Height Transferring Into Bench

Training Powerlifting
41

[quote]Chadicus22 wrote:
I always have this argument with people (mainly because im 6’4 lol) Anyway here it goes… Does a smaller person (lets say lee priest-type-build) have an easier time benching than a person above 6’2 ? Like, if you think about it the distance from my lowest point to my highest point is a lot farther distance to push the weight up than a smaller person. Or is it all relative a.k.a a bigger guy has farther to go but more power to do so? just wondwerin, thanks guys.[/quote]

the biggest raw benchers in the world are all over 6’ tall…

henderson benched 710 at 6’4"
mendelson benched 715 at 6’1"
Kazmaier benched 665 at 6’3"

quit your bitching!

42

a person at 7ft benching or doing any exercise is the same as a peson at 5ft. except for the deadlift were the person has to bend down a further percentage of his body.

in the bench both the short person and the tall person have the same angles to travel though.

my friend is 6ft2 inches with very long limbs and only weighs 150lbs and he can bench 100kg with ease. yet my other freind is 5ft7 with very short limbs weighging 145 but he can only bench 80kg. im 5ft8 with a 6ft2 wing span weighing 180 but i can bench 125kg.

43

I know people already highlighted proportions as a factor.
Long arms
Not cause of their length, as proven by several lifters with long arms.
The height of your chest is equally important. And not by itself but in relation to your armlength. Your arms are long or short not compared to your length but your chest (or arching capability), when it comes to benching.

Everyone I have seen boardpress can boardpress more then they bench.
Also the arch with the back many benchers achieve takes several inches away from the lift. That IS important.

How does this translate to tall and short people?
Short people on average has a bigger chest compared to their arms compared to taller people. Thats just how things work. And as always, there are tons of exceptions cause of the bell curve shaped variations in things like this.

44

i remember when i wrestled, i was very lanky and my bench sucked, other shorter and stocky guys had better benches

therefore they thought they were “stronger” than me. what was really the case was that yes, they were stronger than me on bench, but i was stronger than them on the mat, and this really upset/confused them

i dont think it is about whining, i thing it is about realizing where strength and weaknesses exist

guys like me will have a tougher time benching, doesnt mean you dont do it, it is just a fact

45

[quote]superscience wrote:

my friend is 6ft2 inches with very long limbs and only weighs 150lbs and he can bench 100kg with ease. yet my other freind is 5ft7 with very short limbs weighging 145 but he can only bench 80kg. im 5ft8 with a 6ft2 wing span weighing 180 but i can bench 125kg. [/quote]

At those body weights I would be very impressed if you and your friends are performing those lifts with good form.

Why do you quote your height and weight in imperial but the weight lifted in metric?

At a bodyweight of 68kgs (250pnds) with a height of 6’2" a 100kg bench press is very impressive. As you can see it’s much more than his own bodyweight for a tall, light dude.

46

I don’t think the issue is height, per se. Rather it’s an issue between the length of your arms and your height.

First of all my stats: I’m 5’7" tall.I weigh about 198 pounds. My arm span, on the other hand, is 6’2…"and that is both an advantage and disadvantage for me.

I bust my ass in the gym…I’ve been using Westside-based principles for a while now.

I squat about 400 (probably more, haven’t tested in a while). I deadlift 565. I don’t use a weightlifting belt or straps - my only tools are chalk and a cup of coffee.

My bench sucks…I struggle with 285 - 290 with a normal grip. I can 14" close-grip about 275.

Other guys in my gym who weigh the same as me and have my height always outbench me if they have shorter arms. On the other hand, my deadlift is as good as it is because of the slight advantage I have with my longer arms. Yes, I do work hard, but mechanical advantages come into play.

I’m not whining…I’m trying to find a a way to bring my bench up. I think when you have longer arms at a shorter height, you have to build more supporting muscle to move heavy weights in the bench versus someone with shorter arm at the same height.

