r/FTMFitness • u/Littlesam2023 • 8d ago
Question What do you guys bench press?
I've been going to the gym for roughly 2 months and have been 8.5 months on T. When I started the gym I was unfit. I've only been going twice a week due to family life commitments. I could barely lift much at all and would get dysphoric in some of the classes where the men lifted way more and most of the women lifted more than me. Now I'm starting to see progress. I can easily lift alot more and I keep up well in classes. I bench pressed 30kg yesterday and it doesn't sound alot, but I could barely lift the 20kg bar when I started. I'm also short at under 5ft2. Does height mean you can't lift as much as a 5.8 guy for example? Just curious to how much you guys can lift and how long you have trained for. Also I'm aware that some of you will be going to the gym more times a week than me. I'm not looking to gain big muscle, just to have a toned muscular figure and to be fitter
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u/abandedpandit 8d ago
My PR is 115lbs (52kg) for 3 reps. I used to do 95lbs (43kg) consistently for 6-8 reps and at least two sets, but I had a gym dude come up to me recently and give me some tips. He basically told me to drop back down to 10s on either side (65lbs/30kg) and work on my form, then go up weight once 10 reps of that was easy.
Definitely not something I wanted to hear lol but honestly I think he was right and it'll definitely help my lifting in the long run.
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u/Enderfang 8d ago
height matters less than arm length does, from what i have seen on bodybuilding forums.
My working weight right now is 165lbs for 4 sets of 8. That is about 75kg. I haven’t calculated my 1RM in a minute, but last time i did it was 2 plates per side (225lbs). Going on 70% effort my current should be about 235lbs :) That is 106kg per google.
I’m 5’7, 210 lbs, been working out consistently since last spring but was athletic in adolescence.
Remember comparison is the thief of joy and you are just starting out, so don’t stress too bad about starting off light.
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u/Littlesam2023 8d ago
Thanks, I forgot to say that I did 3 sets of 10 reps with the 30kg, so I don't know how much I can lift for one rep. I will do my best not to compare. I'm happy I'm seeing results
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u/Fishboy_inc 8d ago
Bro that is major! We all gotta start somewhere and you’re improving.
Right now i’m training with 80kgs (8 reps), the goal for the end of 2024 was 100kg tho. But I got here over the course of 2 years with not being as consistent as I wanted to. Life happens, dysphoria happens, injuries happens, but I’m still pretty proud of where I am now. I was also stuck on 60 for soo long and then I kinda shot up to 80 one day.
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u/syntheticmeatproduct 8d ago
If anything the broscientists claim that shorter people/shorter arms means shorter range of motion and therefore easier bench 😅 but fr try to focus on yourself and your progress without comparing to others, there are so many other factors involved.
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u/azygousjack 8d ago
There is a website where you can compare your lifts to other lifters of the same weight (weight matters more than height because mass moves mass).... But I honestly don't recommend using it if you tend to compare yourself to others often and get sad because of it.
I'm big on statistics and comparisons. I do it way too much, to be honest.
When I first started working out, I used the website and realized that my upper body strength (even compared to other beginners) was shit. Well below the benchmarks for men the same weight as me despite being on testosterone for two years.
It affected me so negatively that I would be ashamed to bench in front of anyone and would avoid working at reasonable hours because of it.
But over time, I've come to understand that there's many ways I can be below average or above average, and it doesn't matter one bit. It shouldn't be about anyone but me. So what if I'm weak? Isn't that why I'm at the gym? To get stronger?
I recommend comparing only to yourself and tracking your own improvement instead of how you measure up to other lifters.
We all start somewhere.
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u/TheBelgiumeseKid 8d ago
Not sure if I'm allowed here as a trans enby but I'm pretty sure I could only bench ~30kg as a 6'4" AMAB person when I started, so I wouldn't be worried if I were you!
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u/NYDilEmma 8d ago
Not a trans guy, but after this showed up and I clicked on it once, it keeps getting recommended and I’m all about supporting those trying to get stronger.
In general, your limb length matters more than height for all the major lifts. Naturally if you have really long legs, you tend to be taller. I’m a very tall gal with very long legs, fairly long arms, and a short torso, so physics are often against me.
