How to hit the maximum weight on the bench press for one rep

Bench presses underwater, tightrope walking in heels, mass descent from a snowy mountain in swimsuits. AiF.ru has collected unusual records of Russian citizens included in the Guinness Book of Records.

In the Guinness Book of Records, which is already 65 years old, Russians occupy a worthy place. There are many athletes in the directory: three-time Olympic champion, figure skater Irina Rodnina , record holder in strength sports Vladimir Turchinsky (“Dynamite”) and others.

Question and answer Are they given a monetary reward to those who are included in the Guinness Book of Records?

Some were included in the book as having unique natural characteristics. Russian woman Ekaterina Lisina , for example, is recognized as the owner of the longest legs.

Hundreds of people all over the world strive to stand on par with the record holders. What they do to achieve their goal is to smash toilet seats with their heads, eat cockroaches, crush watermelons with their thighs, and have pillow fights.

There are also holders of unusual records among Russian citizens.

Bench press underwater with breath holding

Vitaly Vivchar from Tomsk set a new Guinness record for bench press underwater while holding his breath.

A strongman from Russia achieved an achievement with a barbell underwater. Photo: Frame youtube.com

The event was officially recorded on Lebyazhye Lake in the village of Pobeda, Tomsk Region. The Russian, in a prone position, pressed the barbell from his chest with his arms outstretched. The weight of the projectile was 50 kg, and he performed the number of exercises 76 times. This is 14 times more than the previous record of a US resident.

“Three years ago, I accidentally came across this record on the Internet and saw that a man was pressing a barbell underwater,” Vitaliy Vivchar said on his Youtube channel. — I thought that I had all the skills for this, because I am an athlete, and the bench press is my profile movement. In addition, I like to practice breath-hold diving. I got excited about the idea!”

Vivchar submitted an application to the editor of the book to set a record. Six months later they answered him - they sent him the regulations, it’s about 60 pages. But he fulfilled all the requirements.

“Before the dive, I was very worried, my heart rate increased, and this took away excess oxygen from the body, so it took about 40 minutes to concentrate and calm down,” recalls the Tomsk strongman. “The weather deteriorated that day, the water became cold, which did not contribute to a comfortable stay under water, we had to spend additional energy, and accordingly, consume more oxygen.”

Vitaliy Vivchar is a professional athlete. Photo: Vitaliy Vivchar

Fans and journalists asked the record holder why he needed a record and what its meaning was.

“I didn’t put any meaning into the record, the main thing is to test yourself, your capabilities,” the athlete answered. — Honestly, I didn’t think that the event would cause such a positive public reaction, including foreign media, I myself don’t take it seriously. It was fun! These are very cool emotions!”

Current records (since 2012)

Men

Up to 59 kg

Up to 66 kg

Up to 74 kg

Up to 83 kg

Up to 93 kg

Up to 105 kg

Up to 120 kg

Over 120 kg

Powerlifting 2000 and above

Women

Squats without using bands

All squats (with and without knee wraps)

Bench press (within triathlon)

All Bench Presses (Press, Triathlon Press, Pod Press)

Deadlift

Powerlifting (without bandages)

Powerlifting (with and without bandages)

Walking on a tightrope in high heels

Circus performer on Tsvetnoy Boulevard Oksana Seroshtan (Moscow) is the holder of the world record for tightrope walking in high heels.

The Russian woman set a record live on a show in Italy. Photo: Moscow Circus Kudzinov

The Russian tightrope walker achieved her achievement four years ago in Italy on the Guinness Book of Records television show. The tightrope walker walked 15 meters along a metal rope in 12-centimeter stiletto heels live on air. She performed the stunt without insurance; the cable was pulled at a height of two meters. A balancing fan helped the girl keep her balance. The circus performer broke the world record of an American woman who managed to walk only 7.5 meters in thin heels.

“It was a happy time, I traveled a lot with the circus,” recalls the Russian woman. “Tight wire is my inspiration, but it takes a lot of work to pull it off.”

After the record, Seroshtan got married and gave birth to a daughter. And two years later, in 2020, she performed on the TV show “Yamogu” by Leonid Yakubovich, where she broke her own record - she walked 20 meters in high heels.

