Bednarski mind-boggling Press:Bench Press Ratio...

[Matt Reynolds]

Lately I've really gotten into reading about the York Barbell guys from the 60's. I'm in awe of their strength and power, especially Bednarski - who was pressing over 450lbs at 242lbs of bodyweight, which is honestly unfathomable to me.

The weird thing is, that with that press, if I had to guess, I'd put him clearly at a 500+ lb bench press. But the weird thing is that Starr talks in his article "They Don't Award Form Points in Olympic Weightlifting," that Barski trained bench presses with Starr for the first time in his career, and over a 6 week period or so increased his bench press to 390lbs - still 65lbs short of this pressing strength. Even with atrocious bench press form, I can't imagine a guy who can press over 450lbs, not be able to bench press 400.

Anyway, all this reading makes me continue to realize what a huge pussy I am. I'd do anything to be able to train at York during the 60s. Regardless, I'm doing the best I can assembling a young crew of brutally strong guys, but even then, they all pale in comparison to what the York guys were accomplishing 40-50 years ago. Wish I could figure out why.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Tommy Suggs will be at the SSCAC this year. We'll ask him more about this.

[Goatamon]

Tommy Suggs will be at the SSCAC this year. We'll ask him more about this.

Are you guys planning to film any of this stuff? I think the roundtable video with you, Wendler, Suggs etc. was a really good watch.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Of course we'll record it. Just like we did last time.