The Most Impressive Bench Press Ever?

[JauntyAngle]

I respect powerlifters - they're strong as hell and dedicated. But I take some of the bench stats with a grain of salt. I understand that you have to take advantage of the rules to maximize your lifts, but to compare a wide grip, arched back bench with 12" range of motion to a regular grip, flat backed bench with 2x the range of motion is not a fair comparison.

I know a lot of personal think this, but it makes no sensed to me.

Of course it's harder if you use a less efficient technique. But where do you stop? I mean, if that guy's snatch was great maybe he should do it on one leg while drunk, right? Because that's even harder so it's a better lift, right? And if everyone is just trying to get their weird on, how can you compare anyone?

If you want to know how strong people really can be, you need to let them lift in the most efficient way possible, and in a way that allows comparison.

 

[belph]

I know a lot of personal think this, but it makes no sensed to me.

Of course it's harder if you use a less efficient technique. But where do you stop? I mean, if that guy's snatch was great maybe he should do it on one leg while drunk, right? Because that's even harder so it's a better lift, right? And if everyone is just trying to get their weird on, how can you compare anyone?

If you want to know how strong people really can be, you need to let them lift in the most efficient way possible, and in a way that allows comparison.

I actually just saw a dude one arm snatch 70kg and shotgun a beer. He held the weight overhead while drinking. That count?

 

[gspieler]

I know a lot of personal think this, but it makes no sensed to me.

Of course it's harder if you use a less efficient technique. But where do you stop? I mean, if that guy's snatch was great maybe he should do it on one leg while drunk, right? Because that's even harder so it's a better lift, right? And if everyone is just trying to get their weird on, how can you compare anyone?

If you want to know how strong people really can be, you need to let them lift in the most efficient way possible, and in a way that allows comparison.

Not for inter generational comparisons. PL'ing today barely resembles what it did a generation or two ago...and not in a good way. Being able to get the most out of your equipment =\= being stronger, which is ostensibly the point of PL'ing(to determine who is the absolute strongest).

 

[btwrestler119]

I respect powerlifters - they're strong as hell and dedicated. But I take some of the bench stats with a grain of salt. I understand that you have to take advantage of the rules to maximize your lifts, but to compare a wide grip, arched back bench with 12" range of motion to a regular grip, flat backed bench with 2x the range of motion is not a fair comparison.

Whose bench numbers to you take at face value? People who have never benched in a competition, who have never had to wait for a press command? The rules of what constitutes a bench press are determined by powerlifting competitions. An arched back bench actually puts the shoulders in a safer pressing position so I'd recommend it for everyone. Also, anyone who has tried benching very wide will understand, it doesn't automatically make it easier. I can close grip (hands on the inside of the knurling) bench far more than I can bench with the max competition width grip. Range of motion is all about limb lengths and chest/upper back mass.

You are basically saying you can't have an impressive bench unless you are lanky armed, have bad technique, and don't look like you lift.

 

[btwrestler119]

Not for inter generational comparisons. PL'ing today barely resembles what it did a generation or two ago...and not in a good way. Being able to get the most out of your equipment =\= being stronger, which is ostensibly the point of PL'ing(to determine who is the absolute strongest).

What? What powerlifting are you talking about? Raw powerlifting is much more popular than it used to be, the opposite of what you said is happening.

 

[Aethyr]

Whose bench numbers to you take at face value? People who have never benched in a competition, who have never had to wait for a press command? The rules of what constitutes a bench press are determined by powerlifting competitions. An arched back bench actually puts the shoulders in a safer pressing position so I'd recommend it for everyone. Also, anyone who has tried benching very wide will understand, it doesn't automatically make it easier. I can close grip (hands on the inside of the knurling) bench far more than I can bench with the max competition width grip. Range of motion is all about limb lengths and chest/upper back mass.

You are basically saying you can't have an impressive bench unless you are lanky armed, have bad technique, and don't look like you lift.

I totally get you have to set some sort of standard ruleset, under which you record your maximum lift. I'm saying this guy isn't a PLer and has no clue how to maximize his bench under PL rules and its clear to me he could increase his bench a lot by simply improving his technique. The dude is pressing 410 on basically strength alone. To me that's just as impressive as a PLer his weight benching 50 lbs more, but taking advantage of technique to eek out those extra lbs.

Wide grip benching has to be trained. You can't just decide one day, out the blue, to go from narrow to wide and expect your max to jump up 10% on the first try. And yes people are different - you adjust grip width, arch and other variables until you find the best combo. But generally you go as wide as possible until you see no consistent benefit going any wider.

Yes arching is better for the shoulders, but you can't deny it also has the convenient effect of decreasing ROM, which means you can lift more.

But when I say I take some PL benches with a grain of salt: Her shoulders are touching, and yes the very bottom of her ass is grazing the bench. And she can bench 240, which while very impressive, to me, is no more impressive than if she benched 200lb with a normal amount of arch that regular people can do, lol.

 

[TheeFaulted]

I find it super impressive. In any sport people are going to leverage their skills and physical characteristics to perform as best as possible. That girl is super impressive and doing multiple things a number of guys on this board can not do.

