How Long Will It Take To Bench 225? (Let’s Investigate)

It is no secret that among gym goers, benching 225 pounds is considered a glorious achievement. Along with squats and deadlifts, benching heavier is considered a symbol of strength.

In the last article, we discussed about how many people can bench press 225 lbs. We saw that benching 225 is not at all a small feat, and only a few percent of gym goers can do it.

But does that mean it is an impossible task for you? Not at all! With proper training and technique, you too can bench over 225 pounds. In fact, dedication and disciplined training are what helped men who achieved this feat achieve it!

Through this article, we will guide you through how fast you can achieve your goal of benching 225 and how you can do so faster.

Read along! 

How Long Does It Take To Bench 225?

Well, the truth is, there is no exact answer to when you can do a 225 pound bench press. It depends on several factors such as your body weight, training experience and frequency, training technique, arm length, etc.

But as a rough estimate, it can take you anywhere between 4-5 months to all the way up to 2 years of training in order to bench over 225 pounds.

Considering general results, if you are heavy, say 200 pounds, and follow a proper training and diet method, you can comfortably achieve your goal of Benching 225. But that being said, your body weight just isn’t the sole factor here. 

How Heavy Do You Have To Be To Bench 225?

Although not the sole factor, your body weight has a significant role in determining whether or not you can bench 225. At least, your weight determines how fast you can reach your benching goals.

But here as well, there is no such thing as a ‘minimum weight’ that you should have in order to bench press 225 pounds. However, this can be an easier goal for someone weighing 200 pounds than for someone weighing just 140 pounds.

If you weigh north of 150 or 160 pounds, we say you can definitely aim for benching 225. If you weigh less, say 130 or 140 pounds, we say you can first set a smaller target instead of 225 lbs.

But that doesn’t mean lighter people can’t bench 225. Anyone can, with proper diet and workout technique. As always, there are a number of factors at play here and your body weight is just one among them (perhaps the most crucial factor, though). 

Let’s now see what are the key factors determining your bench press progress.

Factors That Affect Your Bench Press Progress

Given below are some key factors that determine your bench press progress:

Your Body Weight

We have already mentioned the role of your body weight in determining your bench press progress. 

The logic is quite simple. If you are heavier, you would naturally have more muscles around your chest, arms, shoulders, and other key parts. More muscle mass means you will have more strength to lift heavier weights.

However, that doesn’t mean your body weight is the sole factor that determine when you reach the 225 pounds mark on bench. There may be a 200 pound obese man who can’t do a 225 bench press but a 160 pound fit man who can! 

That’s where a handful of other factors become significant.

How Long You Have Been Training

Your gym training experience is another crucial factor here. A lighter person with years of experience can definitely bench heavier than a heavier person with no or little experience; this isn’t rocket science to understand.

How your training experience affects your progress is- the more you train your muscles, especially through a particular exercise, the better that muscle group gets at doing that particular exercise. 

So, even if you are a lighter person, no need to worry; with proper training and the right technique, you too can do 225 pounds bench press.

Also, consider two men training. One has been training for a long time until a few months ago, faced an unfortunate injury and thus had to take a break. The other person, is new to lifting. Even if both have the same muscle mass, the person with a prior workout experience is more likely to reach his target of benching 225 faster than the newbie.  

Your Diet

If you have basic knowledge about bodybuilding or general fitness, you would already know that the better you eat, the better you can lift. But that doesn’t mean you have to consume several thousands of calories per day!

Follow a balanced diet with sufficient protein (and other nutrients), as these nutrients are crucial in muscle repair, energy-boosting, etc. 

Leave benching 225, if you want to make any progress in bodybuilding, you ought to eat clean! 

Your Training Goals

There are mainly two goals in bodybuilding- bulking and cutting. Bulking refers to when you are training for mass or muscles. Cutting, on the other hand, aims at losing body fat and developing an aesthetic physique.

If you are bulking, thanks to your calorie surplus diet and training intensity, you will be capable of benching 225 pounds faster. But when you are cutting, you will be focusing more on losing mass and therefore, your goal will generally be not lifting heavy.

That being said, it all depends on other key factors also. 

