I’m transitioning to this, and realized I am weaker with this form. But my entire benching muscles is a weak chain so it doesnt matter.
When you tuck them, do the forearms go perpendicular to the plane of the floor or do they angle in towards your body?
Like this:
Forearms perpendicular. You don’t want your rotator cuff involved in benching.
He also doesn’t arch much at all. If you want to get the largest amount of muscle mass involved in the lift, you gotta arch more than that.
good point. idk much about the RC so i’ll heed your advice 
which muscles get utilized more? i thought arch was for less rom and easier for straight line pressing
[quote]JayPierce wrote:
Forearms perpendicular. You don’t want your rotator cuff involved in benching.
He also doesn’t arch much at all. If you want to get the largest amount of muscle mass involved in the lift, you gotta arch more than that.[/quote]
IMO you use less of your muscle mass in an arched press because you shift weight off the pecs to other muscles due to not having to bring your elbows down as far. The whole point is to cut ROM.
elite lifters say chest is a weak muscle anyways and triceps are much stronger. both are weak for me. >:[
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
JayPierce wrote:
Forearms perpendicular. You don’t want your rotator cuff involved in benching.
He also doesn’t arch much at all. If you want to get the largest amount of muscle mass involved in the lift, you gotta arch more than that.
IMO you use less of your muscle mass in an arched press because you shift weight off the pecs to other muscles due to not having to bring your elbows down as far. The whole point is to cut ROM.[/quote]
Hmmm… maybe you’re right. But then, if your using less muscle over a 2 inch shorter ROM, there probably wouldn’t be a benefit at all. Maybe it’s a little of both?
Anyhow, you can push more weight with a better arch than seen in that vid.
An arched bench turns it into a whole upper body exercise. It sounds wierd but you acutally can push with your back. A decent arch, not even a massive competition arch, can take the weight off of the shoulders, lessen ROM, and recruit more muscles. Also, more power can be generated from the triceps with the elbows tucked in. Many people who try to tuck the elbows falter because they tuck too much and turn it into a JM press which is all tri’s.
You don’t need a serious arch, just tighten your lats and pull the rhomboids back and down.
The truth is you set your back about the same way for all three lifts.
[quote]LSUPOWERDC wrote:
An arched bench turns it into a whole upper body exercise. It sounds wierd but you acutally can push with your back. A decent arch, not even a massive competition arch, can take the weight off of the shoulders, lessen ROM, and recruit more muscles. Also, more power can be generated from the triceps with the elbows tucked in. Many people who try to tuck the elbows falter because they tuck too much and turn it into a JM press which is all tri’s.
[/quote]
I had wondered about this, after reading all the T-Nation stuff about shoulders I decided to focus on tucking the elbows until one day I felt a slight muscle pop, and had this weird feeling everytime I focused on tucking the elbows.
Then I found another article that said just bring it to the area between your chest and stomach and don’t focus on the tuck too much. I think telling someone over the interenet to tuck your elbows can be little more harmful.
where did you feel the pop??
As i said, many people who try to tuck the elbows can falter abit. One trick i started doing which helped was to grip with mt thumb barely wrapped around the bar…it will allow you to tuck only so much…and focus on keeping the forearms straight up.
It felt like it was deep in the muscle below the nipple, but that was last year it’s all good now.
[quote]LSUPOWERDC wrote:
where did you feel the pop??
As i said, many people who try to tuck the elbows can falter abit. One trick i started doing which helped was to grip with mt thumb barely wrapped around the bar…it will allow you to tuck only so much…and focus on keeping the forearms straight up.[/quote]
so you agree, forearms perpendicular to ground?
when i was trying the tuck, i noticed after pausing the weight flew up at the start :).
[quote]kickureface wrote:
elite lifters say chest is a weak muscle anyways and triceps are much stronger. both are weak for me. >:[[/quote]
That’s because pretty much every powerlifting article you see written is from an equipped benchers perspective. I cant understand why people haven’t realised that yet. If you’re benching raw, off the chest is going to be the hardest part!
[quote]Hanley wrote:
kickureface wrote:
elite lifters say chest is a weak muscle anyways and triceps are much stronger. both are weak for me. >:[
That’s because pretty much every powerlifting article you see written is from an equipped benchers perspective. I cant understand why people haven’t realised that yet. If you’re benching raw, off the chest is going to be the hardest part![/quote]
hanley, when they say lats are involved in the bench press they’re talking about a shirted bench press right?
Consider an “arch” as “locking your torso”.
It should be done to provide a stable base for the bench anyway.
You lock your torso for squat and deadlift too…
Now on the elbows in… I know this is supposed to provide better benching so I’m all ears.
I think when they say “lats”, their talking about locking the upperbody, even unequipped.
So elbows in means as close to the sides as possible, or a little out from the sides?
[quote]FROGGBUSTER wrote:
Hanley wrote:
kickureface wrote:
elite lifters say chest is a weak muscle anyways and triceps are much stronger. both are weak for me. >:[
That’s because pretty much every powerlifting article you see written is from an equipped benchers perspective. I cant understand why people haven’t realised that yet. If you’re benching raw, off the chest is going to be the hardest part!
hanley, when they say lats are involved in the bench press they’re talking about a shirted bench press right? [/quote]
No… lats and upper back always work really hard for me when I’m benching raw too!
damn how the hell am i supposed to know if some article tips apply to me or not >:(
check out some Jeremy Hoornstra videos…Probably the best pound for pound raw bencher ever, then go to youtube and search for Wade Hooper (hoop165) and check out some of his training videos…i am a training partner of his and the videos we shoot are really good for learning because we use them to dissect the lifts
[quote]LSUPOWERDC wrote:
check out some Jeremy Hoornstra videos…Probably the best pound for pound raw bencher ever, then go to youtube and search for Wade Hooper (hoop165) and check out some of his training videos…i am a training partner of his and the videos we shoot are really good for learning because we use them to dissect the lifts[/quote]
Hoop and Hornstra are just bench freaks. I’m so envious of Wade’s ROM.
it helps to be 5’3" with a torso only a foot and a half long