bench Press Standards

[ohfille]

I went to a professional football (American Football) site and read about their training standards.

They state that their goal for the bench press is for each player to be able to press his own weight for 10 reps with strict form.

I can press about 1.5 times my body weight for 2 reps but can't even come close to 10 reps with my body weight.

Does their standard seem reasonable?

Thanks

[bmontgomery87]

I went to a professional football (American Football) site and read about their training standards.

They state that their goal for the bench press is for each player to be able to press his own weight for 10 reps with strict form.

I can press about 1.5 times my body weight for 2 reps but can't even come close to 10 reps with my body weight.

Does their standard seem reasonable?

Thanks

yeah. I'm not quite there yet but I'm weak and haven't been lifting long. No reason to not be able to bench ur weight for 10 reps after some training.

[dday39]

for a football player? yes

I think I read that QB Brady Quinn benched 310lbs for reps. I believe he weighs less than 250lbs

[Ironlife]

1.25x BW is GOOD
1.75x BW is EXCELLENT
2x BW is ELITE

Benching BW x10 reps is not hard for an average sized man training bench press for a while.

[Frosty23]

I've heard this kind of thing before but with English rugby players having to be able to bench one hundred and something kg to get in the squad etc etc but I can't see how that is right, the same with this above?

Some people are much bigger than me, could send me flying in NFL or rugby, yet i could bench more than them. Benching doesn't convert accurtely into strength needed for tackling people so I cannot see it being a deciding factor. However, it just so happens that most rugby players are massively strong so i'm sure they can all bench quite alot!

Bearing in mind how big alot of NFL players are, I can see alot of them not being able to do 10 reps of their bodyweight...not to say that they can't bench big weight though! I can get 10 reps of 20kg more than my bodyweight and not too far off a 1-rep of double...but i'm comparatively little next to rugby or NFL players

[matjusm]

Here's a good site for some weight training strength standards, including bench:
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html

I don't really understand why NFL and rugby puts such emphasis on the bench press. There are so many more useful lifts that they could be tested in such as the squat, clean or clean+press. You don't play those games while lying on a padded bench and pushing something off your chest.

[im2manly]

I can bench press my own weight x10 I am sure a professional football player could as well.

[im2manly]

Here's a good site for some weight training strength standards, including bench:
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html

I don't really understand why NFL and rugby puts such emphasis on the bench press. There are so many more useful lifts that they could be tested in such as the squat, clean or clean+press. You don't play those games while lying on a padded bench and pushing something off your chest.

Being able to generate alot of force with just your arms is very useful in blocking (recievers and linemen alike).

[Ironlife]

You don't play those games while lying on a padded bench and pushing something off your chest.

Lolz, offensive lineman/defensive lineman are non stop using similar joint movements such as horizontal adduction and flexion of the glenohumeral joint all the time in play. Its a very valued lift and functional for the sport iMO

[matjusm]

Lolz, offensive lineman/defensive lineman are non stop using similar joint movements such as horizontal adduction and flexion of the glenohumeral joint all the time in play. Its a very valued lift and functional for the sport iMO

Being able to generate alot of force with just your arms is very useful in blocking (recievers and linemen alike).

I'm not saying its not useful, its definitely an excellent lift.
What I'm saying is that off all the lifts you could test in an athlete, I'm sure that there are much more practical ones than bench press. (unless they do do that and the bench press is just one of the things they test, I'm not too familiar with NFL tests)

[im2manly]

I'm not saying its not useful, its definitely an excellent lift.
What I'm saying is that off all the lifts you could test in an athlete, I'm sure that there are much more practical ones than bench press. (unless they do do that and the bench press is just one of the things they test, I'm not too familiar with NFL tests)

do you mean what they test at the combine or what they test pre-season?

[chrisboudreaux]

I don't know how you can bench 1.5 your bodyweight for 2 reps but not 1 for 10? I mean I can do my bodyweight for about 12 yet I can only bench maybe 40lbs less than 1.5 bodyweight.

[BruceBruce325]

I went to a professional football (American Football) site and read about their training standards.

They state that their goal for the bench press is for each player to be able to press his own weight for 10 reps with strict form.

I can press about 1.5 times my body weight for 2 reps but can't even come close to 10 reps with my body weight.

Does their standard seem reasonable?

Thanks

if you watch those hbo shows with the behind the scenes you'll see strength coaches throwing on 225 and then some heavy ass chains on both sides... intense.

friend of mine benched 225 - 32 times.... thats lineman status.

