Kevin Zegers: super talented...and super strong! Kevin Zegers is a lot of things to a lot of people: talented, energetic, athletic, and phenomenally good-looking! But did you know that Kevin is also super physically strong??! How much do you think you can lift? Maybe 35 lbs, or even 40 lbs? How much do you think Kevin can lift? Kevin, of course, looks like a pretty strong guy! Certainly 50 lbs, right? That's the same as a bag of potatoes - not easy to lift, that's for sure! What about 75, or even 80 lbs?! As recorded in www.IMDb.com, Kevin has lifted a whopping 285 lbs in bench press! |
Bench pressing Kevin-style!! As you may know, the bench press is a weight-lifting exercise where you lift a long barbell while lying on your back. It is a great chest builder and, at heavier weights, an effective arm builder, too. It also allows the lifter to take on much heavier weights because of the extra leverage you get from lying on your back. Not surprisingly, then, the bench press is regularly featured in powerlifting contests to test one's strength. At 14, Kevin was already bench pressing 200 lbs!! Kevin's strong arms can lift a lot more than most Hollywood kids can. But even this athletic Canadian will admit that it's a long road to bench pressing 315 lbs! When Kevin was only 14, he was just starting to lift weights seriously. His progress was rapid, though, and while still 14, he bench pressed an incredible 200 lbs! It happened in 1999 when, in response to a dare from a classmate, the competitive 14-year-old bench pressed 200 lbs for 3 repetitions! Two hundred pounds is so heavy that most grownups can't lift it. If you and your friend weigh 100 lbs each, Kevin could lift both of you at once, one in each hand! Keep in mind that Kevin lifted 200 lbs not once, but three times! That's the same as moving 600 lbs of weight with only three lifts!! How many 14-year-olds can do that?! Lifting 285 lbs is not for the squeamish! If 200 lbs gives the grownups trouble, 285 lbs is practically out of the question. And Kevin can lift it! A heavy bench press is a difficult feat to accomplish in weight-lifting. It literally separates the "men from the boys". Many men spend years working to get better. Most don't get this high, though. It is difficult to visualize the size of so much weight, but here is one way. The biggest plates used in weight-lifting are 45 pounds each. These plates are huge, and measure almost half as tall as the typical 13- or 14-year-old! Just lifting one of them off the floor could seriously hurt you if you're not careful! Now try to see Kevin lifting not one or two, but six of these monstrous plates stacked on top of each other! Can you imagine how strong Kevin's buff arms must be to hold up up such a mountain of metal?! And six plates doesn't even come close to what Kevin can actually lift! Kevin's arms If you need more proof of Kevin's strength, check out the size of his arms! For many people, the size of the arm is a very revealing measure of strength! Arms are notoriously difficult to develop, and few people are able to achieve much more than moderate improvement in the size of their arms.
One secret has already been revealed: his strength in bench press. While the bench press is mainly a chest exercise, the use of heavy weights can cause the the triceps muscle in back of the arm to be worked as well. Since Kevin was bench pressing well over 200 lbs regularly since he was 14, his triceps underwent several years of intense stress that increased its size. People who are serious weightlifters use a wide variety of exercises to build up their arms. There are different exercises for practically every single muscle in the arm. It sounds very complicated and a lot of work. But there is no shortcut when it comes to building muscle. You need to work every inch of your arm that intensely in order to build the kind of arm Kevin has! But not only do you have to do a wide variety of exercises, you also have to focus on how much you are lifting. The sheer amount of weight can turn a simple movement into one that leaves you totally exhausted! Considering that Kevin has benched 285 lbs, it is probably safe to assume that he is handling some pretty heavy weight! So how strong is Kevin? Really, REALLY strong!! Without doubt, Kevin is a very strong guy. As a teenager, he was lifting weights that most grownups could barely budge. Such intense lifting has resulted in some of the most impressive muscles ever seen on a teen actor. Remember, the kind of lifting that Kevin does is extremely difficult and should never be tried for fun. Kevin, of course, is more than up to the job...and he has the muscles to prove it! |
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Related Links: Kevin Is Hot! Part I - A Life In Sports! Part II - A Closer Look At Kevin's Muscles! Part III - Kevin: How Strong Is He? Kevin's Muscles! A page dedicated to the muscles of Kevin Zegers! |