Can you guys give me an article that arching your back in bench is safe

[Kbarredo]

So my sister the personal trainer was spotting me today. She saw me arch my back and she said the whole "you could snap your back" spiel. Can you guys give me a link that actually says so otherwise. I want to show her that it's just a misconception.

[InspecktaDeck]

The only time ive ever heard of it being ok is if your rounding your UPPER back on deadlifts to give you a leverage boost to start the pull. Then its locked out at the top.

edit
wait you ment to say rounding right? Your supposed to arch your back on every compound lift I can think of..

[Kbarredo]

The only time ive ever heard of it being ok is if your rounding your UPPER back on deadlifts to give you a leverage boost to start the pull. Then its locked out at the top.

edit
wait you ment to say rounding right? Your supposed to arch your back on every compound lift I can think of..

On the bench press when you arch your back.

[rancid_theclash]

It's safer for the shoulders DEFINATELY, as far as the lower back is concerned, the weight is on the traps/upper back muscles, not the lumbar spine, so I'd consider it safe (as well as most others, would love to see some articles for and against it though) lol

[bigfor15]

Maintaining a normal lordotic curve in squats and deadlifts helps prevent herniations and various other musculoskeletal injuries. In bench, you shouldn't be placing an excessive quantity of stress on your lumbar spine, so arching produces minimal risk for spinal injuries and provides much more support for your shoulder girdle.

[Heavy_Beats]

Just give her the standard bodybuilding.com response.

"How much do you bench press? ...Not as much as I can bench press so shut your trap."

[TheGasMaskGuy]

It's safer for the shoulders DEFINATELY, as far as the lower back is concerned, the weight is on the traps/upper back muscles, not the lumbar spine,

I agree with that, It's not like a squat where the weight could potentially add strain to it. That's like saying don't put plant your feet under you because of potential leg cramps.

[Kbarredo]

Just give her the standard bodybuilding.com response.

"How much do you bench press? ...Not as much as I can bench press so shut your trap."

Lol she's only 5 foot at 105lbs. If she could bench more than me I would be forcing her into competitions.

[GinjaNinja85]

Anyone who disputes the safety of an exercise needs to provide evidence against it. You don't need to defend it. Siblings ay.

[kayne695]

I don't like your sister. You have passed on a few things that she has said, and she sounds really dumb. You have to remember anyone with a spare couple of hours can become qualified as a personal training, doesn't mean she knows a thing about powerlifting or proper form.

[njg0920]

why not ask her for a study that shows arching your back during a bench press will "snap your back"

[arian11]

Here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch

"The arch is significant because, in theory at least, it provides a structure which eliminates tensile stresses in spanning a great amount of open space. All the forces are resolved into compressive stresses. This is useful because several of the available building materials such as stone, cast iron and concrete can strongly resist compression but are very weak when tension, shear or torsional stress is applied to them."

I think I'd rather have only compressive stresses on my spine rather than tensile, shear, or torsional.

[Retardo-pex]

So my sister the personal trainer was spotting me today. She saw me arch my back and she said the whole "you could snap your back" spiel. Can you guys give me a link that actually says so otherwise. I want to show her that it's just a misconception.

Just tell her something not being on an ACE or NASM certification doesn't mean it is wrong. I'm sure people HAVE hurt their backs benching with an arch before but the fact that every powerlifter who does it doesn't have chronic back issues is pretty solid in my book. I'm not a fan of extreme arches like folding in half to get a 2 inch RoM but a solid arch is more about support then cheating. Solid bases move bigger numbers. If she has ever advocated to put your feet up on the bench turn the whole thing around on her and show how an unstable base could potentially lead to a greater risk of injury.

[Black_Spit]

lol snap your back?

Wat?

[BothellBarbell]

Snap all your **** up. Lookin like a damn candy cane!

[Anthony21]

I do notice that when I arch my lower back fukcing hurts and it takes me a couple seconds to get off the bench after my set. I don't know what this might be due to but any of you guys have tips on this?

[neilmorgan77]

The worst that's probably going to happen by arching your back is that you get cramp in your back muscles from squeezing them. It's important to arch because you should be forming a bridge-like structure (Arian probably gave relevant info) between your feet and shoulders. It gives a stable foundation and reduces range of motion.

[bmontgomery87]

So my sister the personal trainer was spotting me today. She saw me arch my back and she said the whole "you could snap your back" spiel. Can you guys give me a link that actually says so otherwise. I want to show her that it's just a misconception.

ask her to find an article showing that arching isn't safe.

she's the one who is wrong, she should be defensive. not the other way around.

[simp3204]

I do notice that when I arch my lower back fukcing hurts and it takes me a couple seconds to get off the bench after my set. I don't know what this might be due to but any of you guys have tips on this?

Sounds like you need to stretch more.

[Xuaxace]

people that think that arches will hurt their backs are just completely retarded and lack of any proper reasoning.


