For HS football we had to bench press our weight or we had to do extra strength training after practice
I think I weighed 205. My buddy ahead of me weighed 225. I was up next, and the coach said "Go." All I wanted to do was complain that I didn't weigh 225, but figured that wasn't a good idea. I actually benched 225 without too much trouble.
In grad school I had a goal of bench pressing the 100# dumb bells. Over the course of a fairly long time I built up to higher and higher weights. Right before I graduated, I got 4 reps out of the 95# dumb bells. That turned out to be my last day as prepping for my defense and everything else and I know I could have gotten a rep out of the 100#'ers.
I'm actually pretty proud of being able to do 95 lbs separately in each hand. More than 225 lbs with a bar.
However, earlier this year, I was nearly ecstatic when I was able to bench press 45 lbs (just the bar) on the safety rack (or whatever you call it where it slides up and down the poles). My left shoulder is all screwed up and it had been a couple years since I did anything that required any stress on it. I turned down an African safari because I didn't trust my shoulder and was expecting surgery.
This was after a number of cortizone shots had done exactly zero.
After the MRI, the doctor said no surgery. Basically everything in there is kind of beat to hell, but nothing in particular that he can fix. He recommended trying physical therapy. I figured it was a waste of time, but when you reach and pull the wrong way and you feel like falling on the ground and crying, you'll try anything.
So I went and did what therapist said pretty diligently. After the course, it did feel a little better. Still pretty well screwed, but a glimmer of hope. So I kept doing the exercises for about 2 years now. Earlier this year, feeling quite a bit better, but still not perfect, I cautiously started doing things I would never have done 2 years earlier. Bench press being one of them. I still expect it to hurt like hell if I do the wrong thing and I keep doing the physical therapy exercises. But for now it is tolerable and at worst gets a little sore sometimes.
I'm all the way back up to your 135
Never thought I'd ever do that again 2 years ago.