- True
- False
0
voters
I think the issue is less about benching and more about being 165-185lbs at 6’1.
7 Likes
I developed chipmunk cheeks at 180+ while the rest of my body looked relatively lean, so that’s as far as I took it.
What you can bench press does not make a boy become a man.
But why set 2 plates as the standard? Why not 3 plates, per side? Or 4 plates?
IMO, to turn heads you need to be benching at least 4 plates per side, everything below that you are just another guy bench pressing in the gym.
4 Likes
We all have our priorities. Prioritizing this is putting a high bench on the back burner.
1 Like
Ah, I was half-kidding, although I am embarrassed about my bench
Well, at the gym I go to, seeing anyone put up 2 plates a side is a rarity
3 and more plates I think i’ve seen perhaps three times in my life. Out of hundreds of gym visits.
1 Like
Well yes, but at my weight, a 2 plate bench would just be a 1.35x bodyweight bench - can’t understand how that is so hard to reach while remaining lean.
I can 
1 Like
Right… Imagine having an 80" wingspan and bad shoulders or just no desire to bench because it doesn’t align with goals.
3 Likes
How many people do you know in the real world who bench 1.35x bodyweight and are relatively lean?
1 Like
These three all have easy fixes, I think:
For no. 1, just have a friend cut off both of your arms either from below the elbow or the shoulder, then cut off another 5" piece. Unless you have enough adrenaline in you at this point to sufficiently constrict the blood vessels to stop the bleeding, have your friend cauterize the stumps with any source of fire he can find or apply tourniquets before you bleed to death. Proceed to the ER, say you had an accident whilst chopping firewood for the winter, and have the surgeons piece together your now shorter appendages.
For no. 2, …
For no. 3, realign the goals
Point to this? You seem to be the only one who believes this.
Not many come to mind, but just a quick search on youtube (benching 220 @165lbs) shows numerous skinny fucks like me, getting up 2 plates.
Athletes at that bodyweight can get up 3 and more plates for reps, whilst being lean. So for an average joe to get to 2 plates at those stats, shouldn’t be a herculean task. Yet for me it is.
Are you familiar with the concept of “confirmation bias”?
5 Likes
Yes. And this might be it, and I might be cherry picking stuff, but all I know is that it shouldn’t be impossible for me to work up to a 220 bench without getting pudgy. Doesn’t seem like an astronomic goal.
My suggestion would be not to base your perception of reality on things you see on social media.
As a follow up, if you’re genuinely looking for advice on improving your bench, maybe some useful information like how you currently train and how much progress you’re seeing might be useful.
2 Likes
If being greater than 185lbs at 6’1 results in you being pudgy, this indicates you are undermuscled.
I know a few ways to fix that, if you’re interested.
6 Likes
You can find whatever you’re looking for with a quick search on the internet, especially if you’re looking for people struggling with this or that OR people excelling at this or that.
Few of the best men I know could walk into the gym and put up two plates.
4 Likes
As I said before, my body was lean while my face looked like Paddy Pimblett during his off-season.
My body looked good. Did not look skinny-fat. I didn’t stand the fact that with my clothes on, or from pictures above my neck, people assumed I was quite overweight. My body distributes fat in a way that if I gain 25 lbs, my face looks as if I had actually gained 50 lbs or more. Hated it too much to keep going.
I’m sure it was lean: that’s a very light bodyweight to be at. I am saying, if being heavier than that results in being pudgy, that’s a sign of being under muscled. This is most likely the issue with the benching.
This can be resolved. That way, you can weigh more AND not be pudgy.