I do bench with feet up, when the bar touches my chest, i keep a little pause to stop the momentum, and then push back up, pause at the top as well. Basically the 2-1-2 “rule”.
I’m looking for the best gains of course in everything that i do, that’s why i lift with feet up, or have i gotten this wrong? Is there any chance of injury in this position etc?
You are not risking injury doing that, but depending on what your goals are, it might or might not be the best way.
Are you asking about the feet up, or the pause?
I think the pause it’s fine, more of a personal preference or even discipline specific such as power lifting.
You should put your feet on the ground and make a solid base to push against. Nothing gained by a lose body.
From one noob to another.
If you mean the best gains in strength then this would be the worse thing to do, by having feet on the bench. Having your feet up on the bench I would have thought you would have zero stabilty and the bar would be swaying around. You need your feet grounded for rock hard stability and leg drive. The only guys I see at the gym with feet on the bench are the small guys and it does look abit silly.
This whole article is really good for proper bench press technique, section 14 talks about feet placement.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/benchipedia-dave-tates-free-bench-press-manual/
The pause is really not necessary unless you are training for powerlifting. Pausing will limit the amount you can bench and thus your gains, at least at this point in your training. Once you are more advanced, you can introduce pausing as an additional variable. And as others have said, keep your feet on the floor. Basically, until you get a good strength base built, you want to do everything you can to get stronger at the bench, and this usually means lifting the most weight you can through the full ROM. Don’t do anything unnecessary to limit the amount of weight you can lift.
I prefer to have you pausing, actually I think eliminating momentum is more important than pausing itself. The feep up or down on the ground is a discussion between power lifters and body builders. The later say you isolate the pecs with your feet up on the bench but this is plain wrong, by doing this the load shifts from the pecs to the shoulders making you 1)more unstable and 2) making you lift less weigth.
Bottom line: feet down on the ground and build a good strength base,
I have good stability on the bench, so the bar stays balanced too. My balance is trained from the martial arts. I don’t want to risk falling off/injuring myself.
But yes, maximun strength is my goal, it just feels that this takes a lot more on my chest, shoulders and arms than keeping legs on the floor. I can press about 95kg with feet on the floor (tho i push up with them then somehow automatically), and about 80kg with feet up, that 80 still feels a lot more taxing on my muscles, especially at the lowest position when starting to lift after the pause. When i have feet on the floor, i of course tend to help the lift with them.
That led my to the conclusion that the pause would be good and feet up, so that all the weight will be pushed up with chest/arms and shoulders.
Guys at the gym kinda, bounce the bar a bit from their chest, they are not really lifting the full ROM in that case imo (this may be noob logic). This does limit my reps yes, it makes me tired faster. But getting muscles tired is a good thing? I usually do 6-7 reps per set before my arms start to feel weak and my lower back begins arching a bit too much.
Concerning my goals: to be as strong as possible, i do a lot of multi compound movements, deadlifts, squats to the bottom, handstands/other balance work, bench is just a tool to develop chest and pushing power in the upper body. If i would compete of course id want all the tricks that help me lift more.
My first post on this subject was written hastily 
sorry about that, i should have included more information about goals etc.
Edit: By feet up i mean feet in the air, bent at the knees about 90 degrees. Don’t know what it is called in english. Not on the bench.
[quote]Black_star wrote:
IGuys at the gym kinda, bounce the bar a bit from their chest, they are not really lifting the full ROM in that case imo (this may be noob logic). This does limit my reps yes, it makes me tired faster. But getting muscles tired is a good thing? I usually do 6-7 reps per set before my arms start to feel weak and my lower back begins arching a bit too much.
[/quote]
Bouncing the bar is in effect cheating - you are right, the ROM is effectively decreased. Getting tired for the sake of getting tired is not a good thing. Lifting good, quality reps at working weight is a good thing. If you feel that you need to pause, make sure you are keeping tight throughout the pause. Your lower back arching too much may be a sign that you are not as tight as you could be.
[quote]Black_star wrote:
I have good stability on the bench, so the bar stays balanced too. My balance is trained from the martial arts. I don’t want to risk falling off/injuring myself.