Your Genetics

Well, genetics is a controversial topic when it comes to bodybuilding and similarly, in determining one’s belching progress. 

Genetics may not be the ultimate factor here. But certain genetic factors do impact your lifting progress.

For instance, if you have shorter-than-normal arms, you will have a shorter range of motion while benching. As a result, your muscles will be more capable of lifting more.

Also, some people will genetically have more muscle mass, especially around their chest, shoulders, and arms. This can also be linked to better production of growth hormones. Better production of certain hormones like growth hormones and testosterone will help faster strength and muscle mass building.

Their journey towards doing 225 pound bench press will more likely be easier and quicker. 

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Your Form or Technique

As you should know, benching over 225 is not at all an easy task. Beyond all those factors that we have discussed, you need to follow the proper form or technique while you bench.

• Proper alignment of your body; such as your torso and feet.
• Proper breathing technique
• Proper distance between your arms while lifting
• How far do you bring your elbow while relaxing

All these are crucial factors determining your benching progress.

Other Miscellaneous Factors

In addition to the factors we discussed above, there are some more factors that determine your benching progress. 

That includes your gym facility, how good your trainer is, your gym buddy’s attitude, your craving for lifting heavier, and many more! 

How Can I Bench 225 Fast?

With all those factors being said, there surely are some ways to bench fast. Let’s go through some key points now.          

Follow a Proper Workout Routine

Practice makes you perfect, this is indeed true when it comes to progressing in bench press. You need to train your chest, shoulders, arms, and other core muscles if you aim to bench 225 pounds. 

In simpler words, you need to follow a proper, regular workout routine with discipline to achieve your 225 lbs-benching dreams. 

Regular training improves muscle mass and strength. Proper training conditions your chest and other key muscles so that they can together lift as heavy as 225 pounds. 

You need to train your chest 1 or 2 times a week, with bench press at least once a week. However, that doesn’t mean bench press is the only exercise you should focus on here.

In fact, you need to do a number of exercises in order to bench 225, and not just bench press itself. You need to strengthen your core, shoulder muscles, arms, and even your back and leg muscles. 

In other words, benching 225 is just one among several results of a disciplined workout routine. A disciplined workout routine also means taking proper rest. Don’t think that you can bench 225lbs within a month of starting if you do it every day. 

Train chest or another muscle group in your body twice or a maximum of thrice a week. If it goes beyond that, not only that you won’t find great results but also, there will be higher chances of injury.

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Proper Form and Coaching

When you are hitting the gym and have big goals, you need to do things the correct way. While doing bench presses, always try to follow the perfect form, from the beginning itself! 

Try giving a slight arch to your torso, keep your palms at the correct distance and angle, place your foot firmly on the ground, do proper breathing, and there are several other points you need to keep in mind while doing the bench press.

We suggest you train under an experienced coach if you really dream of benching 225 lbs. A good coach can correct your form and inspire you to progress.

Progressive Overload

When you are just starting working out, you will be too far from your 225 lbs benching goals. It’s almost impossible to jump from 45 lbs to 225 lbs all of a sudden. 

Keep in mind that it really takes time. So, what you can do is, increase your benching weight gradually over time until you reach your goal. 

For instance, you can try increasing your bench press by 5-10 pounds per month. That is a typical number and depending on certain factors, you can even go for faster overloading. 

Stay Motivated

The gym is without any doubt, a wild place. While most people out there would like to motivate you and are happy to see you succeed, there may be some persons or elements that can impact your confidence. 

But as you have greater goals, you need to ignore those negativities and instead focus on yourself. 

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Final Words

For aspiring bodybuilders, or almost anyone who hit the gym, Benching over 225 is considered one of the greatest milestones. Of course, there may be bigger fishes that bench beyond 300lbs. But for 99% of the human population, 225 pounds is indeed an achievement.

Last but not least, never go behind benching 225 just because the guy next to you wants the same. Everyone has their own goals and more than that, has their own way of working for them. 

If you have genuine goals, stay motivated, and work towards them. Follow the proper diet, a good workout routine, and proper form, you too can bench press 225 pounds faster!