The most annoying question around.....

[Freeman]

Ok, I know we ALL hate this question, so I'm going to re-phrase it. Basically I am just bored to death today and I'm curious about all of our members. So, with that said:

How much do you guys lift or think you could max at in the basic lifts? i.e. bench, dead, squat?

Remember, I could have sounded like that typical gym jackass and said, "Hey, how muchya bench????"

 

[Triple Threat]

Bench - currently at 255 for reps; best ever 320
Dead - currently at 385 for reps; best ever 455
Squat - currently at 275 for reps; best ever 365

 

[oaktownboy]

yeah i hate that damn question every time someone comes up to me all they care about is "How much ya bench?" How about asking me how much i leg press? (I can leg press over 600 pounds!)

 

[Freeman]

it is so annoying...I'd rather them ask "how much do you eat in a day?" or something like that..grrr!

 

[Triple Threat]

Leg press is not a very good indicator of strength. Some leg presses are vertical, some horizontal, and some at 45 degrees.

Furthermore, not all leg presses are created equal, even if they have the same orientation. We have one at the club I normally go to. At one point I was up to 1000 lbs. I went on vacation and went to a 24 Hour Fitness, loaded 720 on one of their leg presses (just to warm up, or so I thought) and nearly got buried.

 

[Freeman]

yeah I hate leg press too..in fact, it seems that the same machine can vary. the leg press at my gym is horizontal and fucking blows. Sometimes I can go in there and load up with like 11 or 12 plates (2 of them beeing 100lbs plates) and I can do that for like 6-8 reps..other times, I can barely do 8 or 9 plates total. But squatting is much more consistent and accurate IMO. Damn that machine sometimes, It's such a piece of shite!

 

[Pepper]

Bench - 225 x 20 reps or 405 lbs for max. (However, I must confess that I failed at 405 last friday. Trying again tomorrow) Before I started dieting I was 225 x 25 reps and 435 lbs

Dead - 375 lbs
Squats - 405 lbs is the most I've done, have not tried higher. Still working up as I have been a leg press whore all my life until 3 months ago.

 

[Pepper]

Originally posted by CaptainDeadlift
Furthermore, not all leg presses are created equal, even if they have the same orientation. We have one at the club I normally go to. At one point I was up to 1000 lbs. I went on vacation and went to a 24 Hour Fitness, loaded 720 on one of their leg presses (just to warm up, or so I thought) and nearly got buried.

I learned this the hard way. I bet a trainer a steak and beer diner that I could do whatever weight he could load on the leg press. A sucker bet b/c I routinely maxed the machine at my gym. Turns out the machine, which looked exactly like the one at the gym, was much harder.

I did it and played it off pretty cool, but inside I was about to puke. My legs hurt for a week.

 

[naturaltan]

Not really sure ... I do know that for some of the machines at our gym, I've maxed them out on certain exercises.

 

[Mudge]

My lifts are not at my peak, but not too laggy for me.
Bench 330
Dead 455ish? I like low reps, but too very low rep is nuts.
Row 245x12
1 arm curl 60x9
Shrug machine 450x12

 

[oaktownboy]

yeah i've seen and tried the horizontal leg presses those don't so shit..u gotta use the ones at a 45* angle..way more pressure and force on the quads and glutes
as far as deads, i don't think they are worth putting your back in that kind of position...do hyperextensions instead or some other lower back exercise..i know a lot of people that blew their back doing deads...
but everyone has their weak and strong point....
oh yeah here's an easy one..sitting leg curl you should always be able to max out on this....it's the lying leg curl that's rough!

 

[OceanDude]

Originally posted by CaptainDeadlift
Leg press is not a very good indicator of strength. Some leg presses are vertical, some horizontal, and some at 45 degrees.

Furthermore, not all leg presses are created equal, even if they have the same orientation. We have one at the club I normally go to. At one point I was up to 1000 lbs. I went on vacation and went to a 24 Hour Fitness, loaded 720 on one of their leg presses (just to warm up, or so I thought) and nearly got buried.

