Do you remember your first time really benching?

[CanadianIron]

I dicked around in the gym during highschool a bit when I had to, but the first time I ever really started hitting the gym, i remember not being able to do 8 reps of 95lbs. (1 25lb plate/side)... I remember watching guys rep 135 and thinking they were strong! 185 was like "Wow that guy is jacked"... within a year I was repping 275... now Im playing with 365 for a 1rm...

What about you guys? Where was your starting point? Where are you now?

[baza]

yeah I actually thought about this not too long ago. I remember it for some reason. I think I did, but struggled with a plate a site, when I was 17.

[Ritch]

Yeah, I was 12, benching on the floor in my basement. Later on got a bench using those cement filled plates. When the bar would hold no more ( I forget around 200lbs) I started training in a gym.

[vlad]

My parents got me a York bench press for my 17th birthday from Canadian Tire and the first bench was around 90lbs for a few reps. I remember the day when I had all of my weights on the bar and did it for 1rm, 160lbs. That was a week ago, haha.
The funniest was when I tried to do max reps with 115lbs in high school. Don't remember how many I did but a guy ran across the gym to get the bar off of me cause I got stuck with it on my chest.

[Memo]

funny stuff. I remember repping 175 for some rep at 130lbs and it was such a crazy feat for me. Good times.

[EpicPhaill]

I started out around the 115lbs mark. My best 1rpm is 405, and I do working sets with 315. Good times.

[baza]

Wow... memories. I was 11. I got this little/flimsy 2nd hand bench and a set of cement weights for Christmas. That's the only Christmas that I can ever remember being happy. Spotting one another, me and my brother had a contest who could bench the most.. he put up 80lbs for 4 and I did for 6. First time I'd ever been better then him at anything.. I was in my glory.

I worked my ass off everyday for four years on that thing. I was in gr.5 and a decent sized kid at 120. Man I had some drive back then... well aggression actually... I would come home from school at 3:45. Do my homework 'til 5, eat supper, and pound them weights all night until I couldn't lift my arms. How the time has flown...

cch

How tall are you now? Just curious.

[Mr.Freeze]

First time i bench or squat i was around 8 , fuk thats 25 years ago!!

[Doryphorus]

When I was 12 my dad bought me a little garage sale bench press, and told me either I had to do winter maintenance swimming from 5:30-7AM 4 days/wk, or put in 3 days/week lifting after dinner. He showed me bench press, BB row, and front/side raises. I remember benching 60lbs x 25 reps, and smashing everyone in the butterfly next swim season haha.

[cheesesteak]

Starting point the bar for about 5 reps. Could only do 1-2 sets. At my best I've done 105 for 4 reps. Usually bench 95 for a decent amount of reps.

[l6873]

How tall are you now? Just curious.

If you're wondering about the potential growth stunting effects, I also started lifting at age 11 and I turned out to be 6'6". I also did heavy leg presses and such, and not just heavy for an 11 year, heavy in general. I remember maxing out a leg extension machines at 300lbs when I was 13.

As for benching, it was probably something like 105 at age 12. I do remember benching the empty bar for 250 reps without rest when I was 14 though - I probably couldn't even do that today, the pump would kill me.

[waderow]

I think the whole growth stunting thing is a myth

[Mastagon]

I remember fitness assessment in Grade 9 gym I could do the 45lb bar for 6-8 reps. I didn't know or care about anything to do with weight training at then, but man that was embarrassing.

[Big D]

when I was 18 I started working out, I was doing a 25 plate on each side and I would struggle to get 6 reps,

I remember looking at the guys doing one 45lbs plate on each side and thinking, i just want to be able to do that they're so strong lol and it looked so cool

[GYMBRAT]

when I was 14 my goal was to do everything with a 45lb plate on each side, bench, curls, skull crushers etc and at 16 I accomplished it LOL

[waderow]

I remember looking at the guys doing one 45lbs plate on each side and thinking, i just want to be able to do that they're so strong lol and it looked so cool

lol I hear ya. I was a young teenager... maybe 13? cant recall, but I went to the gym, and there were all these guys doing 135... I was amazed. Then I tried, and it crashed down on me LOL

****, now.. I could probably do 135 for 100? not even sure... never tried to rep it out for max#

warming up I sometimes do 40 or so, and then stretch with it...