Bench Press/ Beep Test

[tennisnerd]

I just want to know if these fitness stats are good.
I am 16 years old, turning 17 next year. I am grade 11.
Grade 9-
Bench Press- 95
Beep Test- 7

Grade 11-
Bench Press- 185
Beep Test- 13

Is that good improvement? I see that the beep test got better because I play tennis just about every day, but bench pressing I did in grade 9, stopped in grade 10, and started again 2 months ago. Thanks.

 

[tennisnerd]

oh and ok im 5\'8 and 160 pounds

 

[nfor304]

13 is a good score in the beep test, especially since you got 7 the last time. The best i've ever done is 14-4 when I was in year 12 and was playing 25-30 hours a week. I think the top afl players in the draft get about 16-17 or so every year at the pre season camps.

 

[tennisnerd]

thanks, what about benchpress? i was told i am fit because i am able to lift more then i weigh, is that true?

 

[nfor304]

I dont really know much about how much your meant to bench, and I dont really bench at all myself, but benching more than your own body weight certainly sounds pretty impressive

According to these guys though a fit man should be able to bench 1 and ahalf times his own body weight, so maybe that should be your next goal

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/artic...cfe793cd____&site=MensHealth&topic=total.body


Are you training specifically for tennis?

 

[T Woody]

Nice stats for a 16 year old your size, but bench press has very little to do with overall fitness. If you're looking for some benchmarks....

- Back Squat 1.5x bodyweight 5 times
- Mile under 6 minutes
- 20 deadhang pullups
- Also work on a shuttle run for agility try to find times online for comparison

That will give you a better measure of overall fitness

 

[tennisnerd]

I ran a mile in 6 minutes.

 

[hifi heretic]

According to these guys though a fit man should be able to bench 1 and ahalf times his own body weight, so maybe that should be your next goal

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/artic...cfe793cd____&site=MensHealth&topic=total.body

Benching 185 at a body weight of 160 is very respectable for a non-strength athlete. ..And is more than enough for a tennis player. ..At this point, the OP should consider focusing on other fitness goals and not worry about improving this further (IMHO).

As an aside, the Men's Health suggestion that a healthy male should be able to Bench-press 1.5 times their body-weight is ridiculous. Outside of football players and gym-rats very few of the fittest people I know can do this, and this includes collegiate hockey players, wrestlers and basket ball players (so am I to understand that they are not fit, now?). Then the article mentions using a "Bench Press Machine" for this test. ..Huh??? Machines vary considerably and NONE provides a pound-for-pound equivalency to free-weight benching. Trying to compare b/w machines and free-weights is impossible. Furthermore, this same article mentions 40 push-ups (an exercise that involves most of the same muscles as Bench Pressing) as an indication of fitness. Well MOST athletes I know can do this even though they can't come close to BP'ing 1.5 x bodyweight. The science behind these benchmarks seems very weak

 

[retlod]

Agreed about the bench press BS. When I go to the gym, all the guys I see hitting the weights hard are less than 6'0''. Most are under 5'9". At that height, even with some muscle, they don't weigh much and have great mechanical advantage because of shorter arms and legs. Therefore, for them, benching their weight (or more) is pretty easy.

If the MH article holds true for everyone, I should be able to press 330 lbs to be fit (I'm 6'6" and go about 220). That's the stuff of football, not tennis. Once again, the numbers say it's easier to be "fit" when you're a half-pint.

Also, check out Fed's physique. He's not bulky. He's lean, wiry, and toned...and the best tennis player in the world.