Welcome! In this post, you will learn about some of the most incredible senior bench press records. They are higher than you might think!
The bench press is probably the most well-known gym exercise you can perform. In one word it’s iconic.
There is a reason people all over the world include the bench press in their gym routines.
There is also a reason why the exercise is a part of the powerlifting main events.
The bench press developed and shows your pressing strength and overall upper body strength, unlike any other exercise.
While most seniors don’t compete in powerlifting, the bench press is still a very beneficial exercise for you.
You might think that people over 60 can’t bench press heavyweights due to aging but you’re in for a surprise!
Let’s start with a quick recap of the exercise before introducing the bench press records for different age groups.
What Is The Bench Press
It’s likely you know what the bench press is if you wound up here through a search engine. But in case you don’t know what the bench press is here’s a quick recap.
The bench press is a pressing exercisethat involves pressing a barbell up from your chest while laying on a special bench press bench.
Your back is supported by the bench and arms, shoulder muscles, and pectorals do the major work in lifting.
The bench press is a good gauge for your upper body strength because of the fixed position. You can’t effectively use the legs and hips to drive the bar upward.
A heavy bench press is still a full-body movement. The legs and hips do actually participate a bit in driving the bar up for most lifters. But it’s more of a stabilizing effect than an actual forceful drive.
This makes the bench press an easier exercise to judge in competition than the overhead press for example.
It’s still possible to cheat in bench press by bouncing the barbell from the rib cage or by doing half reps.
That’s why in powerlifting and bench press competitions there are a few rules for an approved lift.
The lift has to start from a full lockout and it needs to pause on the chest until a judge gives the press command. The lift finishes in full lockout as well.
The lockouts and the pause make the bench press a relatively easy lift to compete and judge. They take out the guesswork off the lift.
You can read more about powerlifting rules in the article Powerlifting For Seniors.
Raw Vs Equipped
Before we talk about the records for different age groups it’s important you understand the difference between raw and equipped lifting.
These days there are so many federations, clubs, and leagues of powerlifting and bench pressing that not all results are directly comparable.
The main lifting rules tend to be the same with most federations but one key difference is between the allowed equipment.
Raw lifting means that any equipment that helps to directly lift more weight is not allowed. This means that only accepted lifting belts, wrist rapes, chalk, and singlets are allowed.
In equipped bench pressing the typical equipment are a special bench press shirt that has a strong elastic pull over the chest. This adds a significant amount of force to the bottom movement of the lift and can increase the lift by over 100 lbs.
On an equipped bench press, also heavier wrist wraps and elbow sleeves can be used. I’m not going to go into detail about the equipment here.
Besides equipment, it’s important to understand that your sex and body weight affects your strength significantly. Especially in the bench press.
So an equipped, super-heavy male bench press record is going to be drastically heavier than a raw, lightweight female.
Senior Bench Press Records For Over 50
I want to start the records from the over 50 class. I realize that no one over 50 is generally considered a senior. But if you think about athletes it’s a different thing.
Just think about how many professional football or hockey players, gymnasts, or runners are there over 50.
It’s clear that when you are past 50, aging will have an effect on your athletic performance. No matter how good genetics you have.
So for powerlifting and bench pressing someone over 50 can already be considered a senior lifter.
The current raw bench pressrecordin the Master 50-59 series is 562 lbs. It’s set by Kole Carter (USA) on 04/21/18 in the super heavyweight class.
Senior Bench Press Records For Over 60
Ovver 60 is generally considered a seniors even if you are not an athlete.
The interesting thing about powerlifting is that there are plenty of very strong people in their sixties.
If you’ve been lifting for decades and stayed healthy, at sixty the age-related physical decline might not be that significant. I talked more about this in the article Weight Training For Men Over 60.
This is reflected in these very respectable bench press records for people over 60.
The current raw bench pressrecordin the Master 60+ series is 501 lbs. It’s set by Jim Ray (USA) on 04/19/18 in the super heavyweight class.
You can see the incredible lift on Jim Ray’s YouTube channel (YouTube Embed, content not owned or created by ElderStrength.com)
Senior BenchPress Records For Over 70 and 80
While you might be surprised at the amount of weight being lifted in the 60+ category, it doesn’t end there.
There are plenty of people over 70 or even 80 competing in powerlifting that can still put up significant numbers.
At this age general health and genetics really start to affect your physical performance drastically. But with years of training and avoiding serious injuries, you can maintain a good amount of strength even after 80.
There aren’t official categories for people over 70 and 80 in many competitions since they are usually included in the 60+ category. But here are a couple of impressive lifts in these age groups:
Ash Sinclairs 135 kg bench press world record for the up to 82,5 kg class. That’s about 298 lbs with a bodyweight of about 180. At that weight at the age of 71 that’s pretty incredible.
