I found that claim in the testimonials of a “add 50 pounds to your bench-press” training program. A guy said that after following that program, he is able to bench press 600 pounds.
I always considered myself being rather strong (I can bench-press about 150 pounds after 2 months of training), but after seeing that claim I felt I should rather start playing chess instead of lifting weights 
What kind of training is needed for bench-pressing that weight and for how long?
Well, the world records say that not only is it possible, but James Henderson pressed a whopping 322.5kg (~710lbs) in 1997.
Pawn to king four.
I hate to tell you this, but 150 pounds isn’t much. It’s “in shape,” unless you’re really tiny. I don’t know how big you are, but I don’t think you can claim to be strong unless you bench 150% of your body weight. The “serious” lifters at my old college gym routinely worked out with twice their weight, and a single rep should be possible at even higher weights. Bryan Ekers has already posted about the record-holders.
Aw, come on Nametag. He could be a 15 year old ectomorph who just started training a few months ago. 150 pounds wouldn’t be too bad in that case.
Here’s an article from bodybuilding.com on increasing your bench. It just takes the right routine, proper technique, and consistent training. (not to belabor the point, but I can bench 150 for 10 reps and I’m a 130-ish female. So you can should be able to get much higher with some more training.) Oh, and it just occured to me, the 600 lb bench the guy is talking about is probably his one rep max, not what he benches for a set. If you’re benching 150 for a number of reps, you one rep max is probably much stronger.
In general, world-class benchers are benching about 3 times their bodyweight. I don’t know where Bryan Ekers got that info about the world records, but it’s outdated–there are people out there who bench 800+.
Furthermore, the highest powerlifting totals tend to come from the 400 lb. monsters, who are not benching anywhere close to triple their bodyweight.
More than anything else, benching 150-200% of your bodyweight takes time (years, that is) and dedication. There’s no one program that’ll get you there; you’re going to have to learn a thing or two about periodization.
For general interest, here’s an interview with Mike Miller, who (I believe) holds the second highest powerlifting total ever recorded.
I just saw an interview with someone who’d benched 805. I believe what set him apart was that he was the first (or at least one of the very few) to do so while himself weighing under 300 lbs.
Or she could be female, which in most cases would make that a lot more impressive.
But if you’re a guy, Dog80, I have to agree with what Nametag said, and yes I know, it’s frustrating as I’m in the same boat. I’ve worked out for years, and my bodyweight’s the best I can do for reps. My arms and legs were poorly proportioned for deadlifts, and I could never go much beyond bodyweight in squats, without incurring a lower back injury and weeks out of commission.
To be really cynical about it…the best thing you can do to become really strong is to pick your parents carefully.
I am 24, male, 1.90m height and 120kilos weight. I started my training two months ago. At first I could only lift about 30 kilos. In week 3 I could do about 60. Now I can lift 65-70 kilos. There was a sharp increase at the first three weeks, but now I can’t break the 70 kilos barrier.
What I do is two sets of 12 reps each with a very short break (about 30secs) between the two sets. Then I do as many repetitions I can until exhaustion with 70% of the weight.
I have found all kind of conflicting info on the Internet. Some people say that breaks between sets should be less than a minute long. Others say that breaks must be 3 to 5 minutes long. Some people insist on 10-12 reps while others say 1-5 reps are ok. I am confused 
Different roads to different goals, you know? If you’ve only been training for two months, stick with three sets of 10-12 reps with 60-90 seconds rest for a while. Low volumes, heavy weights, and longer rests go hand-in-hand, but those are for more advanced trainees.
There also the issue of the length of one’s arms in pressing a weight to full extension in a bench press. People with stocky body builds and short arms have a tremendous advantage in this respect. It’s no big deal for a 200 lb wrestler to be able to bench press more than a 270 lb basketball star even if both are equally fit.
A couple other points:
If the bar doesn’t touch your chest when you bench, it’s not a competition bench, and you’re not working your pectorals as much as you could be. At the bottom of the lift, your pectorals are doing most of the work, but as you move up, your triceps become more dominant.
There are a few reasons why a weak upper back will stop your progress in the bench. After two months, it’s not so important to know why, but you need to get in the habit of doing rows and chinups with as much intensity as you do the bench.
Work your legs. There’s nothing sillier-looking than a guy with a big upper body and tiny legs.
Totally. In fact, the first thing I notice about a guy is his quads. Anyone can get a big chest, it takes real training to get nice legs…
One other thing I haven’t seen mentioned specifically, is that you should make sure to do a variety of different movements, as the pecs are largish muscles. Dips, standard BPs, incline/decline BPs all emphasize different areas of the pecs. Not to mention dumbbell BPs, where you’ll generally have to use much less weight, but be able to move your arms through a longer range of motion.
Preach it.
Calves - the bane of my existence.
Related is the issue of where the tendons attach to the bone. I’m not clear on the biomechanics of bench pressing, but we can use dumbbell curls for a simple example; if your biceps tendons are attached to your lower arms a centimeter further out from the elbow joint than another person’s, that gives you a significant advantage.
I should also note that I am not doing the bench presses with a barbell. The gym is not well equipped. They only have some fixed-weight barbells and the heavier is only 35 kilos.
I do the exercises on a bench press machine. It has two handles (one for each hand) that move independently. I guess the movement is more like doing the exercise using dumbells.
If it’s any consolation, I can bench-press about 60, max. On the other hand, I’m developing quite the set of biker-legs, and go up hills in 20th gear… So tremorviolet, how you doin’?
Test out which set works for you. See if you respond better with High reps or Low reps. Do you get a better workout doing low reps? In terms of breaks in between sets, thats all up to you. Do it when you feel like you are ready. Be it 30secs or 5 minutes. The important thing is your effort. I rest about 2mins. Thats about how much time it takes me to add/drop weights, sit down, a quick stretch, and start another set. I see powerlifters at my gym that will rest 10 minutes between sets. Watching them Squat 400 pounds, I would have to say that I don’t believe they are waiting too long.
From what you have stated you aren’t really lifting for weight. More for definition and tone. For bigger increase in Benching you might want to be doing lower reps (6-8) with higher weigth. Test it out.
Also vary your workout. Stagger the excercises you do. Switch the order in which you do them. Last time you did low reps, this time do high reps. Keep changing it around so you aren’t doing the same things all the time. I go for weeks before I do the same routine again.
To answer your original question, there’s a guy at the Bally’s that I always go to that Benches 400 - 500 pounds for reps. Putting him pretty close to 600 for a single rep. He’s been at it for 12 years and he said it took about 5 years before he really found out what works best for his body.