# Bench Press with long arms



## fuzion (Feb 24, 2005)

Hey guys,

I am 6'1 and have long arms, and I find it difficult to bench real heavy.  I am up to about 180 on bench right now.  I am probably lifting wrong or something.  Anyone know any strategies for people with long arms?  Right now I am using a medium grip, and I bring it straight down to my chest without letting it touch and push up straight.


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## AnaSCI (Feb 24, 2005)

i would suggest going wider, with your grip.


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## pincrusher (Feb 24, 2005)

Anasci.org said:
			
		

> i would suggest going wider, with your grip.


going wide will shorten the distance you need to push the weight and allow you to focus on flexing the muscles.  before you bench try doing a few minutes of side chest poses where you flex the pecs really hard. this will help you focus more on using your pecs when you lift instead of your arms.
dumbells will also allow you to use a little bit more of an arcing motion and will allow you to bring your hands close together at the top which in turn will help with flexing the pec muscles. other than that it is probably a weakness in your tri's and delts that is holding you back from hitting bigger #'s on the bench. with longer arms it tends to be harder to develop your triceps and front delts which all really big benchers rely on heavily to move the weight.


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## Blackbird (Feb 24, 2005)

I'm 6'1 also.  I use a pretty wide grip as well as a sissy grip.  I don't wrap my thumbs around the bar.


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## ORACLE (Feb 24, 2005)

Ah the fabled i have long arms so it's harder for me to bench compared to someone with short arms....lol....ok so i have short arms but regardless of how long or short your arms are you are still moving the SAME AMOUNT OF WEIGHT.  Just because the distance i have to push may seem not as great doesn't mean i can bench more than someone else.  Instead of paying attention to how long your arms are concentrate more on how to improve your muscles that help with the bench.  I can close hand bench where my thumbs are touching more than some guys do regular...it's not about the length or distance it's about strengthening your other body parts.


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## DragonRider (Feb 24, 2005)

oracle said:
			
		

> Ah the fabled i have long arms so it's harder for me to bench compared to someone with short arms....lol....ok so i have short arms but regardless of how long or short your arms are you are still moving the SAME AMOUNT OF WEIGHT.  Just because the distance i have to push may seem not as great doesn't mean i can bench more than someone else.
> it's not about the length or distance it's about strengthening your other body parts.


Actually there is something to this. There is a leverage disadvantage for those with longer arms.

Fuzion go with the wider grip, but still attempt to keep your elbows come down close to your sides. In other words don't flair your elbows out wide because of the wide grip. This will only cause shoulder problems and possible pec tears.


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## fuzion (Feb 25, 2005)

Okay, I will give the suggestions a try on monday.  I will let you guys know how it goes.  Thanks as always.


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## ORACLE (Feb 25, 2005)

DragonRider said:
			
		

> Actually there is something to this. There is a leverage disadvantage fopr thos with longer arms.



I still don't believe that it matters.  Leverage or not you still have to push the weight.


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## imdaman1 (Feb 25, 2005)

What DR says is definitely true bro. "When a person has a short trunk and long arms, they cannot bridge as effectively. This in turn puts that long-armed, short trunked person in a position where the humerus of his arms starts lower. In fact at the start of the bench press, his elbows will probably be below the plane of the bench, and this type of bench presser is at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to starting the lift." 
(quote from bodybuilding.com)


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## DragonRider (Feb 26, 2005)

oracle said:
			
		

> I still don't believe that it matters.  Leverage or not you still have to push the weight.



Let's put it in these terms then. Imagine you want to tip a 500lb weight and you have a 10 foot pry bar. Let's say that I put my fulcrum at the 2 foot point so that there is 2 feet from the fulcrum to the weight and 8 feet from the fulcrum to me the lifter. 
Now, one more time using the same scenario, lets imagine we put the fulcrum at the 5 foot point so that there is 5 feet from the fulcrum to the weight and 5 feet from the fulcrum to me the lifter.
Both scenarios are trying to move the same 500lb weight. Which one will move the weight the easiest.




I hope you picked the first one. The greater the length from the fulcrum to the person applying force, the greater your ability to move the weight with the least effort.
This means that the short distance from the fulcrum to the actual 500lb weight creates a leverage advantage that makes moving the 500lbs less effort. The distance from the fulcrum to the weight can be compared to the distance from your shoulder to the weight. 
The shorter that distance is, the greater your leverage advantage.


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## imdaman1 (Feb 26, 2005)

Yeah - in a bench press competition - nobody gives a shit about how long your arms are.


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## STEELADDICTION (Feb 26, 2005)

Also 6'1", another disadvantage that I have with my long arms is the initial lift off the rack.  All the benches at my gym are one piece fixed benches.  My old gym had benches where you could adjust the height of the rack making the initial lift off a bit easier with heavy weights, especially when doing close grips.


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## imdaman1 (Feb 26, 2005)

STEELADDICTION said:
			
		

> Also 6'1", another disadvantage that I have with my long arms is the initial lift off the rack.  All the benches at my gym are one piece fixed benches.  My old gym had benches where you could adjust the height of the rack making the initial lift off a bit easier with heavy weights, especially when doing close grips.



All the things that make the lifts more difficult are only making us stronger.


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## STEELADDICTION (Feb 26, 2005)

imdaman1 said:
			
		

> All the things that make the lifts more difficult are only making us stronger.



I couldn't agree with you more bro.


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