Short arm curse

[Sohan]

...I have unusually long arms for my size. In fact my arms are a little longer than my legs and I can punch and kick at basically the same range...

Get thee to a powerlifting gym and ask for the nearest deadlifting platform. Don't delay. You have a world record deadlift somewhere waiting to be discovered....

With respect,

Sohan

[UseoForce]

...I have unusually long arms for my size. In fact my arms are a little longer than my legs and I can punch and kick at basically the same range...

Get thee to a powerlifting gym and ask for the nearest deadlifting platform. Don't delay. You have a world record deadlift somewhere waiting to be discovered....

With respect,

Sohan

Cool. Is this because it allows the legs to be engaged more?

[Sohan]

...I have unusually long arms for my size. In fact my arms are a little longer than my legs and I can punch and kick at basically the same range...

Get thee to a powerlifting gym and ask for the nearest deadlifting platform. Don't delay. You have a world record deadlift somewhere waiting to be discovered....

With respect,

Sohan

Cool. Is this because it allows the legs to be engaged more?

Nope. Long arms and short legs=less distance for the bar to travel. It's like you putting the bar on a rack and lifting it. I could deadlift over 600 from the floor, but if I put it up 4-6 inches I could add up to 75-100 lbs more.

Just simple biomechanics. Now, when shotochem sets his first world record, I want full credit.

With respect,

Sohan

[shotochem]

I haven't lifted in years. I'm a body weight excerscise guy.

Now you got me thinking. I'm going to give it a try.

I never really though about it.

I could always lift up heavy objects off the ground a lot better than I could bench press.

Do long arms adversly affect the bench press???

[bushido_man96]

Quote: Do long arms adversly affect the bench press???

I have short arms, and I here people complain to me all the time that I bench well because I have short arms. So, I think, yes, long arms can be a detriment to bench. However, it is all in how hard you work it. I like to think I bench well because I am strong, not because I have short arms.

Of course, they don't complain about my short arms when we spar!

[Sohan]

I haven't lifted in years. I'm a body weight excerscise guy.

Now you got me thinking. I'm going to give it a try.

I never really though about it.

I could always lift up heavy objects off the ground a lot better than I could bench press.

Do long arms adversly affect the bench press???

Unequivocably, yes.

Great deadlifters are rarely great benchers (Lamar Gant was an exception). Usually the best deadlifters have long arms and torsos coupled with short legs and a very strong back. Great benchers have big chests and well-developed pecs with short arms.

Extra note: You may see today that many great benchers are all triceps, but that is due to the advent of the latest lifting gear which favors tricep benching. Bench pressing done "raw" or without gear, usually favors strong pecs. I benched well over 400 "raw" in competition as a 19 year old with strong pecs and average tricep strength using a wide grip bench press. Today, with creatine and the latest in powerlifting gear, that's a 500+ bench.

With respect,

Sohan

[bushido_man96]

Hey, Sohan. When you bench, did you say that you have a pretty wide grip? Because I tend to grip the bar just outside of my shoulder width, being a farily narrow grip I suppose. Do you think I should stay with it, or change, or just personal preference?

[Sohan]

Yeah, my grip was pretty wide--outside the marks on the bar, nearly to the uprights. It helped me develop my pecs really well and I had great explosiveness from my chest, not to mention less distance to travel with the bar. The difference was that my sticking point was higher up due to triceps involvement later in the lift. Good tri benchers can usually lock it out if they get it off their chest, which is why the gear works so well for them. Gear helps you "spring" the weight from your chest, which is of less help to strong pec benchers.

It really depends on your build. If you have big arms and a weak chest, a narrow grip is better, though a wider grip practiced regularly may help develop that lagging bodypart. Same with the opposite. If you have strong pecs, close grip benches can help your lockout.

With respect,

Sohan

[bushido_man96]

Good info. I don't use "equipment" to help me lift, I lift "raw." I don't even wear gloves to lift.