Benching Style?

[barrysanders20]

hey guys ive read many different ways to bench. Some people on here bench the powerlifter style with big arch in back shoulders firmly planted in the bench touching the chest and holding for a slight second and then up. Some just lay flat on the bench go down to chest then up. And some say that they go to an inch above chest even some say they only go about half way down. Almost all would agree to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground pushing hard into the ground with ur legs.What would be the best approach in your opinion? If it makes a difference i obv do want to get alot stronger but i am doing it more to build the muscle as far as looks although im no where in close to the shape of a bodybuilder for acontest at this point right now. Also am just starting a cut

[arniesays1]

Powerlifter style. This is also the safest on the shoulders.

[George Costanza]

If you value your shoulders you should bench arched and tucked.

[sciup]

For me I've seen the most gains from bringing the bar down only as far as to make your upper arm and forearms form a 90 degree angle. Anything below 90 degrees engages more of your shoulders.

As for the arch vs no arch, I like to use a form in between the two styles you described. I like to use a slight arch in my back but unlike power lifters, with my butt still on the bench. I find this allows your shoulder blades to pinch together with little effort, causing your chest to stick out and be utilized more.

I did the "lay down flat and bench to your chest" for a while and my gains stopped until I did what i described above. I'm assuming it was because my arms or shoulders were failing me before my chest. Being a smaller person, bringing the bar all the way down to my chest causes my arm to create an angle <90 degrees and my shoulders weren't strong enough to push the weight up to the point of 90 degrees where my chest would be doing most of the work.

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong anyone. I read a lot of articles and watched videos but as you all know, a lot of the information passed on out there is incorrect...

[smh8323]

hey guys ive read many different ways to bench. Some people on here bench the powerlifter style with big arch in back shoulders firmly planted in the bench touching the chest and holding for a slight second and then up. Some just lay flat on the bench go down to chest then up. And some say that they go to an inch above chest even some say they only go about half way down. Almost all would agree to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground pushing hard into the ground with ur legs.What would be the best approach in your opinion? If it makes a difference i obv do want to get alot stronger but i am doing it more to build the muscle as far as looks although im no where in close to the shape of a bodybuilder for acontest at this point right now. Also am just starting a cut

Power lifting style allows you to lift more weight and I hear it's better for your shoulders but I personally lay flat on the bench. Do not bring the bar all the way down to your chest. Bring the bar down until you form a 90 degree angle at your elbow. Going lower is tough on the elbows. Some people say going lower gives you a better stretch but I believe that if you want to get a good stretch, get it with flies since your elbow stays locked on them. Keep your feet on the floor, I hate it when people put their feet on the bench, it's just stupid.

[xX-T-Calv-Xx]

feet on floor, have some arch doesnt have to be a ton, and touch your chest
there ya go

[chazzy1864]

I prefer more of the PLer style. Here is a great video on how to do it + tips. If you want to watch more stuff on the subject, just youtube "Dave tate bench press".

[NZninja101]

For me I've seen the most gains from bringing the bar down only as far as to make your upper arm and forearms form a 90 degree angle. Anything below 90 degrees engages more of your shoulders.

As for the arch vs no arch, I like to use a form in between the two styles you described. I like to use a slight arch in my back but unlike power lifters, with my butt still on the bench. I find this allows your shoulder blades to pinch together with little effort, causing your chest to stick out and be utilized more.

I did the "lay down flat and bench to your chest" for a while and my gains stopped until I did what i described above. I'm assuming it was because my arms or shoulders were failing me before my chest. Being a smaller person, bringing the bar all the way down to my chest causes my arm to create an angle <90 degrees and my shoulders weren't strong enough to push the weight up to the point of 90 degrees where my chest would be doing most of the work.

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong anyone. I read a lot of articles and watched videos but as you all know, a lot of the information passed on out there is incorrect...

I think that powerlifters do keep their ass on the bench, also if you're weak at the lower part of the movement then in my humble opinion I think you should work on that

[chazzy1864]

PLers can not take their ass off the bench, AFAIK... at least if they want the lift to count.

[barrysanders20]

PLers can not take their ass off the bench, AFAIK... at least if they want the lift to count.

i agree only thing off the bench is thier arched back most powerlifters have incredible form although some people may sidagree with their style in general tho

[sciup]

oh i guess i am mistaken about the power lifters then. only came to that conclusion after seeing it in a few videos.

@NZninja101

Please explain why you think I should work on te movement with my arms below 90 degrees. I'm not saying its wrong I'm just curious as to the reasoning so I can optimize my time in the gym. When I watched Dave Tate's video on benching before he said that anything below 90 degrees engages more of your shoulders. So logically I would think if you go below 90 degrees, you would not be able to bench as much because your shoulders are not as strong as your chest and this would lead to your benching weight being limited to how strong your shoulders are. I'm not arguing that you wont get gains going below 90 degrees. Just that it seems to me that you wouldn't get a maximum chest workout.

[PeterGibbons316]

I do bench press with a slight arch and could probably have my feet up in the air if I really wanted to - so definitely not PL style. Something about "leg drive" in a chest exercise always rubbed me the wrong way, but PL style will allow you to lift more weight.