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Benching, optimal line of travel

thatwaslight

By thatwaslight
in Powerlifting & strength

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lazyeye Member

lazyeye

Posted
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i guess its what ever works best for you, just sitting here and benching at the kitchen table it seems to press it straight would require more triceps, and to J lift it would be more shoulders (subtle)

Pman is more into that stuff than me, powerlifting isnt something i have coached but biomechanics is biomechanics

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Dr Squat Senior member

Dr Squat

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maybe posters can also include your 1rm in your reply so we can see if its advice worth taking lol :grin:

165 kg for 8 lol.

My bench has has natural arc back toward my eyes. In saying that bro, you need to find your own natural line.

Tonka and Alf (Best bench) will have a view worth listening to. Steve L, one of the best benchers in the country does advocate the "straight down and straight up" approach.

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lazyeye Member

lazyeye

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my 10cents is what ever you are, its cause of your biomechanics combined with individual muscle strengths.

a tricep guy will find a straight lift easy and a pec/shoulder lifter will prefer the J lift

probably means a J bencher is leaving pounds off the bar cause his triceps are lagging behind his chest/shoulders and vise versa,.....valuable training information.

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TonganTerror Senior member

TonganTerror

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160@ 95kg (in ultra tight singlet for carryover)

Personally I have always lowered straight down to highish point on chest and pressed straight up but have recently played with the press coming up toward the eyeline and seems at this stage for me to be adding a bit more tricep to the mix maybe, therefore adding more muscles to the exercise I guess :shrug:

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nate225 Veteran member

nate225

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A big arch can often mean a straight press is more suited, and as mentioned cuts distance from A to B, particularly with scapulas retracted.

As mentioned some lifters find lock easier with bar drifting backwards allowing more tricep to kick in.

Personally I use a more straight than most, but by no means as straight as some top benchers. More noticibly straight for me when doing shirted work (which was a wee while ago now!).

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Tonka Member

Tonka

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RAW - start position, take the bar and positon it over the sternum, movement straight down touch and press straight up (you want the shortest movement possible when RAW)

SHIRT - start position, bar postioned above mid chest. Lower the bar tucking the elbows and touch low (lower sternum/upper ab) and press pushing up initially but then transition the press to a lateral movement moving the bar back and flaring the elbows back out until locked out. Lockout should be completed over the mid chest or even as far back as over the collar bone.

Two totally different techniques. Very rarely will you see big shirt benchers RAW pressing using the tuck and flare technique because their shoulders wont be able to handle max loading when the bar is paused so low down the sternum/upper ab. Leverage wise, it is actaully awkward when they go to press the bar off their chest because the triceps arent in the optimuim position. Most will do heavy RAW pressing using the tuck and flare technique off boards.

Check Kennelly, Mendelson, Henderson, Siders etc...all the big boys have totally different techniques when the are RAW pressing to when they shirt up (well baring Henderson because he never ever wore a shirt and pressed 322.5kg at an IPF Worlds in a white t-shirt and wearing his gold watch!!)

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nate225 Veteran member

nate225

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Interesting Tonka goes for more of a arc (well a drift torwards the eyes than an arc that is seen with a flaired high on chest BBer type press) in a shirt whereas I probably tended to do less in a shirt than raw?

I found tucking elbows seemed easier (or more secure?) in a shirt, and perhaps I concentrated more on my set up? Hence the straighter push as I benched lower down the chest.

Interested to hear Doc's & Alf's take on this one? I guess different body shapes / leverages will promote different techniques to maximise tricep involvement?

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HarryB Veteran member

HarryB

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150 for 1.

I have a natural arc back to eye level. Apparently something to with my tricep and anterior delt strength. Mind you I use a fairly narrow handspacing compared to a PL. I bench more for development than strength though so maybe I could shift more weight if I changed my pressing line? I also think it has a lot to do with your levers. I am naturally quite broad but have a shallow rib cage, guys with thicker rib cages that I have trained with over the years seem to have a more straight up and down pressing line.

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Tonka Member

Tonka

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Interesting Tonka goes for more of a arc (well a drift torwards the eyes than an arc that is seen with a flaired high on chest BBer type press) in a shirt whereas I probably tended to do less in a shirt than raw?

As of late Nate Ive been forced to re-address my bar path travel when in a shirt due to losing some pressing power. Ive avoided this method for as long as I could because of the lower touch senario that has now become a vigilant offence in the IPF was something that always worried me. Over the last year Ive been working on the change and its still a work in progress but I see the reasons and the benefits when wearing shirts such as the Katana and Super Katana (probably not so much with the F6 or Fury).

I found tucking elbows seemed easier (or more secure?) in a shirt, and perhaps I concentrated more on my set up? Hence the straighter push as I benched lower down the chest.

Setup is essential bro and I totally agree with you on this but I didnt high light its importance in my above post because I just wanted to stay with bar travel question. You are spot on though, setting up as high as you can when you are arched (legally) and the "decline bench" press should come into effect where its simply a straight drop-stop-pop.

Interested to hear Doc's & Alf's take on this one? I guess different body shapes / leverages will promote different techniques to maximise tricep involvement?

Body shape and size is another important factor that needs to be considered. Lance Stewart I thought had the capability to bench mega loads of weight simply because his levearges were ideal for the bench. Short arms, broad and thick back/chest and he had pretty good technique. When I tweaked his setup, his movement was an incredible 20cm. If only he trained his bench as hard as his squat!! He suited the straight up and down bar travel only because his bar travel and setup was so efficient.

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Riccardo Senior member

Riccardo

Posted
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In terms of grip width, what would you big boys suggest for someone ~6ft with longish limbs? I feel stronger with a narrower grip but it seems counter intuitive as the path the bar has to travel is a lot longer, I can get a semi decent arch going and have reasonably good back development.

Current max between 140-150 raw @93kg. Looking to get to a solid 150+ for a comp on the 12th with training and technique tweaks.

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Best Bench Member

Best Bench

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Personally I bench pretty much straight up and down, but I think it depends on a persons set up, levers etc. I have had a play with the flared elbows technique that Tonka mentioned but generally if I can get a weight through the transition (which is when you would start to flare the elbows) I can lock it out by pressing in a straight line.

I think bar speed probably also plays a part here, if the bar is moving slowly then bringing it back towards the head can help keep it moving through to lockout and help engage the triceps.

RAW - start position, take the bar and positon it over the sternum, movement straight down touch and press straight up (you want the shortest movement possible when RAW)

I think most people I see in the gym start with the bar over there eyes and touch to high.

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