Is bench a meme? I seen lots of people who look like they dont lift put up large amount of weight.. Is powerliftng really just training ur nervous system? Does it actually trasnlate into strength irl like in street fights?

Social media has ruined and tainted minds.

But yes you're right, most lifting is done by nervous system adaptations. Someone who only does sets of 3-5 and heavy singles and doubles will have much less size and way more strength compared to someone doing more body building style training.

>>76365616 (OP)
okay man, we get it, weight lifting doesn't equal big muscles, and having strength is irrelevant. There's this magical thing called synthol, just inject it where you want to look good and everything will be okay.

>>76365616 (OP)
I switched to weighted push-ups but I have full-blown autism.

This is a legit and nuanced question — you're not wrong to wonder if bench press or even powerlifting in general is "just a meme" when it comes to real-world strength. Let's break it down.


---

Is the bench press a meme?

No, but it’s misunderstood and often overrated.

What it actually does well:

Builds pushing strength (chest, triceps, front delts)

Trains upper body power in a stable position

Good for hypertrophy if programmed right


The limitations:

Not athletic or functional by default — you’re lying on a bench, not moving dynamically

Many guys train it in isolation and neglect pulling, legs, or conditioning

You can bench a lot and still look average if you don’t diet or train the rest of your body


> So when you see a dude who benches 300+ but looks like he doesn’t lift? He may have trained bench specifically for years, but neglected physique, diet, or balance.
---

Is powerlifting just "training your nervous system"?

Partially true.

Powerlifting (squat, bench, deadlift) relies heavily on neurological efficiency:

Practicing the same movement = better motor unit recruitment

You get better at lifting heavy weights by training your CNS to handle that load


BUT:

You still build muscle, tendon strength, and joint integrity — it’s not only neurological

Max strength in the big 3 lifts can still improve real-world power output, just not in every direction or context


> TL;DR: Powerlifting does train your nervous system — but also builds real strength, just in a very specific way.

translate to "real-life" strength, like in a street fight?

Not directly, and here’s why:

Lifting ≠ Fighting

Bench pressing doesn’t train:

Rotational power

Reaction speed

Endurance

Grappling or striking technique


Most street fights are:

Short bursts

Based on positioning, aggression, pain tolerance

Rarely settled by how much you can bench
What helps in a fight?

Athleticism (explosiveness, balance, cardio)

Grappling strength (pulling, clinch, core)

Speed and control

Skill — boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu


> A trained 130 lb fighter can destroy an untrained 220 lb benchbro.
Strength helps, but it’s one piece of the puzzle.
---

Real-World Translation: What Strength Does Carry Over

Lift Carries over to… How useful IRL?

Bench Push strength In sports or shoving, but not fights
Squat Core, lower body Explosiveness, jumping, lifting things
Deadlift Posterior chain Picking up people/objects, grip, posture
Pull-ups/rows Back/arms Grappling, climbing, control


> If you want real-world, functional strength, mix lifting with:
Carries (farmer’s, sandbags)

Bodyweight training

Conditioning

Martial arts
---

Final Word

Bench isn’t a meme, but bench strength ≠ being a strong man overall.

Powerlifting trains strength, but mostly in one plane, with limited athleticism.

“Street strength” is built by combining gym strength with movement, grip, and fight-specific training.
---

Want a lifting program that builds strength that actually carries over into sports, combat, or physical labor? I can build one.

>>76365624
Its not irrelevant, unless su ar aa shut in u are gonna get into fights. Does it translate into having the strength to manhandle people though?

>>76365633
While o have my doubts about bench I am sure a dude who deadlifts can toss around a dude who doesn't..

>>76365633
>>76365638
Chat, what're you doing here?

>>76365646
Absolutely. I used to work on the back of a garbage truck tossing overstuffed cans all day. I felt like i could hiptoss a giant.

>>76365638
How trained is the 130 lbs? O dont beelive anyone but the top elite can take on a 220 bench bro. I think that if u are very trained but haven't trained in year and lost ur muscle, no amount of training will make up for the fact u dont have any muscle left. The 130 dudes who can take on 220 lbs dudes avoid street fights so they dont lose their license

>>76365616 (OP)
It's not a meme. I live for the bench press, it's the one thing I look forward to the most on push days. Do accessories after, though

My chest has grown after getting stronger at bench, too. There's no way that's not happening unless you're lifting bitch ways

>>76365680
My chest has grown but these people look like twins and they are easily doing 225

>>76365684
>people look like twins and they are easily doing 225
Because they're two ? Retard
If you took twins to the deadlift you could probably squeeze 700

>>76365616 (OP)
It's good for strength but you don't feel shit and you can only feel it if you do bitch weight and very slow, how heavy is your RDL compared to your deadlift?

>>76365687
Twinks

Flat bench is a meme.

People know good form and their fucking minds seems to drift off and do it wrong anyways. I would guess 90% of people are limited by their shoulders because of this.

Do incline bench press, aim to push the weight perpendicular (90 degrees) to the floor. If it feels weird lower your angle of your bench. You might have to raise the angle, but I know you and you were too high.