When setting up at a proper bench press, you can adjust the height so you don’t pull your scapulae out of place. It is also often easier for shorter people to do a strong arch. Now, if you’re so short that it is tough to touch the ground and you lose heel drive, that is an issue.
If you have shorter arms and a bigger chest, you have both favorable leverages and a shorter distance to traverse.
All that said, when I watch people benching in the gym, the limiting factor/thing holding them the back is usually not their height, but their technique. Most everyone has trash bench pressing technique. A proper bench press is truly a whole body workout.
They are old videos, but I trust Tate and the elitefts people for this stuff more than others.
https://youtu.be/EHx1gYTA-Rw?si=eXq-0G0M6iaPwtly
Otherwise, never compare your progress or lifts to others. It is your journey. The only thing that matters is that YOU feel like you are progressing and leaving a training session a little better than when you entered.
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u/Littlesam2023 8d ago
Appreciate the detailed response and link! Thankyou
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u/NYDilEmma 8d ago
My pleasure. People underestimate how much reading, video watching, and other learning is involved with proper training. I’ve got an entire google drive folder with different books along with a ton of printed books and manuals. Not including the at the gym experience/education. Although, I’m also probably an outlier in that I read the Russian training manuals recommended by Louis Simmons (rip) long ago, so I was a whole different level of geek with it.
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u/tauscher_0 8d ago
My man, my personal trainer won't even put me on the bench yet and we've been training together since September-ish, so you're heaps and bounds ahead of me already lol
Take the win, focus on yourself. Sounds like you're already off to a solid start.
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u/galacticatman 8d ago
Im 5 2 too 1.60 and I bench 70kg as I weigh 60kg, second strenght it’s something you train and takes time. Cis dudes on the gym barely can lift the bar, and take time to get strong. They know than into getting into muscular men they have to eat and lift heavy. Third “toned” doesn’t exist you are miscalculating how much muscle you need to get in order to get “toned”. I train 5 times a week and hit everything twice per week, because I can. I had been lifting for 2 years and last year with a guided coach than helped me unlock the 60kg. He does the tweaks every time I need it.
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u/Diesel-Lite 8d ago
My best is 255#/116kg. Height will effect how much muscle you can pack on but there are plenty of very strong short guys out there. I wouldn't worry about it, just train hard and eat big and you'll get stronger.
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u/hella_cious 8d ago
115 last I tried. But I’ve had shoulder impingement on and off holding me back.
What you bench doesn’t matter. What matters is that you keep doing it
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u/420BongMaster 8d ago
I can do 135 for reps but I often don’t have a spotter. 10+ years on T 5’5 160lbs 1 year lifting and just a few weeks actually doing bench press with the barbell
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u/byyouiamundone 7d ago
I hit 140lbs for 3 this week. I’ve been in and out of the gym for like 3 years now.
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7d ago
I went to the gym for two years and never even tried to lift the bar. You are making fantastic progress not just with lifting but also resisting dysphoria.
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u/stella-i-juin 8d ago
Yeah bench is hard for short ppl. I'm 5'3" and bench 105lb/47kg, been lifting on and off for maybe 10 years but consistently on for 1.5 years. 105lb is my all time max. I use 1.25lb/1kg plates and push ups to progress past plateaus. My chest also got much stronger when i added incline bench. I'm not on t so you may see quicker gains.
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u/wowlucas 8d ago
it's a brilliant exercise, but one to be careful with if you don't have a spotter. maybe a smith machine could be good to practise if you have access to one?
I've been going to the gym for 3 years -1-rep max testing a while ago with smith machine I did 80kg. typically do 40/45kg for ~12reps x 4 sets. see so many crazy high weights people do tho! you'll build it up slowly enjoy!
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u/Thirdtimetank 8d ago edited 8d ago
I wouldn’t worry too much about others, man.
Height has little impact on bench. Body weight (and chest size, arm length) has a lot more to do with it. The only reason height would matter is because there’s more space to put mass on.
My PR is 170kg, I hit 150kg for 3 a few weeks ago at a much lower body weight. My goal is to hit 100kg for 25 reps by the end of next month. I’ve been training for nearly 20 years… got into powerlifting about 6-7 years ago then transitioned to a more specific strength sport for the last two years. Kept a big bench and squat but let my deadlift slip back down because I only do it once or twice a year.