The Shrine

New bench press max: 270 lbs.

Booya.

This is you? Boy, remind me not to get into any fights with you anytime soon. How much do you weigh?

That reminds me: I need to cancel my gym membership. I haven't gone out to the gym in over a month.

I'm about 6'1" and 185 lbs.

That's impressive. When I was working out heavily I don't think I ever got my bench press at reps up above my weight (around 150 lbs at that time). I could do 170 or 180 once or twice, but that was it.

Very nice, man.

My max is only about 210-215 right now (though that's the most it's ever been )

I'm about 5'10", about 185lbs.

I don't know what I can bench, but I don't use the free weights at the gym.

My upper body strength isn't all that impressive anyway, given I've only been working out since May 11th, and none of the sports I've taken part in in the past used upper body strength to any necessary degree (skiing, fencing).

Still, I've lost 27 pounds in that stretch, so it's not like I've been wasting my time.

I don't know what I can bench, but I don't use ANY weights at the gym... or even go to the gym... I'm fat...

Hello, who's this? Do we actually have a new poster here?

Exercise is exercise. Starting too quickly will just cause injury, discourage you, and probably make things worse.

If nothing else, go on walks and build up endurance.

I also have no idea what I can or cannot bench.

The sports I'm involved in also don't require 'bulk' muscle. For Rockclimbing in particular, it's actually a bad thing.

I'm 6'1" 165 lbs, and able to haul my body up a vertical slab of rock that's 100+ feet high. But I don't have a 'defined' torso and know that I never will.

Well, I am 190 cm's (6'4) and 100KG (220 pounds). I don't do a lot of bulk work, but I do like to keep my chest in great shape with butterfly curls and bench presses. I usually only go with 100 pound reps for bench pressing since I use the same bar for standing curls as well, and I don't like to bother switching around weight in the middle of a work out. I have no idea how much my maximum bench press is, to be quite honest.

I have said it probably a thousand times before, but excersizing and any kind of sport related activity is perhaps the most important part of my life; I give it priority over everything else that is non essential.

Nice. I don't even know what my one rep max is.

I don't know what my one rep max is either. Back in the offseason when I was lifting to gain strength, I could do three sets (of between 8-12 reps) at 150 lbs. on a Smith machine, which is good, but not quite up to my body weight. (5'9", 165.)

'Course, like Gray, upper body strength and bulk don't really help - I need speed and agility, and I usually stop doing heavy lifting when the season starts and focus more on sprint and endurance training (not to mention practicing).

Congrats on an impressive number though, Kup.

This was my first time in a long time to max out. Now my normal bench press sets are 8-9 at 205 lb.s, 5-6 at 225 lbs., and 2-3 at 235 lbs. I'm looking to gain muscle mass because, hey, it's fun, and I'd like to go up into the 205 weight class for BJJ. I've been lifting for about three and a half years, and in that time, I've added about 30 lbs. of muscle. I can put a lot more muscle on my 6'1" frame before it slows me down; "bulk" isn't an issue until I get above a body weight of about 210 lbs., which won't happen for a long time.

Agent, since you're looking to use your strength in a sport, try using free weights instead of the Smith machine. If you do a normal bench press, that forces you to balance the weight which recruits more muscles - which will make you a stronger player. I know your sport doesn't require great upper body strength (although I know someone who did Ultimate in college and he has equal, if not greater, upper body strength than me), but if you're going to do strength training for it, then you might as well get the most out of it. I used a Smith machine for bench press for a while, and when I switched to a normal bench press, I had to decrease the weight because I wasn't used to maintaining control of the bar.

Seeker, do you mean you do bench press with 100 <i>pounds</i> or did you really mean 100 <i>kilograms</i>? At your height and body weight, 100 lbs. doesn't seem like it would do much.

Anyway, in general, regular exercise is good. Find something you enjoy and keep doing it, as it significantly improves quality of life.

Kupek wrote:Anyway, in general, regular exercise is good. Find something you enjoy and keep doing it, as it significantly improves quality of life.

I love lifting weights. Since I've started, I've been able to increase my normal lifting weight by about 70 lbs which makes me happy.

It really does just make you feel better just to be doing something good for yourself.

Kup, I have multiple exercises for each muscle group that I rotate through when I go in to the gym. Specifically for chest, my six exercises (of which I do two each workout) are Smith Bench Press, Pec Fly Machine, Chest Press Machine, Incline Cable Press, Dumbbell Alternating Press (on Swiss ball), and regular old pushups with my feet on a bench - this way I get to hit my muscles in a lot of different ways.

