What it measures
Maximum upper-body pressing strength. Less predictive of sport performance than lower-body 1RMs but a useful indicator of overall pressing capacity for combat, contact, and overhead sports.
Equipment
- Standard flat bench with rack
- Barbell, calibrated plates, collars
- Two spotters (essential)
Protocol
- Warm-up: 5 reps at 50%, 3 reps at 70%, 1 rep at 85%, 1 rep at 92%.
- First attempt: 95% of estimated 1RM. Increments of 2.5–5 kg per attempt.
- Foot position: on the floor (no powerlifting arch beyond hip contact with the bench).
- The bar must touch the chest and be pressed to full elbow extension. Spotters track every rep.
- 3–5 minutes between attempts. Max 5 attempts.
Scoring
Absolute load lifted (kg or lb). Relative strength (1RM ÷ bodyweight) is also recorded.
Typical ranges
Elite male field sport: 1.3–1.8× bodyweight. NCAA football linemen: 1.5–2.0×. NCAA women's soccer: 0.7–1.0×.
Practical notes
- The NFL Combine variant is max reps at 225 lb (≈ 102 kg) rather than 1RM — a different test of strength-endurance rather than peak strength.
References
- Baechle TR, Earle RW (2008). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 3rd ed. NSCA / Human Kinetics.
Use this test in Performance House
Performance House supports Bench Press 1RM as a built-in test metric — log results from any device, see longitudinal trends, and contribute the result to the athlete's Performance Index automatically. Free for up to 5 athletes on the Starter plan.
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