Originally posted on
www.totalhealthperformance.com.au
The bench press is performed by almost everyone who lifts
weights. Whether it’s the average bloke who goes to the gym, an athlete, or a
competitive powerlifter, everyone is interested in benching the most weight
possible. To lift the most weight possible you see all sorts of crazy things,
mostly by the general population trying to emulate elite powerlifters who have
been training hard building a foundation and dialling in their technique for
many years.
When it comes to arching in the performance of the bench
press I feel it is best saved for the competitive powerlifters and even then it
should be saved for final stages before competition to get the set up and
groove right. The way I look at is that there is a massive difference between
building strength and displaying strength, I heard this from Charles Poliquin
in a seminar and it continues to spring into my mind every time I write a
program or see someone ego lifting. These people will always do the easiest
lift with the loosest technique possible because they are too embarrassed to
lift a lighter load and build a foundation of strength that can be displayed at
a later time. For example, they will choose the steepest decline on the bench
and use the widest grip possible, often using a smith machine just so they can
look good in front of their mate. These people will never be truly strong.
What I prefer to do is use disadvantage leverages in the
early phases of training and save the strongest for times when competition is
nearing or when you truly want to display your strength.
The same goes for arching. I prefer athletes to bench
with their butt on the bench and keep a relative flat back. It is not completely
flat as I do believe you should keep your sternum high, squeezing your shoulder
blades back. This position is healthier for the shoulders and gives you a solid
foundation to press from. It also places far less stress on the lower back and
lengthens the range of motion in comparison to benching with an arch. For
athletes the main focus is to build strength in the gym not display it. The
time for them to display their strength is on the field, in the ring, or on the
athletic track.
When arching to perform the bench press you have a lot of
stress that is applied to the lower back and it feels quite uncomfortable. It
is something that you must practice and ensure you have the proper set up
before performing with heavy loads. It does decrease the range of motion a fair
bit and increases leverages, so you are generally able to lift heavier loads.
You also have to know how to use leg drive properly to perform this type of
bench press and where to place your feet. Some lifters will go right up on
their toes and have their feet directly under their hips whereas others will
keep their feet flat on the ground and only slightly back towards the hips.
This will also be dependent upon the federation they lift in and the rules
used.
I like the advice Ed Coan gives about benching, he says
to do whatever is right for you. He has benched with an arch and without an
arch. It is about finding what works best for you. He said he used to dig his
feet hard into the ground to stabilize himself, he arched his back, and kept his
butt in contact with the bench at all times. This was when he was doing his
competitive lift. In the offseason he would put his feet up on the bench and
perform his benches in this style as it was harder because he had less
stability.
Whether you perform the bench arched or not the big cue
is to squeeze the shoulder blades back and keep the sternum up. This seems
pretty universal. It is a better position for the shoulder joint, minimizes the
risk of injury, and allows you to lift good amounts of weight even without an
arch.
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