L4-L5 disc, the same disc I completely blew out at 19. Running, impact excersize (like INSANITY), all end up in your downfall.

 

[Likwid24]

Benching is probably won of the worst exercises to gauge your strength. What you can bench means absolutely nothing. 2 years ago, I was benching 225 for 12 reps with no spot at all. Today I'm lucky if I can bench 225 once with a spot. I can tell you for sure, and absolute 100% fact, that I'm much stronger now than I probably ever was in my life. The question should be, "What do you dead lift/Squat?". That's how to really gauge your strength. What can you clean & Press. What can you clean & jerk? Can you do muscle up? Toes to bar? What can you do that's more useful then bench press. Benching is actually a pretty useless gauge of power. Judge power by real, everyday movements.

So.... How much do you Dead lift? How much do you squat???

 

[The-J]

OK so I posted here over a year and a half ago

I still can't push 225. I failed on 185 about 2 months ago, can rep 165x3 for a couple sets. I'm up about 30 pounds of lean muscle from my first post on this thread. I now know what a 5x5 is (lol, followed it for a bit) and I like the way my body looks a lot better.

Hoping to hit 225 within the next few months on this linear progression program. Also gunning for a 315 squat and a 365 deadlift soon too.

 

[GuestUser140]

I don't care how much I can press ... I only care about the guy on the underwear package ... and what I need to do to catch up to him.

You need to lift heavy and eat clean over a sustained period of time. Simple, but not easy.

 

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[jockinbox]

no video proof im calling bs on everyone

 

[Alveko]

Beach bodies don't come from big weights. Medium weight and slow burning tension creates physique. Big weights bring bulk and bulk requires your grocery bill to be astronomical. Something I learned from a great trainer. thought i would share

Depends on what you mean with a 'beach body'. If you mean someone who looks like he barely lifts but has veins on some places and abs then yes, you won't need to reach heavy loads like 225lbs. You will do fine by getting advantage of the 'beginner gains' and gain some minimal mass by lifting mediocre weight.
However, it certainly doesn't mean you will get bulky from lifting heavier loads/big weights like your trainer states. Those guys on the covers of fitness magazines(not pro bodybuilding magazines) don't get their bodies by lifting 'medium weight' or some stuff like that. They train the same way pro bodybuilders do, although with more cardio and less juice.

If you want to have a physique that looks somewhat decent, even in shirts, you will need to train hard(by progessively overloading and not staying on medium weights) and eat clean in order to gain mass.

 

[Alveko]

 

[Alveko]

And on a relevant note, without targeting anyone specifically:

lol

PS: Although the reps jockinbox did may not have been legit powerlifting wise, they are more than legit for your standard gym/hypertrophy purposes imo.

 

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[joocenasty]

Ha it's cool man I dont play any sports, just lift to look good and make more money. I'm only weighing 180 so it shouldn't be too hard for you to at least hit the 20s if you are 230s. Although I think there's an nfl challenge that's benching 225 for reps so maybe it'll be good practice for you.

Good luck

I made the video, only got 24! Guess I'm in worse shape than I thought! Time to
Get back to it lol let me try and get this thing up



Edit :


https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=vgfUel5LwzQ


according to the 1rm calculation thats a 385 max, not bad i guess

 

[ryanbleau]

at my best i was pressing 475. I pressed 250 when i was 18 at 195lbs. Currently able to press 375 at 240 lbs

 

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[The-J]

Chest was my weakest muscle group

Epic humble brag, right there.

 

[LightHouse]

I use to be able to do 410 on an incline plated press ...

A what? I'm assuming that's a static machine that uses plates vs cable weights? If that's what it is and you have tendon problems, it ties right back to using those machines. I used to use them, then i switched to all olymipic barbells. But im not sure if that's what your talking about, Im a bit off on your terminology, so i won't elaborate yet.

 

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[Mike39]

A what? I'm assuming that's a static machine that uses plates vs cable weights? If that's what it is and you have tendon problems, it ties right back to using those machines. I used to use them, then i switched to all olymipic barbells. But im not sure if that's what your talking about, Im a bit off on your terminology, so i won't elaborate yet.

