Is there a point of diminishing returns when it comes to the bench arch? Obviously the more arch the less ROM but how about power output?
Just curious. thanks
Theres really no right answer to that, it just depends on your build and where you feel most powerful. If you watch alot of high level benchers some use a very extreme arch, others very little. Just do whatever feels strongest for you.
do you guys slide when you get a big arch? I have trouble keeping my upper back pinned on the bench sometimes.
Depends if you want to sacrifice leg drive or not
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
do you guys slide when you get a big arch? I have trouble keeping my upper back pinned on the bench sometimes.[/quote]
I always thought dudes in tank tops in the gym were douchebag show offs, but as much skin as you can get in contact with the bench helps stability all around IMO. Give that a try.
[quote]mkral55 wrote:
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
do you guys slide when you get a big arch? I have trouble keeping my upper back pinned on the bench sometimes.[/quote]
I always thought dudes in tank tops in the gym were douchebag show offs, but as much skin as you can get in contact with the bench helps stability all around IMO. Give that a try.[/quote]
Unless you sweat like a mule…
I recommend chalk
[quote]detazathoth wrote:
Depends if you want to sacrifice leg drive or not[/quote]
This.
In general I think an extreme arch isn’t the holy grail for a big bench.
It just depends on your strengths as a bench presser. Yes, there’s always a such thing as taking a technique and over-exaggerating it to the point that it becomes a hindrance, but most people don’t have the flexibility to even produce a big arch, let alone see their bench press suffer from one.
I would just look to the tendencies of top lifters in your weight class. As a VERY general rule, bench pressers on the lightest end of the spectrum favor leveraging over sheer strength, whereas bench pressers on the heaviest end of the spectrum favor “strength” over leveraging.
By this, I mean that lighter lifters will oftentimes make up for disadvantages in muscle cross-sectional areas by producing advantageous leveraging. Big arches and wide grips on the bench press are fairly common among the lighter weights, particularly among women.
On the other hand, most of the best raw heavyweight benchers are pressing with little of an arch and are using a closer grip. For them, widening their grip and trying to arch hard wouldn’t necessarily make them better benchers; otherwise, they’d be doing it.
These are on either end of the spectrum, but they make my point:
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
[quote]mkral55 wrote:
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
do you guys slide when you get a big arch? I have trouble keeping my upper back pinned on the bench sometimes.[/quote]
I always thought dudes in tank tops in the gym were douchebag show offs, but as much skin as you can get in contact with the bench helps stability all around IMO. Give that a try.[/quote]
Unless you sweat like a mule…
I recommend chalk[/quote]
thanks guys, I’ll give the tanks a try seeing as my gym doesn’t allow chalk half the time.
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
[quote]mkral55 wrote:
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
do you guys slide when you get a big arch? I have trouble keeping my upper back pinned on the bench sometimes.[/quote]
I always thought dudes in tank tops in the gym were douchebag show offs, but as much skin as you can get in contact with the bench helps stability all around IMO. Give that a try.[/quote]
Unless you sweat like a mule…
I recommend chalk[/quote]
thanks guys, I’ll give the tanks a try seeing as my gym doesn’t allow chalk half the time.
[/quote]
Do you have bands? I think I recall watching a vid somewhere, where they put one or two minibands around the bench to avoid sliding.
I’m not understanding how that would work. Are the bands pushing the lifter’s traps towards his feet?
I am thinking I’ll just bench with as much as an arch that I can hold reasonably, especially given my height.
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
I’m not understanding how that would work. Are the bands pushing the lifter’s traps towards his feet?
I am thinking I’ll just bench with as much as an arch that I can hold reasonably, especially given my height.[/quote]
Nah, like this:
ah that’s pretty cool, I’ll give that a try if tanks ever fail me. thanks