Iron History

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04/22/2004 Entry: "4/23/04: The Declined Bench Press, by Joe Roark"

An individual has a right to lift in any manner he chooses. He does not have a right to re-name long standing (or long lying) exercises, nor the right to maintain the traditional name for the movement but so change the components of that lift that only the name has remained constant.

The Declining Bench Press: Exercises and lifts evolve over time, and invariably to make the movements easier, not harder. In the old days when the Press on Back on the Floor was done (because no one had yet invented an exercise bench for the purpose), the performer was on the floor facing upward with the barbell behind his head. He could either have the bell handed to him by a spotter, or lift the bell over his face to begin the Floor Press or if the radius of the globes or plates would allow, could roll the bell into the starting position above his face to the chest and push upward.

The floor was a hindrance to full range of course when the elbows and triceps touched it.

Later, when benches became available, the movement was renamed the bench press, and this was proper because no longer was it performed on the floor. Now the elbows could be lowered past the bench for full range of motion. Early models for the bench did not include uprights upon which the bell could rest, so the lifter again, employed a buddy to hand him the weight, or placed the barbell on the floor behind his head, stretched back to pick it up off the floor to arch it over his head to begin the bench press. (See Pullover and Press on Bench, S&H July 1952 p 12)

York began advertising a three position incline bench in the April 1950 issue of Strength & Health.

Soon uprights were attached to the benches offered for sale- though for shipping purposes, one supposes, the uprights were only about as wide as the bench itself and balancing the barbell was as important as trying to not pinch the hands when replacing the bell. York began advertising benches with attached supports in the February issue 1953, though a photo of a similar setup had appeared in March 1951 when a story on Irvin Johnson's Chicago gym was shown [Johnson later changed his name to Rheo H. Blair]

By September 1953 the first ad for York's 'Inclined and Declined Bench' was presented.

Ironman magazine, in it's Make It Yourself series had offered specs in 7:3 p 26 on how to construct a round bench, and in December 1948 how to make your own incline bench, and in May 1957 offered plans for a combo flat/incline bench. By March 1961 there was an article on a rack for bench pressing.

Health & Strength in the May 28, 1953 issue called this a 'press on bench' and further informed readers that 'This is a very new lift- it was introduced officially in 1951�' In October of that year the same mag printed 'Youngest of the Bench Family- the Declined bench press' by Don Dorans. Two months later an ad appeared in H&S for a bench with attached uprights.

By 1958 H&S was offering a statement from Hubert Grills that the bench press began gaining in popularity as World War II was ending.

So, once the press on back got off the floor and onto a bench to become the bench press, whether flat, or rounded, or incline or decline, the only variable seemed to be how to get the bar into position to begin the bench press itself. When on the floor, the press began at the chest; when on a bench, the press began at the chest if a pullover was involved, or with straighter arms if a spotter handed the bell off higher to the lifter. When uprights entered the scene, obviously they were homemade to the lifter's arm length, or were made to be adjustable. Of course, wider stands came into the product line to decrease the chances of a barbell tipping over to the side after an off balance replacement.

Lifting News May 1962 page 1: "The first official ruling about Power Lift records came at the December 5th, 1958 meeting of the National Weightlifting Committee."

Then the rules for the official bench press performance:

"The lifter may elect to assume one of the following two supine positions on the bench, which must be maintained during the lift. (1) With head, trunk and legs extended on the bench, knees locked, heels on the bench. (2) With head, trunk (including buttocks) extended on the bench, feet flat on the platform. "The bar must rest on the chest for two seconds before the start of the uplifting movement. The referee's signal shall indicate the time. "At the referee's signal the bar is pressed vertically to straight arm's (sic) length and held for two seconds. The referee's signal shall indicate the time."

Of course, only very short persons could possibly have their legs straight with heels ON the bench considering the length of most benches at that time.

The article continues: "Important Remarks: "1. The lifter may use any method to bring the bar to the chest preparatory to the uplifting movement. "2. The width of the bench shall not be less than 10 inches nor more than 12 inches. The height of the bench shall not be less than 14 inches nor more than 18 inches. "3. If the lifter's trunks and the bench top are not of sufficient color contrast to enable the officials to detect a possible raising of the buttocks, the bench top shall be covered accordingly. "4. In this lift, the judges and the referee shall station themselves at the best points of vantage.

