Is leg drive cheating in bench press?

Leg drive during the bench press is not cheating. However, if your leg drive causes your glutes to break contact from the bench press, then this would be against the rules if you’re a competitive powerlifter.

Why do people bench with legs on bench?

This is because the legs up bench press will help you build muscle, which will lead to greater levels of force production under heavier loads. In addition, your stabilizing muscle groups will also see an increase in strength and efficiency, which will lead to a more refined movement pattern overall.

Do stronger legs help with bench press?

Strong leg drive catalyzes tightness in the bench press and helps you start driving the barbell up off your chest from the bottom position. Engaging your legs helps move the barbell the first couple inches off your chest. Once the bar is past that point, it will travel over the strongest pressing muscles.

Why do people put feet up when benching?

“The main benefit of putting the feet up on the bench is teaching lifters to maintain their upper back arch and shoulder blade position. If you take away the legs, it’s much harder to keep the upper back arched, especially as you bring the bar down to the chest.

Should I bench with flat feet?

But when learned properly, I will argue that feet flat is going to be the more optimal bench setup for most lifters. But when our feet are flat we have a much better connection with the floor and our body to control our leg drive to create the best position, tension, and stability possible.

How can I improve my leg drive?

1. Use the Right Type of Weight Bench.
2. Initiate Leg Drive Before Lift-Off.
3. Press Your Heels Down, Then Drive.
4. Drive Forcefully from Start of Rep; Increase Force as You Lower & Press.
5. Never Disengage Leg Drive Between or During Reps.
6. Squeeze Your Glutes Hard!
7. Imagine the Leg Drive Pushing Your Bodyweight onto Your Upper Back.

Should you use leg drive when doing bench presses?

If your feet lift or slide during the bench press, then you’ll lose your leg drive altogether, and as a result, your bench press arch. Use leg drive with the cue “ bend the barbell in half ” for a stronger bench press. What You Need To Consider When Using Leg Drive

What is leg drive and why is it important?

Using the leg drive technique allows lifters to position their torso more effectively on the bench. If the torso isn’t ‘set’ properly on the bench, then it’s much harder to maintain the position of the shoulders and chest.

Should your feet be on the floor when you bench press?

This is because as you drive your feet away, you will naturally push your torso back and up into the bench press. When you ‘drive away’ with your feet, it allows you to maintain a strong arch. So, where you place your feet on the floor, should allow you to drive both ‘down and away’.

Does shifting your bodyweight while benching improve leg drive?

Of course, you’re not shifting your bodyweight, so much as your leg drive is stabilizing your torso and creating a tighter back arch. But who cares whether this visualization is accurate or not – What matters is that it improves your leg drive and helps you bench more.