Can The Men At OutKick Bench Their Own Weight? We Tried The Clay Travis Bench Press Challenge

(Disclaimer: TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK. DBAP.)

Three men at OutKick set out to accomplish one of the most daring challenges in the company's history. 

Here's how it went.

The Background

Amid one of his many engagements with the American people, OutKick founder Clay Travis was put on the spot regarding his physical fitness.

Clay was pressed about whether he could bench his own body weight, weighing 185 lbs. and standing at six feet.

Priding himself an able-bodied man, Travis took on the haters' challenge to bench his own body weight. 

Travis recorded himself on the bench, prepared to complete 10 reps of his weight, which he successfully accomplished, without resorting to a cheapfake. We get it big man, YOU BENCH.

Advantage: Clay Travis. 

WATCH:

What else is there to life for an American man besides watching full slates of football on the weekends, wooing chicks and lifting weights?

Then came the trouble.

The Challenge

According to the internet, bench pressing your weight (speaking to men) is extremely hard. The highest estimate suggests that approximately 1 in 10 American men are able to bench press their own weight, although data suggests the actual percentage may be closer to half of that at five percent.

The norm is for men to bench at least 90 percent of their body weight, so lifting beyond that is a limited class.

RELATED: OutKick Writers Give Their Thoughts On Weight Loss

Feeling the pump of victory, Clay Travis challenged the men of America (the men of OutKick, by extension) on X, to try pumping out at least ONE rep of their body weight.

OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske, myself (A.A.) and "Don't @ Me" producer Nicholas Cea stepped up to the plate, answering the call of our glorious leader.

The Details

Clay gave the gentlemen two courses of action, wanting to give them a real shot at this challenge.

Either rep your body weight once on a bench press.

- OR - 

Rep your body weight 10 times if you can already rep your weight.

Attempt # 1 - Alejandro Avila

To be fair, I don't bench. But I'm also fairly light, walking at around 145 lbs. (5-foot-8) most of the time, so I had to shoot for 10 reps. 

Sink or swim, baby. We're all in. 

Unsurprisingly, I was doomed to fail. I can feel a training montage coming …

You can almost hear the cameraman chuckle as I said, "10 reps," with Fabio-like confidence. 

WATCH:

Two reps … two reps?! Grill me all you want; my DMs are open.

Talking turkey here, if not for the bad form and beeping in the parking lot, I could've repped five. 

Clay made it look so easy that I went in without a spotter, music in my ears or a warm-up. More on this later.

Attempt #2: Dan Zaksheske

Here's a real muscle man.

OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske was down to take on the Clay Travis Bench Challenge. 

Like Dan, I participate in martial arts and sports to keep myself in or near "shape."

His challenge: 10 reps of 225 lbs.

Can Dan do what I was unable to accomplish? Will D.Z. bench his body weight, going for 10 reps? Zaksheske shot for the moon and landed on the stars with an impressive attempt.

WATCH:

Attempt #3 - Nicholas Cea

What is Dan Dakich feeding his producers?

"Don't @ Me / Dan Dakich" producer Nicholas Cea hopped on the Clay Travis Bench Press challenge like a J.J. Watt box jump.

Walking at 166 pounds and standing at 5 feet 10 inches, Cea aimed to increase his benching numbers to 10 reps at 185 pounds. 

Don't let your girl watch this.

WATCH:

This man can lift. Exceptional work by Nick. 

The Goal

Dan and I will now embark on finishing Clay's ultimate goal: bench 10 reps of your own body weight before the end of the college football season. 

Whether you can currently bench press your body weight is irrelevant.

Today's video could be just a stepping stone towards the final result.

If you're a guy looking to improve yourself and not facing any critical limitations, join us. 

And if you have a video worth sharing, send it to alejandro.avila@outkick.com.

Some Benching Tips

As an avid runner, I'll commit to integrating more weight training into my weekly routine. My goal is to be able to confidently bench press my own body weight (or even more) 10 times. Challenge accepted, Clay.

OutKick Fitness Czar Amber Harding Snyder evaluated my poor attempt at benching and shared some valuable tips, intended for myself and anyone else with limited lifting experience. 

AHS is a dedicated fitness expert — her knowledge is reliable.

Here are some pointers to help on your bench-pressing journey:

• Keep your head on the bench (avoiding lifting your head when bringing the bar down)
• Keep your feet firmly on the ground while pressing
• Incorporate a little arch in your back
• Grip slightly wider and squeeze your shoulder blades together to open up your chest.
• Take a big breath in before pulling the bar down.
• When you press, exhale and push through your legs. Think about pushing your feet onto the floor.

Good luck, men!

1950:  Miss U.S.A. contestant Jean Wills admires strongman Bob McAine's flexed bicep. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela