True test of strength

E

Excder

0
ok, well i was havung another argument with a friend today that is one of thoses "im always right" personalities. Any who....

I bet you all have had it, you are talking to a friend and he pulls the "I bench more than you" card. I always reply, "i dont care, i can squat more than you and throw more weight above me head than you" and the reply is always the same, "who care what you squat?" And thats where i loose it. So.....


In you personal opinion which lift is a true test of strength and signifies a truly strong individual.

Bench Press
Squat
Clean & Jerk
Snatch
Deadlift
 
I'd have to go with clean and jerk.

But you're right, there are guys who squat less than they bench, which is just wrong...
 
My gut instinct is to say dl, but the squat is a major lift. You can squat a weight a number of ways and legitimacy is subjective. DL is simple. Big weight on floor. Pick up. Hold.

Idk. Squat or DL are both lifts that separate you from weakness.

Chest development is for women.
 
I'm gonna say squat over the DL, just on pure instinct. I think it makes sense that the DL would be a better test of strength because it involves arms/grip as well but after squating heavy I feel it through my entire body which doesn't happen so much with DL's

As for benching, WTF? How could that be considered the true test of strength?
 
Iv never done a clean & jerk so id also say DL, it just involves your whole body strength and is quite a natural movment.

You know what, im sick n i mean SICK of being asked 'how much do you bench'. Every time im out now, and ill see old mates or other people and theyll noticed iv got bigger, and all they ask is how much i bench.

Plus i cant bench much so i dont like that question anyway :D
 
theGOOCH said:
They are all tests of strength. It just depends on what type of strength you're talking about.
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There are tests of strength and various benchmarks but the deadlift is commonly believed to be the oldest test of strength dating back to cultures who competed at lifting the heaviest stones. It is, in a sense, the purest single event test of strength because it is one of the few lifts of dead weight (weight lying on the ground). In most other lifts the weight changes direction or starts in the air and several other athletic skills such as balance, coordination are emphasized. Olympic weightlifting requires a great deal of athletic skill in addition to strength.

Edit :- The OP has clearly stated In your personal opinion which lift is a true test of strength and signifies a truly strong individual. Try to answer the question and not BS about. How would you compare the strength of Bruce Lee, Hercules and Obelix?
 
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I really like mil press as a test of strength because it is so manly. But out of your lifts you have stated im choosing deadlift.
 
theGOOCH said:
They are all tests of strength. It just depends on what type of strength you're talking about.
Click to expand...

Well yeah, but any ****y with no back, arse, or legs can develop decent pecs and tri’s to get a good bench number and look good on the beach but in order to stick 600lbs over your shoulders and start knocking out squat reps takes one hell of a strong guy.

In short, a gym rat riddled with muscular imbalances can develop a good bench but wouldn’t be able to squat heavy as those imbalances would be exposed
 
pwill said:
Edit :- The OP has clearly stated In your personal opinion which lift is a true test of strength and signifies a truly strong individual. Try to answer the question and not BS about. How would you compare the strength of Bruce Lee, Hercules and Obelix?
Click to expand...

Please feel free to let me know if I violate any more of your rules:rolleyes: I gave my opinion, you just didn't like it.
Are you a teacher or a police officer?

I think it's silly to argue over which is "best"

I will say that the deadlift is the most "real life" lift. Any time you reach down and pick up something heavy you are basically deadlifting
 
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pwill said:
There are tests of strength and various benchmarks but the deadlift is commonly believed to be the oldest test of strength dating back to cultures who competed at lifting the heaviest stones. It is, in a sense, the purest single event test of strength because it is one of the few lifts of dead weight (weight lying on the ground). In most other lifts the weight changes direction or starts in the air and several other athletic skills such as balance, coordination are emphasized. Olympic weightlifting requires a great deal of athletic skill in addition to strength.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, to measure pure strength as the question suggests there needs to be a minimal amount of other factors like balance and co-ordination involved as they are important factors in functional strength training but not in terms of pure horse power
 
Typhon said:
Well yeah, but any ****y with no back, arse, or legs can develop decent pecs and tri’s to get a good bench number and look good on the beach but in order to stick 600lbs over your shoulders and start knocking out squat reps takes one hell of a strong guy.

In short, a gym rat riddled with muscular imbalances can develop a good bench but wouldn’t be able to squat heavy as those imbalances would be exposed
Click to expand...

My whole point is based on balance. Is it not also an "imbalance" to have very good squat/dead numbers and low bench numbers? I think one should strive for balance on all their compound lifts...I'm not there, but that's what I strive for
 
I've never seen anyone with a good squat or deadlift who can't bench well but plenty of good benchers who can't squat. Basically squating and deadlifting requires balance to get good at it but benching doesn't

When I squat my entire body is under strain, every muscle is working hard to stabilize me, and when I deadlift, my shoulders and arms have to work herd to hold the bar as well as it demanding input from back, abs, chest, butt, legs, calves; the whole body basically.

When I bench it doesn’t seem to demand maximum input from every muscle in my body
 
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I've heard plenty on this forum complain that they are happy with their squats, but can't get their bench numbers up....I never understand why, if it's not important, people get so defensive about this subject

I agree, squats and deads definitely recruit more muscles, that's actually a fact. They take a lot more out of you too.

I think there is a reason why powerlifting includes all 3 lifts. If there was one true test then that's all you'd need
 
theGOOCH said:
I think there is a reason why powerlifting includes all 3 lifts. If there was one true test then that's all you'd need
Click to expand...

Go invent it and call it the Gooch and then people can say 'how much can you Gooch?' at parties
 
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