Realistic 500lb bench?

**benverner** · 12-02-2005, 07:40 AM

It's resolution/goal time. I started really getting things in perspective by re-reading some of the stuff that got me on the right track in the first place. As of right now I'm sitting at 5'11 212 and 15%BF.

my current bench is 300x6 for a rough 345-350 max. I've always had a 400lb max goal but I'm thinking this is a pussy goal on my part now since I've gone up 55 lbs for reps in the past 10 weeks. My goal for Dec 31 2006 is to have a 400x5 bench, this is roughly a 2 lb increase on the bar per week with some skipping of week for sickness etc. Goal for Aug 28 2008 is a 500lb raw max, this will be my 30th birthday. According to my calcs I should hit 400 raw max by Aug of 2006 my 28th birthday.

So the real goal is a 500lb raw max bench which would put me at about 450x5 as a working weight. There are roughly 130-135 weeks between now and then to increase my working bench 150 lbs...1.2 lbs a week, no problem when you've been clipping along at 5 lbs increments weekly right!?

I'm estimating my body weight will need to be in the 240 range to put up the 500. Does this seem like a realistic progression to the experts out there.

I'm taking so long to get there in order to eliminate plateaus, by progressively loading the bar only 1-2 lbs a week I should be able to keep the progress going for a VERY long time. I'm doing a push/pull/legs split 5 total exercises per day and they are 5x5 with what is about my 6RM for the exercise, I do this once a week and am eating 5K cals a day. I feel like I've finally put the pieces together and should be able to keep this rolling at a slow pace. I could probably do it more quickly but I am natural to the point that I take only protein supps, the rest is food.

Thanks for reading and replying. Hopefully this makes sense to alot of the newer folks out there that think a 400 lb bench is completely unattainable. Write me and I can send you some stuff that will make more sense then anything you have ever read or heard. Sure there are some programs that will increase your bench 40 lbs in 4 weeks, but then what? You have to deload so long to get back and then increase in small increments by the time its all said and done you should have just stayed the course and did it the "simple way".

**TJ Cline** · 12-02-2005, 07:45 AM

Goals are great...
But I find it best to set short term goals and then move on from their once I have achieved them.

Good luck

**benverner** · 12-02-2005, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

Goals are great...
But I find it best to set short term goals and then move on from their once I have achieved them.

Good luck

Well the 400 mark was the ultimate goal but is now the short term. I definitely need something to track towards and keep me focused. Basically I have a 2 -3 lbs goal each week, this will really keep my rest and intensity in line in the long haul so I don't go nuts clipping along at 5 lbs a week and then blow up and get frustrated. I think I can pull it off. I'm just wondering if I'm going to have to be 275 or not to do it.

you are a +400 bencher correct? How high do you think you can reasonably go raw? Well yours isn't raw but you know what I'm talking about.

**LAM** · 12-02-2005, 08:11 AM

strength gains are not linear and IMO a constant 2 lbs a week is not really realistic. almost impossible to gauge when you will hit something like that (500 lb raw bench). benching 400 and 500 raw are two seperate worlds..

one word...periodization

**Big Smoothy** · 12-02-2005, 08:18 AM

LAM,

Are you a big proponent of periodization?

(I realize everyone is different.)

**LAM** · 12-02-2005, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Snafu

LAM,

Are you a big proponent of periodization?

(I realize everyone is different.)

definetly...

**benverner** · 12-02-2005, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by LAM

strength gains are not linear and IMO a constant 2 lbs a week is not really realistic. almost impossible to gauge when you will hit something like that (500 lb raw bench). benching 400 and 500 raw are two seperate worlds..

one word...periodization

Thanks for the input, I only meant that I needed to average 1.1lb increases per week to hit 500. I'll make sure to keep you posted. So if I do it for a year is periodization unecessary if your rest and diet are in line or does it just mean that I could have jumped more quickly by periodizing?

**CowPimp** · 12-02-2005, 11:09 AM

That's a tough goal to achieve, but I wish you the best of luck. I strongly suggest you look into powerlifting routines when your gains begin to taper off. Ride with what you have while you are seeing these gains, but be open to new ideas come plateau time.

**benverner** · 12-02-2005, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by CowPimp

That's a tough goal to achieve, but I wish you the best of luck. I strongly suggest you look into powerlifting routines when your gains begin to taper off. Ride with what you have while you are seeing these gains, but be open to new ideas come plateau time.

