legs up on bench?
- Thread starter laxmel2
- Start date
They do it to take their legs out of the lift (i.e. the leg drive) and to isolate their pecs more. It is basically a useless practice to follow since the bench press is a compound movement and you should be concentrating on form and getting your weights up in an effort to stimulate growth in a number of muscles. It is definitely not something I would recommend most even try.
ManOfMuscle
Death Dealer
Aboot said:
You got it.
AngryMuscles
New member
most people in our gym does it that way....slippers and squats too...go!!!
silver_shadow
Indiscreet Stalker
it's not going to hurt them if they have coins on the bar... but load up a few 45s and they'll probably lose their balance.
roccodart440
New member
Bad idea. If you want to take your legs out of the lift do floor presses.
Dante44
youll never drink alone.
Vince Gironda didnt think they were useless....and he believed the numbers game was a hinderance to bodybuilders since they are supposed to concentrate on building a physique not on winning a weightlifting contest...Serge Nubret trained like this and he had one of the greatest chests of all time including today. So i personnally dont believe they are useless....its all about perfect technique.
silver_shadow
Indiscreet Stalker
i wouldn't call it useless, its more a matter of balance on heavier weights.Dante44 said:
try loading up 3 or more 45s on either side and see how well you balance. there is a better alternative, namely floor presses as has already been mentioned because this way you are safe... unfortunately most of the guys who do have their feet on the bench are not old pros - they are 150lb weaklings who have gained 10lbs in more than 5 yrs of erratic training. these types would never have heard of floor presses and if they do they're going to say "i want to look like a BB not lift heavy!"
and yes, BBs do become bigger by lifting heavier. it should come as no surprise that ronnie coleman can deadlift 800 then... or even our own needsize... he doesn't train for strength, but is pretty big and cut... he looks great... importantly he is STRONG
ManOfMuscle
Death Dealer
I knew there would be some fool who would try to defend them 
Dante44
youll never drink alone.
My whole point is you dont need to load the bar up with huge weights when training this way...dont get me wrong, to each his own....but i have tried training that way and i can see the benefits you can get from it...on the other hand i also like testing my strength and more often train with a classic flat bench form with feet planted....i just dont want to be dismissive of that technique....silver_shadow said:
berealjohn
New member
The only reason to pick you feet up if you were training with puss weights and can not make yourself keep your ass touching on the bench. When repping with under 315 I put my feet on bench and hope like hell the weight is balanced. I like the slight contracted feeling in the abs and my back will for sure remain flat!
AngryMuscles
New member
it's all about balance.
Mudge
Community Veteran
Dante44 said:
I respect Vince, but when you put your legs up on the bench you remove stability and you also curve the spine in the OPPOSITE direction you want it to be in. Not smart.
Of course for bodybuilders out there, they work with puny weights so this doesn't much matter.
Mudge
Community Veteran
The extreme would be touching your toes. When you deadlift, do you bend forward or do you try and maintain some arch in the opposite direction?
Arching your spin in the other direction helps create stability by using those back muscles, and it also helps utilize your lats to give more power in the bench itself.
If you like legs up, thats fine. But it is not for me, and I am only training myself - not anyone else. The bench is a compound lift and that is how I treat it, I dont try and take bodyparts out of it. Then again I am more interested in functional strength than pretty boy stuff. I dont shave my chest, I dont wear pink posing trunks, and I dont put my feet on the bench. 
Arching your spin in the other direction helps create stability by using those back muscles, and it also helps utilize your lats to give more power in the bench itself.
If you like legs up, thats fine. But it is not for me, and I am only training myself - not anyone else.
The bench is a compound lift and that is how I treat it, I dont try and take bodyparts out of it. Then again I am more interested in functional strength than pretty boy stuff. I dont shave my chest, I dont wear pink posing trunks, and I dont put my feet on the bench.
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Stinn
New member
Well I only wear pink posing trunks because they make me feel pretty.
Before I incorporated legs up into my routine I never really felt stable on the bench even with my feet down. I see it like doing any kind of handicapped lift: deadlifts off a platform; box squats well below parallel; etc. If I can be strong and stable with my feet up(I don't put them on the bench I bring my knees up and keep my feet in the air) then I'll be that much more stable and strong with my feet down. Different stuff works for different people.
Before I incorporated legs up into my routine I never really felt stable on the bench even with my feet down. I see it like doing any kind of handicapped lift: deadlifts off a platform; box squats well below parallel; etc. If I can be strong and stable with my feet up(I don't put them on the bench I bring my knees up and keep my feet in the air) then I'll be that much more stable and strong with my feet down. Different stuff works for different people.
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