When I started lifting in 2001, 300 was the benchmark for flat bench. Seems these days everyone benches 400+ lbs. I'm not sure if it's just a lot of people exagerating their bench press, or that sports training and nutrition have come a long way in the past ten years. Probably a combination of both. Please don't take this thread the wrong way. I'm not calling anyone a liar here or accusing people of lying about their bench press. I am just curious as to why people can lift so much more now as opposed to ten years ago.
I've been lifting for almost ten years (will be ten years in April). I've been a member of six gyms and seen many, many massive men lift extremely heavy weight but only a handful of times have I seen someone bench 400 lbs. I can probably count the number of times on one hand. So what are your opinions on this? Is 400 really the new 300, or are people exagerating, or are supplements, training, and overall knowledge of weight lifting advanced that far in ten years that the new standard for bench pressing increased by a 100 lbs?
Thanks for the responses and opinions. All feedback is welcome.