Bench Press Technique - Page 2

Brian Stone · 10-29-2009, 04:52 PM

I appreciate the feedback. I guess at the end of the day I'm just going to get under the bar and try it for a while and see what I think. If it doesn't work for me, can't hurt to just revert back to a Rippetoe style press, that I've more or less done forever anyway.

Martin Bonn · 10-29-2009, 04:58 PM

you got that right brian! in the end it s about your goals! give it a shot, if it works, keep it, if not, lose it!
i m a fan of the rippetoe bp, not because it think it s better, but because it suits my needs! (having said that, i bench so rarely now, it doesn t matter which style i m trying to do, my body can t remember either way!)

Derek Simonds · 10-30-2009, 04:15 AM

I am also tall with really long levers and the bench is the bain of my exercise existence. I have done both styles Rips and Tates. I definitely favor the way Tate does it. I can tell the difference in the way my shoulders feel.

Like Martin said and you said find what works for you. I will tell you that I have been working on Tate's method for almost a year now to get where I can consistently setup under the bar and not feel completely uncomfortable. The only other challenge I have with the way he teaches is that I am not strong enough to use that technique for higher rep sets, anything above 5 and my form starts going to crap.

And for clarity I am still a crappy bencher so ymmv.

Donald Lee · 10-30-2009, 12:15 PM

It seems to me that the only differences in their techniques are the lower bottom position and the J-hook vs. straight bar path. Am I correct?

Martin Bonn · 10-30-2009, 02:00 PM

i think there s a bit more:
back arch, feet position, shoulder angle, upper body contact with the bench etc....

Charles Bean · 10-30-2009, 03:14 PM

One thing that will probably help you feel MUCH more comfortable getting into the setup, maintaining form while benching, and feeling much stronger is to use some light tacky spray on the bench, if possible. If not, perhaps on your upper back. That way when using leg drive and working to keep your chest up throughout the press, you'll find a wonderful "wall" to push against and receive power from. It's like deadlifting in Nike Shox vs deadliting in Oly shoes - something to push against that doesn't have any give.

Donald Lee · 10-30-2009, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Bonn

i think there s a bit more:
back arch, feet position, shoulder angle, upper body contact with the bench etc....

I think they hold the same positions for all of those except for feet position. Feet position don't mean much though. Most powerlifters push off their balls, while Rip advocates pushing off the heel. That's not a big deal in my opinion. I think the rest are all the same with Rip, except it just looks a lot more pronounced with Dave Tate since he has a powerlifting background where it's more important.

Martin Bonn · 10-31-2009, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donald Lee

I think they hold the same positions for all of those except for feet position. Feet position don't mean much though. Most powerlifters push off their balls, while Rip advocates pushing off the heel. That's not a big deal in my opinion. I think the rest are all the same with Rip, except it just looks a lot more pronounced with Dave Tate since he has a powerlifting background where it's more important.

hmmm i guess you could say that Tate's way is just a more 'extreme' version.
but i think the stronger arch (which inpart is due to the foot position) and the pushing off the traps (i.e. making it like a decline BP) are quite significant changes.