max bench press calculator

Yes, lots and lots of Bs'ers out there.
No one except on here ever hears me talk about my bench presses. I listen a lot to folks statements, or claims.
I care only that my Spouse sees and knows. She and i have been together 16 yrs and trained since day 1 together, competed together etc.
BUT, when i do bench after i never say anything, and other folks are in the gym. i hear about it from everyone else. OR the best is when they hear about it and i come in the gym next day and guys are saying, holy shit....Apparently some dude had his lady spotting for him and he ripped off 405 or whatever weight I'm using and she barely touched the bar except last rep.
I smile and say, wow. Then a little later the person comes up and says you bugger that was you, my buddy over there was talking about it.

I am not a bragger, i will share on here to like minded folks, but it ends there. As long as momma knows, that's all i care about...

Those other folks are only covering up what they do not have. The real deals never say a word...In may facets of life...

@animal-inside
455 is a damn good lift man IMO.
Ive not tried it and can do 405 for several reps, but have never had one more lb on my bench above 405 and probably wont, as i dont have the support to assist if it goes bad....
Good stuff....

I like your mentality..

I learned form my first job with real men that the less you say about yourself and just let them find out as they do, the better it makes you look in terms of your intelligence, confidence and you get the reputation as someone who doesn't exagerate or lie.

The only time and place I really lay down numbers is here lol..

For what its worth, I had 445 on the bar once and after I got off the bench and for the next few days I just kept thinking how lucky I was not to have torn something.. Up until that point I think I put 405lbs on the bar MAYBE 3 or 4 times and usually got it for 3-4 reps.. And since the day I did 455, I've never put on any more than 365lbs. Those heavy weights just aren't needed for my goals anymore.

My only regret is wishing I had some of my lifts video taped, not for myself but to show my kids when they are older.
 
And the reality is unracking a bar with big numbers on it is fucking scary. I remember when i first did 315, then 405, 455, 495 then when i added the 2.5s a side to get 500. Each time was frightening for the first time. Eyes as big as baseballs and death grips on the bar.
I must be getting old cause i dont have it in me anymore
 
And the reality is unracking a bar with big numbers on it is fucking scary. I remember when i first did 315, then 405, 455, 495 then when i added the 2.5s a side to get 500. Each time was frightening for the first time. Eyes as big as baseballs and death grips on the bar.
I must be getting old cause i dont have it in me anymore

I agree.. Even when your body can physically lift a weight, doesn't mean your mind is able to.. Both have to be in perfect sync, or you won't lift it.
 
I do not think it is accurate. Too many factors at play. I do 315 for anywhere from 12-18 reps depending on the day. State of mind etc. Psychology plays a lot into this. Getting under the bar to do 405 for me is a whole different mindset than 315. 405 max i get is 8 reps. But if i have a bad day, or mind not in it i get 0 reps and need a lift to get it off my chest...lol
Then a week later, boom 8 reps like nothing.
I guess my point is this is not near an accurate source for a 1 rep max at all.
You know as soon as you push on the bar what will happen once you are experienced. I get up and remove weight if it feels off everytime. I know so many guys that tore pecs that say as soon as i pushed off the rack i knew it was off but went anyway.
Rest pause methods work xcellent to raise you numbers. Static holds and 4 inch movements at top, bottom and mid also help.
Lots of ways to increase it, but if you told anyone your max is X number after calculating you would be either selling yourself short or more likely exaggerating the numbers. Its not a one rep max until it comes off the rack, down and back up again amigo.
I agree with you completely with regards to bench being a lift that can vary greatly one workout to the next once you get pretty strong. Id consider strong to be 4plates and above unless ur a female/young/very light in bodyweight.

But once ur in the 400+ lb range for working sets there's just so much that can go wrong and ruin the whole set.
-hydration is huge
-electrolytes
-diet for the previous 2 or 3 days
-and of course if you Musgrove the 1st rep and blow ur wad fighting it up...then your 8 rep set just went down to a 2 or 3 rep set easily.
-for this reason you'll never see a successful bench specialist with shitty form. Ever.


