I’ll admit, even though I have been eating and training correctly according to MM2K (yes WITH the 2K) and T-Mag for years, I’m not handling the huge weights everyone claims to be thowing around. So my question is how much do you guys think is “normal” to attain for a guy with normal genetics. I’m actually curious about deadlift, Benchpress, and full squat lifts. Oh, and it would be of great help if you mentioned rep ranges as well 
Thanks in advance.
who trains to lift “normal” weight. my goal is to lift more weight than others (and secondary to be healthier and look better than others). at 198 i have squatted 625, benched 375, and deadlifted 605 in drug tested power lifting events. i’ve done more in the gym. with just a belt (no bench shirt or squat suit), i’ve deadlifted 585, benched 355, and squatted (with knee wraps) 585. my competition lifts are published. but be skeptical about what people say. some people will add a few pounds to their lifts or include lifts where they bounced weight or squatted only 6 inches. one guy used to brag he was a 500 pound squatter. i saw he get stapled to the floor with 405.
Okay, I’ll throw something out here for the formerly skinny set. My current work sets for the mentioned lifts are DL 250x8, squat 220x8 (I did 270x2 once), bench 60x11 (dumbells, I don’t go for heavy BB bench). This is at a body weight of 200, 5’11", 38 yrs old. Just a couple years ago I was 150 and ultra skinny (bike racing). I’ve never done any power lifting competitions, and most likely never will. BTW, these lifts are all raw (no belts, wraps, straps or even shoes for that matter, no steroids, prohormones, or other chemical help). So there’s some real world stuff for the genetically challenged.
Honestly I think bodyweight for BP, and 1.5x bodyweight for squats and DL would be maximum for us “normals”. Maybe one day I’ll get to be that good.
With proper training, 2x bench, 2.5 or 3 for squat and dead. Likely if one lift is a good deal higher(biomechanical advantage not undertraining that movement) then one at least will be lower. For example my squat is 2x bodyweight. My bench is 1.5, and my deadlift is 2.3. Been training 7 years but squat and dead only 3 years. The reason my deadlift is higher is due to hip strength being far greater than my back/quad strength.
This gets me thinking about a problem I’m having in terms of muscular imbalances. My entire “back half” is far stronger than the front. In other words, I can move a lot more weight with my back and hams that I can with my chest and quads. My barbell row is about bodyweight x 1.2, and deadlift is 2.7. Meanwhile, my bench is only 1.4 and squat is 1.9. Oddly enough, I can almost military press the same amount as I can flat dumbbell press. I think that this is a result of my delts taking over on barbell bench presses. Anyone have similar problems or recommendations?
For deadlift and squat I’d say it’s more of how strong are the people that you hang around with and train with. If you train with guys who deadlift and squat heavy then I’ve found it won’t be long before you’ll be squatting and deadlifting some pretty impressive weights, regardless of the individual. For bench it’s sometimes a different story as the exercise is more structural limited and isolated. The squat and deadlift use so many muscle groups that desire and intensity are a large part of it and these can moreso be influenced by training environment.
So Ed I am 250lbs so I should be able to bench 500lbs?! Get reAL!
I agree with Pete, there are people that add a few (quite a few) pounds to their lifts. Heck i squat 1000 pounds!!! Prove me wrong, you know what i mean. Also, simply having 400 pounds on your shoulders, or going down 2 inches does not mean you can squat 400 pounds. Thats why i dont like when somebody asks, how much can you squat? Or how much do you bench? Its just too open to abuse.
lol…i never ever pay attention to internet lifts.
ive been traing for 3 years now and have gained 15kg.
in that 3 years i have worked out in over a dozen gyms and the biggest weights i ever seen moved might be something like a 500lb squat, 350lb bench, and 12 chins with 60lbs around waist. yes…its true i dont workout in westside but on the internet these lifts seem to occur to people who have only been lifting for 10 months…things that make you go hmmmmm
(not by same person)
Eric, knowing your weaknesses gives you an advantage over some people…work on strengthening your weak links, and you will see your poundages go up on almost all of your lifts.
