Topic: I bench pressed today

[Paul LaDuke]

Okay, I never bench press.  In 2009, I may have performed 5 sets total and never heavier than 185#.  I do perform a lot of pushups for conditioning and shoulder strength, but rarely bench.  Well, today one of the high school seniors had 225# on the bar and was between sets of 3 so I decided to see what I could do.  I repped out 10 reps pretty easily and racked it!  I couldn't believe it.  The most I have ever done is 12 reps about 7 years ago when I benched 315 and before starting my interest in weightlifting.  The senior was floored.  The middle school kids in the room were speechless.  It was pretty cool.

I love the fact that Olympic weightlifting plus a few pushups per day (100 at most) allow me to be that strong!  Weightlifting rules!

[Andy Dick]

LOL I totally stopped benching for a while when I started Oly lifting once I hit 235#.  I didn't care about it anymore (never was much of a bencher).  Recently I have been working it back in 1 time a week for about 3x5 or 3x3 as I get closer to a comp.  Then I drop it totally about a month out from competition and I am already up to easily hitting 3x3 of 205# again it is hilarious.

[Judas]

225x10 is a good bench for any clean weightlifter.

On the other hand, i cant seem to stop benching. Weightlifting without a club or coach is almost futile, meanwhile my bench makes gains very easily, so i still do both. If i ever get to lift at a club i'll quit benching, but for now i'm content to make slow gains in snatch and bench simultaneously. When i do stop benching, i hope i can keep at least 90% ov what i do end up with.

[Patrick Bateman]

i notice that some weightlifters have a lot of good upper body strength.

I saw a clip of chigichev 200/220kg bench press, with his feet up, and no arch.

And another clip of berestov doing a 150kg military press.

Is this a part of their routine, or just something they do for fun on the side?

Some of the russian team look like body builders, like perepetchenov