so today was the first day of weights. The first day of weights at the gym pretty much ever. From everything I read it seemed like most of the people on this forum liked doing high weight and low reps like the max-ot program. So after just benching the bar to "warm-up" I put a 45 on each side thinking that that would be fine for the first day if i was only trying to do 5 reps. MAN WAS I WRONG! iI could only do 1. One freaking rep and i was struggling to get it back up. So then I lower it a 35 on each side. Three! thats it! 3 stinking reps. :mad: So i lowered it down to 30 on each side and was able to do the five reps but man....I cant believe thats my max. This is totally pathetic.

I have a really cheesey "bench" at my house. It at most goes upto about 80 with the bar included. Im guessing the bar weighs about 20 pounds. Its really like a toy, like something you'd buy at walmart for 100 bucks. Anyways if i just did that 80 here at my house every other day would that get me strong enough so I can go to the gym and not look like a fool?

will doing high reps of 80 pounds make me able to do more when i go lift real weights....

(i just thought about this and it dosnt make sense. I can do about 3 sets of 10 on my "bench" toy with 70 pounds. So then why could I only do 2 sets of 5 at the gym with 30 on each side. thats only 105 right?)

this is depressing. I feel like im too weak to even start working out. Im going to look like a damn fool in there practically just benching the bar for a long time.

Well, I'm in the same boat with you and I've been lifting weights for almost a year now. When I started benching, I started with 2 30 pound dumbells. That's it, that was all I could handle for 3x8. That's just a little more than an olympic bar and 2 5 pound plates!

I don't know what my 1 rep max is on bench now, but for 3x8 now I bench 130. Compared to most of the guys around here, it's really low. But then again, I more than doubled what I could bench a year ago... added 70 pounds to it as a matter of fact. When you put it in that perspective, those numbers don't seem so bad anymore.

The truth is, who cares? Nobody laughed at me when I benched 60 total pounds, they laugh at the guys who try to lift way over what they're capable of and flail the weight around. You just need to drop the ego and work on progressing.

Don't get depressed, good work starting a strength training routine. Like others on this forum have told me, weight is relevant only to you. You should not worry about what people at the gym think, the amount you bench is your concern, not theirs. You are doing the right thing to be at the gym in the first place, which says alot about you in my opinion.

I work out at home mostly for convenience, but you could get away using your "toy" at home as long as it is safe. It all stacks up the same right?

Also, it is pretty typical that you can do 70lbs 5 times, but not 105lbs. If I added 35lbs to my regular bench sets, I would probably see similar results. Even adding 5 lbs is sometimes enough to take it out of the realm of possibility.

To be honest with you, I could not even bench 70lbs when I started. This is a new activity for you, and your body has to adjust to it. I can almost promise you that you will see gains pretty quickly. As your central nervous system and muscles adjust to what you are asking them to do, the weight will go up. Most newbies (me included) see amazing gains at first, and this is usually due to becoming aclimated with strength training both physically and mentally.

Just don't get discouraged, and stick to it, make sure to track your progress, and look at your gains (large or small) for what they are: improvements to yourself!

I have not trained for like 6 years, and recently (4 months ago) started again. I basically started over, the weight I could do was pitiful, but it came back up slowly. 4 months later, I feel "strong" again, and I am almost up to benching my own weight (of course it helps that my weight is going down too :-). So, I think that you will be quite impressed with yourself if you are able to stick to it, use the information you find here to your benefit, and try things out to find what works for you. It takes time, and determination to stick it out, but if you do the right thing, it WILL work!

I hope that helps.

From my experience, for a guy just starting out, two 25 pound plates on the bar is above average. I don't think I've ever met somebody who could put up 45 pound plates their very first try more than once or twice, let alone with good form.

Don't compare yourself to other the guys at the gym - the reason they're more likely to be there is because they go regularly, week in, week out, year in year out, of course they're going to lift more! If you do that, before too long, you'll be lifting more, too. It's not magic, it just takes time.

From my experience, for a guy just starting out, two 25 pound plates on the bar is above average. I don't think I've ever met somebody who could put up 45 pound plates their very first try more than once or twice, let alone with good form.



Same here. As I was reading you post I thought you might come back with a story about how someone had to lift the bar off your chest.

I don't train bench press at the moment, and had a bit of a layoff, but I bet 2 45's + a 50lb bar would be close to my 3 rep max. 2 years ago my bench 4-5 max without a spotter was 150 lb, and that was after several years in the gym. Of course my diet and other things sucked, so I wouldn't be surprised if you are able to do a lot better than that after 6 months to a year.

