The amount you can bench press is, in part, determined by your weight, or lean muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more you can lift. Skill also remains a factor, as more experienced and skilled athletes outperform novice athletes. As you gain both size and strength, the amount you lift increases, and so should your skill. When comparing your bench press to that of a standardized competition, your feet must remain on the floor, and your head, shoulders and hips flat on the bench at all times. The bar must be taken from full extension, lowered to your chest, paused and then pressed cleanly to full extension. Consult a health care practitioner before starting any strength-training program.
Step 1
Multiply your body weight by the appropriate percentage. If you are untrained but can still perform the lift, worry about learning technique, not what you bench press. Most untrained men should be able to bench press roughly 60 percent of their body weight. If you are female and untrained, you should be able to bench press roughly 47.5 percent of your body weight.
Step 2
Multiply your body weight by the appropriate percentage. Most novice men should be able to bench press roughly 80 percent of their body weight. If you are a female novice, you should be able to bench press about 60 percent of your body weight.
Step 3
Multiply your body weight by the appropriate percentage. Most intermediate male lifters should be able to bench press approximately 100 percent of their body weight. If you are a female intermediate lifter, you should be able to bench press roughly 70 percent of your body weight.
Step 4
Multiply your body weight by the appropriate percentage. Most advanced men should be able to bench press about 130 percent of their body weight. If you are a female advanced lifter, you should be able to bench press roughly 90 percent of your body weight.
Step 5
Multiply your body weight by the appropriate percentage. Most elite men should be able to bench press approximately 165 percent of their body weight. If you are a female elite lifter, you should be able to bench press roughly 112.5 percent of your body weight.
Tips and Warnings
- If you can perform the lift, but have no real training or practice, you are untrained. If you have been practicing less than a year, you are still a novice. If you have been training one to two years, you are an intermediate lifter. An advanced lifter is a serious athlete with strength-related goals, including novice powerlifters and weightlifters. An elite athlete is someone who has been competing in strength sports for some time.
- Do not focus exclusively on what you think you should be able to lift. There is theoretically no upper limit to what you may lift, and you will never know until you try. However, never sacrifice technique to move extra weight. This results in injury.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
References
- "Practical Programming for Strength Training"; Mark Rippetoe, et al.; 2009
- "Strong Enough? Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training"; Mark Rippetoe; 2007
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