How to leg drive on bench?

[roundedback]

I keep hearing about this leg drive. What exactly is this and how is it achieved properly?

[Simon Rest]

Read http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=28597

[Levon_Xidyn]

Read http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=28597

How is this helpful to a question on leg drive in the bench press?

[Lion Heart]

It's quite difficult to get right everytime you bench. You basically you need to push hard into the ground with your heels just before you push the bar off your chest. This will generate leg drive which will help you to get more out of your bench.

[Levon_Xidyn]

Personally, I try to dig my upper back into the bench and use my legs to kind of slide up the bench (except I don't go anywhere) until i'm all jammed up tight ; kinda like leg extension-ing my torso until my traps dig in and won't go anymore.

But i'm probably doing it wrong. Gets me tight though.

I do something similar. I remember watching a video where Dan Green is saying something like this, trying to extend your legs. From watching heavy benches, it seems like the arch collapses slightly when the weight comes down, then rises up higher as they begin the press because of the leg extension drive. I believe the amount of this you see in, say, Dan Green's bench is illegal in stricter feds, but I don't see how the mechanics of how your leg drive works would change if you eliminate the "sinking in" on the pause. Pressing the legs down and out seems to mitigate the ass lifting off the bench as well.

[luke.conrad]

I think JC explained pretty good. You use your legs to push your body horizontally towards the bar. This helps maintain your arch during the bench.

[krazyduck]

Foot position may affect things, this has been a helpful set of cues for me:

Shoulder blades together, glutes flexed, feet pulled back but no so far that you can't get your heels on the floor, and when you flex the hamstrings you are actually pushing up towards your head rather than up towards the ceiling.

I think it's from Jack Reape

[borzoi06]

Check out this link: http://www.t-nation.com/workouts/6-w...nch-press-cure

There's an instructional video in there as well. Pretty good stuff if you want to spend a few minutes beefing up on bench press technique.

[Notrhwoods]

I find it helps to push your legs into the ground before you even remove the bar from the pins. After your upper back, low back and abs are tight push your legs into the ground too then lift the bar off the pins. If you keep the legs tight on the way down, you should get strong leg drive on the way up.

[johnnys]

I had a similar question - http://startingstrength.com/resource...t.php?p=919275