[Joircarm]

kiss my arse pal.

I just so happened to get that info from my RAF PEd flight instructor

That's like getting cooking instructions from a lumberjack.

[texbrease]

I just so happened to get that info from my RAF PEd flight instructor

And you REALLY think he knows that much about strength training, nutrition, how to improve performance in strength related sports? Riiiight... Sure I'll take advice from him about piloting, but lifting...No thanks. There may be a chance he does all that outside of his profession, but the fact he's an RAF flight instructor is 100% irrelevant.

im not talking about weight lifiting to make my self look like a bender with a penis the size of a walnut whip. !

I'm not either, I talked about it because it was the topic at hand and I felt like posting my experience and offer other people here a chance to ask questions so I could help them out. It figures on a forum like this, I am instead percieved as an egoist *******. I lift and have a strict diet because I love it and I do it for myself, no one else. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you beat your personal records. It will help me feel great as I age and be healthier than the average population.

Im talking about strength sessions

I want to be toned = low weight high reps

I want a small winky = heavy weights go until your muscles fatigue.

I do low weights and high reps

Yes, that post gives a wealth of very informative (and NOT misguided or baised in any way) about strength training sessions. Give me a break [rolleyes]. Maybe spend a few hours (or years) reading stickies and asking questions at fitness, powerlifting, bodybuilding, olympic lifting etc forums. Get some knowledge on the topic then see if you think your original post is informative.

There are no set rules like, "High reps make you toned." There is much more to consider and take into account than high and low reps, heavy and light weight etc...Ideally, one would incorporate both, change the variables etc.

[saruxanset]

177 cm / 80 kilo and I maxed 135 kilo in benchpress ( a few years ago). Now I can do 110. Did try some powerlifting when I was younger, but I wasnt strong enough compared to the others - but my testicles are still working.

I have been trying to do as many rep as possible on 50 kilo a few times and my record is 48 reps.

Cant train as much as I want any longer (job... family... etc etc).

[SiM7W2zi]

it's more important that you maintain correct form than how heavy you can go.

correct form [bar to chest, slow controlled descent], i can't push over 65kg for a set of 10-12, but if i ignore form and go to what most would constitute as a 'rep' [elbows down to square with body], i can hit 85kg.


also, if you work your chest, don't forget that you should be working your back too, or you'll end up with some horrible posture, and a stronger back WILL help you bench more.

[kKFB1BxX]

Wow, you are horrible uneducated about weight training...

There is so such thing as being "toned" and there is no such action as "toning." Having that "toned" look you describe comes from having a lower bodyfat percentage which can be achieved a number of ways through weight training, however descreasing your bodyfat percentage is going to rely about 70%+ on how you modify your diet to meet your goals.

I hate when people spout BS like you just did.

lol amen to that.

So much mis-information in this thread I wouldn't even know where to begin.

[irresseni]

I'm about 250 lbs and the last thing I remember benching was about 135 lbs. Never lifted weights in my life, until the accident. I was hit by a boat that shattered my right arm. I've got a titanium rod inside the bone now.


I can leg press over 900 lbs, though.

[ñàéäèíã]

188 cm and 94 kg.. I press 10 times 90 max.. It all depends on the mood I'm in. I do my weight lifting alone, so I can't take too much without risking some damage. I already had to crawl under the bar for a few times lol..

I can press 100 at least once.. What's kinda weird is that I'm better at the butterfly than the benchpress but ok..

The trick is to lower the bar completely to your chest. 60 kg isn't all that bad, but I guess you can build it up..

[Loxaeed]

it's more important that you maintain correct form than how heavy you can go.

correct form [bar to chest, slow controlled descent], i can't push over 65kg for a set of 10-12, but if i ignore form and go to what most would constitute as a 'rep' [elbows down to square with body], i can hit 85kg.


also, if you work your chest, don't forget that you should be working your back too, or you'll end up with some horrible posture, and a stronger back WILL help you bench more.

Some people i've spoken to on forums even say that a perfect benchpress form works out the calfs as well, as you push your feet into the ground.

[Karinochka]

as said before you shouldnt be comparing yourself to others...

i started in the gym about 8 weeks ago and to begin with i weighed about 65KG and started on 3 sets of 8 reps @ 40KG (as well as the same, 3 sets - 8 reps, 40KG flys) and now i weigh almost 10KG more and benching in decreasing sets (10, 8 ,6) of 47, 54, 61KG on the bench press and 61, 68, 75KG on the flys.

I'm pretty pleased with my progress so far I'm also on whey protein, glutamine and creatine in milk X3 a day.

have just started doing more aerobic exercise as well as the reason i'm gymin' is for rugby... i want to get upto 5miles @ 7.5mph, upto 3 miles so far

p.s. i guess i'm about 5 ft 8, 5ft 9 ish... possibly slight short man syndrome, lol

[konanoileaski]

Some people i've spoken to on forums even say that a perfect benchpress form works out the calfs as well, as you push your feet into the ground.

true,after you raise the bar you should push with your feet like your trying to push yourself off the bench(not possible beacuse of the extra bodyweight),for extra power inhale as much air as you can and then hold breath and tighten your abdomen by sucking in your navel about a centimetre(this tensions the deepest abdominal muscle and gives extra stability and force) before lowering the bar,also important,you should try to push the bar slightly forward during the lift(this will recruit the pectoralis minor thus giving more force and offloading the shoulders) in other words,you dont want the barbell to travel horizontally closer to the rack during the lift,by pushing slightly forwards you will end up with a straight lift during the whole rep..

also it´s important to visualize that you are pushing a bar away from you,this makes your brain actually recruit as much motor-neurons as possible for the task(may sound "new ageish" but it´s proven that proper focus/visualization improves strenght as much as 5-10% in powerlifters.

doing benchpress at high load takes a lot of technique and timing,this is how powerlifters do it to get the most out of their strenght.

