# @kriis_d on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKa3u4gp3B
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/13377242-kriis-d-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/01ceb2caa2.jpg
- **Posted:** 2020-08-21T19:18:15.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Kristen Dunsmore, MS (@kriis_d) — https://gondola.cc/kriis_d

## Caption

If your goal is to bench press the maximum amount of weight, you’ll benefit from reducing ROM by arching your back. There’s no evidence to suggest that arching your back increases risk of injury. In fact, the incidence of obtaining an injury from powerlifting is similar to other non-contact sports (1.0-4.4/1000 hours of training). Track and field athletes showed an incidence rate of 2.4-3.3 injuries/1000 hours of training. In comparison, American football resulted in 9.6 injuries/ 1000 hours of training (article linked in comments)

✨Arching your back while laying down doesn’t directly load the spine. There’s no weight compressing down on the spine like the squat or deadlift. However, holding a heavy barbell in your hands certainly loads the shoulders! Arching your back while benching allows you to use your upper back muscles by pulling your shoulder blades down and back into a more stable position.

✨The goal of powerlifting is to lift the most weight possible. If you don’t compete in powerlifting and you’re benching for hypertrophy purposes an extreme arch isn’t necessary. Don’t just arch for the sake of arching. Even powerlifters perform variations outside of their competition bench press (feet up bench, Larson press) to train greater ROM.

✨It’s often said that arching in the bench press is cheating due to the reduced ROM compared to someone lying flat on the bench. “Cheating” is only a legitimate concern if the bench press arch breaks some sort of rule. According to the theipf a lifter must:

 -Head flat on bench
 -Shoulders on bench
 -Butt must stay on bench 
 -Feet remain flat on the floor (this rule varies depending on the federation). There’s nothing stating you’re not allowed to arch.

Here’s my best bench press to date. 115kg (253kbs). Arch away friends! #FBF #stfu #benchpress #teamJTS

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## Tags

fbf, teamjts, stfu, benchpress

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