Should i arch my back when benching

It might feel awkward and unnatural when you attempt a bench press arch for the first time. This is normal and to be expected. It will require consistent practice over a prolonged period of time. For example, if you want to get better at free throw shots in basketball, you need to perform thousands of shotss at the free throw line to get better at that specific skill. This principle states that for any desired movement outcome, the more specific the practice as it relates to the skill, the greater the positive adaptation.

This is because performing back squats is a more specific method than front squats. This same level of specificity is required to improve the bench press arch. If you want to get better, always bench press with an arch, and your joint mobility and musculature will adapt positively to the new movement pattern.

In our article, Should Powerlifters Do Yoga , we explain how certain yoga poses may help increase your bench press arch. There are a few exercises that you should implement if you are going to start using a bench press arch. First, you want to create a full body arch. This means that you need to develop the ability to arch from your upper back to the pelvis. Think about anchoring your upper back and pelvis onto the bench, and use them as pivot points where you distribute the load of your body through the bench.

Second, once you set your arch, you want to ensure you maintain this position as you cycle through reps. Simply try and get stronger through more effective programming. She also has long arms, so by all account she is required to press the bar with a greater range of motion than others.

Improve your arch by strengthening your mid-back, and performing specific drills to increase mobility. That is, believe it or not, the entire goal of our sport. A shorter distance for the bar to travel means less time under pressure.

In fact, it actually leads to even better activation. That brings us to benefit number two. Yep, you heard me. Though the reduced ROM means less work in total, the bench press arch makes up for it by hitting the chest at a different angle.

Think about it. Tucking your shoulders like this allows the pecs and triceps to handle the brunt of the load while relieving the deltoids and rotator cuffs from excessive stress. Instead of floundering around like a trout, we want to create a thoracic arch during the set up. That way, the force generated from the legs transfers directly into the bar thanks to a pre-stabilized back. Plus, we can minimize shear loading by creating a back arch during setup as long as the glutes and shoulders remain in contact with the bench.

Without an arch, not only does the leg drive go absolutely nowhere, but the spine faces a higher risk of injury as a result. Using proper leg drive creates an arch prior to putting the spine under load, will result in an arch becoming created at some point in the lift, and this is much less likely to lead to an injury if done during the set up when the body is not yet loaded. Olympia Bodybuilding Contest. Powerlifters have all agreed to a specific set of rules that allow arching, so if the goal is to lift as much weight as possible as safely as possible, why not encourage it?

Lauren Bedosky Lauren Bedosky is a Minnesota-based health and fitness writer. Thoughts to share? Leave a Comment. More Like This. Equipment-Based Workouts Fitness Tips. Fine-tune your form — and breathing rhythm — to make the most of this strength-building staple. Strong-Body Basics.