The other thing is that I have a history of impingement problems in my right shoulder (it’s flaring up again right now). I only get serious pain when I’m doing presses on a flat bench. Inclines aren’t too painful, and military presses (or any direct delt work, for that matter) don’t bother me at all. The hard part is trying to adjust my training as I’m going through rehab on it.
The other thing is that I have a history of impingement problems in my right shoulder (it’s flaring up again right now). I only get serious pain when I’m doing presses on a flat bench. Inclines aren’t too painful, and military presses (or any direct delt work, for that matter) don’t bother me at all. The hard part is trying to adjust my training as I’m going through rehab on it.
Ahhh im an idiot. He said "my question is how much do you guys think is “normal” to attain for a guy with normal genetics. ". A “normal” male weighs 180 or so. You are 250(or so you claim) and are well built (much more muscular) than the average male, or MUCH MORE LIKELY, you are a fat load who didn’t read the question very well. Thanks for using your name on the post, you are a real tough guy…however since you had no moniquer Ill give you one. From now on on T-Mag you shall be referred to as “Tubby”. Spend more time helping and less time bitching ok?!
You haven´t thought about wisiting a gym with some powerlifters ?
It´s a reagular feature on my gym to see someone lift 440 lbs or more in the bench and for deadlifts and squats it´s not that uncommon with lifts over 600.
The best part is that it makes most of the “must bench more that everybody” beginners to leave the maxlifts alone for a while.
The worst part is that it makes my own lifts seems so small…
For someone who not only traines for strenght I think that the 1,5* bodyweight bench and 2* squat/DL are good results.
If you are not into powerlifting, how ever much you can put up for one rep on any of the big three is not important. Power lifters often use technique very different to body builders, alowing them to move more weight, not stimulate more muscle fibers. It is a better idea to talk about how much you can do for 5,10,12, whatever. Also the cadence plays a factor. I saw a guy do 16 chins (which is impressive if you are over 200) that really stretched the definition of exercise. His body swayed and jerked so much it thaught he was going to fall off the bar and die. So if you heard about this joker on the net, you might think he is stronger, but he really could not to 8 good ones.
For normal (whatever that is) guys, I have always heard that you should bench & row 1.5 x BW, and squat & deadlift 2xBW to be considered strong. I have to say that it really depends on the person and how they are put together. At a BW of 198 I have squatted 405 for a good double and once got 325x15 (then collapsed). I can pull 375 for a triple. But I couldn’t bench 250 to save my life. As I don’t compete, I don’t think it matters. I think the average T-mag reader is probably light-years past most men.
To give you an answer: I’m 36 years old, 5’7" and weigh 181. My best deadlift is 505 for a single, best squat is 435 with belt and wraps but that was over a year ago, now I’m happy with 365 for a couple of reps, and I don’t bench with a barbell but do dumbbell bench with 100’s for about 4 to 5 reps.
From years of lifting at a few different gyms, using the experienced roughly 200 pounders I’ve observed and trained with as a baseline , I would have to say that 1.5 times bodyweight for bench press would be normal as most I’ve observed only get around 300 lbs. And most I’ve observed going roughly parallel in the squat only get around 400-500, so I’d say 2-2.5 times bw for squat. These are of course guys who focus on gaining muscle and looking good in general. Obviously focusing on powerlifting is a different thing. Form for optimal mechanical leverage is a big factor in the way Louie Simmons and his guys squat. But notice how vastly different Tom Platz’ squat form is yet how much more well-developed his quads are than most if not all of those guys.
I say, a person with “normal” genetics is still capable of lifting close to the amount of weight that some of the better powerlifters in their weight range can lift. Or in other words, if you put your mind to it and don’t set limits for yourself, you can probably lift a hell of a lot more than you would think after years of proper training.