Oksana Seroshtan beat the American's achievement. Photo: Moscow Circus Kudzinov

“That record was recorded by representatives of the Russian Book of Records, an analogue of Guinness,” Oksana Seroshtan told an AiF.ru correspondent. “It was important for me that after the birth of my daughter I returned to the profession!”

World record in equipment bench press among men

In November 2008, American Ryan Keneally became a legend among professional athletes, having bench pressed a barbell weighing 487.6 kg. At the same time, the new champion’s own weight was 140 kg.

Keneally discovered his calling when he was a 15-year-old teenager. He was inspired to engage in heavy sports by watching a video about the famous bodybuilder Lee Haney. And to this day, the American’s performance remains an absolute world record in the equipment bench press.

The leader in the multi-layered equipment press belongs to powerlifter Scott Mendelson. His record weight was 505.65 kg

Rolling pans into tubes

A resident of St. Petersburg, Alexander Muromsky , is an 11-time Guinness Book record holder.

It is unlikely that anyone will dare to repeat the achievements of the Russian hero in the near future. He entered the world directory in three categories - tearing up telephone directories, twisting frying pans into tubes and bending metal rods on his head.

Alexander Muromsky is the author of strength records. Photo: Frame youtube.com/World Records

In three minutes, Alexander Muromsky tore up 11 telephone directories (more than 1000 pages) behind his back. In one minute, he rolled eight aluminum pans into a tube. In a minute he bent 12 iron rods over his head. Will there be someone who will repeat it?

He keeps one exhibit of the record - three frying pans simultaneously rolled into a tube - at home. No one has tried to repeat this trick yet.

“It’s not easy to bend a frying pan with a thickness of three millimeters and a diameter of 28 centimeters, and bending three at the same time is a difficult task,” says Muromsky. “I didn’t fully believe that I had enough strength, but I completed this exercise in 15 seconds, although for some reason the judge from England recorded the record in 30 seconds!”

A frying pan rolled into a tube is the hero’s favorite trick. Photo: Alexander Muromsky

Once, after a performance in Arkhangelsk, Muromsky went to a bookstore to buy something as a gift for the children, came across the Guinness Book of Records and read in it about an American who, in 29 minutes, twisted six meters of fittings and put them in a suitcase. Alexander thought: why not break the record?

The American's achievement fell on the Russian's first attempt. Alexander Muromsky bent 12 iron rods with a diameter of 10 millimeters and a length of one meter over his head. These are the same reinforcement pieces that are used at construction sites to strengthen the foundation.

The athlete believes that his records help attract the attention of young people to sports and a healthy lifestyle.

Bench press technique from Rudi

Lie down on a bench so that your eyes are level with the barbell.
Press your buttocks and lower back into the bench and do not lift them throughout the entire exercise. Place your feet on the floor. Take the bar with a grip slightly wider than shoulder-width and remove it from the rack. Begin to lower the barbell under control to the level of your lower chest.

Lower the bar until you touch your chest, then press the weight upward with force.

Keep your arms at approximately a 45-degree angle to your body. Do not press your elbows to your body or spread them too far to the sides. The horizontal barbell press is an exercise that should not be rushed or done at speed, otherwise you may get injured.

Also watch your breathing, as you inhale, lower the projectile down, as you exhale, squeeze it out.

Recommendations:

1. The bench press is an exercise in which an extra safety net doesn’t hurt. Therefore, if you are training with a partner, always ask him to back you up. If you are alone, then ask someone from the audience. Do not be shy.
2. Sometimes your hands get sweaty and start to move apart, which throws you off your concentration. To avoid this, you can smear your hands with chalk.

Watch your grip

First of all, let's figure out how to properly grip the barbell when bench pressing, despite the fact that the width of your grip is mostly a matter of personal preference, a clearly adjusted distance will distribute the load on the shoulders and muscles of the chest and arms correctly. A grip that is too wide will put unnecessary stress on your shoulders; A grip that is too narrow can be hard on your elbows.

Unfortunately, the grip that is ideal for you may not be ideal for someone else. Experiment until you find the optimal width for you. If you feel pain in your shoulders or elbows, your grip is either too wide or too narrow.

