Bench Press (touch bar to chest or not?)

[Whey Hey]

I usually touch or at most im 1inch away from touching, no more....

[.Enigma.]

I go about a quarter inch above my chest

[SkeetSkeet]

Measure a 6 ft 2 persons arms and then measure a 5 ft 8 persons and you'll see a diff.

[jgrube]

So, do not touch your chest. When you do it actually stops the rep and you actually STOP using force to move the weight

what? u saying i'm resting all of the weight completely on my chest? we're talking about a light touch, then go. if i rested the bar enough on my chest to where i STOPPED using force, i'd be crushed.


you ever benched before brah?

[Mousey]

doesn't mark rippetoe say it's just supposed to "touch your shirt" before going back up?

[Empireboy]

i touch my chst everytime.

[jaded_seconds]

i touch the bar to my lower chest, upper abs.

i used to have this problem w/ my form in that i'd bend my wrist on the way down, so my elbows pointed more toward my toes more. it was definately better on my shoulders, but put alot of strain on my wrist and some tendinitis flared up in one of my wrists.

now i just keep the bar inline w/ my wrist, forearm, and elbows.

[zildjian_4]

Measure a 6 ft 2 persons arms and then measure a 5 ft 8 persons and you'll see a diff.

and then measure the distance between their shoulders, and their joints etc, and you`ll realize...HEIGHT DOESNT MATTER because everything is bigger. do you think tall people only have longer arms?NO! the rest fo their body is bigger too!

[dantheman999]

and then measure the distance between their shoulders, and their joints etc, and you`ll realize...HEIGHT DOESNT MATTER because everything is bigger. do you think tall people only have longer arms?NO! the rest fo their body is bigger too!

I usually like most of your posts, but i do have some disagreement here. Though i agree that proportionally tall people are the same, and that just because you are tall doesn't mean you cant be a good bencher. But tall people are at a disadvantage when it comes to bench, its physics...

Work=Force x displacement

The force is going to be constant (assuming constant bar speed) and if you increase the displacement (Longer ROM of a taller bencher), then the work required also has to go up.

Though the advantage of being tall is that they can potentially carry alot more muscle, and therefore be stonger.

[zildjian_4]

I usually like most of your posts, but i do have some disagreement here. Though i agree that proportionally tall people are the same, and that just because you are tall doesn't mean you cant be a good bencher. But tall people are at a disadvantage when it comes to bench, its physics...

Work=Force x displacement

The force is going to be constant (assuming constant bar speed) and if you increase the displacement (Longer ROM of a taller bencher), then the work required also has to go up.

Though the advantage of being tall is that they can potentially carry alot more muscle, and therefore be stonger.

its just..what im trying to say is.. none of the angles are any different whether the person is 5' or 7'
for example..take a picture of a guy benching and blow it us 1.5 x....the guys bigger, but the angles are all still the same. so therefore there is no difference in ROM you know?

[dantheman999]

its just..what im trying to say is.. none of the angles are any different whether the person is 5' or 7'
for example..take a picture of a guy benching and blow it us 1.5 x....the guys bigger, but the angles are all still the same. so therefore there is no difference in ROM you know?

I know what you are trying to say haha, the actual shoulder and elbow angles are all the same. Its not like they have to stretch more or anything.

But technically, the distance that the weight HAS to travel is farther, increasing the mechanical work required.s

[zildjian_4]

I know what you are trying to say haha, the actual shoulder and elbow angles are all the same. Its not like they have to stretch more or anything.

But technically, the distance that the weight HAS to travel is farther, increasing the mechanical work required.s

or is it the same when you take the leverage etc into account? lol

[dantheman999]

or is it the same when you take the leverage etc into account? lol

......W=F*d

its a fundamental theory, if you want me to pull out some old text books and derive it i just might! The distance increases, therefore the work increases! More work -> more energy used
More energy used -> Less reps possible

[allergic2rice]

I plan to compete in powerlifting in the future, so personally I practice powerlifting rules as strictly as I can for the big 3.

[zildjian_4]

......W=F*d

its a fundamental theory, if you want me to pull out some old text books and derive it i just might! The distance increases, therefore the work increases! More work -> more energy used
More energy used -> Less reps possible

i see what you mean, but youre not adding the leverage into the equation

[dantheman999]

i see what you mean, but youre not adding the leverage into the equation

All i am saying is thats its more mechanical work. The energy (in the form of ATP or whatever) available is limited in a set. Therefore, if more energy is required for the taller lifter, and they have the same energy available, then the shorter lifter has the advantage.

[zildjian_4]

check out this picture..

one guy is 5'...the other is 7'6

this is what im basing my thoughts off of

sure the guy who is 7'6 stands up taller, but he also has longer bones to do so. so really, in comparison, the work is the same for each...but anyways, im heading out for the night.