But yes, maximun strength is my goal, it just feels that this takes a lot more on my chest, shoulders and arms than keeping legs on the floor. I can press about 95kg with feet on the floor (tho i push up with them then somehow automatically), and about 80kg with feet up, that 80 still feels a lot more taxing on my muscles, especially at the lowest position when starting to lift after the pause. When i have feet on the floor, i of course tend to help the lift with them.
That led my to the conclusion that the pause would be good and feet up, so that all the weight will be pushed up with chest/arms and shoulders.
Guys at the gym kinda, bounce the bar a bit from their chest, they are not really lifting the full ROM in that case imo (this may be noob logic). This does limit my reps yes, it makes me tired faster. But getting muscles tired is a good thing? I usually do 6-7 reps per set before my arms start to feel weak and my lower back begins arching a bit too much.
Concerning my goals: to be as strong as possible, i do a lot of multi compound movements, deadlifts, squats to the bottom, handstands/other balance work, bench is just a tool to develop chest and pushing power in the upper body. If i would compete of course id want all the tricks that help me lift more.
My first post on this subject was written hastily sorry about that, i should have included more information about goals etc.
Edit: By feet up i mean feet in the air, bent at the knees about 90 degrees. Don’t know what it is called in english. Not on the bench.[/quote]
Lets go one thing at a time. Ok?
First of all I assume, since you did not clarify, is that your main goal for your strength gains is to apply them to your martial arts or sports. If Im wrong and you are concerned about getting bigger or do not mind it being a consequence them it would be good to know.
If max power is your goal then it just makes sense to be able to lift more weight. I would limit reps to 5 as more reps can cause muscle inflammation thus hampering your recovery time. Tiring out your muscles or hitting failure is not always a good thing nor a good indicator that you are doing things properly.
When you lift you are not supposed to isolate, you should try to bring as many muscle groups involved in the movement to up your muscle contraction. Power lifters are way stronger than body builders and they bench with the feet flat on the ground, moreover athletes who bench (If they do at al) do it with their feet on the ground. It maxes tension and stability (it does not only have to do with balancing the bar).
Squats and Deads are fine but for shoulder and arm strength Overhead Presses are far superior than Bench Presses. It is ok though to use them for chest development.
Lets go one thing at a time. Ok?
First of all I assume, since you did not clarify, is that your main goal for your strength gains is to apply them to your martial arts or sports. If Im wrong and you are concerned about getting bigger or do not mind it being a consequence them it would be good to know.
If max power is your goal then it just makes sense to be able to lift more weight. I would limit reps to 5 as more reps can cause muscle inflammation thus hampering your recovery time. Tiring out your muscles or hitting failure is not always a good thing nor a good indicator that you are doing things properly.
When you lift you are not supposed to isolate, you should try to bring as many muscle groups involved in the movement to up your muscle contraction. Power lifters are way stronger than body builders and they bench with the feet flat on the ground, moreover athletes who bench (If they do at al) do it with their feet on the ground. It maxes tension and stability (it does not only have to do with balancing the bar).
Squats and Deads are fine but for shoulder and arm strength Overhead Presses are far superior than Bench Presses. It is ok though to use them for chest development.[/quote]
Martial arts is number one on my list yes, but i work as a security at bar doors, event’s etc so i don’t mind if i get little bigger as well. I’m pretty much normal weighing male, about 80 kg, so little more won’t hurt 
When it starts to affect my elasticity, then i start to do something about it. I eat pretty healthy, so i don’t think i should be expecting any sudden chances on my weight, i add proteins daily though, but not much.
I will keep my feet flat to the ground then. and keep my reps at 5.
I’ll look into those Overhead Presses, shoulders are my weak points, they don’t get as much training as core, legs and arms do at arts.
[quote]pcdude wrote:
Bouncing the bar is in effect cheating - you are right, the ROM is effectively decreased.
[/quote]
Bouncing the bar is NOT cheating, but it not to competition powerlifting bench press standards.
[quote]Salpinx wrote:
If max power is your goal then it just makes sense to be able to lift more weight. I would limit reps to 5 as more reps can cause muscle inflammation thus hampering your recovery time. Tiring out your muscles or hitting failure is not always a good thing nor a good indicator that you are doing things properly.[/quote]
This is quite inaccurate in so many ways.