Next: To make your grip more comfortable, you can hold the barbell with your thumb on top, or use an “open grip,” also called a “suicide grip.” Here again, the choice is yours, but with an “open grip,” as I have seen from my own experience, it creates a strong load on the wrists. I still recommend gripping the bar, covering it with your thumb on top so that you can hold the barbell as firmly as possible.

Arching our back

To get the most benefit from the bench press, you need to arch your back during the exercise. Thus, the load will move to the upper back and trapezius muscle. You will feel the need to squeeze your shoulder blades, as if touching one shoulder blade to the other. This makes a huge difference in lifting heavy weights and staying safe during your workout.

If you lie on a bench with a flat back, without arching it or squeezing your shoulder blades, most of the work will be done by your arms and shoulders, while the pectoral muscles will practically not participate in the movement. Your shoulders won't thank you for this. This method will produce a weak bench press and you will end up with underdeveloped pecs.

No need to place your elbows too far to the sides

Now that your grip is correct, your back is arched, and your shoulder blades are retracted, it’s time to remove the barbell from the supports and lower it. It is quite natural at this moment to either put your elbows out to the sides or press them closer to your body. If they are too spaced, the load will be on the shoulders. If you keep them a little closer, the muscles of the back and chest will be involved in the movement and, accordingly, will become stronger.

With your elbows slightly closer to your body, the movement will be more productive and safer. It seems to me a good comparison of this position of the arms with the position of the legs when a person squats, if the center of gravity is transferred to the hips instead of the knees. When we do complex exercises, we always want the result to be strong ligaments and strong muscles, and to be able to calmly lift heavy weights.

Target – chest midline

Now let's talk about where the bar should be when you lower it to your chest. You want to make sure that at the lowest point of the movement you don't push it too close to the neck or push it too far away. Many old school bodybuilders bring the bar close to their throat, which forces them to push their elbows out to the sides. For most of us, this often feels unnatural: it reduces the amount of weight you can lift and increases the risk of shoulder injury.

On the other hand, if you lower the bar too far towards the middle of your torso, you risk losing control of the bar. For best results, the bar should be lowered directly to the nipple line. This will help you keep your elbows in the right position, distribute tension correctly during the downward movement, and help you push upward.

Always lower the bar until it touches your chest. There's no point in stopping at the bottom. Full muscle development depends on proper movements.

Don't stop at the top

Now that you know the basic mechanics of the barbell press movement, the only thing left to talk about is how to press it up. Keep your chest high, elbows in the correct position, and shoulder blades squeezed. Use your back and chest muscles to push the barbell toward the ceiling.

If you are lifting weights to develop muscle, or you are a bodybuilder, I advise you not to stop at the top of the movement. By eliminating even a short stop, we ensure constant tension in the chest muscles and minimize stress on the elbows.

If you are a powerlifter, follow the requirements of your sport. If you just want to be strong and look cool, take the above into account and make the most of your next workout!

Tsar Valenok

Every year, the London office of the Book receives up to seven thousand applications for setting records, and only a few manage to confirm them. Valeria Loshak, a muralist from St. Petersburg , three years to set the record for creating the largest felt boot in the world.

It took Valeria Loshak three years to be recognized as Tsar Valenki. Photo: Valeria Loshak

In the summer of 2020, in the village of Mandrogi (Leningrad Region), felt boots of size 379 were solemnly presented. It was three meters high, 2.5 meters long, and the walls were 10 centimeters thick. It took one year to make the Tsar Valenka.

The girl made felt boots at the request of one of the restaurateurs. According to the customer’s idea, the object was supposed to attract the attention of foreign tourists, which, in fact, happened - the felt boots quickly became popular.

Article on the topic

“Fitted, brand new.” In a village near Chelyabinsk they have been making felt boots for 100 years

The artist sent an application for a record to the book office, but received an unexpected refusal. Foreign judges considered the felt boots to be a sock, not a shoe.

“It was like a mockery of us, Russians,” Valeria Loshak told AiF.ru. — There was a postscript in the letter: imagine how you walk in socks in winter. The referees’ decision outraged me, and I began to fight.”

