powerlifting technique on bench press

D17thgen · 03-15-2006

i been lifting for few months working with compound movements like the squat, deadlift, and bench press. i decided to change things up a bit and go for power and speed. today was the first time i ever attempted a power lift style bench press. i warmed up with 115lb doing speed reps, then 135, then bumped it up to 185lb where i did 5 reps of that. i had my hips/butt in the air off the bench like i was humping the sky, supported with the ball/toes of my feet (heels off ground), shoulders stayed on the bench, bar positioning was below nipple level, and my grip was wider than shoulder width. whenever i go heavy, my whole body would shake like im about to collapse.

is it because my triceps and calves are lacking?

id like to hear some advice on the bench press powerlifting technique

hopefully some links or videos

thanks

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IronFist · 03-15-2006

Shoulder blades together.

Ass ON THE BENCH.

You can go up on your toes if you want, but KEEP YOUR ASS ON THE BENCH.

You can arch your back as much as you want, but keep your shoulder blades on the bench and KEEP YOUR ASS ON THE BENCH. In fact, arching your back is good and will help you develop more power, but you need to keep your shoulders and ass on the bench.

Don't bounce.

Your body shakes because you're not used to the heavy weights.

And don't waste your time with "speed reps" or whatever. Even if they do have a place (which is another subject for debate), there is no reason for a n00b to be doing them. They will not contribute much and your time would be better spent doing other things that will develop your form and strength.

white2K2EX · 03-15-2006

IronFist to the rescue

Oh, and if anyone tells you to keep your feet on the bench, do yourself a favor and don't keep your feet on the bench. Feet on the floor = balance. Do you want to be unbalanced while you have 200+lbs above your head? I don't.

D17thgen · 03-15-2006

when you say shoulder blades together, do you mean like pinching them together throughout the lift?

i know feet positioning varies, but should i keep them close or spread out for a noobie?

5.0calypso93lx · 03-15-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by white2K2EX

IronFist to the rescue

Oh, and if anyone tells you to keep your feet on the bench, do yourself a favor and don't keep your feet on the bench. Feet on the floor = balance. Do you want to be unbalanced while you have 200+lbs above your head? I don't.

I like to put my feet on the bench or even in the air sometimes. It has always helped me with my stabilizers and my balance.

white2K2EX · 03-15-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5.0calypso93lx

I like to put my feet on the bench or even in the air sometimes. It has always helped me with my stabilizers and my balance.

Caution: frat-boy question time.

And how much do you bench? If it was anything over 135, there's no way I'd have my feet anywhere but firmly planted on the floor. Past that, I have yet to see anyone with a bench I consider impressive (>315lbs) bench with their feet on the bench or in the air.

If you like putting your feet up, go for it, but I think it's a bad idea.

IronFist · 03-16-2006

If you lose your balance with your feet on the bench, you're fvcked.

It's a common misconception that putting your feet on the bench helps isolate the pecs or some shit like that. It doesn't. It also doesn't help you lift more. It will also get you disqualified from a powerlifting meet before you even unrack the weight. It also hinders your ability to arch your back, which is a) safe and b) helps you lift more.

Did I mention keep your ass on the bench?

5.0calypso93lx · 03-16-2006

I usually cross my legs in the air and do 175 about 10 times. Since i have done this, i notice that i am much less shaky when doing higher weight, and i feel much more comfortable doing the bigger weight, since i have done this. I've been doing this for about a year now, and i can really tell a big difference from when i started.

D17thgen · 03-16-2006

jesus christ, its the day after i attempted that bench press technique and im sore as shit here. my entire back, rear delts, traps, ass, and hamstrings feel like the day i first started deadlifts

as soon as i recover, im gonna try it again with my ass on bench this time. thanks for the advice ironfist

IronFist · 03-16-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5.0calypso93lx

I usually cross my legs in the air and do 175 about 10 times. Since i have done this, i notice that i am much less shaky when doing higher weight, and i feel much more comfortable doing the bigger weight, since i have done this. I've been doing this for about a year now, and i can really tell a big difference from when i started.

You can probably tell a big difference because it's been a year

It's not like if you have bad form you won't see results, it's just that if you have good form you will see better results, faster, over time, and potentially be safer.

blouisgod · 03-18-2006

i didnt see this mentioned, but grip also seems to be pretty important. you want to go a little more than shoulder width and drop the bar to your chest. for a while i was actually going with a wider grip and not hitting my chest because my damn arms are about 4 ft long and it was just hard to actually bench (people with shorter arms have it easier

). i recently switched to a more narrow grip and by keeping my elbows in, im actually able to touch the bar to my chest and have noticed more gains in a shorter amount of time. i had to drop a lil weight for a few weeks, but im back at 235 now. all in my opinion of course.

white2K2EX · 03-18-2006

^ Werd. Powerlifters keep those elbows in, yo.

My arms nearly drag the ground, too. Only gorillas are supposed to have arms like this, but oh well.

Grip does make a big difference though. I can bench about 20lbs more with my ring fingers on the rings of the bar than with my index fingers on the same rings. I'm not sure what the regulation in PL'ing is for grip.

muscletrainee · 03-24-2006

Ditto what IronFist posted. All good advice.

I train at 2 different gyms where competitive bodybuilders and powerlifters train. These guys are putting up huge lifts, and I never see them with their feet up in the air or on a bench. None of my fellow pro trainers let their clients do it, either. It's dangerous and it's bad form.

D17thgen · 03-24-2006

today was chest day and i feel that i can push more weight with my ass off the bench rather than keeping it on the bench. if im just trying to accomplish a goal of pushing a big weight for a PR, would this be acceptable? or is keeping the ass on bench for a precaution for safety?

IronFist · 03-24-2006

^ Keeping your ass on the bench will:

a) Allow you to arch your back, which is a good technique (and legal in powerlifting meets), that will let you generate more tension and lift more weight. It's one of those things that won't really come into play until you're used to doing it.

b) Keep you safer.

c) Keep you from being disqualified in a powerlifting meet,

d) Keep serious lifters from laughing at you.