Seriously, how much of a difference does 1 pound on bench press make?

[andrew642]

Was working out yesterday - I usually lift 205 for 5x5 reps on bench press. Due to some weird plate math, I ended up with 204 pounds on the bar (including the bar of course), and I was much stronger than usual (5x5 went up super easy when it's usually a struggle on the last 2 sets). Does one pound really make that much of a difference? Hard to believe that it would.

[doughnut91]

No, one pound will not make that much of a difference. A plethora of other factors, however, will. Eg. Adequate/ inadequate diet, rest, muscle fatigue, stress levels, to name a few.

To put it plainly, good days and bad days.

[Get-n-fit]

If you're able to bench 205 for a 5x5, 1 pound will make zero difference. There's most likely other reasons contributing to why you felt better...sleep, food, recovery...just a good day...etc.

[option2]

Honestly I find I can hardly tell a 5lb difference unless I'm within 75% of my max.

[Ironface]

It will make 1 pound of difference.

What kinda weird plates are you using that equate to 204 lbs?

[chazzy1864]

I'm trying to figure out what weights you're using where you can end up with a single pound difference on the entire barbell?

[andrew642]

to those who are asking how i can get to 204, in addition to normal 45 pound bars and plates, my gym also has some 20 pound bars and 22 pound plates available, and when the gym is busy, you use what it available or wait.

[mmorton]

If you really weighed every single piece of equipment in a gym, there's a good chance that the weights would be slightly different. A pound makes no difference in the grand scheme. More mental than anything else.

[Alyion]

^^^ This.

Weights and bars get thrown around/dropped full time in most commercial gyms, I would imagine if you took the time to actually weigh every single one you would be surprised at the real weight of some of the plates you use.

[DJAuto]

I'm not sure I would even notice a pound, unless it was unevenly distributed.