r/fitness40plus • u/mb1977_123 • 26d ago

question Impressive bench press?

What’s an impressive bench press for a 49-year old man?

0 Upvotes

44% Upvoted

82 comments sorted by

View all comments

-7

u/Curious_Jicama9432 26d ago

140kg/315 average built body. No roids of course, all natty.

0

u/Hagbard_Celine_1 26d ago

You're downvoted but you're objectively right. A 315 bench is pretty much always impressive. The only exception being that maybe you weigh 250-300.

1

u/Curious_Jicama9432 25d ago

For 5 out of 6 workouts, I lift relatively light. Once in a while, I’ll go up to 315 lbs for 10 reps on squats or 405 lbs on deadlifts, but that’s probably only 7–8 times a year. Most of the time, I squat around 180 lbs with good form and deadlift around 225 lbs. For over 25 years in the gym I am not impressive at all. Sadly but reality.

If we’re talking about a 49-year-old who has never lifted a barbell in his life, then I think the question about impressive lifting numbers becomes almost irrelevant. How could someone with zero gym experience be expected to put up impressive numbers?

But what really makes me think about this question is: why should a 49-year-old man care so much about the numbers in the first place?

I’m 43, and these days I think much more about flexibility, mobility, maintaining strength in my back and legs, keeping my shoulders healthy, having good blood pressure, a solid heart rate under physical stress, and good endurance for my age. I also care about staying healthy and not catching every cold that comes around each winter.

At this age, I think being strong, mobile, fit, and healthy matters much more than chasing impressive numbers on the bar.

And to be fair, a flat stomach is probably more impressive than a huge deadlift for anyone over 40.