It’s the question asked in every gym and locker room since the barbell was invented: "How much can you bench?"

Watch Superstars killing it on the bench

WWE.com interviewed some of WWE's most powerful Superstars to find out what kind of weight they throw around in the gym, and grabbed some strength training tips while we were at it. See who benches the most on the WWE roster and learn how you can improve your max, brought to you by Gildan!

Ryback

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

RYBACK: Five hundred fifty pounds. Even though right now I feel like I’m good for between 560 and 580, 550 is my official best.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

RYBACK: Strength training is pivotal in my performance. It’s extremely important. At the same time, remaining healthy is also a priority. With all the power moves that I do in the ring — moves that you don’t see a lot of guys do today — it is extremely important for me to keep my strength as high as possible, while keeping my health the same level.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

RYBACK: Myself. I’m thoroughly impressed with myself each and every day that I wake up.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

RYBACK: You gotta train heavy. Set goals for yourself and then each and every week slowly chip away at it until you reach your goal and don't stop. So if my goal is to bench press 580 pounds and I’m at 550, I’m going to try to better that number every week and try to go 555, 560, 565 until I get to 580. You might have some weeks that you’re stronger than others, but your goal is to keep moving forward.

Titus O'Neil

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

TITUS O'NEIL: Five hundred forty-five pounds.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

O'NEIL: Strength training is very important. But implementing some conditioning, along with your strength training, is even more important.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

O'NEIL: In WWE, Big E Langston. Outside of WWE, Mo Collins, who I played college football with. He was a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders. He benched about 575.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

O'NEIL: Be on a four- to six-week strength cycle where you’re doing low reps, with an adequate amount of weight, to work up to a one-rep max.

Cesaro

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

CESARO: Four hundred five pounds, but who cares how much you bench?!

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

CESARO: What’s important is your functional strength. You can’t be a WWE Superstar without doing strength training. Well, looking at some of the guys, you apparently can. But I highly recommend not doing it. If you want to be the best in the ring, you have to be in the greatest shape that you can. To me, it’s about being in better shape every single day. That’s how you should live your life. You should be better every single day. You should be better tomorrow than you were today.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

CESARO: Who cares?! (Editor’s note: When pressed for an answer, Cesaro revealed it’s Big E Langston.)

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

CESARO: Ask Big E Langston!

Roman Reigns

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

ROMAN REIGNS: Four hundred forty-five pounds, but that was on a Monday morning before Raw.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

REIGNS: It’s pretty crucial, because there’s obviously a standard and if you don’t match up to it, you get destroyed.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

REIGNS: I’m going to take full credit for this: Big E Langston. While we were in developmental, I spotted him on 575 pounds. I’m convinced that he would not have been able to do it without me there.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

REIGNS: Negatives. Focus on negatives and do a lot of dips.

John Cena

Take a look inside John Cena's Hard Nock's Gym, where the Cenation leader goes to clear his head and train in earnest for his match with The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII.

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

JOHN CENA: Four hundred sixty-five pounds.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

CENA: I think it all depends on style and approach. It’s not an integral piece, but certainly being strong will help you.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

CENA: Big E. Five hundred seventy-five pounds raw.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

CENA: Bench!

John Cena bench presses over 400 pounds and more amazing lifts!

Kane

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

KANE: Five hundred twenty-five pounds with no [bench] shirt, no wraps, nothing.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

KANE: It’s very important. If you’re stronger than your opponent, you definitely have an advantage.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

KANE: Mark Henry. He is an incredibly strong man. Everything Mark does in the weight room is impressive.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

KANE: Eat a lot. Go heavy and go hard!

Brodus Clay

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

BRODUS CLAY: All-time bench press is 525 pounds.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

CLAY: I would put it number three next to diet and proper sleep, because it trains your body to be strong, absorb a lot of punishment and it proctects your joints. It just builds who you are.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

CLAY: Big E. I witnessed him bench press 575. At Hard Nock's South, where we train, I have the number two bench press record. It’s Big E, myself, followed by Ryback. I’m pretty proud of that.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

CLAY: Balance and technique. It depends on your grip, too. I use what they call a suicide grip, because my thumbs are on the outside. By doing that, it forces you to keep your elbows in and be explosive at the same time. So it’s not just lying flat and bouncing something off your chest — you actually have to use your legs as part of the lift. It’s very complicated, but once you get the gist of it it’s a big difference in your numbers. 

Big Show

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

BIG SHOW: Five hundred pounds for 12 reps.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

SHOW: Strength training is very important. With the way we knock our bodies around, it’s very important to keep a good physical fitness routine to protect your joints, back, shoulders and neck. The more functionally strong you make yourself, the longer you can keep your career.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

SHOW: Big E.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

SHOW: When I first started out, I wasn’t benching 500 pounds. I think the first time I ever benched, it was about 350 pounds. Then, I would do one- to two-rep sets, trying to go heavier, giving myself plenty of rest in between each set. When you’re trying to put that kind of mass on, it’s a different theory than high reps. It’s low rep, heavy weight and controlled. If you’re going to be a legit bencher, it’s not bouncing the weight off your chest like some kind of goofball screaming in the gym. The guy I like to watch work out is John Cena. He throws around a massive amount of weight and you’d think he’s sitting there doing his taxes. He’s not a yeller or screamer in the gym. He’s a very efficient weight lifter.

Jack Swagger

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

JACK SWAGGER: Three hundred fifteen pounds for 16 reps. So that comes out to about 457 for a max.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

SWAGGER: It’s very important, because it protects your body and keeps you safe. When you get bumps and bruises, the better shape you’re in, the faster you recover.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

SWAGGER: Leading up to WrestleMania, the Mark Henry vs. Ryback  bench press challenge with 225 pounds was very impressive. The speed and sheer amount of reps that they did was phenomenal. It was cool to see live.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

SWAGGER: Go lower weight, higher reps at first. You get stronger than when going for just one or two reps. And also do a lot of supersets. Do bench press and then light dumbbell flys. You can also do that with incline bench, then flys. Have about six total different ways to work the muscle and go low weights and keeping working at it. You’ll see the results.

Big E

Watch in awe as Big E Langston moves some ridiculously heavy weights in the gym and gives WWE.com some insight about his life story.

WWE.COM: What is the most you have ever bench pressed?

BIG E: Five hundred seventy-five pounds.

WWE.COM: How important is strength training to a WWE Superstar?

BIG E: It’s essential, especially for me. Some people use their agility, some people use different facets of athleticism, but strength is very important to what I do in the ring and I think it shows.

WWE.COM: Who is the most impressive bench presser you have witnessed in person?

BIG E: In person, I haven’t seen anyone bench more than me.

WWE.COM: What’s the best way for a person to increase his max bench press?

BIG E: The best way to improve the bench press is by bench pressing — like anything in life. But I like to do different things — like bench pressing with chains and bands — as a way to put different stress on the muscle and vary things.

The rise of Big E