"Cause for Disqualification: During the uplifting, any change on the elected lifting position; any raising of the lifter's head, shoulders, buttocks or legs from the bench; any shifting of same; bridging in any form; any heaving or bouncing of the bar from the chest; any uneven extension of the arms; any touching of the bar by spotters before the referee's signal; failure to wait for the referee's signals, will be a cause for disqualifying the lifter on that attempt."

Then this announcement. "These are the Official Rules. Now here is the important point, only bench presses performed in this manner can be considered as being performed correctly. Many areas on the West Coast, particularly San Francisco and Central California (Fresno) districts have not adopted the official rules; they still use the no-pause, 'touch and go' style of bench press which is illegal. Many other areas throughout the country have been neglecting to enforce the official rules, consequently depriving their lifters from setting official records."

Modern Declines in the Bench Press: As in any other competitive lift, only the lifter was allowed to touch the barbell after the starting position was achieved. Obviously, spotters with hands-on touching could be helping in the lift, so only the lifter could come into contact with the barbell during the actual performance of the attempt.

Clothing was a non-issue; a singlet, a tee shirt, whatever, was worn for no purpose other than to retain body heat or control sweat and to prevent slipping on the bench's upholstery, and of course, with females, for modesty.

Plying Their Trade: In more recent years bench shirts have undergone several steps of 'improvement'. Not worn for modesty or sweat control, and indeed not worn at all except during the actual bench press attempt, these shirts are designed to aid in the potential poundage. Estimates on how much weight can be added to a given lifter's bench press achievement vary according to shirt manufacturer or athlete or how much cloth thickness is involved or how skilled the lifter is in learning to 'use' the shirt's groove to aid during the bench press.

One point of unanimous agreement seems to be that every lifter, having learned the groove of a given shirt, will lift more than he can lift without that shirt- which form of lifting has now come to be known as 'raw' or non-bench-shirt. Some lifters apparently gain 30 lbs- others as much as 150 or more pounds by wearing and skillfully using such shirts. Some of these shirts are so strong in their rebounds that it is not possible to even bring a heavy barbell down to the chest without pulling it downward against gravity. So bench pressing an empty bar with these shirts is literally impossible.

As in any other lift, your raw amount is YOUR raw amount. Any factor that helps add weight to that total (other than increased strength or motor skills) is an artificial increase. Is this a bad thing? To the purists, yes. To the bench shirt enthusiasts, no.

My problem is in the name, bench press, which has been retained by the bench shirt proponents. Just as it would have been unfair to those performing the Press on Back on the Floor to have their records compared to those lifters who performed the press on a bench , because of the added advantages of the bench as opposed to the floor, so it is unfair to compare the lifts of the bench press shirt proponents to those of the raw lifters, without making the distinction, which is not made by the name of the movement alone (bench press). Now, the bench has remained a constant, though now stronger of construction of course, what happens and how it happens on that bench is now a dichotomy of achievement.

Of course, the performances have changed over the years. Now it is not uncommon to see the buttocks completely off the bench, with much upper back bridging- but hey, the feet are flat on the floor!

The rate of progress of heavier bench presses using raw methods is of course much slower than the rate of progress for those using ever quickly changing shirt technology. One positive side result I see is that some may use the shirt as a training aid and then perform a raw bench, beating their personal raw bests. Apparently, this is discouraged in some quarters-as though ascertaining raw strength is no longer important, or perhaps because the widening gap of what a man can bench press raw compared to his ability with the shirt is becoming so obvious and perhaps so embarrassing that the subject, like the lifter, is best kept under wraps. Indeed, will be see the day when the bench shirt can double a lifter's raw bench press amount? If so, one wonders if insight will finally arrive at certain doorsteps.

I propose that the traditional bench press- the one in which a, non-reinforced top is worn, be simply called the bench press, or if we must, the raw bench press, and that the shirted bench press be so called, or perhaps the Bench Shirt Bench Press, or the BS Bench Press for short.