As far as the calculators go....theres an old school way of doing it that works for any pressing (military, incline, flat bench). You take a weight which you can do for a legit CLEAN 10 reps. No bouncing, no half reps etc. Then add 90 lbs to it. Which gives your max.

Ie) I did 10 reps with 345lbs. Which gives me a max of 435lbs and I got a grinder of a lifetime with 440lbs 12 days after my 345lb x 10 set

I think it may work for any rep range actually.

Take the number of reps you get...subtract one and multiply by 10 to give the poundage to add to your original weight.
Such as 225 for 8 reps. Would be 225 + 70lbs = 295lb max. Id think thats Pretty accurate.

Ryan kennely benched 405 x 20 raw very easily back in 2007 which would be 595 raw easily. And that's right around what he pressed raw when he did the 1075lb shirted bench
 
Absolutely man. 16 years she has trained pretty much every session with me. Maybe missed a few in all the time.
My wife stands back and as you say...Doesn't even really enter my line of sight until her instinct knows when i am about done. Then she will put very slight effort to help me finish...
I don't think id be able to trian with others and spotting me as if they touch too soon, my blood boils a little....lol

5 plates would be wicked. Have you got it yet?
In all my years training ive only seen a few guys properly execute 5 plates raw. Actually maybe only a couple. Many with shirts etc, but that is not a lift IMHO. Not at all.
agreed...a legit 500lb bench is very rare. Other than at a meet in the US....ive seen anyone bench more raw than myself. 405 x 7 paused @ 282lb bodyweight naturally at that point. Thats not to say im particularly strong bc im not. I just live in abbotsford/chilliwack and havent encountered too many strong dudes over the years. My buddy would bench 405 x 5 touch and go at 177lb bodyweight tho which I found far more impresaive than anything ive ever done.

Im Currently training to take the all-time canadian raw bench records in the 308 and 275lb weight classes at the same time. Which are 541lbs and 523lbs. With a pause of course.

I dunno if my body is different or what but that pause is a fucking killer. It knocks A TON off my bench
 
I agree with you completely with regards to bench being a lift that can vary greatly one workout to the next once you get pretty strong. Id consider strong to be 4plates and above unless ur a female/young/very light in bodyweight.

But once ur in the 400+ lb range for working sets there's just so much that can go wrong and ruin the whole set.
-hydration is huge
-electrolytes
-diet for the previous 2 or 3 days
-and of course if you Musgrove the 1st rep and blow ur wad fighting it up...then your 8 rep set just went down to a 2 or 3 rep set easily.
-for this reason you'll never see a successful bench specialist with shitty form. Ever.


As far as the calculators go....theres an old school way of doing it that works for any pressing (military, incline, flat bench). You take a weight which you can do for a legit CLEAN 10 reps. No bouncing, no half reps etc. Then add 90 lbs to it. Which gives your max.

Ie) I did 10 reps with 345lbs. Which gives me a max of 435lbs and I got a grinder of a lifetime with 440lbs 12 days after my 345lb x 10 set

I think it may work for any rep range actually.

Take the number of reps you get...subtract one and multiply by 10 to give the poundage to add to your original weight.
Such as 225 for 8 reps. Would be 225 + 70lbs = 295lb max. Id think thats Pretty accurate.

Ryan kennely benched 405 x 20 raw very easily back in 2007 which would be 595 raw easily. And that's right around what he pressed raw when he did the 1075lb shirted bench
Yes sir, it can change drastically by the week. I can do 405 x 8 reps and feel good one week, then the next i will put 315 on the bar working my way up and can get 9-10 reps only. Then another week i will get 16-18 reps with 315.

I've been doing it so long that when i am at 2 plates on my way up, i know if i have it or not. If not, i do not attempt it as guys get into injury city at this point when mind or body is not in it.

