So You Want To Bench Press | HEAVY WEIGHT (600 LBS) 

This one resonates with me. I always had a pretty strong bench but mostly lifted in higher rep ranges as a bodybuilder. Several people encouraged me to do a powerlifting meet. With 6 weeks of peaking I broke the state record in my first competition (USAPL). The meet director was shocked I had just started powerlifting and encouraged me to continue. What I didn't tell him was that I stopped benching and all pressing movements for 2 years a few years prior on the advice of my orthopedist. I had distal clavicle osteolysis (weight lifters shoulder) which made pressing impossible without 10/10 pain. I kept lifting and slowly worked my way back to benching. The jagged clavicle bone resected to a smoother shape enabling pressing again. That almost never happens. When I switched over to powerlifting from bodybuilding and realized 500+ was possible while still weighing 200. I spoke with Ben Pollack and he offered to coach me. He believed I was capable of breaking several records (push pull, top 3 total, all time world record bench). We targeted the American Pro to go for the records and put together a plan. Everything was on track. A few weeks out I was doubling 500 with 4 second pauses. I needed to hit 515 for the ATWR (masters, full power, 198lbs). I was becoming 'that guy'. 4 days prior to the meet I lost my job and a close friend suffered permanent brain damage resulting from a bad accident. It hit me hard. I couldn't sleep and my digestion and strength suffered. This all happened in the middle of a water cut. I decided not to pull out of the meet. I missed the ATWR by 1/2 inch, maybe less. I'm not sure if I'll go for it again but I know it's there if I do. I still doubled my lifetime goal of 500 at less than 200 BW.

Listening to JM is so calming. He's always so relaxed sounding. I'd be afraid to see him actually angry.

Deep insight by Dave at the end. Some of the smallest things that we do or say can have the biggest and long lasting impacts. Every moment matters

"Make the most of the thing I can still do" The motto of the aging athlete

JM has that thanos level jaw and and beard. What a stud

425lbs for a double was the most I’ve ever done. I’m 28 now. I want to reach the 500lbs club in the next five years.

i benched the 100lb dumbbells on thursday.

Everyone in these comments apparently bench 400-500 lbs 😂

I’m just bless to found the Bench again.. Lord show me where I belong at .. everyone keep lifting and stay safe . 💪🧨

525 was my highest bench press 15 years ago 46 now imms try to get 500plus for old time sake mid 400 now but i always lift all my life having my own home gym I always stayed at a certain level of strength all my life this all i know after retiring from Sports 💪

thanks for sharing. Hey JM, where did you get that Tee Shirt? I love it.

I have never put much time into benching, preferring OHP and weightlifting style movements much more but I think I’m going to give it a shot now that I’m rehabbing my lower body so much I might as well get strong in the upper body lift everyone looks at.

Off topic; the thumbnail pic for this video of JM is a selfie of us during a training weekend. Cool!!! Thanks elite!

Sir I want to bench press 225 first

Mindset is huge. So is having healthy shoulders and having the discipline to lay off long enough for a strained rotator cuff to heal..

Am a baby but I just hit 315 And that seemed like a lifetime number that I’d never hit I started lifting in 2016 and I’m nowhere near my peak and I immediately understood that 4 and 5 can be on the table within the general peak training age for natties. Shit at-least 405, just thought I’d share.

my God i love this man's beard

So there's a reoccurring theme, if you want to have a big bench just break your back so all you can do is bench

I will be happy to hit 365

Road to 405 by 40.

Wow that’s some good word.

I’ve done 420 for 3… 452.5 for one at 45. I remember when 315 was a wet dream for me. I haven’t maxed in a while- but I can still hit my rep maxes at 48 and 230 with natural 500 T.

It seems like it's always or in my case the people closest to you that discourage you the most when it comes to benching high numbers

430 x 2 on BB Incline @ 41. I want this 500 on incline @ 42.

I still got a baby bench at 280 rn but some day i want it to be great

Please interview Kevin the hulk Washington on bench pressing

I tore both shoulder labrums. Poor range of motion in one of them. My doctor told me to lay off years ago. I'm back at it, figuring you only live once (@ 63). My goals change with each 1 rep max!

