Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 16, 1993 TAG: 9304160329
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN DeVIDO STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
MASTER OF THE BENCH
WHEN HE'S REALLY serious about it, Mike O'Bryan can press a serious amount of weight - more than 400 pounds off the bench.
A year ago, Mike O'Bryan was working out in Blacksburg's University Gym near U.S. 460 when he was issued a challenge of sorts.
A fellow lifter mentioned to O'Bryan that bench-pressing 400 pounds would be nearly impossible without taking steroids.
O'Bryan, 31, who hadn't been lifting seriously at the time, thought differently. His bench was 350 pounds.
After three months of working out on a regular basis, he entered a bench-press tournament in Norton. He reached his goal by benching 400 pounds.
Since then, he has entered eight more bench-press tournaments and has won his weight class in five of them.
One of those wins came in December in Burlington, N.C., where he benched a personal record of 467 pounds - way above the Virginia record, and also above the national record. But it also was unofficial, partly because sanctioned-event rules are tougher.
The state record is 402 pounds, the national record 462 in the 220-pound weight class.
And in January, he finished third in his 198-pound weight class in the Natural Athletes Strength Association bench-press national championships.
O'Bryan's latest win - and it was official - came a couple of weekends ago in the North Carolina State Powerlifting Meet, where he lifted 407 pounds, breaking the Virginia record by five pounds in the 220-pound lifetime drug-free class.
Being natural is something O'Bryan stresses. He has a wife, Denise, 27, and a 6-year old daughter, Tabitha. He works as an assistant manager in the services department at Shelor Toyota in Christiansburg.
O'Bryan can't afford to take steroids, from a health or monetary standpoint. Nor does he want to.
"Why would someone want to hurt their heart, liver or lungs just to be the biggest guy in the gym," he said.
But with his thickly developed 200 pounds of muscle on a 5-foot-8 frame, some people tend to think differently.
That doesn't bother O'Bryan, though, who volunteers to take drug tests at every meet he enters.
"If you have any size and God-given ability, people think you're on drugs," he said. "You don't have to take steroids if you stay with it and work hard."
Hard work, and a little understanding from his wife about the time he puts in at the gym, has helped O'Bryan achieve success as a bench presser.
He works out three days a week in the University Gym with his two lifting partners, Donnie Streeter, who competes in the 198-pound class, and Mike Jones, who competes as a super heavyweight.
All three compete only in the bench-press. O'Bryan doesn't compete in the squat or deadlift, the two other lifts used in powerlifting, because he's had three knee operations.
The three partners work out on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, blasting their chests, shoulders, biceps and triceps. A typical workout takes three hours, and half of the workout usually is spent just on the bench.
The bench-press is a power lift that requires total upper-body strength, but mainly the chest and tricep muscles are used.
To perform the exercise, the lifter lies on his back on a flat bench. With his feet on the floor, he grips the bar, takes it off the rack and brings it down to his chest.
In competition, the lifter must pause with the weight on his chest for two seconds, then push up until he's locked his arms.
It may seem like a simple exercise, but with only a year of experience in competitions O'Bryan still is learning.
He knows enough, however, to have been successful in every meet he's entered.
Take his performance in the nationals in January. Despite benching his lowest competition weight ever, 375 pounds, O'Bryan still finished third in his weight class.
And at the Burlington meet O'Bryan not only benched his personal best, he won the best overall lifter competition. He won this by benching the more weight over his body weight than any other lifter.
The national meet also was nice for O'Bryan because Shelor picked up most of the cost for it.
Although he weighs around 200 pounds, O'Bryan said he will compete only in the 220-pound class in tournaments from now on.
He said he feels stronger not having to worry about his weight. After all, the four competitions he's won were in the 220-pound class.
He'll next compete in the North Carolina bench-press championships this month. Then, he'll compete in the Virginia bench-press championships in May.
O'Bryan would like to win both competitions, of course, but he also has a couple of other goals.
He said he wants to bench 500 pounds within the next year. He also wants to win a national championship.
And he knows just how to do it. Naturally.