Who here Benches with an Arch & Leg drive?

[barbell001]

For the past few months after seeing countless guys around the 80kg BW mark benching 500lb's plus with a big arch and feet virtually looping round and touching their backs Lol I decided to give in and give it a go just to try and achieve the big magic number. The style I can most closely match at least in the beginning stages of learning it is Big Kirrils - Basically holding the barbell and sliding under and up, to then sink back down onto my traps. With my feet tucked back as far as they can go (which isn't that far!)

I do manage to get in somewhat of a decent decline position with the bar, and chest high enough in that even when doing maxes etc I get zero pump or stretch across my chest at all, just mainly in my front delts, upper sides of my back and a little bit of triceps. This is is compared to my normal set up where my feet come down at a 90 degree angle to meet the floor, with a slight arch and resting on my rear delts. When I press in this latter style right from the word go I feel it across my chest and am able to get so much more power and strength into the movement using my pecs also.

I do realise with the proper back arch that in time and with various assistance work it should be much stronger, but I just get zero satisfaction from pressing like this. I've actually lost bodyweight because most of my chest, shoulder and arm development has disappeared! My clothes have become baggy again and I just don't feel like I've even trained properly afterwards. So I have changed back to proper ROM again.

Does anyone else feel like this when incorporating a full back arch or do you try and achieve what I prefer to do which is gain both strength and size, but with the most emphasis on the strength side?

 

[barbell001]

Damn Guy's I thought this would be quite a popular discussion? :-(

 

[Shadow Project]

Benchpress for basic pressing strength, add other chest movements for size. The carry-over from the stronger benchpress to other chest exercises should help in absolute development of the chest.

 

[Hightower]

Benchpress for basic pressing strength, add other chest movements for size. The carry-over from the stronger benchpress to other chest exercises should help in absolute development of the chest.

I'm not sure that the bench press will be the main cause of the development of the pectoral muscles. I would still choose the dumbbell incline press and the Smith machine incline bench press with a wide grip. I can be wrong.

 

[Blange89]

For the life of me I cannot figure out leg drive

 

[barbell001]

For the life of me I cannot figure out leg drive

To get the hang of it you have to practise pause benching, once the weight is rested on your chest push with the the balls or heels of your feet (which ever you use to connect with the ground) into the ground to drive your body backwards into your traps or upper back (which ever connects to the bench) effectively torqueing and pushing the bar as you press it back up. Its all about timing more than anything getting them both to interact with one another. Push with the feet first then driving through the body up into the pressing of the bar. It doesn't sound like it can offer much in terms of poundage increase but when it synchs together it can make a huge difference. On my max ever bench I just happened to pull this off without trying to Lol The bar came down to rest on my chest and out of pure built up anxiety I didn't immediately fire it back up as I was overthinking it, but when I did I drove with my legs and it flew up!! Unfortunately I never managed to repeat it quite the same again, its something I need to put practise into after hearing how Dan Green explained it.

 

[Btcowboy]

To get the hang of it you have to practise pause benching, once the weight is rested on your chest push with the the balls or heels of your feet (which ever you use to connect with the ground) into the ground to drive your body backwards into your traps or upper back (which ever connects to the bench) effectively torqueing and pushing the bar as you press it back up. Its all about timing more than anything getting them both to interact with one another. Push with the feet first then driving through the body up into the pressing of the bar. It doesn't sound like it can offer much in terms of poundage increase but when it synchs together it can make a huge difference. On my max ever bench I just happened to pull this off without trying to Lol The bar came down to rest on my chest and out of pure built up anxiety I didn't immediately fire it back up as I was overthinking it, but when I did I drove with my legs and it flew up!! Unfortunately I never managed to repeat it quite the same again, its something I need to put practise into after hearing how Dan Green explained it.

Well said, leg drive takes practice.

 

[Hightower]

To get the hang of it you have to practise pause benching, once the weight is rested on your chest push with the the balls or heels of your feet (which ever you use to connect with the ground) into the ground to drive your body backwards into your traps or upper back (which ever connects to the bench) effectively torqueing and pushing the bar as you press it back up. Its all about timing more than anything getting them both to interact with one another. Push with the feet first then driving through the body up into the pressing of the bar. It doesn't sound like it can offer much in terms of poundage increase but when it synchs together it can make a huge difference. On my max ever bench I just happened to pull this off without trying to Lol The bar came down to rest on my chest and out of pure built up anxiety I didn't immediately fire it back up as I was overthinking it, but when I did I drove with my legs and it flew up!! Unfortunately I never managed to repeat it quite the same again, its something I need to put practise into after hearing how Dan Green explained it.