47

[quote]Holo wrote:
isnt the top bencher in the world 6-foot-1, gene rychlak???

best raw in the world scott mendelson 771 raw
6?1? 320lb with a sixpack.

suck it up and train![/quote]

and I’m sure he’s natural right?

48

[quote]Massif wrote:
I hear a lot of people say “I’m tall, so I’m not good at bench”. You aren’t good at bench because you are weak.

While leverage comes into it, I think putting an ass-load of effort in the gym comes into it a lot more.

Suck it up, Nancies, and hit the gym.[/quote]

Seriously. First its genetics, roids, and shoes holding us back. Now it’s height? Yeah being tall makes it tough, but you act like it’s easy for shorter folks, they still have to work just as hard. Nothing in the gym is easy, so fuckup or quit lifting.

Shorter guys have a shorter distance to travel, and shorter dicks to jerk off while watching tall guys having orgies with super models. We all work with what our parents gave us.

49

[quote]Ali Pasha wrote:
Theres nothing worse than hearing a tall person complain about being tall. What next porn stars complainig of chafing? [/quote]

Fuckin-A. I’d give my left nut for 5" in height.

50

[quote]elliot007 wrote:
i remember when i wrestled, i was very lanky and my bench sucked, other shorter and stocky guys had better benches

therefore they thought they were “stronger” than me. what was really the case was that yes, they were stronger than me on bench, but i was stronger than them on the mat, and this really upset/confused them

i dont think it is about whining, i thing it is about realizing where strength and weaknesses exist

guys like me will have a tougher time benching, doesnt mean you dont do it, it is just a fact

[/quote]

I always hated wrestling tall guys (I wrestled 189 at 5’9" in hs). Their arms and legs were all over the fuckin place.

51

Did this thread seriously deteriorate into an argument over whether someone is whining or not? Geezus

52

[quote]Aleksandr wrote:
Massif wrote:
Jersey5150 wrote:
I am commited to having a good bench but I dont imagine that two people at say 191 lbs. one being over six foot and the other being 5’5" all things being equal. that the shorter guy is gonna always bench more.

Being 191lbs and over 6’ would make you a skinny, girlie man-boy, while 191 and 5’5" would make you a nugget.

This line of thinking is absolutely retarded when it comes to lifting heavy-ass weights. If the guy who weighs 191lbs at over 6’ wants a good bench, he should put on some goddamn weight. That is the beauty of having a larger frame - you can put a shitload more muscle on it. A point missed by the whingers here.

I’ve heard of short guys putting on weight at 3000 cals a day. I need near 5000 cals. It’s harder, that’s all there is to it. It’s not undoable, and I don’t think anyone is making excuses for themselves, but tall people have to be aware of that disadvantage.

Also, because of my height, I can have the same measurements as a short person (who needs less muscle mass to reach those measurements) and I still look smaller, because my proportions are different. Why pretend there is no difference?[/quote]

im 5ft8 and i need 5000 a day to increase weight but a friend who is heavier and 6ft1 puts on weight with much less caloires and he is heavier.go figure that out.

another 18 year old friend of mine benches 105kg 230lbs he is only 73kg bodyweight at 6,2. 6ft2 wing span go figure.

i have a 6ft2 wing span at 5ft8 believe itor not and i bench 110kg for 5*5 plus i can curl my bodyweight.

everyone is different u cant class people as tall and weak and short and strong etc.

u will always find people making excuses for everything.

although i do agree that a shorter genetically gifted perrson will be stronger lb for lb than a tall geneticallygifted person.

53

as for the 50ft tall man what a load of bullshit.

prove it.

54

You clowns need to remember that another thing affecting leverage is the tendon insertion points for the muscles.

For example: 2 guys completely identical in every way, except 1 guys biceps connect 1 inch further down his lower arm then the other. That guy can lift a SHIT LOAD more on a bicep curl a SHIT LOAD easier then the other.

It’s fulcrum mechanics.