Ratio of weight per lift...Bench, Squat, Dead

**acumenjay** · 10-15-2003, 05:52 AM

I'm thinking this should go under the Exercises forum. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Is there a formula or a ratio that can be used as a general guideline as to how much weight you should be putting up for the various big lifts (ie. Bench, Squat, and Deads)? I know the poundage shouldn't necessarily be of concern for bodybuilders, but I think it can be a good gage to identify lagging body parts as opposed to just using pictures. Obviously one should be squatting more than they bench and etc...but is there a more precise guideline. Thanks for any insight or direction in advance.

**Limbo** · 10-15-2003, 08:25 AM

I think someone around here said that putting up 2x your bodyweight in each of those three lifts classifies you as "strong" for your size/weight.

**sMoKeCoDE** · 10-15-2003, 08:54 AM

Originally posted by Limbo
I think someone around here said that putting up 2x your bodyweight in each of those three lifts classifies you as "strong" for your size/weight.

lol

ya think?

**acumenjay** · 10-15-2003, 08:59 AM

Thanks for the reply, but I disagree. I think bench press wise putting up 2X more would be considered good. However, squatting 2X more than you weigh isn't very hard to do at all. Keep in mind that I'm looking for the perfect balance of the human body and if there is a ratio of strength in these lifts that should be achieved.
Example:
You weigh 200lbs and bench 400lbs and squat 400lbs.
Your legs are puny compared to your upper body IMO. Squatting double your weight is fairly easy to accomplish IMO.

**amusclehead** · 10-15-2003, 09:07 AM

i hate classifying stuff like that; for some it's easier to do 1 movement as compared to another. e.g., i'm built for deadlifting. deadlifted almost 600 before i had to stop because of my bum back. however, my bench is nowhere near that...still needs work, hehe.

screw ratios and people saying 'if you don't lift X you're not strong'

**chunkyaa** · 10-15-2003, 04:06 PM

When I will squat 2 x my bodyweight I will be satisfied. I have a nice shape but not strong at all.

**Limbo** · 10-15-2003, 05:32 PM

I never said I thought the bodyweight thing was a good system: I simply said that I remembered someone else saying it and I was in a rush when I posted.

Anyway, unless you're doing powerlifting, strength ratios mean nothing just as long as your body size is balanced.

I think you're on a futile search for these ratios, because "perfect balance" and "human body" can hardly apply to anyone, let alone everyone... let us know if you figure it out.

**sMoKeCoDE** · 10-19-2003, 02:27 PM

word

im assumign your mean youre built for deadlifts cause you have smaller limbs? i am sort of lanky so i tend do just do rack deads on my bench at home

i have the most homeboy job routine ever :P 300 olympic set at home and 1 bench, i do squats and rack deads off it

ill make a funny video of it later when i am cut up

hehoehoeh

**scott_donald** · 10-19-2003, 02:33 PM

just concentrate on getting better....

**PROSA** · 10-19-2003, 04:32 PM

Body weight is an important factor when trying to figure out what ratios are good. It's easier for a 150-pound person to bench (or squat, or DL) twice body weight that it is for a 250-pound person to do so.

**CaseySurf19** · 10-19-2003, 08:02 PM

i'm 6'4 and 200.

i bench about 305, squat about 315.

i think 305 bench would DEFINITELY classify you as beign "STRONG".

there's no way i could ever get up to a 400 lb bench being natural.

**PROSA** · 10-19-2003, 08:24 PM

Originally posted by CaseySurf19
i'm 6'4 and 200.

i bench about 305, squat about 315.

i think 305 bench would DEFINITELY classify you as beign "STRONG".

there's no way i could ever get up to a 400 lb bench being natural.

To illustrate how it's more difficult to lift a particular multiple of one's bodyweight as bodyweight increases, to reach "elite" status in the AAU's powerlifting classification system, a man in the 148-pound class has to have a triple (bench, squat, DL) of 1229 pounds, or 8.3 times bodyweight; in the 198-pound class, it's a triple of 1532 pounds, or 7.7 times bodyweight; and in the 242-pound class, it's a triple of 1675 pounds, or 6.9 times bodyweight.

**acumenjay** · 10-20-2003, 06:28 AM

Thanks Prosa. That's the type of answer I was looking for. I'm 5'9" @ 195lbs. So I would have to do a combined weight of 195 * 7.7 = 1501.5 lbs to be considered good from a powerlifting standpoint. I'm pretty close to that. Thanks.

**PROSA** · 10-20-2003, 06:39 AM

Originally posted by acumenjay
Thanks Prosa. That's the type of answer I was looking for. I'm 5'9" @ 195lbs. So I would have to do a combined weight of 195 * 7.7 = 1501.5 lbs to be considered good from a powerlifting standpoint. I'm pretty close to that. Thanks.

That would qualify you for AAU "elite" status, which is way beyond just "good."

**lgp9999** · 10-21-2003, 09:22 AM

Bodyweight/lift weight isn't always the one and only indicator. For example, I don't know of anyone else who has a 6'5'' wing span who has the numbers that I do.

**acumenjay** · 10-21-2003, 09:56 AM

Height is an irrelevant issue in my case. I agree it is harder for taller people to gain strength and size initially. But once they do they look like monsters. I've got a coupld buddies that are around 6'5" 265lbs and they dwarf most people in the gym.

**CaseySurf19** · 10-21-2003, 10:05 AM

Originally posted by acumenjay
Height is an irrelevant issue in my case. I agree it is harder for taller people to gain strength and size initially. But once they do they look like monsters. I've got a coupld buddies that are around 6'5" 265lbs and they dwarf most people in the gym.

haha yea, i got a big lanky frame i gotta fill. it's comin along nice, give me another year and i'll be a monster.

**PROSA** · 10-21-2003, 10:24 AM

Originally posted by acumenjay
Height is an irrelevant issue in my case. I agree it is harder for taller people to gain strength and size initially. But once they do they look like monsters. I've got a coupld buddies that are around 6'5" 265lbs and they dwarf most people in the gym.

True, but really tall people are at a disadvantage in some lifts simply because their range of motion is much greater.

**acumenjay** · 10-21-2003, 10:30 AM

Ya...I was trying to convey that in my post. The funniest looking excercise is definitely on the bench with tall people. I went to UCONN a couple years ago and I remember working out when Justin Brown was on the bench. I don't know if you all would remember him unless your a UCONN fan. Anyway he was about 7' tall and he just looked ridiculous. It seemed like it took him forever to get to the top of his rep.

**Sam1983** · 10-21-2003, 01:45 PM

It really depends on a person's basic build... people with longer arms have a harder time on bench press because they have to extend their arms down farther. I'm a tall guy with a long reach and when I first started lifting, I had a lot of trouble gaining size and strength with benching. Strict attention to form and alot of food eventually helped with that problem.

On the other hand, squats and deadlifts have always been pretty easy for me and I've made steady, consistent gains without too much difficulty.

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