BEST OF LUCK to you brother on hitting your goal for bench, that is exciting to be in that mindset.

IMHO, shirted bench press is not a real bench press either. ITS like racing cars, the best technology and money spent wins, and it is not you doing it...

I like the fact you are speaking of breaking raw records.
 
Yes sir, it can change drastically by the week. I can do 405 x 8 reps and feel good one week, then the next i will put 315 on the bar working my way up and can get 9-10 reps only. Then another week i will get 16-18 reps with 315.

I've been doing it so long that when i am at 2 plates on my way up, i know if i have it or not. If not, i do not attempt it as guys get into injury city at this point when mind or body is not in it.

BEST OF LUCK to you brother on hitting your goal for bench, that is exciting to be in that mindset.

IMHO, shirted bench press is not a real bench press either. ITS like racing cars, the best technology and money spent wins, and it is not you doing it...

I like the fact you are speaking of breaking raw records.
Thanks for the encouragement.

Equipped lifting is a strange breed in my opinion. It certainly is very different than raw....and there are some nasty strong guys/girls who do both obviously.

I had the awesome experience of training with ryan kennelly in 2007 for 8 days when he was ramping up for his 1075lb bench and that guy is a fucking monster! As is his whole crew of guys. JM pressing 405 for 8 reps strict...WTF! I just dont find it practical to take 3-4-5 hours for a workout bc of all the gear each set. Plus all the money that goes into the shirts and suits that u need to have altered every 3lbs bodyweight u change etc.

I find the equipped guys are often old timers who have blown a pec/lat/tricep off the bone a few times and need the suit to act as their tendon lol. More power to them in that aspect...but being a young, healthy lifter in this day and age when raw is huge...i just don't see equipped as an option.
 
Thanks for the encouragement.

Equipped lifting is a strange breed in my opinion. It certainly is very different than raw....and there are some nasty strong guys/girls who do both obviously.

I had the awesome experience of training with ryan kennelly in 2007 for 8 days when he was ramping up for his 1075lb bench and that guy is a fucking monster! As is his whole crew of guys. JM pressing 405 for 8 reps strict...WTF! I just dont find it practical to take 3-4-5 hours for a workout bc of all the gear each set. Plus all the money that goes into the shirts and suits that u need to have altered every 3lbs bodyweight u change etc.

I find the equipped guys are often old timers who have blown a pec/lat/tricep off the bone a few times and need the suit to act as their tendon lol. More power to them in that aspect...but being a young, healthy lifter in this day and age when raw is huge...i just don't see equipped as an option.
You betcha man. I lifted with and am friends with Mario Piatelli. He held world record for bench press as well. I think someone may have beat it now. But yes, i benched 405 strict for 8 myself, he did many more than i did shirtlress, but when he went for record and comps it was shirted.
His record was shirted as well, not raw. I respect him either way and his whole group. All strong as hell.

Now i do not touch my chest with bar anymore on flat bench. Just started doing that this year as the last couple inchesw is where pecs rip off, so i go about 3 inches off chest nowadays.
Incline i touch chest though, just flat since my horse busted me up. Cant risk it.

Keep us in the loop on your journey brother, I'm rooting for ya...
 
Thanks for the encouragement.

Equipped lifting is a strange breed in my opinion. It certainly is very different than raw....and there are some nasty strong guys/girls who do both obviously.

I had the awesome experience of training with ryan kennelly in 2007 for 8 days when he was ramping up for his 1075lb bench and that guy is a fucking monster! As is his whole crew of guys. JM pressing 405 for 8 reps strict...WTF! I just dont find it practical to take 3-4-5 hours for a workout bc of all the gear each set. Plus all the money that goes into the shirts and suits that u need to have altered every 3lbs bodyweight u change etc.

I find the equipped guys are often old timers who have blown a pec/lat/tricep off the bone a few times and need the suit to act as their tendon lol. More power to them in that aspect...but being a young, healthy lifter in this day and age when raw is huge...i just don't see equipped as an option.