[quote]Ecchastang wrote:
This is quite inaccurate in so many ways.[/quote]
Oh please. Do enlighten us
[quote]Salpinx wrote:
[quote]Ecchastang wrote:
This is quite inaccurate in so many ways.[/quote]
Oh please. Do enlighten us[/quote]
This guy is clearly a beginner (or barely intermediate) and would benefit from a wide range of reps and sets, not just the under 5 amount.
[quote]Salpinx wrote:
I would limit reps to 5 as more reps can cause muscle inflammation thus hampering your recovery time.[/quote]
This seems like an odd statement to me.
Could you elaborate?
I’d venture to say singles and doubles hamper recovery time more than sets of 8-12 do. But I’d like to understand what you mean by that statement.
[quote]Black_star wrote:
Basically the 2-1-2 “rule”[/quote]
Not sure I’ve heard of this “rule” before. Are you just talking about tempo, taking two seconds to lower the bar and two seconds to raise it? If so, that’s not the ideal way to train for strength. You want to fire the bar up as fast as possible, under control.
[quote]But yes, maximun strength is my goal
…
I can press about 95kg with feet on the floor … and about 80kg with feet up, that 80 still feels a lot more taxing on my muscles[/quote]
If max strength is your goal, it makes zero sense to bench in a way that automatically drops your strength 15kg. As was said, plant your feet on the ground.
Depends what you mean by “help the lift with them”, but using leg drive is one thing, having bad form is another. If you have bad form, then fix it.
This isn’t 1953. Being “muscle-bound” isn’t a thing anymore, as long as you train smart. But if you’re really “15-20% bodyfat” as your profile says, maybe consider shaving off some fat, especially if you’re on the higher end. At your height, some more muscle would definitely be a good thing.
What does your weekly plan look like? The days, exercises, sets, and reps. I’m betting it could be tweaked and improved.
[quote]Ecchastang wrote:
[quote]Salpinx wrote:
[quote]Ecchastang wrote:
This is quite inaccurate in so many ways.[/quote]
Oh please. Do enlighten us[/quote]
This guy is clearly a beginner (or barely intermediate) and would benefit from a wide range of reps and sets, not just the under 5 amount. [/quote]
I am not saying that is not true but keeping reps at 5 or under has worked more than anything else over the years for me.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]Salpinx wrote:
I would limit reps to 5 as more reps can cause muscle inflammation thus hampering your recovery time.[/quote]
This seems like an odd statement to me.
Could you elaborate?
I’d venture to say singles and doubles hamper recovery time more than sets of 8-12 do. But I’d like to understand what you mean by that statement.[/quote]
I am just against instructors sending people to do 3x10 when the client says they want to get stronger for a given sport or activity.
After all strength is about practice and the more you can practice without getting tired the better.
[quote]Salpinx wrote:
I am not saying that is not true but keeping reps at 5 or under has worked more than anything else over the years for me.[/quote]
How well has it worked for you? What is your weight, and what were you benching 3 yrs ago, last yr, and now?
[quote]Salpinx wrote:
I am just against instructors sending people to do 3x10 when the client says they want to get stronger for a given sport or activity.
After all strength is about practice and the more you can practice without getting tired the better.[/quote]
Getting strength is not about practice without getting tired, it is about pushing your body to do something it has never done before.
Clearly we have different points of view. As a light lifter there is no way I would up my lifts without gaining mass if I did not train my nervous system. All about practice, it is not only about going heavy (not all the time at least). Mostly Pavel Tsatsouline influence and it helped me go from 45 lbs deadlift to 220 in just a matter of months when I have tried literally everything before that.
[quote]Salpinx wrote:
Clearly we have different points of view. As a light lifter there is no way I would up my lifts without gaining mass if I did not train my nervous system. All about practice, it is not only about going heavy (not all the time at least). Mostly Pavel Tsatsouline influence and it helped me go from 45 lbs deadlift to 220 in just a matter of months when I have tried literally everything before that.[/quote]
Are you lighter than I am? I compete sup-67.5kg, (148.8 lb). Doing light low reps is not training the CNS, it is going through useless motion. If you are doing heavy low reps, you WILL feel tired, which contradicts what you said earlier.