Bench Press Competition
Taylor Family Y Competition Dates:
October 18, 3-5 p.m.
October 25, 3-5 p.m.
Taylor Family YMCA Wellness Floor
Test your strength against your fellow members in our Association-Wide Bench Press Competition!
Composed of two separate competitions at your branch during the weeks of October 14 - 27 (Branch discretion for times.)
- A finals competition of our top 3 competitors brought together from each branch in our heaviest overall lifts and pound-for-pound strongest (DOTS scoring method)
- Men and women divisions
- No weight classes
- Available to everyone ages 14 and up
The Taylor Family YMCA will be hosting two bench press competitions:
October 18 at 3 p.m. and October 25 at 3 p.m. We will be competing for heaviest overall lift and a bodyweight/weight lifted comparison score. There will be 3 finalists for men and women's, no weight classes, ages 14 and up. After the two competitions the top 3 finalists from each category will be invited to the Association finals at the Northwest Cary Y to compete against all other branches on the weekend of November 10 - 11. Finalists will be invited through email and alerted upon completion of preliminary rounds.
FAQs
Can I compete in multiple competitions?
Yes! If you place at multiple branches you will only qualify from one branch!
Are there weight classes?
There are not any weight classes, the DOTS scoring system allows for a pound-for-pound strength comparison!
What happens if I qualify for the finals?
You will be invited to the finals competition hosted at the Northwest Cary YMCA to compete against your fellow members!
How should I practice and prepare?
Please reach out to your branch's Healthy Living Director for more information!
Contact Donovan.Perry@YMCATriangle.org for more information.
What does it cost?
This event is free for YMCA members.
What do I need to bring?
Please wear regular athletic attire. No special bench press suits will be allowed. Optional: Wrist wraps are permitted.
Bench Press Rules
The lifter must lie on his back with head, shoulders and buttocks in contact with the bench surface. The feet must be flat on the floor (as flat as the shape of the shoe will allow). His hands and fingers must grip the bar positioned in the rack stands with a thumbs around grip. This position shall be maintained throughout the lift. Foot movement is permissible, but must remain flat on the platform.
After correctly positioning himself, the lifter may enlist the help of the spotter / loaders in removing the bar from the racks.
After removing the bar from the racks, with or without the help of the spotter / loaders, the lifter shall wait with straight arms elbows locked for the judge’s start signal. The signal shall be given as soon as the lifter is motionless and the bar properly positioned. For reasons of safety the lifter will be requested to “re-place” the bar if after a period of five seconds he is not in the correct position to begin the lift. The judge will then convey the reason why the signal was not given.
After receiving the signal, the lifter must lower the bar to the chest (the chest, for the purpose of the rule, finishes at the base of the sternum / breastbone), and hold at the base of the press with the judge giving the "Press" command before returning the bar to straight arm’s length elbows locked. Hips and buttocks must remain touching to the bench during this entire time. When held motionless in this position the audible command “Rack” shall be given together with a backward motion of the arm.
There will be three rounds with each participant performing one lift per round. The lifter can increase the amount of weight to lift each round if they succeeded in their previous lift. If they do not successfully lift the weight they can retry to lift the same amount of weight in the next round (unless it was the third lift) but are unable to reduce the amount of weight on the next lift.
Contact Simeon Ruff, Healthy Living-Group Ex Director at the Northwest Cary Y for questions regarding competition rules.