I hear you Cappy. I can do close to 1000 lbs on our inclined leg press. Since I can't fit any more plates on the silly thing I can't even get any more gains and just increased number of sets. But then the gym closed for the 4th of July so I went to a hardcore gym a bit futher away on a day pass and about died. Same thing happened on leg curls - dropped 50 lbs due to different flex angle (from 190 lbs to 140 lbs). Same thing on hack squats - went from 585 lbs to 340 lbs!! I unfortunatly can't do heavy squats due to a problem I have not been able to resolve yet with it binding up my lower back but hopefully will resolve this soon.

 

[Mudge]

Leg curl I can do the whole stack for 10 good reps, I think its only 150 pounds though.

 

[OceanDude]

Originally posted by Mudge
Leg curl I can do the whole stack for 10 good reps, I think its only 150 pounds though.

Yeah, I think a lot of the machines are a bit antiquated and calibrated to old strength levels for the "old" average male. I am routinely now at the stack limit on standing calf raises (300lbs) and have to go back to single isolated calf raises to get back into the meat of the stack. Same thing almost on seated leg extensions - 20 more lbs and I am off the stack. But I only do this one on occassion now anyway.

 

[DaMayor]

I don't lift weights.

 

[Mudge]

I really dont like the standing calf raise at my gym, I prefer a front squat type machine, and letting myself get a good stretch but the platform holds my feet much better. I think the leg extention goes to mid 200s at my gym and I dont do nearly that much, I dont like the idea of strain on the knees.

 

[sawheet]

I just use the blade, its awesome. Oh and occasionaly the thigh master for a switch

 

[OceanDude]

Originally posted by Mudge
I really dont like the standing calf raise at my gym, I prefer a front squat type machine, and letting myself get a good stretch but the platform holds my feet much better. I think the leg extention goes to mid 200s at my gym and I dont do nearly that much, I dont like the idea of strain on the knees.

I frankly am not too crazy about the standing calf raises either - but its fairly convenient, fast and better than nothing. I work the seated soleus machine too but at least it has free weights and I have lots of room to add more than the 3 plates I currently do sets with. I think our seated leg extension machine goes to about 300 lbs. I can just barely start 280 lbs by leaning forward and using body weight to get it moving and then sit back for a full extension of 4-6 reps before my legs start shaking like they are in an epileptic seizure. Yea, I???m a little concerned too about what must be enormous pressure on the knees but I don't really feel anything painful there at all ??? just can???t hardly walk for a few minutes when done. I just do these now and then anyway as a sustainment mechanism to make sure my vastus medialis are not getting weak on me.

 

[Freeman]

Sometimes for calves, I use the smith machine and I stand on a box and load it up with 315lbs and do 3 sets of 10-12 reps. then I do the seated donkey raises with like 3 plates for 2-3 sets of 10-12.

we dont' have a regular standing calf machine at my gym. bastards!

 

[Dero]

Originally posted by DaMayor
I don't lift weights.

I'm witya DM...Too much wooor....waarr,wouerrr,woooor...rk.

 

[Freeman]

 

[Mudge]

Ocean, I think my biggest beef with the local standing calf raise is it has a diamond plate, but no friggin "sand paper" grip, so you are constantly readjusting your feet. You are also though practically leaning backwards on this damn machine, I much prefer the front squat machine, if thats what it is

 

[OceanDude]

Originally posted by Mudge
Ocean, I think my biggest beef with the local standing calf raise is it has a diamond plate, but no friggin "sand paper" grip, so you are constantly readjusting your feet. You are also though practically leaning backwards on this damn machine, I much prefer the front squat machine, if thats what it is

I here you - yeah that's kind of bad - I slide around on that kind of surface myself. Fortunatly our machines although a bit old all have the textured sand-paper material on flat metalic surfaces.