BTW if the 'other guys' at the gym see you coming in week after week when all the 'new years resolution' people have gone. And they see you trying hard, I'll bet at least a portion would be more than happy to help out and give advice. As long as you learn good etiquette and work hard you may find many a good friend and helper.

Definitely don't worry about it. I just started lifting back in November and I felt just like you. There I was, 6-4, 235 lbs and struggling to get 135 up 2 times....it sucked. Once I got past the whole mind trip of losing my confidence I started asking around about form. Once I got my form and breathing down, and the mental focus, the gains were unbelievable. Now, just 2 months later, my last set of Max OT is 195X5, and I am feeling stronger all the time. Just stick with it. And for whatever reason, the inhale/exhale thing makes a huge difference for me. Even now, if my breathing isn't right I lose focus and get stalled out. Just an idea, you will find what works for you. Don't give up! :gl:

Just remember that everyone starts somewhere. I've now hit my year anniversary. When I first began I had never lifted weights in my life and struggled with 25lb dumbbells for flat and incline chest exercises, used 20s for shoulder presses, and hell who knows for other stuff.

Now I'm typically using 65s/70s for chest, and 55/60 for my shoulders.

It takes time and dont worry if you are starting low, just build your strength and maintain good form. A lot of people feel embarrased but then again they forget about when they first started out.

Keep it up.

Think about safety, not being embarrassed. Just like you, everyone starts somewhere. Important thing is doing as much as you are capable of and doing it safely. Go to the gym, most good ones have machines, start with them. Get aclimated on machines and move to freeweights when you are comfortable.

I never know or care what others are lifting in a gym. I am there for me, I bet everyone else feels the same.

A rule of thumb, you should use 70-80% of your 1 rep max lift for reps. You lifted 125, so 88-100 is you weight for reps.

Decide on a program and stick with it. Read the last 25 pages on this forum and see if any hit home.

Just for the record, I see guys at my gym all the time benching with just a couple of 10's on each side of the bar. It is a pretty common sight, and nobody pays them much attention. People are usually too focused on their own workouts to really care what somebody else is doing. I would say, don't worry about it. Just go in, do your workout, and focus on your own goals. The idea that people are watching you bench and snickering to themselves is all in your head -- nobody really cares.

Also remember that doing Free Weights works lots of small muscles that very rarely gets worked, and it takes time to stabilize them. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see you make huge gains in no time. When I do machine bench I can do 3 x 6 at 270. Yesterday when I tried to add free weights into my bench routine, I couldn't even get 225 up once (you were right Swole :)), so I had to reduce it considerably, just to work the stabilizing muscles. Just keep at it, you will see some gains in no time.

If you need to work with more weight at home before you're comfortable working out in a public gym, buy some bigger plates for your bench at home!

They're probably 'standard' plates, which means the hole is small. The weights at your gym are most likely 'olympic' plates which fit on the 45-pound bars and the EZ-curl bars.

Your bar probably only weighs 15 pounds so if you were working with only 75 pounds for sets of 10 than it's surprising that you were able to lift 125 even once. It's equivalent to someone who normally uses 225 to try to bench 375.

You'll make more progress using the best equipment, which is found at the commercial gyms. If you know what to buy you could have a great setup at home too but you'll need money and space. What others have said about other people in the gym is right-most likely no one is really paying much attention to what you're doing. But I do remember high school and in our gym people did seem to be pretty competitive so if that's the case and you're uncomfortable the worst thing to do is quit-just find the biggest plates you can get for your bench at home but make sure the bar can handle it. I wouldn't load much more than 100 pounds on a 15 pound standard bar. You should be able to pick up a pair of 25 pound plates for about $25 total.

But don't avoid the gym waiting until your 'strong enough'. As long as you can bench with the proper form that's what people who have a brain actually notice. It's when you see someone who clearly can't handle the weight they're using and their back is arched so much that their ass is a foot off the bench and they bounce it so hard off their ribcage that they get a springlike effect to get the weight half way up-don't get me started on those people. If you learn to really control the weight you'll end up stronger in the long run even if you're using less weight then some people who use tons of momentum to move the weight.

good luck and your stregth will increase rapidly as you start using more challenging weight. If you just did pushups everyday you would be limited in your strength gains-the same goes for lifting with light weight and never stepping it up. :bb: