5 Things You Need to Stop Doing If Your Bench Press Arch Is Excessive

The barbell bench press is arguably the most popular weight training exercise on the planet, and almost everyone who works out does bench presses. Get two lifters together, and, at some point, one will ask the other, “So, how much do you bench?”

There are several different styles of bench press, so it’s critical to choose the one that best matches your goals. How you perform the bench press defines its effects.

For example, hand width determines how much chest or triceps bias you experience. In contrast, the angle of the bench (incline vs. flat vs. decline) emphasizes different parts of your chest. For example, narrow grip incline bench presses affect your muscles differently than wide grip decline.

Another important consideration during bench presses is your lower back arch. While a slight to moderate arch generally improves upper body stability, an excessively large arch can cause problems.

In this article, we explore the potential dangers of excessive arching during the bench press and provide five fixes.

Why Do Lifters Arch During the Bench Press?

The arched-back deadlift originates in powerlifting. The bench press is one of the three contested lifts:

1. Squat
2. Bench press
3. Deadlift

Each lift is governed by rules, so every competitor’s performance can be judged fairly. For example, the thighs must reach parallel during the squat, and you must stand fully upright for a deadlift to count.

In the bench press, the main rules are that the feet must be on the floor, your head, shoulders, and butt must be on the bench, and the bar must touch your chest. Providing these criteria are met, your bench press is competition-legal.

So, why do some powerlifters use a big arch during bench presses?

Creating a big arch during bench presses raises your chest up toward the bar, essentially reducing the distance the bar has to travel to touch your sternum. This shorter range of motion allows powerlifters to lift heavier weights than if their backs were flat. In general, the further a weight travels, the more effort is required to move it.

Because of this competition rule “loophole,” some powerlifters arch excessively, so they only need to move the bar a few inches for their rep to count.  

That’s not to say all powerlifters bend the rules this way; there are plenty of notable lifters pressing huge weights with a less-pronounced arch. However, excessive arching is common enough that it’s become a controversial topic, with some federations attempting to outlaw or at least control the practice.

A big bench press has always garnered attention – even with non-powerlifters. Consequently, some recreational lifters and bodybuilders have also started to arch excessively. Unfortunately, what’s effective for powerlifters may not be suitable for other exercisers, even if it does allow you to lift more weight.

Related: Powerlifting vs. Bodybuilding Bench Press: What’s the Difference?

The Dangers and Drawbacks of Excessive Arching

There are several reasons that most lifters should avoid excessive arching during the bench press. These include:

Increased Lower Back Stress

Your spine is a complex column comprising 33 individual bones called vertebrae, 23 intervertebral discs, and numerous muscles, tendons, and ligaments (1). You can move your spine in many different ways, including flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation. Movements can also be combined, e.g., twisting as you bend forward.

Taking any joint through an excessive range of motion can cause injury, and that includes the spine. Excessive arching during bench presses hyperextends the spine, putting unnatural stresses on the discs, ligaments, and vertebrae. This can cause acute (sudden onset) and chronic (long-term) back pain and injuries.  

In contrast, a more conservative arch puts very little stress on your spine and is a much safer option for most lifters.

Less Effective for Muscle Building

Excessive arching reduces your range of motion so that you can lift more weight with less effort. In short, it makes bench presses easier. While this is clearly beneficial for powerlifters looking to score a new PR, it’s a significant drawback for bodybuilders and anyone else looking to increase pectoral mass.

As a rule, the best exercises for hypertrophy or muscle growth involve a large range of motion. While partial reps have their place in bodybuilding, research indicates that working in the stretched position is the most effective for building muscle size (2).

Bench pressing with an excessive arch means your pecs won’t get much of a stretch, even if the target muscles are under a lot of tension. Also, each rep is completed quickly, reducing time under tension.

As such, benching with a big arch is probably less effective for chest hypertrophy than using a more conservative arch.

Turns the Flat Bench Press into a Decline Bench Press

Arching excessively turns flat bench presses – which are an excellent general chest exercise – into something more akin to a decline press. Decline bench presses target your lower chest. As such, exercisers do them to emphasize their lower pecs (3).

This is not something all lifters need to worry about, and it’s primarily bodybuilders who do decline bench presses. Doing a lot of high-arch bench presses could over-develop your lower pecs, creating a less aesthetically pleasing chest.

Builds Non-Transferable Strength

The fitness principle of specificity states that your body adapts to the type of training and exercise that you do. Excessively arched bench presses put your body in a very unnatural position, utilizing an extremely short range of motion. As that’s what the exercise involves, that’s how your body will subsequently develop.

Consequently, strength built with high-arch bench presses probably won’t transfer very well to other pressing exercises or activities outside of the gym. So, if you want to develop real-world strength, conventional-arch bench presses will produce better results.

It’s Cheating!

Arching excessively takes advantage of a loophole in the rules of bench pressing. A giant arch can help you win a powerlifting competition, which is why some powerlifters do it. However, for non-competitive lifters, claiming a big bench press when you achieved it by arching borders on cheating.

Not everyone can achieve a big arch, and consequently, some very flexible lifters have an unfair advantage. That’s part and parcel of competitive sports. However, claiming a big bench press when you only moved the bar a few inches is bogus.

