Top bodybuilders and the bench press

Top bodybuilders often look incredibly strong on the bench, but a 1-rep max is a whole different game from a long, heavy set. The simple truth is that bodybuilding and powerlifting training teach the body to work differently.

When Ronnie Coleman easily presses 90 kg dumbbells for 10 reps or performs 75 reps with 100 kg, an obvious question arises: why isn’t he breaking records in bench press competitions without a bench shirt? On paper, those numbers might suggest a 330 kg 1-rep max, but your body doesn’t always work like a calculator in the gym.

Why do top bodybuilders have a different kind of bench press strength?

Many have wondered how elite bodybuilders would fare against professional powerlifters in the bench press without a bench shirt. Marcus Ruhl, Greg Kovacs and Ronnie Coleman all lift weights in training that raise eyebrows.

Ronnie is a good example because a long set with 100 kg and 1 – 2 reps with 300 kg place different demands on the body. During a longer set, slow-twitch muscle fibers and muscular endurance do much of the work. A maximal attempt, however, depends on rapid force production, nervous system readiness, technique and familiarity with very heavy weights.

Greg Kovacs weighed 186 kg and was said to have incline bench pressed 318 kg. Isaac Nessar was known for his enormous chest, reportedly measuring 185 cm in circumference, and claims circulated that he could bench press 375 kg. The key word here, though, is “reportedly.” Large muscles give you an advantage, but they don’t automatically make you a champion competitive bench presser.

Top bodybuilders, the 1RM and long sets

A bodybuilder who can perform 10 reps with 220 230 kg is no longer a rarity these days. Yet that same lifter might fail to complete a single rep with 280 kg. This only sounds contradictory if we assume that all strength is the same kind of strength.

Developing a one-rep max and training with long sets provide different stimuli for the muscles and nervous system. Bodybuilders often use sets that increase metabolic stress in the muscles. The result is hypertrophy. Powerlifters’ short sets and high intensity place the main emphasis on the central nervous system. The result is a better ability to apply a great deal of force all at once.

Mike Witmer, who bench presses 340 kg himself, once saw a man in the gym perform 10 reps with 185 kg fairly easily. When the barbell was loaded to 250 kg, the same man failed the lift. Conversely, a top powerlifter might not be able to perform as many reps with 200 kg as a top bodybuilder, even though his 1RM may be higher.

How does bench pressing work for different goals?

George Halbert once spoke about training with Arnold Classic winner Mike Francois. They were doing close-grip bench presses. The barbell was loaded to 140 kg. George performed 1 rep. Mike initially struggled with one rep, but then pushed out another 8 reps. Interestingly, each rep seemed to get easier for him as the set progressed.

The next weight was 160 kg. George again performed one rep. Mike tried too, but couldn’t complete a single rep. Why? One man’s training was geared toward lifting heavy weights for just a few reps. The other’s was geared toward maximizing muscle growth. Both were strong, just in different ways.

Mike Witmer described a similar experience at Gold`s Gym. He was training chest and triceps with a bodybuilder who had recently earned his pro card. They started with 100 kg for 8 reps. Then came 140 kg: Mike performed 5 reps and the bodybuilder 8 reps. The pattern repeated at 165 kg: Mike did 5 reps and the bodybuilder 8 reps. At 185 kg, Mike performed 3 reps and the bodybuilder 5 reps. When the barbell was loaded to 205 kg, Mike completed 3 easy reps, but the bodybuilder barely managed 1 rep, and the second stayed on his chest.

This doesn’t mean the bodybuilder was weak. Quite the opposite. Close-grip bench pressing 185 kg for 5 reps is anything but weak by the average person’s standards. It simply shows that the goal of your training determines the outcome.

What would top bodybuilders need to change to compete in the bench press?

Powerlifters train differently because they have a different goal. Their training revolves around increasing their 1RM. Lou Simmons, powerlifters from the Russian school and many other lifters have emphasized training the nervous system. Bodybuilders prioritize hypertrophy, which comes largely from stimulating muscle metabolism with sets of 6 – 15 reps.

Powerlifters also use many specialized bench press training methods: boards, bands, chains, speed days and max-effort days. These help develop the press throughout the entire range of motion. The heavy weights also place a very high load on the tendons and ligaments. Bodybuilding training strengthens them too, but the emphasis is more on increasing muscle size.

If a bodybuilder truly wanted to compete against professional bench pressers, he would need years of specific training. He would have to develop explosive strength, strengthen his tendons, learn competition technique and perform short sets with heavy weights. That would come at a cost. A bodybuilder cannot keep training like a powerlifter indefinitely, because his main job is to maintain and build muscle mass.

The practical takeaway for your gym training

To compare bodybuilders and powerlifters more fairly, we should look beyond who can bench press the most weight for a single repetition. We could also ask who can press a heavy weight 10 times. Bodybuilders would stand a much better chance in that kind of contest.

If the contest were limited to six repetitions, powerlifters would probably still win. But the lighter the weight and the more repetitions you perform, the more endurance throughout the set matters, rather than just 1RM strength.

Ronnie performs a set of ten with 90 kg dumbbells on a flat bench. Yet powerlifter Big Clay is said to do the same on an incline bench with dumbbells weighing over 95 kg. This example keeps things in perspective: a big bodybuilder can be incredibly strong, but an elite powerlifter is trained even more specifically for his particular discipline.

Greg Kovacs was undoubtedly strong, but according to Ed Coan and other witnesses, he performed many of his big lifts on a Smith machine. Free-weight pressing requires greater stability, technique and balance. These qualities are just as important in competitive bench pressing as chest muscle size. Kennely had those skills.

Ultimately, there is little point in pitting these disciplines against each other. Powerlifters dominate the world of the one-repetition maximum. Bodybuilders excel at building an aesthetic physique and large muscles. Each has its own price, its own logic and its own beauty.

Top bodybuilders and frequently asked questions

Are bodybuilders weaker than powerlifters?

That would not be a fair statement. They are often very strong, but their strength is more evident in moderate- and higher-repetition sets. A powerlifter’s strength is developed for a single maximal attempt.

Why don’t 10 repetitions accurately predict a 1RM?

Because a long set and a 1RM call for different skills. In a long set, muscular endurance and work capacity matter. For a single repetition, what matters is your nervous system, technique, explosiveness and familiarity with maximal weights.

Could a bodybuilder reach the top in powerlifting?

Yes, if he trained for it for years and changed his priorities. But then he would no longer be the same type of bodybuilder. Gaining something often means giving something else up.

Source

http://www.criticalbench.com/bodybuilders-bench-pressing.htm

Translator’s note: a good article. It also explains the myth that bodybuilders are “weak.” If someone can close-grip bench press 185 kg for 5 repetitions, that is not weak. Their training simply serves a different purpose. It all depends on what you measure and how you measure it.

Translated by: Janar Rückenberg

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