[Zimm90]

I don't know how you can bench 1.5 your bodyweight for 2 reps but not 1 for 10? I mean I can do my bodyweight for about 12 yet I can only bench maybe 40lbs less than 1.5 bodyweight.

This.

I can put up 185 for 11-12 but my max is around 235 maybe 240 where 1.5x my weight would be 270lbs.

[mickfortis]

I can DUMBBELL bench press (the emphasis in DUMBBELL since it's harder than BB and you can use considerably more weight on BB than DB) my bodyweight for 11-12 reps... so I don't think a pro football player should have trouble BB benchinig their bodyweight x 10.

[erikmg88]

In the NFL combine, they bench 225 for max reps. A lineman is expected to get around 40 reps.

[im2manly]

In the NFL combine, they bench 225 for max reps. A lineman is expected to get around 40 reps.

I haven't been following hte combine for a while but 225 x 40 is expected? I don't think so...

[viennafat]

I haven't been following hte combine for a while but 225 x 40 is expected? I don't think so...

You're right.
I checked the combine results and only 2 linemen got 40 or more reps.

[FloydSummerOf68]

BW x 10 has always been my standard of someone getting strong, but certainly is not a feat that is near impossible.

I weigh 180 and can bench 235 x 10, 315 x 3 and 335 x 1 for my current bests using good form.

[mycoolhamm]

im not sure how many times i can bench BW(205) but i can bench 225 about 16-17 times

feels good. did 275x7 the other day.

[Protege385]

I don't see how Bench translates to overall functional strength that much. I can barely bench my body weight for 10 solid reps, but when I wrestle around with or spar with friends who can bench WAY more I dominate them and make them feel helpless.

Then again, I squat and dl more than most them.

[RAG3]

Being able to generate alot of force with just your arms is very useful in blocking (recievers and linemen alike).

Recievers never block in the NFL, " Oh you mean I don't get the ball on this play? Then pay me a couple mil to stand here for 13 seconds."

[Edge101]

Recievers never block in the NFL, " Oh you mean I don't get the ball on this play? Then pay me a couple mil to stand here for 13 seconds."

Guess ya never saw Hines Ward play then !

[Engineer_Guy]

I don't see how Bench translates to overall functional strength that much. I can barely bench my body weight for 10 solid reps, but when I wrestle around with or spar with friends who can bench WAY more I dominate them and make them feel helpless.

Then again, I squat and dl more than most them.

lol am I the only one who finds it strange you wrestle with your friends?

The bench press motion is not really functional to most but to a football player its a very common motion. Pretty much every position but the QB has to push off other players at some point, particularly the lineman.

[GlennCMorris]

In the NFL combine, they bench 225 for max reps. A lineman is expected to get around 40 reps.

This is not true. The record at the NFL combine is 45 reps tied this year by a lineman from Arkansas, Mitch Petrus. Most lineman rep 225 in the 30's. The scouts like to see at least 20-25 reps for most other positions.

The Bench Press IS a key exercise for football. Blocking and tackling which make up the majority of the game all utilize this movement.

Bodyweight x10reps is easily accomplished by anyone who has been lifting for a reasonable amount of time.

[BringtheNoise]

Incline press is a better test of shoulder girdle strength. It's more functional than bench press for football.

[ohfille]

Thanks for the replies. I always trained for a maximum rep which seems to have been a mistake.

I weigh 121 kilos which makes 10 reps at that weight difficult but I will start training for it this week.

Thanks all.

[Protege385]

lol am I the only one who finds it strange you wrestle with your friends?

The bench press motion is not really functional to most but to a football player its a very common motion. Pretty much every position but the QB has to push off other players at some point, particularly the lineman.

Meh, a couple of us formerly wrestled and are a bunch of physical guys anyway.

[im2manly]

Recievers never block in the NFL, " Oh you mean I don't get the ball on this play? Then pay me a couple mil to stand here for 13 seconds."

lol what? Example \/ +larry fitz blocks hardcore as well...having a receiver who knows how to block is soooo important.

Guess ya never saw Hines Ward play then !

[MWheatley]

Being able to generate alot of force with just your arms is very useful in blocking (recievers and linemen alike).

Agreed, but most people dont train in a "power fashion" for bench press. Generating force quickly requires more specific training, such as medicine ball chest passes or a specific tempo on the bench.