I get a lot of stick from other personal trainers telling me that I shouldn’t arch my back so much when I bench press. They say that it can cause injury to the lower back, because I am in a hyper lordotic position. I am a competitive powerlifter and this form of benching gives you the best leverage for benching heavier weights.

Let's take a look at the two styles that I often see.

When I bench, I get my feet back as far as I can, while keeping them flat on the floor (they have to be flat due to the federation I lift in). I also have them wide apart. Having the feet in this position gives me better support for when I bench. My glutes are squeezed tight and are touching the bench, just, and my upper back is squeezed tight. By this, I mean the shoulder blades are pulled back AND down and the lats and lower and mid-traps are engaged.

Having the shoulders in this position creates a more stable platform on the bench and stops the body from rocking side to side. This position also pushes the chest up and it isn’t just my lower back that is arched, it is my whole back and I am driving my upper traps into the bench pad.

As the shoulder blades are locked back and down, the arms will automatically come into the side of the body more and the bar will touch lower down the chest, 1-2 inches below the nipple line.  This will provide better leverage, which means a bigger lift, but also means less stress on the shoulder joint as the shoulder is in a more supported and stable position.

As the weight is pressed up off the chest and at arms length, the shoulders will still be in the position of being pulled back and down. My shoulders do not lift up off the bench, causing my upper back to round and become unstable.

Harry benching in competition

So let's compare this with the traditional bench press coaching endorsed by personal trainers.

I have been told to have my feet flat on the floor, but not as far back I can get them. The lower back should be flattened out on the bench and in some cases I have been told to have my feet up on the bench.

I used to just lie back down on the bench and my upper back would be loose and there would be a lot of rocking from side to side. By not having the back tight, the bar would come higher up the chest and would put more stress on the shoulders as their would be forward rotation at the shoulders to get the bar down to the chest. 

When the bar is at arms length, the shoulders would come up off the bench and the shoulder blades would be pulled apart making the shoulder joint unstable. Some trainers would also say that I shouldn’t be touching my chest with the bar and should stop 2-3 inches from my chest.

How not to do it....

Unfortunately no mention of upper back tightness  - avoid flaring your elbows like this guy.

Conclusion

I have benched both ways.  A personal trainer certifying company taught me the old way I used to bench. I benched like this for 6-7 years and had numerous shoulder issues. My max bench was stuck at 100kg. In 2008 I was shown to bench like a powerlifter. I have been benching like this since and have passed this onto my clients. My shoulder issues cleared up within a few months and my bench went to 140kg in the gym and 135kg in a powerlifing meet. 

The main reason other trainer’s say I shouldn’t bench like I do is because of the arch in the lower back and subsequent problems I would get. Well I can tell you, I have no lower back problems and haven’t at all since I changed. I can bench more and I have no more shoulder issues. All in all, I think I will stick to my way of benching.