Phil Poppinos 330 lbs bench press at the age of 80 is even more incredible.
Conclusion
I hope you found this article about senior bench press records useful and interesting. If you have any comments feel free to leave them below.
The bench press is an exercise that aging doesn’t necessarily affect that much. You can do it slowly compared to Olympic weightlifting and is generally easier on the back than the squat and deadlift.
So there are plenty of seniors that bench presses respectable weight in competition. When looking at these records it’s very important to realize that they don’t reflect average or realistic strength standards for regular people in any way.
All these records have been done by athletes that have honed their skills for decades in most cases.
It’s also important to realize that many strength athletes might use performance-enhancing drugs even if they are in tested federations.
Aging reduces many key hormones but especially testosterone. So especially many senior men competitors might be on testosterone replacement therapy that’s allowed in the rules.
It still gives a significant edge over regular seniors, even if they have been doing strength training all their life.
So if you are seniors that like bench pressing it’s important to focus on your own results and health over anything.
I do understand that it’s fun to see what other people are capable of course.
Thanks for reading and see you next time!
FAQs
What is the bench press record for a 62 year old? ›
At 62 years young, American powerlifter Bill Gillespie just set the all-time world record for equipped bench press with a mind-blowing 1,129 pounds!
What is the 65 year old bench press record? ›At the World Classic Powerlifting Championships, in Helsingborg, Sweden in June 2019, John Terragni '65 set a new bench press world record for the Masters 4 (age 70+) -74/163 weight class. He benched 111kgs/244 lbs.
What is the bench press world record lifts? ›On Feb. 4, 2023, during the 2023 International Powerlifting Association (IPA) Hillbilly Havoc in Hurricane, WV, Kolb captured a 612.5-kilogram (1,350.3-pound) equipped bench press. The mark is an all-time World Record and is officially the heaviest lift ever achieved in a sanctioned competition.
What is a good bench press weight by age? ›| Age | Total weight |
|---|---|
| 20–29 | 100 percent of your body weight |
| 30–39 | 90 percent of your body weight |
| 40–49 | 80 percent of your body weight |
| 50–59 | 75 percent of your body weight |
| Body Weight | Untrained | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | 40.0 | 90.0 |
| 60 | 45.0 | 95.0 |
| 67 | 50.0 | 107.5 |
| 75 | 55.0 | 115.0 |
Frank Sinclair set a new standard for powerlifting at the GPC-GB Scottish Championships. He cleared an incredible 240kg in the deadlift over-60 age group to claim the latest title in a love affair with strength contests that dates back four decades.
What was the bench press record in 1950? ›Doug Hepburn becomes the first man to bench press 400, 450, and 500 lb. In November 1950 he pressed 400 lb (181 kg).
How many people can bench 225? ›As a safe bet, when factoring in the number of individuals that own a gym membership and dividing it by relative bodyweight, gender, training age and length of time that such individuals have held their gym membership; we can arrive at the estimate of approximately 2% of all gym goers being capable of performing a 225 ...
How rare is a 405 bench press? ›| Odds of being able to perform the lift | Bench Press | Deadlift |
|---|---|---|
| 1:2-1:10 | 135 | 275 |
| 1:15-1:40 | 225 | 405 |
| 1:100 | 300 | 550 |
| 1:10,000 | 400 | 700 |
Fully grown silverbacks are in actually stronger than 20 adult humans combined. A Silverback gorilla can lift 4,000 lb (1,810 kg) on a bench press, while a well-trained man can only lift up to 885 lb (401.5 kg. Research shows that a gorilla can lift up to 27 times their full body weight.
Can anyone bench 1000 pounds? ›
With the right training plan and enough dedication, just about any man can achieve it at just about any age. Indeed, Hugh Jackman became a member of the 1,000-Pound Club at 46 by performing a 355-pound squat, a 235-pound bench press, and a 410-pound deadlift.
Is 185 a good bench max? ›A benchmark for many lifters is hitting their 1:1 mass-to-weight ratio—basically, if you weigh 185 pounds, you can lift 185 pounds—for major lifts like squats, deadlifts, and bench press. The idea is if you can lift your body weight, you should have the functional ability to move and control your body well in space.
How much weight should a 65 year old man lift? ›Age has nothing to do with how much you should lift. Your focus should be on starting with light weight with the focus of learning how to do the movements properly. Once you can do them properly, work up to a weight that you can do 8-12 reps of.
What percent of men can bench 135? ›As such, collating these two figures gives us a rough estimate of only 44% of all adults between the ages of 13 and 40 being capable of performing a 135 pound bench press.
