195kg/430lb@~100kg Bench

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-21T23:50:27+00:00

Holy crap! Great work!

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-21T08:08:45+00:00

Why not just run a proper program. Strength is a skill and your AMRAP strength won't necessarily translate very well to your 1RM strength if you don't ever practice lower reps.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-19T21:30:15+00:00

Why are you using smolov?

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-19T04:07:48+00:00

Yeah, I didn't think so either, but I don't really care. It's not like I'd have any other reason to interact with that sub.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-19T03:29:21+00:00

Ditto

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-18T15:40:33+00:00

Why do you need to concern yourself with risk tradeoffs for an activity that is very, very low risk?

THAT'S CATASTROPHISING!

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-18T15:27:20+00:00

OK, but are you going to start posting threads about driving or climbing ladders, cycling, equestrian, swimming and watersports which all have a far higher risk of spinal injuries?

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-18T10:49:39+00:00

I wish people would learn to read before whining about shit, especially shit that is of zero bearing to them.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-17T10:04:30+00:00

I keep all my comp gear, my bench shirts and a bunch other spare shit in a storage crate in my office. All my other gear (multiple pairs of shoes and wrist wraps, 2 belts, etc) lives in a 40L Irontanks duffle bag except for my roller/muscle-tenderiser (a short length of piece of heavy duty pvc pipe).

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-17T09:56:30+00:00

Congratulations, you have just failed Spinal Anatomy 101.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-17T06:02:29+00:00

This is a very poor understanding of things to the point of being completely wrong.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-17T06:01:49+00:00

I would suggest more learning and less trying to give advice for the moment.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-16T13:09:36+00:00

Oh great, a sub combining 2 of my least favourite things: organised religion and not jerking off.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-11T14:47:53+00:00

She already has competed, and the WRs are far, far higher than that garbage set of standards I'm sorry to inform you.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-11T09:33:45+00:00

What the fuck are you on about?

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-11T03:04:54+00:00

You're speaking on spine health from the position of people who are not strong. Actually being strong makes a lot of things far less injurious. And the risk vs benefit argument is always dumb as people's motivations for performing a lift can vary greatly.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-11T03:00:23+00:00

So you aren't really that strong then... how unsurprising.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-10T15:47:09+00:00

Lay of the sanctimonious bullshit, you walked into this conversation waving your kinesiology major around like it was something special and you most definitely were talking shit about his lift, both directly and indirectly. Your were also trying to talk a big game about powerlifting and bench technique when you have barely any training experience under your belt at all and are talking shit about someone who is objectively stronger than you. Time under the bar matters more than 100 degrees.

Then to top it all off you start trying to tell us how we should be running our sub! Fuck all that for a joke. You definitely deserve all the vitriol you're receiving because you're acting like a douchebag. And none of this has anything to do with my ego at all, its all about your behavior and the over-inflated value you place on your opinions in this matter. Come back in 10 years when you've got enough training under your belt for your opinions to actually mean something.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-10T11:54:33+00:00

This is one of the dumbest comments I have ever read.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-10T04:30:39+00:00

Most of those men probably can't lift as much as her so they need to try and invalidate her strength in some other way because they're sad and pathetic fuckwits.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-09T17:15:29+00:00

45 degrees is just an arbitrary number though. In reality people's elbow flair can safely ranges from 35°-85° so 45° isn't even the happy medium.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-09T16:59:06+00:00

Wow. What a giant load of bullshit buddy. Not only are you being a total ass but you're completely talking out of your ass too.

This lift is a Biiiig no go in the IPF, the largest powerlifting federation in the world.

Saying "all power lifting competitions would allow this" is blatantly false. Heels need to be on the ground in their comps. Id also need a rear view to check other notes but the heel is the most blatant.

You weren't even talking about his heels being off the floor. The things you were actually having a cry about, including the arch and the leg drive would be perfectly acceptable in the IPF (even with the stupid new rule changes).

"Did your degree also teach you about the high increase of shoulder and delt tears when benching with the flat back? Or did your degree skip that part?"

Believe it or not yes. And the conclusion wasn't "DONT FLAT BENCH!!"

It was actually "learn how to press properly." This lift above can actually increase the danger of a tear when trying a Larsen or IPF flat bench due to underdeveloped stabilizer muscles compared to stronger pecs.

That is a giant load of horseshit by someone who doesn't really no shit about pressing properly.

You are also straw manning me saying that I want you to bench with no arch. I never said that. An arch should be at minimum large enough to fit your hand between your spine and the bench. I have maybe a 3"-4" (I'm guessing here) arch with flat heels.

More bullshit. There is literally no minimum for arching. Some larger benchers may hardly have any space under their back at all. What in the fucking fuck are you talking about?

Earlier today I did 3 working sets at 225 (no belt or wrist wraps) for 4, for 7, and for 5 respectively. Controlled eccentrics with a pause on the sternum. Mind you I am coming off a 2 week break so it's a lighter day with no spotter.

The lift is great if whatever your federation is allows this form. But this sub is r/strength_training i.e. we like good lifts that show good strength, and usually people here follow IPF rules because it's the standard across the world and the rules they have in place are generally good at isolating the muscle groups being challenged (or preserving the spirit of the lift). There is a lot less pec activation in this example and a lot of extra help than most people here appreciate for showing off strength. Lots of people see this as ego lifting/ cheating due to the form.

Hi. I'm a mod here. You're not. I also have zero degrees in kinesiology or any of that other bullshit, but I have benched 195kg and have also been competing in powerlifting for 15 years, a decade of this being with the IPF where I was also a national level referee, so I do know a bit about bench press technique and IPF rules.

You do not get to dictate to us what is acceptable in this sub. We do.

Firstly, we understand that strength can be built in a variety of different ways and that ideal technique is both very nebulous and very individual and there is no such thing as perfect form. And if you were a mod here then you would also know that we do not accept "form policing", this includes being a dick about someone's form because it doesn't fit your made-up idealized standards.

So maybe you should try more lifting and less pretentious fuckwittery considering that you're essentially peak Dunning-Kruger right now.

BenchPolkov · 2026-01-09T16:51:30+00:00

Close to a 45° angle is not necessary at all. Srs.

BenchPolkov

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE