How much do you bench press?
Do you see how much you can bench press every time you walk in the gym? If so you’ll eventually notice a decrease in weight/strength closely followed by a few typical aches and pains. As I mentioned, the words “how much” and “bench press” are rarely separated, but the truth is that the one repetition maximum lift (or 1RM) serves no useful purpose in health and fitness training with the aim to gaining weight. Outside of competitive powerlifting (where the most seasoned athletes typically reserve the single repetition maximum for the actual competition) it’s only purpose is to satisfy your ego or other’s curiosity. Don’t give in to peer pressure or your own insecurity. (Now, don’t get me wrong…I’ve been there too.) It’s just that there are much better and safer ways of tracking progress for most individuals. Why don’t people ask how well you perform an exercise, how much control you have, that’s much more important and a greater indicator of mastery.
Did I say the bench press was “bad”? Absolutely not! But it is not a magic bullet and should not serve as a quantifier for self-esteem. Nor should it be used as an overall measurement of strength or fitness. It is just the bench press, one of a hundred exercises that involves the pecs and can help in developing “pushing” strength. And like all of those other exercises, the bench press should be carefully evaluated for use by determining your true goal and your individual anatomical structure…not because of tradition or myth.