I mean, it is fine to do yoga and pull this moves but not to bench with a considerably less severe arch (for males)

[Heavy_Beats]

I didn't want to spend too much time on this because your sister is laughable, she probably never learned how to use a barbell despite her self aggrandising wallet slimming certification. My own sister became quite agitated when she learned that I was squatting below parallel. However after watching several of my competitions and seeing many others squat below parallel, I think it is safe to say that her personal training inspired myths have been put to rest (some not all).

Anyone who disputes the safety of an exercise needs to provide evidence against it. You don't need to defend it. Siblings ay.

This.

I don't like your sister. You have passed on a few things that she has said, and she sounds really dumb. You have to remember anyone with a spare couple of hours can become qualified as a personal training, doesn't mean she knows a thing about powerlifting or proper form.

This, burden of proof if on her.

Just tell her something not being on an ACE or NASM certification doesn't mean it is wrong. I'm sure people HAVE hurt their backs benching with an arch before but the fact that every powerlifter who does it doesn't have chronic back issues is pretty solid in my book. I'm not a fan of extreme arches like folding in half to get a 2 inch RoM but a solid arch is more about support then cheating. Solid bases move bigger numbers. If she has ever advocated to put your feet up on the bench turn the whole thing around on her and show how an unstable base could potentially lead to a greater risk of injury.

I have seen a lifter cramp his back up so badly that he dropped out of the competition, he was definitely in a lot of pain as they escorted him form the platform. I also recall a judge remarked that when she attempted to use an arch, her back would lock up and they would have to carry her from the platform and unlock her back for the next attempt. She soon abandoned the technique.

While there are no studies on bench press arch that I am aware of some contortionists have had acute injuries resulting from extreme lumbar hyper-extension (http://incenter.medical.philips.com/...8%26vernum%3d1).

From arching your back and applying a lot of leg drive such as on a PR attempt you can cause discomfort and even a nasty cramp. That is about it.

I do notice that when I arch my lower back fukcing hurts and it takes me a couple seconds to get off the bench after my set. I don't know what this might be due to but any of you guys have tips on this?

Contract any of your muscles hard enough and they will hurt. You'll either have to toughen up or not contract your back as hard.

ask her to find an article showing that arching isn't safe.

she's the one who is wrong, she should be defensive. not the other way around.

Once more for emphasis, the burden of proof is on the claimant.

[Heavy_Beats]

Lol she's only 5 foot at 105lbs. If she could bench more than me I would be forcing her into competitions.

If she was benching more than you, you wouldn't be forcing her to do anything. The women with the highest raw wilks was 101lbs, your sister has no excuse to be weak.

Just thought I should point that out for amusement.

[Anthony21]

Appreciate the advice on the back pain. I'll definitely work on stretching it out properly prior to benching. Also I'll man the fukc up!

[arian11]

I bet you she can't find one person in the gym lifting who doesn't arch. And I bet she arches as well when she benches heavy. What I've noticed is people see me set up my arch and are like "omg that must hurt or ur cheating" or whatever. But watch when the average gym goer benches. They have a slight arch in their back because that is what your spine is naturally meant to do. And when they begin to struggle, they instinctively arch their back more and helps them finish the lift. I have yet to see anyone bench a heavy weight, even for their strength, and have their entire back completely horizontal touching the pad at all times. So I guess that means every gym goer should have a snapped back.

[Tharsos]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3113017AAEz76l

Are people really this ignorant?

[Kentisc]

Let her watch 'so you think you can bench' on youtube, if Dave Tate says you have to arch your back, you better listen!

[neilmorgan77]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3113017AAEz76l

Are people really this ignorant?

I'll remember not to ask on Yahoo for training advice.

[scarboro]

An arch can make the lift safer for the shoulders/pecs if you have problems. A friend of mine has a hell of an arch and it causes him no pain (good flexibility) and if he tries to bench with a normal "flat" back he gets shoulder problems. Since he always gets people commenting/staring I trolled one guy and told him "without the arch he can't even bench 2 plates" while he was pausing 315.

[Kbarredo]

Yeah apparently there's guest speakers in her classes that claim to be powerlifters that say arching is bad. I wish I was in her class so I could dispute these guys.

[Kbarredo]

I bet you she can't find one person in the gym lifting who doesn't arch. And I bet she arches as well when she benches heavy. What I've noticed is people see me set up my arch and are like "omg that must hurt or ur cheating" or whatever. But watch when the average gym goer benches. They have a slight arch in their back because that is what your spine is naturally meant to do. And when they begin to struggle, they instinctively arch their back more and helps them finish the lift. I have yet to see anyone bench a heavy weight, even for their strength, and have their entire back completely horizontal touching the pad at all times. So I guess that means every gym goer should have a snapped back.

No I go to the university gym and it's full of bodybuilders who scream and bench with their legs off the ground. I'm getting a little annoyed with whatever course she took. They tell her stupid crap like sucking in your stomach while squatting instead of pushing out. It's like everything they teach is contrary to powerlifting. It isn't even that they don't teach proper form, they totally teach against it.