[dantheman999]

check out this picture..

one guy is 5'...the other is 7'6

this is what im basing my thoughts off of

sure the guy who is 7'6 stands up taller, but he also has longer bones to do so. so really, in comparison, the work is the same for each...but anyways, im heading out for the night.

I know completely what you mean. I get that. Tall people can be good lifters too, even better than the short guys actually because they can hold more muscle. What i am saying is that the shorter guy has a advantage over the taller guy, purely based on the physics behind it.

Haha but yeah, we arent even really arguing anything anymore. And we have derailed this thread enough haha.

[DLegasy]

check out this picture..

one guy is 5'...the other is 7'6

this is what im basing my thoughts off of

sure the guy who is 7'6 stands up taller, but he also has longer bones to do so. so really, in comparison, the work is the same for each...but anyways, im heading out for the night.

lol, that pic looks like it was drawn by a drunken 5year old. Ne ways I don't touch against my chest. I feel like shortening the ROM focuses more of the weight on my chest.

[zildjian_4]

lol, that pic looks like it was drawn by a drunken 5year old. Ne ways I don't touch against my chest. I feel like shortening the ROM focuses more of the weight on my chest.

lol...its called my art skills on paint on a laptop lol. didnt have a real mouse.

but...it is well known that shortening the ROM in bench keeps more tension on your tris

[msm172021121]

and then measure the distance between their shoulders, and their joints etc, and you`ll realize...HEIGHT DOESNT MATTER because everything is bigger. do you think tall people only have longer arms?NO! the rest fo their body is bigger too!

^^exactly, and repped

[roz707]

lol at some the physics in this thread. A few of you have it completely wrong, I think it's been mostly cleared up by now. To reiterate: work= force x distance. The force will always equal mass x gravity, whether you're touching your chest or not. (Of course, you could do more work if you accelerated the bar upward as opposed to pressing with constant velocity, but I digress.) Therefore, work= mass x gravity x distance. Always. And since the change in energy is equal to the work done, you expend more energy by doing more work, i.e. by touching your chest.

Of course, this disregards the whole argument of height vs. arm length, but in general people: touch your freakin chest.

[monatu]

if there is anyone in this thread that does the ****ing half bench press where they stop 4-5 inches off their chest they need to man up, drop the weight, and touch.

[LSU1]

if i rested the bar enough on my chest to where i STOPPED using force, i'd be crushed.

or you'd be a powerlifter

[Power_11]

I usually like most of your posts, but i do have some disagreement here. Though i agree that proportionally tall people are the same, and that just because you are tall doesn't mean you cant be a good bencher. But tall people are at a disadvantage when it comes to bench, its physics...

Work=Force x displacement

......W=F*d

Your first formula is wrong. The second formula is right.

d = distance. Displacement is usually signified s or sometimes r.

If I start with my arms extended (top of bench press) then lower the bar to my chest and push it back up to my original position then the displacement is a grand total of 0 meaning I have not done work. But the distance covered is two times the gap between the bar and my chest.

Just a small thing.

[Power_11]

or you'd be a powerlifter

When powerlifters get to the bottom, they don't REST the bar on their chest. They pause at their chest. They don't just relax, man. Imagine Kennelly or Mendelson just letting 1000lb just rest on their chest. They wouldn't be alive too much longer...

[LSU1]

When powerlifters get to the bottom, they don't REST the bar on their chest. They pause at their chest. They don't just relax, man. Imagine Kennelly or Mendelson just letting 1000lb just rest on their chest. They wouldn't be alive too much longer...

i am a powerlifter lol

the bar is still held motionless on the chest. i know this because i do it in training two days per week.

but i do get your point. i of course wasnt saying to remove your hands from the bar with it on your chest lol

[jawadams]

the entire body is longer, not just your arms.

LOL, unfortunately the bench press is not a whole body lift. So your arms being longer is a distinct disadvantage.

EDIT: I do touch my chest, just saying short people have an advantage. My cousin is about 5'10" and benches like 365, while I only bench 225. However I deadlift way more than him. Different bodies are better at different things naturally. Not saying I couldn't surpass him with a lot of work, but your body is naturally inclined towards certain things.

[Whey Hey]

LOL, unfortunately the bench press is not a whole body lift. So your arms being longer is a distinct disadvantage.

EDIT: I do touch my chest, just saying short people have an advantage. My cousin is about 5'10" and benches like 365, while I only bench 225. However I deadlift way more than him. Different bodies are better at different things naturally. Not saying I couldn't surpass him with a lot of work, but your body is naturally inclined towards certain things.

5'10 isnt short lol...

Im 5'11, but i know guys that are 6'5 who can bench more than me....

[jawadams]

5'10 isnt short lol...

Im 5'11, but i know guys that are 6'5 who can bench more than me....

Haha, no but it's shorter than I am. He might actually be 5'9" I'm just guessing here. Like I said, its a difficulty that can be overcome, but everyone has more natural tendencies to different types of exercises because we are built differently.