 Hy001
Posts: 6
Registered: 11-6-12
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Why is my benchpress so weak?
So I know girls are weaker than guys - duh - but my benchpress really sucks. 37.5 at 5x5 is really really really hard and I know I'm not going low
enough. It is rather disheartening when you read of guys 70+ benching over 200kg just like that. HOW??!!
Maybe I'm just way off but 37kg seems really really wimpy... what is 'normal'?
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Vee
Elite Lifter
Posts: 853
Registered: 7-5-11
Location: Welington
Country Flag:  Wales
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Hi Hy001, Guys have alot more upper body strength naturally so it's pointless comparing your bench to a guys bench. For a woman to bench her own body
weight is pretty damn good. It is comparative to a guy benching x2 his body weight.
How long have you been lifting for? It totally depends on how strong you were to begin with. I know it took me a year to be able to bench 37.5kg.
When I first started lifting I couldn't bench the bar! I had terrible upper body strength. Everybody is different and you should set your own goals
and chart yourself and don't worry about anybody else.
"When in doubt, just get really, really strong. It tends to cure most problems in training – and life."- Jim Wendler
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Hy001
Posts: 6
Registered: 11-6-12
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Ahh right I see. Just been youtubing and I reckon my form is way off so that probably contributes...
I started 7 weeks ago and had 1.5 weeks off in between... My goal is my bodyweight, or just under so I guess I wasn't too far off. Thanks so much for
the heads up! Might just go try out some using better form ;)
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TFB
Elite Lifter
Posts: 668
Registered: 12-7-11
Location: Wellington
Country Flag:  Quebec
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I'm with Vee... it all depends.
A friend of mine was competing in a 3-lift comp (squat, bench, and clean-to-overhead) for women a couple of weeks back, and the majority of them were
maxing out, for a single lift, at around 50... and many of these were obviously well-trained and experienced lifters. So, in reality, you're actually
already doing just fine for 7 weeks...
Vee's advice is golden - chart your weights, follow the plan, (as Tonka said elsewhere) learn good form, and you WILL make gains.
oh, and everyone has a weak lift, we just prefer not to talk about it 
and one other thing - there's two types of powerlifting - raw (where no aid from specialised equipment is allowed) and "equipped" where lifters make
use of specialist shirts (for bench press) and suits (for squat), which increase their ability to lift. So, understanding how to compare like with
like is also helpful :)
There are no reasons, only excuses.
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M.T
Elite Lifter
Posts: 2375
Registered: 2-3-11
Location: Wellington
Country Flag:  New Zealand
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Mood: Judgement time
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All of the above and also build the muscles recruited for that lift, triceps, shoulders and back when they grow your bench has no shoice but to
increase with it.
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