JM press 🎉

Did Blakley just lift in geared contests. ??

I just want to hit 400

I can currently bench 160 for 8 reps without a spotter. I don't have any more weights, but what do you guys think my 1 rep max would be once I finally get more weights?

“So u wanna snap?”

Id love to hit a 3 plate bench press let alone a 6 plate lol

I have no desire to bench 600 pounds i’m happy that I made it up to 325 even though it took way too long and to be quite honest benchpress is my least favorite exercise after lunges lol unpopular opinion on the bench press is one of the most overrated exercises 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

Just hit 365. Only took almost 6 years lol

I'm 26 now I'm using my gf RU-vid atm the doctors said to me when I was 17 I was done doing powerlifting an body-building cause I had a bulged disc 9 years of training later I can dead lift 800 lb an sqaut 240 kg an bench 200 kg I weigh 109 kg my buldge disc somehow healed itself the muscles in my back got so strong the pressure on my discs reduced so my spine healed always believe in Ur self all because a doctor who has no weight training experience tells u it's over don't panic do the rehab an get back to it💪💪

My best bench ever is 270 at 170lbs 17 years old. I know it’s not much but I’m trying to hit 3 plates before I graduate highschool

I used to bench 700 in high school but then i started to work. Lately i went back to the gym and i did 600. Imagine if i actually trained!

I don’t need to bench 500lbs. Just more than last time :)

I benched 155 on Sunday going for 160 tommrow. Hopefully one day I can bench 600. Staying natty ofcourse.

I bench 400lbs. Where’s the 500lbs vid? I’m 59. I won’t live long enough to get 600lbs. 😢

I want to hit 800.

As someone who has gone from New York to Ohio, I can tell you almost every guy in Ohio looks exactly like this dude.. and most of them are pretty calm like him. I’m not saying that the bench 600 fucking pounds I’m just talking about his style and demeanor. I stick out like a sore thumb over there. Lol.

I can bench press 160 for 12 reps

The max I’ve ever benched was 235lbs at 225lbs 6’2 after four months of lifting then got injured haven’t done it since. I’m coming back to it now, goal is 350lbs. I’ll be pretty happy with it, 500lbs is too heavy 😅

I have no desire to bench 600lbs

I saw jm blakleys RU-vid channel he has weird videos saying stuff that doesnt make any sense.

since everybody in the comment section benches at least 450lbs, i decided i can bench 500lbs (yo but it was 15y ago)

I’ve benched over 600 once in my life. I watch the video a lot lol just seeing this video made me feel good because of them thinking that was heavy

Most of y’all claiming to bench 3+ have no proof 315 is not common for the average gym lifter who doesn’t even compete

Took me sbout 2 years to bench 315 @ ~165. 600 won't take long 😅

425 once 15 plus years ago. 405 for a few reps, it felt like my face was going to explode. Never again, no thanks

I could get 225 for 42 reps but never could get 500. Came close but I wasn’t the best one rep maxer. I was the strongest player on the team in college but football strong and powerlifting strong aren’t the same. Football your doing exercises that are sport specific and you are powerlifting too. Always great vidoes

Algorithm

When I was in my 20s I hit 865 for one rep one time. Only touch and go, no pause. Now in my 40s I’m weaker, best is 5 reps @ 735lbs. Still working 💪

Notie how most all of these guys are bald at a young age from all the T injected?

Lol,good luck at getting 600lbs for most ppl lol,500 even is alot depending on your weight,hell 400 is alot depending on ur weight,I would be happy to bench 350lbs at 170 lb bw lol,almost half of 600 lol

My max bench is 405 for 2 I'll stay with my 315 for work out sets not trying to busted up my shit again

Let us call a spade a spade boys ...why don't you guys talk about the most important factor ..the super supps?! This is where all ur specialist knowledge sounds hollow

You benched 600 because you took a ton of gear.

Knowing he "sold out" to what the Dr.s said years ago I would love to know how quickly he sold out again and took the vax when they told him to