[finasteridonline]

Some people are built for bench press, and others aren't (I'm not... all-time max rep for me is 215 pounds, and that was with a few weeks' focus on bench alone). By all means do it, because it's a good exercise, but don't worry about the weight.

Don't neglect leg exercises for the sake of your bench press. Do deadlifts and/or squats for the superior strength and testosterone boost that they provide. I feel (and look) much better when I have a balanced upper and lower body workout, and I don't care that my bench strength is mediocre.

If you're interested in learning from more serious lifters, you should visit www.bodybuilding.com

[Peabelilt]

I hate how most people think that the bench press is the be all and end all for fitness and strength. Presonally it is probably my weakest muscle group relative to my body weight (Im 92kg and have a one rep max of 120kg), compared to my back and legs that is nothing. Most young lads in the gym have a fixation with it and end up with an asymetric body build (not good for the back).
For me the DEFINATIVE test of speed strength and endurance would have to be a 2000m sprint on a concept2 rowing machine. Now that seperates the men from the boys...

[Loxaeed]

I hate how most people think that the bench press is the be all and end all for fitness and strength. Presonally it is probably my weakest muscle group relative to my body weight (Im 92kg and have a one rep max of 120kg), compared to my back and legs that is nothing. Most young lads in the gym have a fixation with it and end up with an asymetric body build (not good for the back).
For me the DEFINATIVE test of speed strength and endurance would have to be a 2000m sprint on a concept2 rowing machine. Now that seperates the men from the boys...

It is one of the main exercises that people should really do, along with Deadlifts and Squats.

[theatadug]

I hate how most people think that the bench press is the be all and end all for fitness and strength. Presonally it is probably my weakest muscle group relative to my body weight (Im 92kg and have a one rep max of 120kg), compared to my back and legs that is nothing. Most young lads in the gym have a fixation with it and end up with an asymetric body build (not good for the back).
For me the DEFINATIVE test of speed strength and endurance would have to be a 2000m sprint on a concept2 rowing machine. Now that seperates the men from the boys...

My arms aren't the best...but I get people walking up to poke me in the chest and say things like "good man" all the time.

Times when I've tested my strength under real world situations...well I'm the person people want to help them get their stuff moved and things like that. I wouldn't really worry too much about it either.

[Galsteinbok]

This calculator is one of the more accurate ones I've found

http://www.jackalsgym.com/programs/max_epley.html

[ChuttyAmult]

Been lifting weights for about 15 years now - 250 for 9 reps when I'm rested and motivated.

5'11" and 210 lbs. so I'm basically a short guy.

[elects]

When I was in 9th grade I took weight training. I had never touched a weight before. I put up 200 easily so my friends started to coax me on to see what I could max out at. I found my max at 300 pounds on the bench. I leg pressed a little over 1000 pounds but ran out of room for more weights so I couldnt max out.

Now i agree this sounds like a bunch of BS but I have no reason to lie about it. In 9th grade I was 5'9" and 225 pounds with zero fat. I take after my grandfather. He was a brute. Now I am 28 and 5'11" and 255 but I do have a couple more pounds than I should. I dont know what I would be able to lift now to be honest. Probably not as much as then because I no longer play ball non stop and am not in as good of shape as I once was.

[Xodvbooj]

as said before you shouldnt be comparing yourself to others...

i started in the gym about 8 weeks ago and to begin with i weighed about 65KG and started on 3 sets of 8 reps @ 40KG (as well as the same, 3 sets - 8 reps, 40KG flys) and now i weigh almost 10KG more and benching in decreasing sets (10, 8 ,6) of 47, 54, 61KG on the bench press and 61, 68, 75KG on the flys.

I'm pretty pleased with my progress so far I'm also on whey protein, glutamine and creatine in milk X3 a day.

have just started doing more aerobic exercise as well as the reason i'm gymin' is for rugby... i want to get upto 5miles @ 7.5mph, upto 3 miles so far

p.s. i guess i'm about 5 ft 8, 5ft 9 ish... possibly slight short man syndrome, lol

what shakes are you having exactly?

[Loxaeed]

When I was in 9th grade I took weight training. I had never touched a weight before. I put up 200 easily so my friends started to coax me on to see what I could max out at. I found my max at 300 pounds on the bench. I leg pressed a little over 1000 pounds but ran out of room for more weights so I couldnt max out.

Now i agree this sounds like a bunch of BS but I have no reason to lie about it. In 9th grade I was 5'9" and 225 pounds with zero fat. I take after my grandfather. He was a brute. Now I am 28 and 5'11" and 255 but I do have a couple more pounds than I should. I dont know what I would be able to lift now to be honest. Probably not as much as then because I no longer play ball non stop and am not in as good of shape as I once was.

Wow lol, you must have awesome genetics.

Anyone ever used NOX or know if it's any good?

[Karinochka]

what shakes are you having exactly?

i'm just taking whey protein from http://www.myprotein.co.uk (the unflavoured stuff)... its about 80% protein so add about 35g into shake plus a teaspoon of creatine and a teaspoon of glutamine - just what i said

edit: this is taken 3X daily but in the morning i dont add any of the creatine or glutamine