Question on arching your back on the Bench Press

[Kerber]

Hi,

I just re-watched the Bench Press Video on Art of Manliness (Reference Link) and noticed that Rip tells Brett to arch his lower back and press his chest up AFTER he is loaded with the weight of the bar. I see a lot of guys (myself included) who arch their back and press their chest up BEFORE they load themselves with the bar and I wonder if there is any difference. Are both options viable? Could it be easier to overextend your lower back when you're not loaded with the weight of bar?

[Adam Skillin]

Hi,

I just re-watched the Bench Press Video on Art of Manliness (Reference Link) and noticed that Rip tells Brett to arch his lower back and press his chest up AFTER he is loaded with the weight of the bar. I see a lot of guys (myself included) who arch their back and press their chest up BEFORE they load themselves with the bar and I wonder if there is any difference. Are both options viable? Could it be easier to overextend your lower back when you're not loaded with the weight of bar?

You'll probably find that you can get a better arch if you arch before you have the bar in your hands. Once you know how to do it, if you have a good hand-off person, do it first. You may find that once you unrack, you still need to re-set the arch a bit. We're not teaching a silly, massive, powerlifting-competition arch that some very flexible people are capable of, just a moderate one to improve the moment arm situation a bit. Remember the art of manliness videos are Rip teaching a first-timer the lifts, and he has to get the guy to do the damn lifts correctly, not lecture him for 1,000 hours about setting up properly. I hope that helps answer your question.

[Kerber]

It does, thanks coach.

[relu5685]

Hey,

Try this, how to get an arched back. It helps you a lot about arch back. I also using this when I feel extreme back pain. So, I recommend this to you. And you can also search online regarding this. Thanks.