Thanks pimp,

My primary goal has always been size but I figure if I can bench 500 I can't help but gain a good deal of size and it's much easier to measure then fractions of inches on your arms for instance.

Now I just need to work on my dead/squat goals, having a broken vertebrae sucks, I probably can only squat ATF what I bench. I'm just now getting back to it after a year of nerve pain. I see this as my limiting factor in achieving the 500lb press. Both the vertebrae and the leg strength.

**benverner** · 12-02-2005, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by CowPimp

That's a tough goal to achieve, but I wish you the best of luck. I strongly suggest you look into powerlifting routines when your gains begin to taper off. Ride with what you have while you are seeing these gains, but be open to new ideas come plateau time.

you're close enough, I'll ask you to meet up for my spot when I try it. See you in 3 years.

**Tough Old Man** · 12-02-2005, 11:43 AM

Good luck but 500 is up there and only a few can ever reach it.

**LAM** · 12-02-2005, 11:43 AM

if you want to get serious about benching forget using projected maxes. you need to get physchologically adjusted to lifting at 100% of your 1RM which means you have to do it.

maxing out is like taking a test, and a lot of people choke at test time...

**benverner** · 12-02-2005, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by LAM

if you want to get serious about benching forget using projected maxes. you need to get physchologically adjusted to lifting at 100% of your 1RM which means you have to do it.

maxing out is like taking a test, and a lot of people choke at test time...

I've hit 365 recently but wanted to go off a conservative estimate. I do need to start doing 1RM's more though, now it's only several months in between. Porbably monthly and a lot more 2 RM and 3 RM in the future, otherwise I'll be a bitchn' 5RMaxer and nothing else.

**TJ Cline** · 12-02-2005, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by benverner

Well the 400 mark was the ultimate goal but is now the short term. I definitely need something to track towards and keep me focused. Basically I have a 2 -3 lbs goal each week, this will really keep my rest and intensity in line in the long haul so I don't go nuts clipping along at 5 lbs a week and then blow up and get frustrated. I think I can pull it off. I'm just wondering if I'm going to have to be 275 or not to do it.

you are a +400 bencher correct? How high do you think you can reasonably go raw? Well yours isn't raw but you know what I'm talking about.

Raw is unequipped but not necessarily natural..

A 500lb raw natural bench for a guy 250 or less is one and a million...
I have only witnessed one natural guy hit 500 raw.........and a few 350 fat slobs also..

**CowPimp** · 12-02-2005, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by benverner

I've hit 365 recently but wanted to go off a conservative estimate. I do need to start doing 1RM's more though, now it's only several months in between. Porbably monthly and a lot more 2 RM and 3 RM in the future, otherwise I'll be a bitchn' 5RMaxer and nothing else.

Look no further than conjugate periodization my friend.

**PWGriffin** · 12-02-2005, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

Raw is unequipped but not necessarily natural..

A 500lb raw natural bench for a guy 250 or less is one and a million...
I have only witnessed one natural guy hit 500 raw.........and a few 350 fat slobs also..

My sentiments exactly...but he did say he put 50lbs on his bench in 10 weeks...may not be natural now for all we know....

**benverner** · 12-02-2005, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

My sentiments exactly...but he did say he put 50lbs on his bench in 10 weeks...may not be natural now for all we know....

easy chief, I wouldn't be concerned with 1-2 lbs a week then would I? I'd be shooting for keeping that 5 lb gain. I'll revive this thread when I approach the 400 max mark and then again when I approach the 400 rep mark...it will begin to get interesting then. That's when I should start finding out just how much weight I will need to gain to hit my number...hell a 2xBW press is more then most EVER hit.

**P-funk** · 12-02-2005, 01:08 PM

you really should set up a periodized program like LAM suggested to prevent things like:

overtraining
stagnation
pattern overload
injury
and of course contiued progress towards your main goal.

**myCATpowerlifts** · 12-02-2005, 01:35 PM

You keep recommending periodization, but you are not giving any examples.

Are you talking changing every 3 weeks, every 6 weeks, alternating week to week....What?

**PWGriffin** · 12-02-2005, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by benverner

easy chief, I wouldn't be concerned with 1-2 lbs a week then would I? I'd be shooting for keeping that 5 lb gain. I'll revive this thread when I approach the 400 max mark and then again when I approach the 400 rep mark...it will begin to get interesting then. That's when I should start finding out just how much weight I will need to gain to hit my number...hell a 2xBW press is more then most EVER hit.