What you said is like watching the olympics and saying, "Yeah that guy was able to toss that other guy in Greco, but it was because he has all this technique. It would have been so much more impressive if he could do it without spending all his time working on technique." Or saying it would be more impressive if those basketball players weren't so tall, or if those gymnasts weren't so flexible. Those who leverage their skills and physical characteristics rise to the top. That doesn't make them less impressive.

 

[Aethyr]

I find it super impressive. In any sport people are going to leverage their skills and physical characteristics to perform as best as possible. That girl is super impressive and doing multiple things a number of guys on this board can not do.

What you said is like watching the olympics and saying, "Yeah that guy was able to toss that other guy in Greco, but it was because he has all this technique. It would have been so much more impressive if he could do it without spending all his time working on technique." Or saying it would be more impressive if those basketball players weren't so tall, or if those gymnasts weren't so flexible. Those who leverage their skills and physical characteristics rise to the top. That doesn't make them less impressive.

You're conflating skill/technique with physical attributes. Tossing a guy in Greco is skill. Being extremely flexible or tall or short/skinny are physical attributes. They're different. She has the extreme spinal flexibility that only young girls can have. That's not a skill. You don't have to take years developing it. Yes, that flexibility for PL bench is exactly like height in basketball. So I'm more impressed with a 240 bench by a girl without extreme back arch than a girl with it, just like I'm more impressed by someone under 6' tall dunking than someone who's 7'.

 

[TehWeak1]

I've always found this argument meaningless. Comparing a gym bench and a competition bench is silly. What impresses you is also completely subjective. Am I being serious enough for this thread?

 

[Oblivian]

Lol at people calling the arch vs. non-arch argument silly but then throwing in the gym bench vs. competition angle.

 

[PUO3]

I dont give a shit if its done on a platform or in a gym tbh.

There is this overwhelming amount of critique and insecure hater nonsense regarding anything involving weights. Someone always has to discredit the person or be a negative shit head lol.

 

[belph]

Lol at people calling the arch vs. non-arch argument silly but then throwing in the gym bench vs. competition angle.

I think there's some merit to the latter. Having three attempts certainly changes things quite a bit.

 

[Oblivian]

I think there's some merit to the latter. Having three attempts certainly changes things quite a bit.

Three attempts at a meet, sure. You can enter however many meets you want. Plus it's not like people hitting gym lifts are hitting it on their fourth try often. That's why I view oly lifting quite a bit differently than powerlifting in competition. There are so many more factors at play in oly lifting and I think it's far more common for someone to hit a lift after misses in oly lifting vs. powerlifting.

I just think it's funny when people act like powerlifting is adding this whole other challenge when it's not uncommon at all for people to hit all time PRs in meets. I understand at the very highest level bringing it on competition day matters most, especially with other factors like weight cutting, but I think it's way overblown for lower and mid levels.

 

[belph]

Three attempts at a meet, sure. You can enter however many meets you want. Plus it's not like people hitting gym lifts are hitting it on their fourth try often. That's why I view oly lifting quite a bit differently than powerlifting in competition. There are so many more factors at play in oly lifting and I think it's far more common for someone to hit a lift after misses in oly lifting vs. powerlifting.

I just think it's funny when people act like powerlifting is adding this whole other challenge when it's not uncommon at all for people to hit all time PRs in meets. I understand at the very highest level bringing it on competition day matters most, especially with other factors like weight cutting, but I think it's way overblown for lower and mid levels.

I don't disagree with anything you've said. Pretty sure we're on the same page.


Simpsons or futurama?

 

[Oblivian]

I don't disagree with anything you've said. Pretty sure we're on the same page.


Simpsons or futurama?

Family Guy bro.

 

[belph]

Family Guy bro.

I'm surprised. South park would've been my guess.

 

[TheeFaulted]

You're conflating skill/technique with physical attributes. Tossing a guy in Greco is skill. Being extremely flexible or tall or short/skinny are physical attributes. They're different. She has the extreme spinal flexibility that only young girls can have. That's not a skill. You don't have to take years developing it. Yes, that flexibility for PL bench is exactly like height in basketball. So I'm more impressed with a 240 bench by a girl without extreme back arch than a girl with it, just like I'm more impressed by someone under 6' tall dunking than someone who's 7'.

I'm not conflating skill/technique with physical attributes. I specifically mentioned both and gave examples of both

In any sport people are going to leverage their skills and physical characteristics to perform as best as possible.

 

[Aethyr]

I'm not conflating skill/technique with physical attributes. I specifically mentioned both and gave examples of both

I guess it sounded like you were - you compared my example of an extreme arch (attribute) to an example of a greco throw (skill), so you can understand my confusion.

What you said is like watching the olympics and saying, "Yeah that guy was able to toss that other guy in Greco,

 

[Aethyr]

I dont give a shit if its done on a platform or in a gym tbh.

There is this overwhelming amount of critique and insecure hater nonsense regarding anything involving weights. Someone always has to discredit the person or be a negative shit head lol.

Agreed.

At the end of the day, I use reason to decide if something is impressive - I don't automatically throw out a gym lift just by virtue of a gym lift and I don't worship a comp lift just because it was a comp lift.

A comp lift can be unimpressive with great amounts of weight lifted and all the rules technically followed. And a gym lift can be fucking impressive, even if there wasn't a single spectator to witness it.

 

[boingyman]

Oh no has this thread really come to this? Don't be mad cause you cant bench teh 275...