A protracted correspondence with the editors began. The artist collected photographs of felt boots from different years in the library, received licenses and GOST, proving that the work of art was made in compliance with all proportions.

“And then I remembered that I saw on the Internet a photograph of President Putin, how he goes to dive into an ice hole in felt boots and a sheepskin coat. “Vladimir Vladimirovich had beautiful felt boots with eagles sewn on,” continues Valeria. “It wasn’t difficult to find the photo, and I sent it to the editor, accompanied by a desperate letter. To be honest, I didn’t expect a positive result. I wrote to the British that, you see, our president is wearing felt boots, not socks, you don’t understand us Russians, we dive into an ice hole in the fierce winter and walk around in felt boots!”

Photo: Valeria Loshak

To her surprise, two days later the Russian woman received an answer from the editorial office that they had specially opened a new category for the Tsar Valenka, “The Largest Felted Shoes,” and promised to send a winning diploma by Royal Mail.

“For me, a record is, first of all, a victory for Russia. We fought for our national heritage and traditions,” sums up Valeria Loshak.

There is an Instagram dedicated to the Tsar Valenko on the Internet. The editors on their online version of the book dedicated a page to the felt boot.

How to stay safe while bench pressing

A heavy barbell falling on the face, chest or abdomen can cause serious injury, broken ribs, internal bleeding and death. Therefore, when reaching 95-100% of your one-rep max, think about safety. Use one of two options:

1. Ask for insurance. If you go to the gym without a friend, ask the instructor or one of the regulars. Just make sure the person has done this before and is not counting crows while you do the exercise.
2. Do bench presses in a power rack. Place a bench press underneath it and place the safety supports just above your body line when you are in a horizontal position. When you press your chest up at the start, it will rise above the supports so you can perform the press through its full range. At the same time, the fall of the barbell will not break your ribs.

Sarychev's reaction to the new record

Kirill was one of the first to congratulate his colleague on his Instagram profile:

“You are the best, brother. Congratulations and thank you for the motivation. See you on the platform."

What does it mean? Will Kirill really come back and show the whole world once again who is truly the strongest? Or are these just words... Time will show.

As far as I know, he is now busy with other routine activities, and training requires a lot of time, effort and, most importantly, money. You understand that without financial support such events do not happen and champions do not become.

By the way, Eddie Hall recently said that he also wants to take part in the fight for the title in the bench press and perhaps in 2-3 years, or maybe earlier, we will see a real fight among the giants. He currently holds the world record for deadlift of 500 kilograms.

Here's a video of Eddie talking about his preparation. Very interesting, I recommend watching it.

Chasing records

Kirill receives many questions about how to increase his results in the bench press. Previously, many were interested in how to bench press 100 kg, but now most of them want to push the full 150. Kirill Sarychev gives some tips on how to improve your performance in the bench press.

— Train 4 days a week. Give yourself 2 pressing days, and another two on your legs and back, which can also be supplemented with auxiliary exercises. Kirill does 5 working sets of 2 repetitions, but it is worth noting that the weight of the bar in his case is at least 255 kg.

- You shouldn’t train as hard as you can. Many people want to achieve the desired result so much that they simply cannot stop and control their loads. Kirill Sarychev considers overtraining to be an obvious mistake. Better save your energy for the next workout.

- There is no need to get carried away with auxiliary exercises. Toning up your shoulders and triceps after bench pressing is actually beneficial, but it's important to do it in moderation. Many people simply finish themselves off with auxiliary exercises. With such a schedule, one day you simply won’t want to go to training.

Fundamentals of technology and utility

When performing bench presses with a barbell, try to distribute the load evenly. Many people have a bias towards one muscle group. Make sure that your pecs, shoulders, and triceps get their share of the workload. Your grip should be as strong as possible; squeeze the bar as hard as you can. Watch your legs too, they should not just stand, but rest firmly enough on the floor.

If your shoulders are lagging behind, a great way to correct this is with the standing barbell press. For triceps, Kirill recommends an exercise with a straight stick on a block. In all accessory exercises, it is very important to control the load level to avoid overtraining.