Unfortunately, my gym isn't very big (we have no bench press station) and I work out alone (no spotter), so my free weight opportunities are kind of limited. Case in point, I was getting to a point this winter where I could handle doing the dumbbell alternating presses with 60-lb dumbbells - as far as my chest muscles were concerned, that is. However, it was too hard trying to pick the DBs up off the ground and get myself into position on the Swiss ball by myself at that weight, so I went back to the 50s for that exercise until I stopped lifting for the season in May.

Basically, what I'm saying is that I do what I can.

Never been a fan of lifting weights. I love to do things to keep in shape, racquetball, softball, etc, which i do about 3 times a week, but could never motiviate myself to simply pick up weights or run/bike on a machine, it was too boring to me.

That being said, i am also happy with my body structure, i am 5'11 and weigh 150-160. My sports/activities keep me thin and agile; i hold my own wrestling against my bigger friends by being quick, responsive, and flexible. I'm the guy who can vault myself over a 10 foot chainlink fence or land that 15 foot fall without getting hurt and without losing a step.

Sometimes there is something to be said for being the toned little guy.

I've always had more of a muscular frame than an agile one, so I'm happy with the results my weightlifting is providing me. I'm losing weight too, so it's extra noticeable.

Kupek wrote: Seeker, do you mean you do bench press with 100 <i>pounds</i> or did you really mean 100 <i>kilograms</i>? At your height and body weight, 100 lbs. doesn't seem like it would do much.

Well, I went to the gym today and benched 110 kg (about 242 pounds) at 12 reps in one of my trisets. I can lift large amounts of weight in regular sets if I want to, I just don't. Usually I only do bench presses, wide, in my supersets with butterfly curls, and I use the same bar and weight that I do with my bar curls (mainly because I am cheap for another bar and don't like to be bothered to switch weights around in the middle of a work-out, I like to keep the pace fast and intense). It's also because I am fairly dead-set in my ways. I have developed the systems that work best for me just as you have done for yourself. My best lift is definitely the arm curl. Building muscle is fun, but once I hit about 22, I stopped increasing in size, I am fairly comfortable at my current size. I think mainly it's because I run a lot, and that is one of my favourite things to do in life, period.

Flip wrote:
Sometimes there is something to be said for being the toned little guy.

I don't know if I'll ever be considered "little", but I prefer the toned yet muscular look over the football player size craze that's going around these days for the reasons you gave.

Of course I'm saying this at 6'0" 190 lbs, but I don't look "big" (wierd genes). That said, I do workout most days, but I always precede weight training with 30 mins of moderate to intense cardio and I supplement my workouts with...nothing. I just eat regular stuff and my only supplementation is a daily vitamin.

Yeah I haven't posted in a LOOOOONG time and I used to go by Powertrip... I'm one of Mac's friends

Ahnycs wrote:Yeah I haven't posted in a LOOOOONG time and I used to go by Powertrip... I'm one of Mac's friends

Welcome back, then!

I just picked up a set with an olympic bench press bar and 285lbs of weight for about $130. I just need an actual bench now. I always lift with my friend at his house but I need to start doing my arms and other stuff on the in between days where I was normally doing nothing. So I bought a curl bar and now I have the weights. Plus I'll have this all for when I'm married in May.

Sweet!

Lox wrote:I just picked up a set with an olympic bench press bar and 285lbs of weight for about $130. I just need an actual bench now. I always lift with my friend at his house but I need to start doing my arms and other stuff on the in between days where I was normally doing nothing. So I bought a curl bar and now I have the weights. Plus I'll have this all for when I'm married in May.

Sweet!

Good idea. There's no worse feeling than not being strong enough to carry the new wife across the threshold.

"Errrg....ugh....oooof!!! (splat)" "You weakling! What do you have to say for yourself?" "Uh, I love you?"

Oh, and Ahncys, welcome! Nice avatar.

Mental wrote:"Errrg....ugh....oooof!!! (splat)" "You weakling! What do you have to say for yourself?" "Uh, I love you?"

Oh, and Ahncys, welcome! Nice avatar.

Heh heh... thanx, glad someone other than me likes it ^_^

I'm a big fan of anything with a purple suit. Purple rocks.

Ishamael wrote:Good idea. There's no worse feeling than not being strong enough to carry the new wife across the threshold. :)

Speak for yourself. My soon-to-be-wife is too big for me to carry and she's stronger than me anyway.

Damn stereotypes. I still that she'd keep her last name.

Oh yeah...you two are about to tie the knot, right?

I will definitely not be able to attend. But I wish you the best.