When I plateaud naturally, it was everything I could do to keep throwing up the same numbers...that can happen for weeks at a time...that's why some don't think that you can hit that goal naturally in the time frame given...If you've been training and dieting properly for a pretty good amount of time and suddenly put 50 pounds on ur bench in 10 weeks...at pretty high weights....ur either juicing or are a genetic God in my humble but worthless opinion.

**TJ Cline** · 12-02-2005, 02:17 PM

Right now I have set a unrealistic goal of a unnatural 600lb raw bench at 275 or less.

**Squaggleboggin** · 12-02-2005, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by myCATpowerlifts

You keep recommending periodization, but you are not giving any examples.

Are you talking changing every 3 weeks, every 6 weeks, alternating week to week....What?

In other words, don't do five sets of five reps each with your 80% weight every other day for the same exercise every single week. Adjust rep ranges, sets, percentages, exercises, rest periods, rest intervals, rep tempos, grips and anything else you can think of. The human body adapts. Change as many things as possible to keep it from stagnating, overtraining, etc.

**PWGriffin** · 12-02-2005, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

Right now I have set a unrealistic goal of a unnatural 600lb raw bench at 275 or less.

My goal right now is only 315 raw by maybe end of jan....that's pretty weak I know, my chest is prolly my weakest point...but it's my fav thing to workout so that's good, I won't slack on it and let it fall too far behind everything else...

You need to put some pics up sometime, before and after or something like that...I'm going to have some when I post my journal in the very near future...

**Squaggleboggin** · 12-02-2005, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by PWGriffin

My goal right now is only 315 raw by maybe end of jan....that's pretty weak I know, my chest is prolly my weakest point...but it's my fav thing to workout so that's good, I won't slack on it and let it fall too far behind everything else...

You need to put some pics up sometime, before and after or something like that...I'm going to have some when I post my journal in the very near future...

Don't kid yourself - 315 is no small task for a raw bench press.

**rgrmike74** · 12-02-2005, 07:48 PM

so what your saying is benching 315 and weighing only 230 is good? hell i was happy long ago when i hit my bw but now want to get to 300... being sick this past week has put a damper on my goals for the year and most likly set me back about 2 months but ohh well.

**KEFE** · 12-02-2005, 07:54 PM

I think you can do it man because the time period.Good luck and if you dont reach your goal dont get so upset.Keep trying.

KEFE

**Squaggleboggin** · 12-02-2005, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by rgrmike74

so what your saying is benching 315 and weighing only 230 is good?

Yes.

**live2pump** · 12-02-2005, 09:01 PM

Benching 500 lbs on your frame is reasonably possible. When I hit 435lb 2 years ago I was weighing 217-223 lbs (@ 5'11). I've always had a goal to bench as much as I could. The goal started at 225 in HS, then to 315 (soph in college) and I graduated school benching 425. I did attempt one last max out a year after graduating in which I put up 435. A good way that worked for me was to do 1 rep max each month. This way periodically you're giving your body a taste of heavy weight!

Like you I'll be 30 in a couple of years but instead of trying to bench 500 I've cut it back a bit and never rep anything over 365. Shoulder pain and pulled muscles have seemed to get the better of me when lifting heavier weight!

Good Luck!

**Sevenrats** · 12-03-2005, 07:56 AM

The problem with any physiology is you just don't know what your own body's physical limitations will be. Just because you make progress at a set rate or to a set point doesn't mean you can keep going.

For some the limit is something very humble. For others it's a world record. For most it's the average.

All you can do is push the limits and see how far you get.

**Squaggleboggin** · 12-03-2005, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by Sevenrats

The problem with any physiology is you just don't know what your own body's physical limitations will be. Just because you make progress at a set rate or to a set point doesn't mean you can keep going.

For some the limit is something very humble. For others it's a world record. For most it's the average.

All you can do is push the limits and see how far you get.

Yes, but I believe that most people don't have the means or motivation to get to their physical limits. For example, when most people stagnate, they keep doing the same thing over and over (how many times have you seen the same people at the gym lifting the same weights for years?). Most people don't know about different kinds of periodization or the progressive overload method or how many different exercises can work the same muscles, how machines may help strengthen a weak muscle every once in a while, what strongman and weightlifting are, etc. Knowledge is power.

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