Best Foot Position for Better Leg Drive in the Bench Press 

same here. i feel taller lifters are at a disadvantage. even at 6'2 i feel if the bench was 2-3 inches taller then i would get a much better arch/base and a heavier bench

​@littlemoo52 wrong unless your 300 pounds u have plenty space under the bench press

@@mrstl3000 leg length and ankle/hip mobility play a pretty big role in how far underneath you can get your feet. In fact, I’d say it makes up the entirety of it lol. Shorter legs, in the absolute sense not relative, will make for different angles than long ones. And depending on how much hip extension and/or arch you have it will vary the amount of ankle dorsiflexion required to bench with your heels still on the ground.

Yep. I guess the shortest version of the video could have been "we want a lot of tension, but we want that tension to hold a big arch in the first place when possible."

@@BrazosValleyStrength Get it right first, _then_ apply effort. 😬

Just a side note, if your feet are slipping maybe it's your shoes? I use the Nike squat shoes and find them to be pretty good. These would only be good for feds where you have to have your whole foot planted though.

5”6 is smaller lifter

I have a video on belt on bench and while I agree that some people have expressed that it helps with some discomfort, I do think that it probably isn’t ideal for creating the biggest arch we can. It definitely limits my position as you alluded to in your comment. So sure, if discomfort is a limiting factor it might be worth a try. But I am literally trying to bend as far as I can.

@@BrazosValleyStrength yeah that is a good point! For sure agree with you there. My comment was more anecdotal; I never really have hurt my back powerlifting, except from bench press ironically! thanks for the response.

I actually think I talked about this a little bit in my sink vs soft touch video but that is another aspect of all of this as well. I think broadly, people who sink will do better with their feet more under them. It is much much easier to get flattened out when the feet are in front and you release some of that total drive during the sink.

Totally. There's no reason not to find a comfortable setup if one is not competing. I'm on the taller side for a woman and find that I am more comfortable on a 45cm bench than on a 42cm (upper and lower end of the IPF defined range, respectively). I've gotten more resilient over time but used to get cramping issues when encountering a lower bench in competition.

Besides trial and error with those things, I would really have to see it. And even then, I would still say trial and error. Even if you have short legs relative to other people your height, they are still probably pretty long relative to other people. I'd say my simple suggestions is make sure you are "trying your hardest" with the arch during your set up like I said later in the video. Make sure you are challenging you comfort there as likely the best position for you probably won't be that easy to get in to. And beyond that, accept that you are tall and that your arch may not be that huge overall anyway and choosing things that feel strong and stable might outweigh trying to match a much shorter person's bench style.

@@BrazosValleyStrength thank you for always thoughtfully responding!

You are looking for my self unrack video

I don’t see any reason not to. I’ve heard some people say that it doesn’t work as well because you want your toes pointed forward so that you can get more out of your quads, but I disagree with that concept. I don’t think quad strength is ever going to be a limitation for anyone here.

My point in the video was that I would still find a position that I can push very hard with most of my foot but I wouldn’t worry about it being actually flat on the ground. I only wear heels to make the foot flat visually. And that some people may get sooooo much from the arch being on the toes (like the people pictured) that they have net gain there. But for 99.9% of people being able to drive hard through the foot is a big deal, but the foot doesn’t have to be perfectly flat to accomplish that.

@@BrazosValleyStrength Thank you King 👑

Honestly sounds like you need to re examine how you are approaching your deadlift.

@@BrazosValleyStrength well, I wonder why. The low back is a prime mover due to my hip height and the fact that I’m pulling conventional, training it biased in flexion ultimately makes me less comfortable in extension in that area

You can check the specs but likely not. I think USAPL is the only fed that allows Velcro and the main issue would be the size being wider than 4inches

I would suggest watching the video!

Oh yes just seen! Thank you!

I really doubt there is a correlation there.

Get stronger triceps

People with weaker triceps could benefit more from doing more tricep accessories

I cited a lot of evidence and still you are that dense?

ok

How fitting that you express yourself like a caveman.