So I have been noticing a worrying trend recently that my Feet Up Bench seems uncomfortably close in strength to my normal bench in terms of the weight and rep schemes I can do. The old reason I can think for that being the case is that I am just garbage at properly using leg drive; which honestly is awful considering I thought I had improved in that area. On the other hand, that means I potentially have some easy gains left on the table for my competition bench if I can really improve in my leg drive that much still. The question is, are there any accessories for the bench that people feel really punish you for not properly using leg drive and reward you for using it well? Beyond just the normal levels you see in 1ct and TnG bench. My intuition is that long paused benches would be good for this, particularly from my own experience you need to keep strong tension through the leg during the pause. I’m interested though if other people have found a particular movement to really help ingrain leg drive outside of just really focusing on it during your normal competition and TnG bench sessions.
What is your bench style, do you let the bar sink in then use leg drive to heave it back up, or do you maintain your full arch the entire time?
I basically conform to USAPL standards. I pretty much hold it at the spot it touches without sinking. Ideally I’ve got some.leg drive the entire time and especially while pausing to keep me tight and apply a bit more when I go to press. Full arch with no collapse the entire time is the goal. Feet flat.
First off I think it’s possible that you could just be maintaining a solid arch with your feet up, unless you’re intentionally flattening your back.
One thing I’ve found helps enforce a strong arch is to put the safeties just below your chest, so that if your arch is compromised at all the bar touches the safeties and it’s very obvious (unfortunately that’s somewhat equipment dependent). Another thing I’ve found helpful is how you cue yourself. The cue used for leg drive is often to try to to push yourself back across the bench. I think this is a good cue, but it leaves something out. Depending on how ahem thic you are, pushing your butt up so that it’s just barely touching the bench, rather than just driving back with your butt squished against the bench can cut some ROM. I think you’re right about long pause BP being useful.
There aren’t any leg drive-specific exercises. It just sounds like you should continue doing what you’re doing. Personally, focusing on keeping my knees out helped me use my feet a little bit more, but ultimately it came down to being patient.