 

[1PercentStreet]

1%, yea you would think the bench press should not hurt my back but it does. I have a lower back problem with the ligaments between my disks or some such. I had horrible sciatica a few years back, I would not wish that upon my worst enemy! If I am not super warmed up and limber, the second I start to lift the weight a pain starts to form in my lower back and starts to move into my legs, letting me know it is the sciatic nerve complaining.

I also did kick boxing 3 times a week for over a year and never once did that cause an issue, go figure.

That's sucks

I think a lot of people overlook warming up.
Before I start lifting(6 days a week I lift), I do a 15minute jog(5 to 6mph) and stretch for 15 minutes. This is crucial to long term health and staying injury-free.

 

[Mike39]

Just some word of advice, from a medical point of view:

Never, ever, ever take any kind of stimulants (Red bull, aminos, anabolics and so on) when you're lifting heavy. Your body can handle what it can handle. If you're forcing it you risk severe and maybe irreversible damage to your body.

In this process, the liver and your heart are the most exposed.

Your body is designed to gain a max of 5-7 kg of lean muscle per year (natural growth) no matter how heavy you lift.

Lol, almost any type of pre-workout has caffeine or some sort of stimulant in it, it's there to give you the energy and motivation to lift, not to help you lift heavier (unless your taking anabolics but that's a different story).

What do you mean by forcing it? If you are doing the lifts correctly, the only thing you should be damaging is your muscles (which repair themselves). The only irreversible damage would be if you are doing something wrong, drop the weight on yourself, or are doing a certain lift when you know you have a bad back, legs, etc. or are to young for a certain lift (i.e. me doing heavy dead-lifts at 16)

And about the natural growth, you see, some of us like to grow 10lb's in a month, not a year

Where are you drawing the conclusions from, the classroom?

 

[1PercentStreet]

What do you weigh? If you go to the 1300 range for reps you will have hip pain eventually....I do now; I used to rep 1200 on the diagonal slide; thought it was cool when I was younger, now its not so fun. I recommend not going any heavier than you are at your age, even if you can push 1000 for reps I wouldn't recommend it.

340 @ 6'5''/26.2% bodyfat

I don't really want to push any heavier. I know that the body has limits, even if I'm this big, there is still limits I won't feel for years down the line if I keep pushing them.

 

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[Laverdure]

when I first started I was benching 105 LBS 12 times and after 7 months of very very clean nutrition and good work out (1 month of power lifting)

I was benching 225 lbs 10 times 4x .. i'm 5'7 168 lbs

You got to eat right and sleep enough to build these muscles

and btw most of us use too heavy weight and don't make a good movement .. we should always remember that we are not weight lifter ... we are here to grow our muscle so what ever weight that make your muscle work right and hard .. it's good

 

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[Guest3722A]

OK so I posted here over a year and a half ago

I still can't push 225. I failed on 185 about 2 months ago, can rep 165x3 for a couple sets. I'm up about 30 pounds of lean muscle from my first post on this thread. I now know what a 5x5 is (lol, followed it for a bit) and I like the way my body looks a lot better.

Hoping to hit 225 within the next few months on this linear progression program. Also gunning for a 315 squat and a 365 deadlift soon too.

If you want to do 225, dose heavy on creatine and do partials with a spot. When I say do partials, I mean go only about 1/3 of the way down and then back up. This is in your strong zone. And do this with your top weight and increase as your confidence builds. When you build up the muscle that controls this zone a little better, your confidence will further increase because this additional strength you'll be building up over the next couple of weeks, and you'll recognize, will show you that you have the control to go lower. You'd be surprised how much heavier you can go in this upper zone. I'm willing to bet you can probably even do 200-215 right now in this upper 1/3 area. This info I got from (I think) Lee Haney back in the day. Creatine I added because that stuff works wonders with me. My bench I just got back up to 315 about 3 months ago after a work accident I was in. But now I recently found out I get to have more surgeries! Oh boy!!!