How Much Bench-Press Should You Press?
This is not an 'out smart' questions, how much weight do you think you should bench as a contact fighter? And, does your fighting strategy or style relevant for answering this question?
We'd love to let you sleep on it for a week or two, but before will do that, let us pop-up another question, does 'as much as possible' is the right answer?
So now, when we are sure you're a bit confused and irritated by us, let's try to answer the question.
Physical Fitness in Combat
We will probably all agree that good physical fitness is a required necessity for contact fighters, if you do not have good endurance, speed, agility and strength, maintaining high performance while in actual contact combat is much more difficult, and if things in the fight doesn't follow your plans (which is usually what happens) you may find yourself breathless and losing, laying the ground.
Keeping in mind that we have a limited amount of time, and that we need to train ourselves in combat skills in addition to physical fitness, and, most of us do have other obligations in addition to training, we must prioritize our training objectives.
What Are Good Results?
If you weigh 75 KG (165 pounds), what would you consider as a good result in Bench-press, taking into consideration the following facts:
You are not a wrestler or a judoka, because these guys use different techniques which requires different muscle-set.
You are a striker or practicing Krav Maga.
You aim to finish the fight standing on both feet, and not on the ground.
You need to train in all aspects of physical fitness, not only benching (even if nice pecks look great in T's).
You understand that physical fitness training is aiming to improve your skills as a fighter and it is not your main goal.
The Suggestion Is:
Taking into consideration all these facts, suggests that a very good result will be to be able to bench your weight for 6 or more reps.
A good result will be benching 80% of your weight for 6-10 reps.
You must remember that bench press is not enough and that a full conditioning program should be practiced regularly.
Proper guidance and moderation are required when training.
Good Luck in Achieving Your oals!