The Bench Press & Weight Ratio for Bodybuilders

Bodybuilders generally aren't too concerned with how much they can lift, as strength doesn't necessarily equal size, according to sports conditioning coach Jamie Hale. The two goals -- strength versus size -- require different modes of training. Getting stronger on the bench press, however, can indicate an increase in the size and density in the muscle fibers of your chest, shoulders and triceps. While a big bench may not be your main goal, assessing your strength to weight ratio is a way of measuring your progress.

  1. Ratios for Male Bodybuilders

    • In theory, the heavier you are, the more weight you should be able to bench press as more bodyweight means better leverages and more muscle mass to lift the weight. According to strength-training website ExRx, an intermediate man weighing 181 pounds should be able to bench press at least 200 pounds. As an advanced lifter, this figure rises to 275 pounds and 345 pounds for an elite lifter. For a 220-pound man, these numbers should are 225, 305 and 380 pounds, respectively, and 250, 340 and 425 for a man weighing more than 320 pounds.

    Ratios for Female Bodybuilders

    • Similar standards apply to female lifters. An intermediate woman weighing 123 pounds should be able to bench press 90 pounds, 115 pounds if she's advanced or 140 at elite level. This rises to 115, 145 and 185 pounds, respectively, for a 165-pound female. While these numbers might seem lower than for males, women generally have a lower upper-body strength to ratio than men, writes Margaret Costa in "Women and Sport."

    Strength Training vs. Hypertrophy Training

    • Strength training and hypertrophy training, or training to increase muscle size, require slightly different approaches. To get stronger, lift primarily in the one- to six-repetition range using heavy weights. To build size, you need a longer time under tension each set, so reduce the weight but increase the reps. Bodybuilders primarily focus on this latter form of training, rather than aiming to build strength. Bodybuilders generally won't be able to lift nearly as much weight as powerlifters in the one- to three-rep range, but will shine when it comes to performing higher reps and extended sets, according to coach Kelly Baggett of Higher Faster Sports.

    Considerations

    • Increasing your maximum bench press relative to your bodyweight is a good goal to have, but isn't particularly applicable to bodybuilding. It's also only one way to measure progress in the weight room, with other measures being the number of sets and reps you perform, your rest time between sets and how strict your form is -- lowering the bar slowly or pausing with it on your chest for instance makes bench pressing much harder. Your ratio will also fluctuate depending on your bodyweight. When you strip body fat during contest preparation, your ratio will be higher. During bulking, when you gain weight between contests, the ratio will decrease as your bodyweight increases.