joking right? theres a sticky thread by sticky. Also youtube dave tate bench press and dave tate 'so you think you can bench'
I think it's an individual thing. I am 194cm, large wingspan, I get the least shoulder irritation with a large arch and a very wide grip (index on rings). Going narrow or using a 'lazy arch' (as I sometimes do) gives me clicking and pain in my shoulders.
Having said this from what I've seen arching is the safest way to do it as it limits ROM and therefore limits shoulder rotation. Also, a lot of people have a lot easier time with a narrow grip. Not saying this is the best way for everyone - narrow grip for example fucks me right up.
I'm going to play devil's advocate here and suggest that perhaps the typical competition style bench does not suit everyone, and that you may just simply need to experiment to work out what setup/technique is strongest and safest for you, and practice practice practice.
For example, for me it seems a mild arch, quite narrow grip (shoulder width) and touching a little higher than most is both the strongest and safest setup for me. Every time I try to use a more conventional PL sort of setup, my numbers drop, fail to improve and I get injured/shoulder issues.
I suspect this is because I have an odd build - 180cm with quite long arms and narrow clavicles. And yes my bench and pressing is pretty shit, but the above setup allows me to bench "heavy" frequently, make progress and stay injury-free. Attempting to bench in the same way most successful benchers do does not.
Narrow grip wouldn't limit the number of MUs recruited
If anything the larger range of motion would illicit a better training effect
Of course you need to practice competition form though
I'm going to play devil's advocate here and suggest that perhaps the typical competition style bench does not suit everyone, and that you may just simply need to experiment to work out what setup/technique is strongest and safest for you, and practice practice practice.
For example, for me it seems a mild arch, quite narrow grip (shoulder width) and touching a little higher than most is both the strongest and safest setup for me. Every time I try to use a more conventional PL sort of setup, my numbers drop, fail to improve and I get injured/shoulder issues.
I suspect this is because I have an odd build - 180cm with quite long arms and narrow clavicles. And yes my bench and pressing is pretty shit, but the above setup allows me to bench "heavy" frequently, make progress and stay injury-free. Attempting to bench in the same way most successful benchers do does not.
Some of the Japanese put PVC pipes in while they bench- it is a way to train you into a better arch. Personally I don't like it because it doesn't teach you to tighten up. An arch isn't just about reducing ROM it is about stability and changing the angles. Most people will get more pec major recruitment when they arch because it ends up changing the angles to something like a decline. The most important thing in my mind is stability and tightness. The russians call it the bench stance- its basically getting all the loading through the feet and shoulders- so your butt is just contacting the bench but isnt supporting you. You wedge your shoulders under the bar and drive through the feet. There are two main ways to set up under the bar- the metal militia way and the Japanese way. To see the Japanese way google Watanabe or Kodama and bench. To see the militia way google Sebastian Burns and bench. Merry Christmas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1mrtt3fUpg
Why does he raise his head off the bench?
Are you allowed to do that?
Imitation Japanese.What does Minh style fit under?