http://sports.sina.com.cn/k/2002-10-30/0753342047.shtml Man, I am very disappointed to read this...Ming can only do 5 times of bench test with two 55-pound dumb bells. That is too bad. I don't think I am strong enough to play NBA but I can easily finish at least 10 times with two 90-lp dumb bells. He need to hit the weight room really hard!!!
That doesn't sound right. I'm assuming 2 55 dumbells is the same as 115lb on the bench. (total) I can do a lot more than 5, and I consider myself pretty weak. I'm also not 22. Hehe.
Yao will get stronger over time. I'm sure that he can bench more then Keon Clark, and Clark has been pretty successful.
I seriously, seriously doubt Yao could bench more than Keon Clark. Have you seen that man's body? I wouldn't be surprised if Keon could bench more than Shaq.
It's a little harder with dumbells than on a bench, so its not the same as far as an lb.-to-lb. equivalency goes, but it still isn't that much for a 300 pounder so its still disapointing
As I understand it though, it's quite a bit more difficult to do bench-presses when you have longer arms. A certain amount may seem very little to those of us who have shorter arms, but for someone who has arms that are as long as we are tall, it is a more difficult burden.
Dang it. I had a feeling that was true, but said forget it, its the same. I never bench with dumbells, just with the bar. Thanks for the clearing up.
The longer arms make a big difference. I'm short and have short arms and I can do 110lb dumbells and been able to bench 300lb in my youth. I know big guys that are a lot stronger than me, but can not do as much just because they have to balance those dumbells on those long arms. Yao is weak but not as weak as it sounds.
It's not that much harder, its just that you can't "cheat" by shifting the weight around with the bar so its a little harder, based on stuff i've read and my own slight experience. Longer arms do make a huge difference, but Mybnear Hilario's arms are probably longer and I bet he can do more; part of that is genetics, though, Yao will just have to deal with it. Having a strong base and good footwork is a lot more important than having 24 inch pythons in the NBA,that's why Kareem abdul Jabbar is a hall of famer and Otis Thorpe is not.
I have never been able to do ONE rep. So FIVE seems OK to me, considering that all this strength training is rather new to him!
Sorry to say but I am dissappointed. Yao should be benching alot more...even a junior varsity point guard to bench more, a strong one that is. The good thing is that hes relatively young and he can get stronger with the right trainer and a proper diet (hes been hitting Mcdonald's with Pine too much). I can't believe the chinese team didn't realize that strength and diet were integral of developing into an athlete. Oh well, I hope they learn from their mistakes.
They couldn't even realize how good Yao was, what makes you think they would have know about strength and diet?
As others stated, benching with dumbells is more difficult than a standard bar bench press. I lift weights and I can tell from experience. Others have also stated the long arms and I have heard a great deal about that as well but I'm not really sure b/c my wingspan is greater than my height, but maybe 2 - 3 inches difference isn't much? But back to the dumbell issue, with that kind of bench press you bring the weight further back almost like a butterfly workout. All in all it takes more work but we already knew he wasn't that strong (upperbody wise).
Why is anyone surprised?? Ming said himself that he has never trained with weights, and has vowed to improve. Does anybody here doubt the character and resolve of Yao Ming? Cut the guy some slack- this journey has just begun.
Oh My God. DO you guys know what this means? All this means is that he has even MORE room to improve. Ming needs to loose some "mass" and replace it with some muscle. When his upper body (including arms of course) hardens up, it will help him TREMENDOUSLY in shotblocking and rebounding.
Well, he has to start somewhere. The guy doesn't have anything up top and I'm guessing we are slowly progressing him to be BUFFED UP!