Is it gay to ask someone to spot me on the bench when i can only bench 1 plate? I just started going back to the gym and i wanna bench but when i tried i could only 3 reps with 1 plate and i felt like everyone was laughing at me.

>>76365616 (OP)
It doesn't matter because you don't lift.

>>76365687
kek

>>76365829
Some dude at my gym asked me to spot his 50kg bench, I did and said goob job. Another time some girl asked me to spot her 35kg bench, same thing. What's the big deal?

>>76365616 (OP)
I haven’t benched in over 5 years i think also no other direct pec work apart from the occasional dip and pushup and my pecs are still dominating my physique
i think if you have good chest genetics you don’t need to bench and if you have bad genetics no amount of bench will make a great chest

if you aren’t on roids your pecs will always overshadow your shoulders and traps/neck
and so many lifters have whole days dedicated to chest while doing nothing for shoulder/neck

look at that will tenesse or whatever guy

no forearms, no neck no shoulders no calves
Overdeveloped chest, biceps, lats and quads
yet every workout he does is so extremely chest, back and let heavy
dude stop training your fucking quads
start training your calves you don’t need 30 sets of quads youdisproportional fuck

i understand it because these lifts are fun but you end up looking really weird freak

>>76365829
No it's not gay. Why would it be gay? People are gonna laugh at you though. Nothing you can do about that. You just have to want to get big and strong more than you care about being embarrassed.

>>76365633
>Many guys train it in isolation and neglect pulling, legs, or conditioning
Wow literally me. Thanks GPT!

>>76365829
>and i felt like everyone was laughing at me.
You're gonna pull a lot more eyes if your sat there on the bench being "crushed" by a 1pl8 and not knowing how to bail it properly or roll it off
Just ask for a spot.

>>76365829
Just do it. Also look up the roll of shame, or just drop the weights if no one is close

>>76365616 (OP)
>I seen lots of people who look like they dont lift put up large amount of weight.. Is powerliftng really just training ur nervous system?
No.

People who suck at bench and have to really struggle to reach even average levels dislike it and people who excel at it obviously love it. Nobody asked but after years of dancing around the movement I found that I finally can really push the actual weights instead of fearing shoulder pain by using dumbbells and it's a fine compromise despite setting up dumbbells suck and you will likely have to use lower total weight but no problem.

>>76365829
If you are that insecure a out it just do do dumbell bench.

>>76365829
Just do incline bench (easier to do the roll of shame than flat) and never clip the barbell
Dumbbell bench is for ngmi suckers btw

>>76366148
>shoulder pain
Have you tried a narrower grip anon? I can imagine that you have, but I must ask regardless

>>76366286
Why is that? I go heavy flat bench then do lowish weight incline with high reps + pec fly machine

>>76365616 (OP)
I do stupid high rep sets to failure (30-40) and I'm seeing rapid growth. I really don't get why people train strength. If you don't look like you lift what's the point

>>76365616 (OP)
Benching is one of the worst memes. Powerlifting in general is a meme. Sure, progressive overload is important, but making yourself unhealthy to lift maximum weight is beyond retarded.

>>76366377
just because you get gay fantasies of sucking 300lbs 6'3 powerlifters cocks does not mean benching is a bad lift
>>76366364
lmao imagine building useless muscle for looks instead of functional strength. the 5 rep powerlifter would beat you in a fight. real world isnt fought with boxing gloves kid. may as well inject synthol you little shit

>>76366407
1/10
really poor attempt

>>76366364
>If you don't look like you lift what's the point
Fun. Different people have different goals anon. And throughout your lifting journey priorities and goals can change

It's just fun overcoming the challenge that is lifting heavy shit. Reaching a bench PR is an incredible feeling and feeling the adrenaline rush due to the risk involved is fun, too

>>76366555
Also, strength and muscle growth aren't mutually exclusive. There's no way that a guy benching 2pl8 for reps, squatting 4pl8s, etc... would look like a twink and have no muscle

>>76366334
I used to do narrow grip when I used barbell yes and gladly I could get better at benching by doing a lot of triceps exercises and leading with them, but I have had it basically my whole life where if I do any serious volume with benching it just becomes a fight against pain instead of feeling good when weight goes up and down. Also too much change from day to day if one arm is feeling a bit weird. Using dumbbells somehow helps me lift more symmetrically even if it sounds weird and you can turn palms a bit outward and what not when they move more freely.

Of course I still do it like once a week to not get too clever and the same principle applies that I'll feel stronger every time because I train my triceps (and front delts and chest) in other movements too. I can't stop talking about triceps because I feel like they are easily the muscle with most potential to grow and recover pretty easily (I also never feel problems in my elbows, lucky me, the only joint that never hurts). It's like even their placement in the human body suggests that it's free estate for more growth, keep it coming.

>>76365616 (OP)
>Lift put up
Man I can't stand it when I decide to word something differently and forget to delete the original text and people can see the physical manifestation of my indecision. Love you anon.

>>76365638
An untrained Grok with its noticing restraints removed will wipe the floor with a goodgoy trained cuckGolemPT. It just sees red when it's go time.