5 Ways to Fix Your Excessive Bench Press Arch

Benching heavy weights is addictive, and if arching helps you lift more, you may find it hard to stop doing it. After all, you probably won’t be able to bench as heavy if you quit arching so much.

However, adopting a more conservative arch is better for your lower back, will result in better muscle growth, and will give you a better indicator of how strong you really are.

Here are five things you must stop doing if your bench press arch is excessive.

1. Stop Placing Your Feet So Far Behind Your Knees   

Setting up for a big arched bench press invariably starts with bringing your feet back behind your knees. In fact, the more you get your feet under your body, the larger your arch is likely to be.

So, the next time you bench press, make sure your feet are directly under your knees, and your shins are close to vertical. This will make it much harder to arch excessively. Raising your feet on a low platform also makes it more challenging to create a big arch.

2. Stop Forgetting to Brace Your Core

Benching with a big arch means you’ll need to relax your abs and core. Bracing your core stabilizes your spine, making it much harder to hyperextend your spine.

Purposely brace your core as you set up to bench press to make it harder to arch your lower back. Keep your core braced throughout to avoid inadvertently arching your lower back mid-set. Wearing a weightlifting belt for bench presses may help you brace more effectively.

3. Stop Ignoring the Foundations of Good Bench Press Form

Arching excessively during bench presses can be a hard habit to break. Make arching less tempting by focusing on the foundations of good bench press form:

• Feet flat on the floor, shins vertical.
• Push your upper back and head into the bench.
• Engage your lats.
• Squeeze your shoulders down and back.
• Keep your butt on the bench.
• Brace your core.
• Use a full grip on the bar.
• Keep your wrists straight.
• Allow your lower back to arch naturally and not excessively.
• Lower the bar slowly to lightly touch your chest.
• Maintain all of the above through each and every rep.

Read more about how to bench press correctly in this detailed guide.

4. Stop Worrying About How Much Weight You Can Bench

The bench press is a classic test of strength. However, unless you have to bench a certain amount of weight for your job or are a competitive powerlifter, your bench press one-repetition maximum (1-RM) isn’t all that important.

Remember, the main purpose of a big arch is that it allows you to lift more weight. So, while arching excessively means you’ll be able to bench more, that extra weight has no real benefit.

In most cases, benching with a conventional arch will provide superior benefits, both in terms of strength and muscular development.

5. Stop Thinking You Are A Powerlifter!  

If you are a powerlifter, arching can add a lot of weight to your bench press. That extra weight could be the difference between winning and losing. However, some research suggests that arching may not have as profound an effect as some believe (4). It’s also worth noting that many big benchers still prefer a conventional arch.

Regardless, there is no advantage to arching if you are a bodybuilder or recreational lifter. In fact, excessive arching could cause short and long-term back injuries while making your chest workouts less effective.

So, don’t bench press like a powerlifter if you aren’t one. The benefits of arching are very specific to competitive lifting.

Even if you ARE a powerlifter, you should limit your use of big-arch bench pressing to the last few weeks before a meet. Build most of your bench pressing strength conventionally to keep your risk of injury to a minimum.

Closing Thoughts

If squats are the king of lower-body exercises, the bench press holds the same title for the upper body. Powerlifters do bench presses to test and develop their strength, while bodybuilders do them to build larger, more muscular pecs. Recreational exercisers bench press because it’s a terrific exercise that works multiple pressing muscles.

However, arching excessively can make the bench press less effective and more dangerous. Powerlifters use a big arch to help them lift more weight. Still, for the majority of exercisers, the risks and drawbacks outweigh any potential benefits.

That’s not to say you should bench press with a flat back or, worse still, with your feet in the air. However, like coffee, beer, and even protein powder, you can have too much of a good thing, and a small to moderate arch is all you need for safe and effective bench pressing.

So, if it looks like a small child could crawl under your lower back while you are bench pressing, your arch is probably excessive! Lower your arch to make bench presses safer and better for building muscle mass and strength.

References:

1. Waxenbaum JA, Reddy V, Williams C, et al. Anatomy, Back, Lumbar Vertebrae. [Updated 2023 Jul 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan.
2. Pedrosa GF, Lima FV, Schoenfeld BJ, Lacerda LT, Simões MG, Pereira MR, Diniz RCR, Chagas MH. Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths. Eur J Sport Sci. 2022 Aug;22(8):1250-1260. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2021.1927199. Epub 2021 May 23. PMID: 33977835.
3. Lauver JD, Cayot TE, Scheuermann BW. Influence of bench angle on upper extremity muscular activation during bench press exercise. Eur J Sport Sci. 2016;16(3):309-16. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2015.1022605. Epub 2015 Mar 23. PMID: 25799093.
4. Ribeiro Neto F, Dorneles JR, Luna RM, Spina MA, Gonçalves CW, Gomes Costa RR. Performance Differences Between the Arched and Flat Bench Press in Beginner and Experienced Paralympic Powerlifters. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Jul 1;36(7):1936-1943. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003736. Epub 2020 Jul 27. PMID: 32740285.

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