I feel better! I always compare myself to my workout partner, who’s a strong fucker naturally. I’m 6’3" 205 and do 3152 flat bench and 4056 squat. I don’t go real heavy on deads due to an injury in lower back a few years ago. My question is: How do I get my damn size to match my strength? My legs and arms LOOK skinny, especially my quads, and I’ve always trained for size not strength.
Midnight,
That gives me something to shoot for and then surpass!
Thanks
All depends on your perspective . . . I’m 5’8 / 180 and bench 315 and squat about the same (although, I’m hoping my squat will improve as I neglected my legs for a long period of time). I would ALWAYS like to bench more but it’s a huge climb just to gain another 5 pounds of strength! Also, body weight doesn’t always matter as when I was about 205 I benched the same (admittedly alot was extra fat). Looking good is actually the most important thing to me - hell I know some fat power lifters that can bench 400+ but nobody would ever know as they look like fat slobs!
Well, I guess you’re right, it’s all in who you’re comparing yourself to. I hate saying ‘I’m strong for a girl’ but I guess that’s the case. I’m 5’1", about 140 (high bf % but I’m working on that!) While I havn’t done 1RM’s in a long time, my working weights are flat bench - 110, 3x8, squats - 175, 3x10 - parallel, not ass-to-floor. When I was doing deads my 1RM was 200 (six months ago, though I’m sure it’s gone up since then but I don’t have any numbers) I would consider myself pretty strong…but I can’t see benching 2x my body weight any time in the near future.
Here’s something to think about. On February 20, 2000, Amy Weisberger, a Westside trained lifter, at 123 lbs, made a 450 squat, a 280 bench, and a 450 deadlift to total 1180, a world record. Six days later she benched 286 and 292 for two more world records. Let’s see that’s a bench of 2.37 X BW and SQ&DL of 3.65 x BW…so like Michelle said, pretty strong…for a girl!!
Stuart McRobert’s Hardgainer website discusses good max weights for various lifts for hardgainers. I think it’s an online excerpt from issue #56–sorry, this forum doesn’t allow direct links. McRobert discusses lifts in % of bodyweight, and while I think such guidelines are useful, I wanted to point out that height–or more specifically, limb length–makes a big difference. There are a bunch of 5’5" men who can lift 2X bw for the bench press, but considerably fewer 6’4" men who can. Long limbs = a longer “lever arm,” meaning that there is a built-in mechanical disadvantage; this is coupled with a longer movement length (i.e., moving the bar to full extension is a longer distance). These apply to any exercise you could name: chins, squats, curls, etc. Also, I haven’t seen a scientific analysis of this, but it seems to me that shorter people often have proportionately longer muscle bellies. Think of short pro bodybuilders like Lee Priest or Momo Benaziza (well, when he was still alive…)–if you simply expanded their bodies till they were 6’4", you would have the world’s largest bodybuilder, albeit one still shaped something like a fireplug. Perhaps muscle belly length tends to some norm that is somewhat irrespective of height.
I am 183 5’9, I think that I am pretty stong I have done 295 for 5 on flat and have done 36 wide grip chins.
An update on Amy…at The Arnold she benched 314 at a BW of 123…Puts the majority of guys to shame with just the weight, let alone at her BW. HEHEHE
tj, if you are able to do 36 chins in good form, I am impressed. Are you able to do a true one-armed chin (NOT with one hand grabbing the other wrist)? Has anyone been able to do this? This is one my lifetime training goals.
I have twin grand-nephews aged 23. Last summer Jay weighed 141 and in a contest at his gym he benched 305, thereby winning the gym’s benching contest, which was based on percent of body weight (his was 219%). His brother benched 255. Great kids!
As for me, at age 65 and weight 155 my max is 16 pull-ups, 1-R-max bench 200 last year, but squat with 150 or so (weak knees). I’m glad I’m strong enough to hobble to the kitchen for a Grow! shake.
Like I said before, I think its all relative to the lift. Example: last night I’m doing dumbbell flat bench presses with a fellow gym mate. My barbell bench press is around 265, my friend’s barbell bench press is 325. So last night when we’re doing dumbbells, we’re both using 100 lbs dumbbells for sets of 6 and I’m in pretty good control of the weight while my friend is having a noticeably more difficult time. Go figure.
I know a guy who can do a couple of one armed chins (no support from other hand) and a chick that can do hand stand chinups with no support from a wall or anything she just does a hand stand and goes up and down. Thats one of the most amazing feats of strength and balance youll ever see.
Bally, how big are your friends? Are they gymnasts?
I’m 14, 5’8, and weigh 165. I squat 160X3, bench 135X4, DL 180X5, clean 145X1, and lunge 150X3. I can do 4 wide chins and about 8 dips w/o any added weight. I have been lifting seriously for 2.5 months, worked at school for about 20 min. once a week before that for a few months. I got some serious size gains from the neural phase I’m on now.
Jake
the chick was a gymnast but was tall for a gymnast(average height for a a non gymnast female I would say) and the guy was not a gymnast he was a powerlifter that went into wrestling
I don’t think you can ever compare strength to another person, unless they were exact in body composition to you. Weight is one thing, but height and limb length are other factors that weigh in just as heavily. If a person has short arms and short legs, they have very little range of motion and will therefore bench and squat a considerable amount of weight. A person with long arms could be just as strong, but would have a greater distance to move the weight. Another thing, on squats, you’re not just lifting the weight, you’re also lifting yourself. I think I read on T-mag one time (correct me if I’m wrong) that you squat 75% of your bodyweight + the amount on the bar. Therefore, a 220 pound person squatting 300 is doing more than a 175 pound person squatting 300.
Just an update on my strength from this post. I’m a much leaner 185, but can only do 3 supinated shoulder grip chins. About 5 dips. Clean I donno, but at least 165X1, bench 135 5X5, bent row 155 5X5, DL 300X1 (that’s all the weight that was availible to me and it was pretty easy), squat 225X5 or 300X1 all geared up, BNP 95X3, standing OHP 65X5. What are yalls current numbers?
I’m pretty strong for “a girl” myself (smile). Funny thing though, no matter how strong I am, I’m never strong enough. Anybody out there strong enough yet?
Strong for an average gymrat I would say is a bw bench, 1.5%bw squat & dl and be able to do a few pullups. I agree with everybody’s bw % for relative strength, while the lift of greatest absolute strength I say is Antonio Krastev’s 222.5kg(490lbs!) snatch at something like 330lbs.
Okay… i’ll a little off when it comes to strength…my upper body is strong as hell COMPAIRED to my lower body. I’m 20, 6’ 185 or so. I can bench 315 and i can perform 10 sets of ten on chins…(i just finished GVT) the sad thing is that my squat max is just 325 - thats right…i can squat just 10lbs than i can bench…but i’m working on that. I’m and determined to break the genetic chain in my family. I shall be the first to not look like a chicken.