What percent of men can bench 315? ›Within numerous estimates, approximately 0.6-1% of the entire United States population is capable of performing a 315 pound bench press repetition, of which is only 5% of all resistance-trained individuals within the Western hemisphere. At a global scale, approximately only 0.3-0.5% are able to do so.
Should people over 60 lift heavy weights? ›The American College Of Sports Medicine recommends weight training for all people over age 50 and tells us even those into their 90s can benefit. You may find your balance improves, your walking pace is faster, and climbing stairs will be less difficult, so you are less likely to fall.
What is the average bench press for an American? ›The average bench press is 220 lb for men and 104 lb for women.
How much can the average man bench press for 10 reps? ›290–335 pounds as their 1-rep max bench press. 250–290 pounds for 5 reps. 230–270 pounds for 8 reps. 215–250 pounds for 10 reps.
What is the world record deadlift for 70 year old? ›He's not just impressive for the average septuagenarian—he's the strongest 70-plus-year-old powerlifter in the world. Pumping impressive amounts of iron is the norm for Kadlub, who squats 450 pounds, bench presses nearly 320 pounds, and has deadlifted 530 pounds.
How much should a 70 year old man deadlift? ›| Age | Beg. | Elite |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 130 | 415 |
| 65 | 118 | 375 |
| 70 | 105 | 336 |
| 75 | 94 | 301 |
What age is senior powerlifting? ›
The International Powerlifting Federation classifies senior powerlifting into masters categories. Masters I include those who are 40 to 49 year-olds. The Masters II is for 50 to 59 year-olds. Thirdly, the Masters III is for 60 to 69 year-olds.
Who was the first person to bench press 700 lbs? ›James Henderson is the current world record holder for heaviest drug tested raw bench press in history and the highest raw bench press ever done in a full powerlifting 3-lift-meet (squat-bench press-deadlift). His record setting lift was 711.0 lbs.
Who was the first man to bench 800? ›Iranian powerlifter Danial Zamani regularly shows off his strength on his Instagram, and has made no secret of his aspiration to be the first man to bench press 800 pounds raw (without the aid of tools like a lifting shirt).
What is Batman's max bench? ›His perfection in these allows him to defeat opponents he otherwise shouldn't be able to. Batman bench presses between 800-1,000 pounds, military presses 500-600 pounds, and curls 300-350 pounds!! Again for a mere mortal, that is unbelievable.
How much can Kevin Hart bench? ›How much can KEVIN HART bench press? 240 lbs.
What percent of American men can bench 225? ›That amounts to 0.1% of earth's population, or one in a thousand people. TL;DR - Using extremely rough guestimates and statistics, I estimated around 1 in 1000 people on earth can bench press 225 pounds.
Is benching 225 for 10 impressive? ›Yes it's really good! If you're able to bench press 225lbs for 10 reps it would definitely be easier for you to lift heavier weights. Increase the weight and reduce the number of reps as progressive overload is important to get bigger and stronger.
How long does it take to bench 405 from 315? ›Lower the weight, delay the gratification and reap the benefits in the future. I benched 315 lbs for the first time when I was 18 at 171 lbs, 365 at 210, and 405 at 228. To go from 315 to 405 took me four years.
What is considered strong for a man? ›To optimize the health of your body, you should be able to squat and deadlift ~1.5x your bodyweight, bench press ~1.25x your bodyweight, and overhead press ~0.75x your bodyweight.
Can you bench 600 naturally? ›Absolutely. The drug tested record for raw bench press is 563.3 lb./255.5 kg. You could contend that he just beat the drug test, a common occurrence, but it is impressive either way.
How much would a grizzly bear bench press? ›
When it comes to pure strength the Grizzly bear can lift over 500kg, 0.8 times its body weight.
How much could a chimp bench press? ›Answer and Explanation: Chimpanzees can lift the same amount of weight that a human can, which is an average ability to bench press 250 pounds.
How strong is a silverback gorilla compared to a grizzly bear? ›A bear's strength without aggression is 2-5 times stronger than the average human. A gorilla, however, is 4-9 times stronger than a human. When standing, a silver back can be around 5 foot 11 inches whereas a grizzly can reach about 10 feet tall. A gorilla's biteforce is 1300 Psi and a grizzly bear's is 1250 Psi.
How Much Can Arnold bench? ›Update: In his July 30, 2021 email newsletter, Arnold claimed his best bench press was 525 lbs., but because he said 500 previously on multiple occasions we'll go with that. Arnold says his best gym powerlifts were: squat 545 lbs. (247 kg.), bench press 500 lbs. (227 kg.), and deadlift 710 (322 kg.).
How much can Captain America bench? ›That said, how much can Cap lift? Captain America can lift 800-1400 pounds just as a warm-up, but when under duress or in emergencies, this number steadily increases.
