benching more than body weight.. good/bad/unhealthy?

J

jakee

0
right at the moment i am roughly 17, 5'9, and im 60kg (132lbs) and i can bench around 85kg (187lbs) with a pretty non-spotting needed 6 reps, 3 sets (maybe some on the last couple on last set)

i just wondered, all my friends my age are lifting around 50kgs or so, and they all weigh more than me, and started roughly same time.. and my parents think its unhealthy i lift so much? like its too much strain

i just wondered whether this is normal? to be able to lift that much at my age/weight etc.. i mean im fairly casual i go gym 3 times ish a week but i dont have protein shakes or anything, dont even have the best diet!
 
No, that's really good. It just means that you are stronger than your friends. Keep up the good work, that is really impressive for a 17 year old.
 
As long as your form is good and you're not humping the weight up, lifting more than your bodyweight just means you are more efficient. Many people are able to bench press 1.5 - 2x their bodyweight with good form. Keep up the great work!
 
thanks for the replies guys, that's good then! only problem I have ATM is I get some shoulder pain sometimes, which ends up holding me back for the rest of my workout..

it goes away after say an hour after I leave the gym and isn't lasting at all, as I said I'm only 17 so can't be an age thing.. I can't see why it'll do this though I'm quite strict on my form..

only issue I can see is I'm short and have very short arms for my height aswell, so my method ATM is bring the bar down 90 degrees..
 
jakee said:
thanks for the replies guys, that's good then! only problem I have ATM is I get some shoulder pain sometimes, which ends up holding me back for the rest of my workout..

it goes away after say an hour after I leave the gym and isn't lasting at all, as I said I'm only 17 so can't be an age thing.. I can't see why it'll do this though I'm quite strict on my form..
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Shoulder injuries are common in all athletes of any age. Most commonly it's a joint or rotator cuff issue. If you can, see an athletic therapist. It may be easily treatable.
 
The tradional method of bench Pressing with your arms flared 90 degrees is horrible for the shoulders. It shortens the deltoid and impinges the rotator cuff. To avoid injury, be sure to retract and depress your shoulders during the press, and drop the elbows down a little. This will reduce the stress on the shoulders and emphasize the pectoral muscles more, which is what you want anyway.

Since you're just getting started, its a great time to start doing rotator cuff strengthening exercises as well. Probably the most beneficial is external rotations with a light band.

Listen to your body and don't lift with your ego, learn all you can, and keep it up!
 
Prehaps as an idea:

Invest in a top personal trainer, someone that has done it for a while. Wouldnt suggest you would have to keep the personal trainer for the long term. But as your 17 you dont want any life long injuries.

See if you need any adjustments, suggested from the personal trainer and go from their. Its hard for any of us or you to know what your form is like and how good it is without actually seeing it for ourselves.
So basically if you can, invest in yourself!
 
@trainermike i just looked this up and i think this is my problem! (about the putting shoulders back) because i dont do that, and most likely do flare my elbows, thanks alot :D
 
good to be strong. try to achieve balance with similar strength pulling, as in rows
 
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