[quote]MickyGee wrote:
Heavy, do you have a write-up anywhere on the site on your thoughts on benching? Particularly the part about how most big lifters in the pre-gear era managed?
I am particularly interested in this as bench is a very weak lift for me!
[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
[quote]Ecchastang wrote:
Biomechanically, the closer the grip, and the more the elbows are tucked, the more the lats can assist at the bottom portion of the bench. Most comments about rowing the bar or bending the bar are cues to get the elbows in the right position. Where the lats help the most is in the initial push off the chest, where you are trying to get as much bar speed as possible.
HeavyTriple is one of the strongest benchers on this sight, but he does it with a decently wide grip, and very little arch, so his humerus is barely below the midline of his shoulder joint. With that in mind, the way he benches will allow for the least lat engagement on his bench. He has found the setup that allows him to lift the most weight. Someone with a narrower bench and more arch will get more lat help, but will sacrifice for less pec, more anterior delt and tricep. [/quote]
Fair observation, and I’m definitely biased. I feel like I’m on a one-man crusade against the lats, haha.
I modeled my style after the big benchers of the pre-gear era and they almost all seem to bench this way. I would guess the reason is because it allows for maximal involvement of the biggest muscles in the lift. Big arches really limit what the pecs can do, which I think is a bad path to take when you look at the big picture. Relying on the lats for power off the chest greatly diminishes potential in that crucial first third, in my view. As I alluded to before, the lats are already shortened there and not in good biomechanicsl position to contribute force as they lack any stretch reflex. Conversely, the pecs are in the best position given the amount of muscle fibers they have to contribute and their stretch at the bottom…lots of potential energy there.
And thanks for the compliment. I have a solid bench, but I also have a master’s education in biomechanics. Viewing the lifts from that perspective is fun for me.[/quote]
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I actually left a space in my log to do just that and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Give me a few days and I’ll get it written…this should be a good kick in the butt to finally do it.