Paused Bench Press: get great leg drive when you Bench

PGM

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I was wondering why I was not getting much power into my Bench press when I first started powerlifting, so I started reading everything on power Benching. One of the most important components of a good bench is a powerful leg drive as you thrust the bar off your chest. Your legs thighs hams and glutes must be super tight prior to driving the bar off your chest, and everyone knows this come from proper set up before you bench. I find it hard to get great leg drive if my feet are wide and if they are out in front of my knees. I prefer to be on the balls of my feet with my feet back behind my knees to the point my thighs are tight when i place my ass on the bench. I do this by sitting on the bench with my feet in the position I want them then laying down grabbing the barbell and pushing my body down and under the bar which tightens my thighs and my butt. Then tightening my back by pulling the scapula's in toward the spine and pushing my upper traps down toward my butt, squeezing the bar I un rack and pull the bar down to my low pec, upper ab region staying real tight. I pause the weight on the low pec region. Due to the pause I have no rebound effect to get the bar off the chest, so to explode off the chest I need to push hard on the floor with my feet by tightening my thighs and driving my upper back down into the bench. As I do this I thrust the bar off the chest and drive my back into the bench as well trying to push my self away from the bar. I find you have to use heavy enuff weight to really have to drive with the legs to get the bar to lock out ,,, I use 2-3 reps for each set, working up to 5 -6 sets to get some volume. These really helped get my bench press poundage go up and taught me how to get a leg drive into the Bench Press.
 
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I always find it interesting how connected lifts really are. What I mean is a pretty much purely upper body lift like a bench requires the engagement of the lower body to really get power.

Best example I’ve seen of this is doing Stots press. I can push quite a bit overhead standing or sitting but struggle with 95 lbs doing a Stots press.
 
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I always find it interesting how connected lifts really are. What I mean is a pretty much purely upper body lift like a bench requires the engagement of the lower body to really get power.

Best example I’ve seen of this is doing Stots press. I can push quite a bit overhead standing or sitting but struggle with 95 lbs doing a Stots press.
Everything is connected. Try doing a moderately heavy one armed dumbbell curl without squeezing you glutes legs and abs ( loose lower body) now squeeze the hell out of the glutes abs hams and thighs and watch how much more you can curl.
 
Is anyone else on the board interested or involved in powerlifting?
 
Is anyone else on the board interested or involved in powerlifting?
I am 25 and have been powerlifting since i was 16 y/o.

I've competed in the Canadian Powerlifting Association but in the future i want to go in different feds just to try them.

My best comp lifts are:

618 squat (raw with wraps)
440 bench
750 deadlift
Best total: 1760 @ 233 lbs

Can't wait for that covid shit to stop so i can prepare again for other meets. I've dropped down to 210lbs and plan to cut more fat off to compete in the -198lbs.
 
I was wondering why I was not getting much power into my Bench press when I first started powerlifting, so I started reading everything on power Benching. One of the most important components of a good bench is a powerful leg drive as you thrust the bar off your chest. Your legs thighs hams and glutes must be super tight prior to driving the bar off your chest, and everyone knows this come from proper set up before you bench. I find it hard to get great leg drive if my feet are wide and if they are out in front of my knees. I prefer to be on the balls of my feet with my feet back behind my knees to the point my thighs are tight when i place my ass on the bench. I do this by sitting on the bench with my feet in the position I want them then laying down grabbing the barbell and pushing my body down and under the bar which tightens my thighs and my butt. Then tightening my back by pulling the scapula's in toward the spine and pushing my upper traps down toward my butt, squeezing the bar I un rack and pull the bar down to my low pec, upper ab region staying real tight. I pause the weight on the low pec region. Due to the pause I have no rebound effect to get the bar off the chest, so to explode off the chest I need to push hard on the floor with my feet by tightening my thighs and driving my upper back down into the bench. As I do this I thrust the bar off the chest and drive my back into the bench as well trying to push my self away from the bar. I find you have to use heavy enuff weight to really have to drive with the legs to get the bar to lock out ,,, I use 2-3 reps for each set, working up to 5 -6 sets to get some volume. These really helped get my bench press poundage go up and taught me how to get a leg drive into the Bench Press.

fellas at cjm posted a good video on this the other day. I can’t remember who though.
 
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I believe that is where the video originated. Thank you! The video I was referring to spoke exactly to what pgmunn was referring to with respect to leg drive and energy transfer.
No problem ! Here is another one by Alan Thrall, it is really worth the 5 min watch !

Pgmunn is absolutly right. Leg drive is awsome and something you NEED if you want to maximize your benching potential in terms of barbell weight.
 
No problem ! Here is another one by Alan Thrall, it is really worth the 5 min watch !

Pgmunn is absolutly right. Leg drive is awsome and something you NEED if you want to maximize your benching potential in terms of barbell weight.

great video on leg drive
 
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