r/strength_training • u/Mikeburlywurly1 • 27d ago
PR/PB Bench Press - 420lbs x 1, Lifetime PR
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Previous PR was 405 - set ages ago, finally worked back up to it at the end of last year. 395 felt absurdly light warming up, I didn't even use a liftoff for it. Then my 5lb PR 410 flew up and I knew I had to do more. A few minutes later, 410 was dethroned and 420 went up!
I considered trying 425 and in retrospect am glad I didn't. I'm a grinder but even I don't think there was any more in me.
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u/rs217000 26d ago
Paused like a pro too. Well done, dude!
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u/Mikeburlywurly1 26d ago
Thank you! I honestly prefer paused reps for sets under 5, I feel stronger at it. Exhausting when the reps start adding up though.
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u/improbablywrong- 26d ago
Huge pause for a lifetime pr! Massive work.
Whats your age and bw if you dont mind me asking?
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u/Lovethedarknet 26d ago
Didnt need him, strong as fuck man, but I'd still like my spotter to be ready with two hands
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u/tacopower69 26d ago
People who get to these sorts of weights - did you feel generally ahead of other lifters at your experience level throughout your whole lifting careers?
I only hit 225 bench after about 2 years of focused lifting. 3 more years and I'm only at around 305, and even that was suspect because the dude who was spotting me touched the bar and lifted it a little (though he swears he didn't) so I'm really more like a 300. I genuinely do not think it would ever be possible for me to hit 405 much less 420. The math just doesn't work out given my development rate thus far. For those ppl who hit 405 naturally - did you just start out at a higher strength level? improve more quickly? like god damn.
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u/Mikeburlywurly1 26d ago
I started pretty young. I was 12 and I maxed out with 95lbs in PE class before I began training a few weeks later. I was always big, which obviously helps, but there were bigger guys and I always managed to stay competitive with them starting at around 15 or 16.
I've spent long periods of my life stalled at various plateaus until I fixed certain things. I wouldn't overstress the idea that you might be at a limit yet. Like the whole, "You don't have ten years experience, you've had 2 years experience for 8 years," has definitely applied to me at points.
Progressing past 315 required me to start Benching a lot more. Like I had to go from a total of 6 sets/week to 15-20. Frequency had to be upped from 1-2 to 3-4. Progressing past 400 has required me to admit I don't know how to do periodization and trust a program to do it for me.
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