Arm length effect bench weight?

[Xavier_Jones]

Stupid question I guess, I know it has something to do with it..but I'm wondering if it makes as much of a difference as I'm thinking

I have an 81.5" wingspan, 18" arms and can bench a MAX of 155lbs after nearly 9 months of lifting and getting on a good diet.

My friends that I lift with have really short arms and can put up 215 no problem with no training or muscle tone. But they are 5'7-5'10" and I'm a tall stickman...

 

[s8nlilhlpr]

Yes, different leverages can make one lift harder for you. But, some people are just naturally strong untrained. I wouldn't worry too much, just keep pounding away at it, it WILL go up eventually. Plus, with long monkey arms, deadlifts should be easy.

 

[BiggT]

Yeah, leverages do generally play a role in what lifts a person has a neasy/hard time with. I wouldn't mentally handicap yourself over it though, as I think there are other factors that come into play. Personally, the squat always gave me fits.....you'd think I wouldn't be a good presser, I'm 72" tall, and my wingspan is 77", but go figure, my presses are disproportionately strong despite having long arms.

 

[justinjones1963]

I'm tall and I used to be skinny too (and in your shoes) it took me tons of extra work to jsut get to the point where my lifting partners already were.

To add to what way said above...not only is it a leverage issue but a guy with a shorter arm will have to move the bar a shorter distance too. This helps them short ones move more weight.

 

[Tweakle]

you'll likely never bench 800+ (the top guys have something like a 6-10" stroke from belly to lockout) but yeah, don't let it limit you.

never dwell on percieved inadequacies, remember you set your own limitations with your expectations.

 

[pitbullrocco]

18" arms? are you talking about 18" biceps? 18 freaking inches?

dude, you might need to eat more. good healthy fats help increase strength.

what kind of routine are you doing?

 

[Illuminati]

Stupid question I guess, I know it has something to do with it..but I'm wondering if it makes as much of a difference as I'm thinking

I have an 81.5" wingspan, 18" arms and can bench a MAX of 155lbs after nearly 9 months of lifting and getting on a good diet.

My friends that I lift with have really short arms and can put up 215 no problem with no training or muscle tone. But they are 5'7-5'10" and I'm a tall stickman...

Ryan Kennelly is 6'2" and benches over 900

Scot Mendelson is 6'1" benches 1000

Gene Rychlak is 6'1" benches benches over 1000

these are the top bench pressers in the world, and they are all over 6' tall. granted, they have found ways of shortening their bench stroke, but to answer you question, NO. saying that your arms are longer prevents you from bench pressing more is just an excuse.

 

[Corcioch]

Ryan Kennelly is 6'2" and benches over 900

Scot Mendelson is 6'1" benches 1000

Gene Rychlak is 6'1" benches benches over 1000

these are the top bench pressers in the world, and they are all over 6' tall. granted, they have found ways of shortening their bench stroke, but to answer you question, NO. saying that your arms are longer prevents you from bench pressing more is just an excuse.

It would appear from that reply that you completely misunderstand physiology, physics and the simple question the OP asked.

Posting the height of Gene, Scott and Ryan is utterly irrelevant. Its is arm length that matters. And it does matter, there is plenty of evidence of it . . .heck a basic understanding of physics will explain it.

Or do you actually think that because someone is a certain height their arms are a set length??? You do know that everyone is different dont you?? Long and short levers . . .

 

[RickRock13]

Some guys with shorter arms may have a slight advantage on pressing more, but it really doesn't matter. Just work on getting better yourself, and being the best you can be. What others do shouldn't matter to you.