Has anyone ever bench pressed 800 lbs? ›Iranian powerlifter Danial Zamani has gone where no one has ever gone before. On Feb. 21, 2022, Zamani took to his Instagram page to share a video wherein he hit a 365-kilogram (804.7-pound) bench press raw in training. It is the first time any athlete ever has successfully bench pressed more than 800 pounds raw.
What is a respectable bench? ›However, if a man is capable of bench pressing around 1¼ times or 1½ times his body weight, he would fall in the category of an intermediate or advanced lifter respectively. Talking about women, for beginner lifters bench pressing 0.65 times their body weight would be considered pretty decent.
What percent of guys can bench 275? ›If you're talking about ALL men then it's much less than 1%, probably more like a thousandth of a percent. Even for “regular” gym goers it's going to be a fraction of a percent, because most people at the gym aren't going for big bench press maxes (even if it's a common stereotype).
What is the max legal width for bench? ›That's the 81cm mark, and is the max allowable grip width for Bench in competition. For gripping the bar, the lifters' hands can have the thumbs wrapped around the bar, without the thumbs wrapped around the bar, or reverse grip. The widest allowable grip is index fingers ON the 81cm mark.
Can you build muscle 72 years old? ›Seniors who work at it, however, can still make strength gains. “Research shows that, even into your late 80s, your body still has the potential to build muscle mass,” Stacy Schroder, director of wellness at Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, said.
Can a 73 year old man build muscle? ›
While there is no way to fully “stop the clock,” it's possible for many older adults to increase muscle strength with exercise, which can help maintain mobility and independence into later life.
How many push ups should a 70 year old man do? ›For adults over the age of 50, the ACSM recommends the following: Men (50-59): Between 10 and 12 pushups. Men (60+): Between 8 and 10 pushups. Women (50-59): Between 7 and 10 pushups.
What does benching 2 plates mean? ›Being able to lift “two plates” in the bench press is one of the most common strength training goals for men. It refers to using two 45 lb (or 20 kg) plates per side, including the 45 lb barbell, which adds up to 225 lb, or 100 kg.
What is an impressive amount to bench? ›The average Bench Press weight for a male lifter is 217 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift. What is a good Bench Press? Male beginners should aim to lift 103 lb (1RM) which is still impressive compared to the general population.
What percentage of guys can bench 300? ›Very rare. We're talking like beyond one in a million. 1% of 1% of the poplation type rarity. A lot of people dont realize this, but even a 225+ bench is a little abnormal.
Can you bench 315 naturally? ›Yes, but maybe not for you. Only 1% of the male population can bench 315… and less than half that population has what it takes to get to 4 plates. 405 is about training hard, understanding biomechanics, periodization and nutrition.
Is it possible to bench 405 naturally? ›Absolutely. The drug tested record for raw bench press is 563.3 lb./255.5 kg. You could contend that he just beat the drug test, a common occurrence, but it is impressive either way.
How many times can the average man bench his body weight? ›The average man in his thirties can bench press 90 percent of his body weight, though this can vary depending on several factors. How much you can bench press depends on your fitness level and how much you've trained.
What percentage of men can bench over 300? ›| Odds of being able to perform the lift | Bench Press | Curl |
|---|---|---|
| 1:15-1:40 | 225 | 90 |
| 1:100 | 300 | 120 |
| 1:10,000 | 400 | 165 |
| 1:100,000 | 500 | 185 |
Among the average individual, being able to perform a bench press of 135 pounds is actually quite possible – though nearing the upper limit of their capabilities.
Is it true only 1% of people can bench 225? ›
That amounts to 0.1% of earth's population, or one in a thousand people. TL;DR - Using extremely rough guestimates and statistics, I estimated around 1 in 1000 people on earth can bench press 225 pounds.
Is 315 a rare bench? ›Within numerous estimates, approximately 0.6-1% of the entire United States population is capable of performing a 315 pound bench press repetition, of which is only 5% of all resistance-trained individuals within the Western hemisphere. At a global scale, approximately only 0.3-0.5% are able to do so.
Is it possible to bench 315 naturally? ›Probably most people would never be able to do it, even with steroids. How common is a 315 bench? Very rare. We're talking like beyond one in a million.
What is the average bench press for a man? ›What is the average bench press? The average bench press is 220 lb for men and 104 lb for women. This makes you an intermediate lifter and stronger than 50% of StrengthLog's users.
Should you touch chest on bench press? ›The bottom portion of the bench press is where your pecs are most heavily activated. If you don't touch the bar to your chest, you're cheating your pecs out of a lot of good work. Sure, it's the most difficult portion of the lift. That's the point.
What is the average strength of a man? ›US men aged between 20–34 can grip 98 pounds of force. Self-reported beginners to lifting weights said they could: Bench press: 85kg (187 pounds) Squat: 102kg (225 pounds)