Bench vs Deadlift?

Why is it that bench press is used to determine an individuals strength? I mean if you were to do some form of bet or consider someones strength, usually someone would be like 'how much do you even bench bro'? Should the real question not be 'how much do you deadlift bro'?

Basically, my question is simply if you had to choose, what one lift is the best to determine someone's overall strength levels?

You must be new to the gym?

I've been going for a few months and done plenty of research, from reading the Stronglifts 5x5 pdf, whole starting strength book twice over and general forums - was never into any sports, but lifting is something I really love doing. Still on my linear progression track.

Both are good exercises for the hip extensors and core, but I kind of think deadlifts take the lead as they can build more strength for explosiveness and power - a man who can deadlift 500lbs compared to one who can dead 300lbs is still going to have a better powerclean. Not to mention that the lower back is important when it comes to strength overall.

But I completely agree in Squats>Bench Press. Although mainly focusing on legs and the hip extensor muscles, a heavy squat can show that a man can take a heavy load onto his traps and move it through a long range of motion, unlike the bench, which has a shorter ROM.

So even the OHP should be considered as a true test of one's strength. The bench press doesn't apply to much to life, generally - even when you're pushing heavy things along, you're mostly using your legs, the arms and chest hardly come into it.

Barbell OHP is king, love it

but so ****ing hard to progress. Been stuck around the same weight for a while made incremental rep improvements but **** me it's hard.

Have you given Wendler's 531 a go mate? It's a bit of a slow-progress program but that's sorta the idea behind it - slow but steady progress, you add 5lbs to your 1RM at the end of every 4 week cycle for the OHP and repeat for as long as you need. So your 1RM on OHPs should increase by 50lbs in 10 months if you stick with the program.

Thinking of incorporating it myself soon. It's ideal for bodybuilding purposes as well as even though the 531 itself is designed for strength, each day is based around either bench, OHP, squat or deadlift and then you go and do whatever assistance work you like, you don't have to train each lift twice a week because the bench and OHP progression assist each other as to the squat and deadlifts. So you can basically combine Wendler's 531 with a 4-day bro-split and make bench press day something like chest and triceps day, then squat day obviously leg day, OHP day shoulders and biceps and then deadlifts to start off back day. Follow the program, progress on those main lifts then you can pretty much just wing it on whatever other exercises you wanna do on that day.

Interesting, thanks for that I'll have a look. It sounds a bit similar to what I'm doing but mine is based of a full-body workout style and specificity of training.

So basically depending on a particular weakness I want to improve so say shoulders ill do:

1 upper main lift (heavy)
1 supplemental upper lift (heavy)
1 back exercise (light volume work)
1 chest exercise (again light volume work)
1 main lower lift (fairly heavy)
1 supplemental lower lift (fairly heavy)

Ab work.

That's the workout finished. I then have 2 different kinds of days that I rotate (only do this workout 3 times a week so ideal if you don't want to be in the gym all the time). One day is a Recovery Volume Day were for all the main lifts i'll lift at medium intensity so not too heavy and then a Intensity Day where all the main and supplemental lifts will be very heavy so 1-3RM. After about two weeks you rotate exercises to stop your body getting used to it...so say instead of Barbell OHP as your main upper lift you'll change to Dumbells for the next 2 weeks. It works really well and you can hit constant PRs because you don't always have to lift in the same rep ranges you just do what you feel like on the day so if i want to try for a new 1RM i'll do it...or if say i want to try for a new 6 RM ill do that.... it's slow but it works. Very enjoyable too because there's so many exercises you can rotate with e.g. landmine press etc etc.

Yeah give it a try then mate, 531 sounds like it'll be a lot more easy going if you want it to be but giving each movement its own day should mean continued progress across the board.

I've been training under Dorian Yates principles for some time now and they're very good for progression, pretty much writing down what sets and weights I did last workout and then bust my balls on my one working set to beat the reps I did last time and set a rep PR, then up the weight when the reps get too high. Tack on something on the end of the set like a couple dropsets and I've pretty much got everything I'm gonna get from that exercise. As I said, it's been my main method of training for a good amount of time now, first started using it about 3 years ago, and my weights and muscularity have increased dramatically. However, I feel like if I can avoid training to failure on the big compounds and still make progress (like I'd be doing on 531) then I'd be doing my bit to avoid injury. I can still go ham on a few more exercises for each muscle group once I've got the big lift done, do my failure sets and dropsets on secondary exercises and then pick an isolation exercise to finish off and go for the sick pump. I've always been about getting different rep ranges and methods into the same workout and this adjustment would be no exception, and I think the reason I've progressed so well is because I hit each muscle with different rep ranges and the muscle is bound to respond to one of them!

Why is it that bench press is used to determine an individuals strength? I mean if you were to do some form of bet or consider someones strength, usually someone would be like 'how much do you even bench bro'? Should the real question not be 'how much do you deadlift bro'?

Basically, my question is simply if you had to choose, what one lift is the best to determine someone's overall strength levels?

Thanks bro. I'll defo give this a try and look up some of Dorian Yates principles. I'm always looking for new ways to spice things up.

With regard to Yates, did he have a particular program you were following or did you just base it off his principles entirely? PM me the workout program deets pls

Well his program is a 4 day split but you can use his principles on any routine you like really mate, I typically use an upper/lower split.

Have you given Wendler's 531 a go mate? It's a bit of a slow-progress program but that's sorta the idea behind it - slow but steady progress, you add 5lbs to your 1RM at the end of every 4 week cycle for the OHP and repeat for as long as you need. So your 1RM on OHPs should increase by 50lbs in 10 months if you stick with the program.

Thinking of incorporating it myself soon. It's ideal for bodybuilding purposes as well as even though the 531 itself is designed for strength, each day is based around either bench, OHP, squat or deadlift and then you go and do whatever assistance work you like, you don't have to train each lift twice a week because the bench and OHP progression assist each other as to the squat and deadlifts. So you can basically combine Wendler's 531 with a 4-day bro-split and make bench press day something like chest and triceps day, then squat day obviously leg day, OHP day shoulders and biceps and then deadlifts to start off back day. Follow the program, progress on those main lifts then you can pretty much just wing it on whatever other exercises you wanna do on that day.

Why is it that bench press is used to determine an individuals strength?

Anyone here saying you can define strength from one exercise is not only wrong but probably a newbie. The general consensus to base strength off is:

squat + bp + dl

Or if you want to take it a step further
squat + bp + dl + ohp (additionally some people include their cleans or front squat)