A small addition, it is necessary to push not upside down. but as if forward, and then the risk of tearing off the ass will be less. And it is true that this is a matter of time and practice. And it is important to ensure that the body and legs work synchronously. After all, the legs can give up to 30% of the breakdown of the barbell from the chest.

 

[barbell001]

A small addition, it is necessary to push not upside down. but as if forward, and then the risk of tearing off the ass will be less. And it is true that this is a matter of time and practice. And it is important to ensure that the body and legs work synchronously. After all, the legs can give up to 30% of the breakdown of the barbell from the chest.

They can give up to 30% of the push from the chest do you mean bud? Is this written somewhere?

 

[Hightower]

They can give up to 30% of the push from the chest do you mean bud? Is this written somewhere?

I have come across several articles where they compared the bench where the legs work and where the legs do not work during the bench press. And there the effectiveness of the work of the legs was eventually expressed up to 30%. I have a difference between bench press using legs 20-25 kg.

 

[FH93]

I have as much of an arch as I can, but it's not much of an arch. Also use leg drive but only recently been properly working on technique. My feet started slipping today though when doing it, probably because my converse are so worn, and I'm not sure how to make sure that doesn't happen in the future, especially when I'm at a meet.

 

[barbell001]

I have as much of an arch as I can, but it's not much of an arch. Also use leg drive but only recently been properly working on technique. My feet started slipping today though when doing it, probably because my converse are so worn, and I'm not sure how to make sure that doesn't happen in the future, especially when I'm at a meet.

I'm pretty sure I have seen John Haack using squatting shoes when he benches, I would imagine they offer pretty good ground grip. I just use normal trainers but do know how much it affects confidence once you have been through a foot slipping mid lift!! It sticks in your head for a while doesn't it.

 

[FH93]

I'm pretty sure I have seen John Haack using squatting shoes when he benches, I would imagine they offer pretty good ground grip. I just use normal trainers but do know how much it affects confidence once you have been through a foot slipping mid lift!! It sticks in your head for a while doesn't it.

I don't have squatting shoes but I've got deadlifting slippers, but I'd have to check if they're legal in my fed.

 

[Btcowboy]

I'm pretty sure I have seen John Haack using squatting shoes when he benches, I would imagine they offer pretty good ground grip. I just use normal trainers but do know how much it affects confidence once you have been through a foot slipping mid lift!! It sticks in your head for a while doesn't it.

I too use my squat shoes for bench. I cant get my legs back and heels down otherwise. The grip is also fantastic. I have deadlift slippers also and they work as well minus the heel lift

 

[Hightower]

I'm pretty sure I have seen John Haack using squatting shoes when he benches, I would imagine they offer pretty good ground grip. I just use normal trainers but do know how much it affects confidence once you have been through a foot slipping mid lift!! It sticks in your head for a while doesn't it.

Yes, definitely a lot of bench presses in squat shoes. Including John. But who presses bending their backs already how to put on other shoes correctly. But in any case, shoes should keep your feet on the floor well and not slip. The power of turning on the legs during the bench press depends on this.

 

[Hightower]

I too use my squat shoes for bench. I cant get my legs back and heels down otherwise. The grip is also fantastic. I have deadlift slippers also and they work as well minus the heel lift

For traction, I like Metal shoes made in Finland. They keep both the clutch itself and the leg itself very rigid, which allows you to powerfully break the barbell in the sumo deadlift.

 

[koolio]

If you are tall a big arch is nearly impossible...the bench is between 17-19 inches off of the floor...shorter lifters can get the proper arch because their thighs are pointing down toward the floor when their feet are pulled back...this can't be done with long legs...an experiment would be too find a bench that is 24" off the floor...

 

[Megadick3000]

I don't have squatting shoes but I've got deadlifting slippers, but I'd have to check if they're legal in my fed.

deadlifting slippers? Is that really a thing? For some reason im picturing you deadlifting in a pair of pastel pink ballerina slippers now

 

[FH93]

deadlifting slippers? Is that really a thing? For some reason im picturing you deadlifting in a pair of pastel pink ballerina slippers now

Lmao. They're basically designed to have a lot of grip and very minimal drop, like a couple mm, but they're not shoes, you just slip them on your feet.

 

[Hightower]

deadlifting slippers? Is that really a thing? For some reason im picturing you deadlifting in a pair of pastel pink ballerina slippers now

Well, why did I introduce this, well, why