Here Is How Much Batman Can Lift (Bench Press, Overhead Press, & Leg Press)

Out of all of the different heroes in the world of DC, Batman seems to be on an entirely different level in terms of his popularity because he is a regular human being with no superpowers whatsoever but can stand together with some of the strongest godlike heroes on Earth. But while Batman may be a very popular character with no superpowers, the thing about him is that he has shown incredible feats of strength. So, how much can Batman lift?

Batman has been able to showcase his ability to lift over 1,000 pounds using his upper-body strength. He built his upper body well enough to carry incredible weights. Of course, his leg strength is also incredible because he claims to be able to leg press up to 2,500 pounds.

Even though Batman has always been a “regular” person, let’s not forget that he is still a fictional character living on comic book pages. That means there is nothing regular about what he can do, as he has shown the ability to surpass the limits of what humans are normally capable of. So, with that said, let’s look at some of the numbers behind Batman’s incredible peak-level human strength.

How much can Batman lift?

The thing about some of the characters in the world of comic books is that they tend to be larger than life when it comes to what they can do. But while that may be true, his humanity makes Batman one of the characters close to the hearts of comic book fans.

Unlike the superhuman godlike heroes that can do things that are out of this world, Batman stays grounded because he was never superhuman in his abilities. Instead, he is just a normal human being who could train his body to the limits and learn from the best martial artists in the DC world. 

So, while Batman may be normal as far as his biology is concerned, the thing about him is that he is pretty strong. It takes a very strong body to do the things that Batman can do, as he has been able to go toe-to-toe with superhuman characters and creatures, including Bane, Killer Croc, and Solomon Grundy. Batman has beaten these characters multiple times despite his lack of superhuman abilities. And his strength was able to actually allow him to fight them on par.

As such, there’s no doubt that Batman is incredibly strong for a human being, as he can perform feats that regular humans shouldn’t be capable of. That is why we are here to look at the numbers behind Batman’s strength so that you can see how much he could lift.

Batman’s bench press

There was a comic book scene wherein Bruce was bench pressing while Selina Kyle was in the same room. Selina distracted Bruce with her sexiness, and Wayne was still casually pressing over 450 pounds. He didn’t seem to be putting much effort into his workout, which means that Batman can do more than just 450 pounds. In Batman #655, Bruce is shown to be bench pressing over 1,000 pounds during one of his regular workouts.

That means that Batman is incredibly strong for a human being. For those who don’t know, real-life strongman Julius Maddox lifted 770 pounds on his bench press in 2020. So, the fact that Batman can lift 1,000 pounds without being as meaty and hefty as Maddox makes him far stronger than one of the strongest human beings in the real world. And let’s not forget that Batman can get stronger whenever adrenaline is on his side.

Of course, Batman needs to have a strong upper body because he is known for punching his way through different fights. He has to have a strong chest and upper-body muscles to stand toe-to-toe with powerful Gotham City villains known to fight with their firsts.

Batman’s overhead press

In the comics, we have seen Batman performing overhead presses of 690 pounds in a gym setup. But we did see him lifting up an entire ceiling with nothing more than his body. In the comics, he held up a ceiling that was approximately 1,000 pounds heavy. Although he didn’t actually lift the ceiling up, he could hold it up well enough to keep the entire ceiling from crashing.

The real-world record for an overhead press is 468.5 pounds. That means Batman could hold up more than double the real-world record for an overhead press. Granted that Batman was also using his legs on that left, he was still using his shoulders and upper boy to ensure the ceiling wouldn’t crash down on him.

Batman’s leg press

While Batman’s upper-body strength is a necessity because he needs to be strong enough to fight some of the powerhouses of Gotham’s criminal underworld, let’s not forget that the legs play a huge role in his overall persona as a hero. Batman often jumps from rooftop to rooftop and is quite nimble due to his training as a ninja. He is also known for using kicks to his advantage in a fight.

In that regard, he has to have explosive legs that allow him to perform ninja-like movements and unleash barrages of quick attacks that draw power from his lower body. That is why he works his legs hard. In ‘Batman Odyssey #2’, Bruce claimed that the maximum leg press he could ever accomplish was 2,500 pounds.

To put things into perspective, Ronnie Coleman, who is often regarded as the GOAT (greatest of all time) in the world of bodybuilding, went viral with a leg press workout of 2,300 pounds. We’re talking about one of the greatest real-world athletes in the history of the planet, but he isn’t even as strong as Bruce in terms of his leg press.

Batman’s strength is close to superhuman levels

With all that said, there is no doubt that Batman’s strength feats exceed what we normally see in the real world. He may be marketed as a regular human being with no superpowers whatsoever, but the numbers behind Batman’s lifting capabilities tell a different story. And he is beyond peak-human levels in terms of how strong he is.

That means that Batman is close to superhuman levels in terms of his strength. Green Lantern in ‘Justice League: War’ even thought Bruce was a vampire due to his strength. And there are good reasons why Batman is as strong as he is.

The first reason is that he is a fictional character written by authors that didn’t consider whether or not Batman’s strength feats are on par with what the strongest human beings in the real world are capable of. Second, he often operates with an adrenaline rush coursing through his veins. And third, Batman’s will is the strongest in DC, which means that his mind is what’s pushing him to do more than what his body should be capable of.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!

Liked this article? Join the community on Reddit for the latest Marvel & DC news!