I don't know.. I've never been able to acknowledge or respect any number that was achieved with "equipment".. Just take that shit off and give us your real weights.

Even with injured guys using equpiment I still don't respect or acknowledge it..

It's just not real.. I don't care if your raw lifts are 100lbs less, I'll still be more impressed..

Another thing I've noticed lately is lots of guys using those big friggin plates that aren't 45lbs and posting videos.. They most often don't state the weight lifted and let the view assume they are 45's...

Lastly, wtf is with guys posting "I dead lift 405", but then when I watch the video its a trap dead lift lol.. I LOVE using the trap dead lifting bar, but its a whole lost easier then a olympic bar!!! most trap dead lifting bars are rough guess 4 inches taller at the handles than a reg bar.. you've already eliminated the rock bottom of the lift, which is the hardest part!!!

And those big ass plates lol.. They also add to the height of the bar to make the bottom of the lift a lot easier..

I'm getting old I guess.
 
You betcha man. I lifted with and am friends with Mario Piatelli. He held world record for bench press as well. I think someone may have beat it now. But yes, i benched 405 strict for 8 myself, he did many more than i did shirtlress, but when he went for record and comps it was shirted.
His record was shirted as well, not raw. I respect him either way and his whole group. All strong as hell.

Now i do not touch my chest with bar anymore on flat bench. Just started doing that this year as the last couple inchesw is where pecs rip off, so i go about 3 inches off chest nowadays.
Incline i touch chest though, just flat since my horse busted me up. Cant risk it.

Keep us in the loop on your journey brother, I'm rooting for ya...

yup...

I actually think if I hadn't torn my pec already, I would have dropped flat barbell benching all togehter by now.. you dont see near as many tears or shoulder injuries with incline.. Even just a slight incline reduces your chances of a tear a lot I believe.
 
There are too many factors to truly figure out your one rep max using calculation. This will give you a pretty good idea but until you move the weight on the bar it’s just a guess.

If your goal is to bench 315 that is very achievable. Work in lower ranges 5-7 and use things like push ups after benching to really build up strength.

There are lots of good strength building program like 5x5. IMHO I think everyone should start training to increase performance in a sport build strength, rather than trying to build muscle for the sake of muscle.
Totally agree GP (Grand Pa) about you first and third line of your response, I have a different view on the second line, that is ok, and I am not going into that point at .

You will only know your 1 rep max when you keep adding weight incrementally, once you miss, can't lock out etc, then your previous weight is your one rep max, unless you have been going up 25 lbs each lift for 1 rep. Then back off 5 lbs at a time till you make a lift then that is your max. Make sure you take adequate rest between each lift to recover.

Yep functional/full body strength is the best strength to work on, cuz it does more that just build muscle for the sake of prettiness ( yeah yeah, I know we all want to look pretty, even me). My motivation for weights was to get strong enuff to kick the shit out everyone who kept beating me up in the play ground everytime we moved to a new base as my father was in the military, I was 12 years old around this time. Once I got the weights for xmas and had trained for a year I had gained about 10 lbs of muscle and had got stronger and looked a lot more intimidating so kids left me alone. After that I just enjoyed lifting as it was part of my daily routine. I got a hold of a few MD mags and saw how hard some of the pro's worked out and once I saw this I was hooked. After that I weight trained to increase my shot put and discus throuw, after that I trained to get stronger kicks and punches in TaeKwonDo. Went into Powerlifting after TaekwonDo ... that one is not hard to explain ... and did BB competitions for a while.

So @granpa1959 I am with you on your thought process about training and upping your strength.
 
Update so right before the bullshit nazi passports came in I managed to bench 3 plates aside for 2 reps. When i say "bench" i mean the hammer strength chest press machine. I know this is much easier than the official bench press but i was still happy to get 3 plates aside. Im going in the right direction atleast. Next goal is to actually do 315 on the real bench press. For the record i think this max bench press calculator was fairly accurate although a bit optimistic.
 
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