...I bought a powertec bench and I finally got it set up in my new gym, pics coming soon, and when laid down to do a few reps with just the bar to see how it felt...my feet barely touch the floor.

I'm 5' 8" ...I was thinking of putting blocks of wood down maybe?

Any ideas?

...I bought a powertec bench and I finally got it set up in my new gym, pics coming soon, and when laid down to do a few reps with just the bar to see how it felt...my feet barely touch the floor.

I'm 5' 8" ...I was thinking of putting blocks of wood down maybe?

Any ideas?


That is probably the best solution. You could also rest your feet on the bench itself....with your knees bent.

I think the standard answer is a couple of plates they can double up as extra weight on other exercises aswell then :)

Check your form man, I'm 5'6" and have the new style powertec bench, and my feet easily touch the floor. You may be sitting/lying strangely. But whatever you do, keep your knees in line with your body, as in, don't put your feet on the bench, it's not good for you (See link)

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

click on training
click on gym dork to diva
click on bench press

if you are doing it all right, wood blocks would do the trick. some benches do have little handles to put your feet on as seen in the link.

Check your form man, I'm 5'6" and have the new style powertec bench, and my feet easily touch the floor. You may be sitting/lying strangely. But whatever you do, keep your knees in line with your body, as in, don't put your feet on the bench, it's not good for you (See link)

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

click on training
click on gym dork to diva
click on bench press

if you are doing it all right, wood blocks would do the trick. some benches do have little handles to put your feet on as seen in the link.


Thanks, but I don't think I'm laying down weird. My legs are just short I guess. I'll have to have someone take a pic to show you what I mean.

Check your form man, I'm 5'6" and have the new style powertec bench, and my feet easily touch the floor. You may be sitting/lying strangely. But whatever you do, keep your knees in line with your body, as in, don't put your feet on the bench, it's not good for you (See link)

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

click on training
click on gym dork to diva
click on bench press

if you are doing it all right, wood blocks would do the trick. some benches do have little handles to put your feet on as seen in the link.

As much as I appreciate seeing others helping people, the picture that you reference, and the statement that is made with that picture, can be constrewed as being somewhat misleading. Other than her lifting her ass up off of the bench, instead of keeping her back flat like it should be, she'd be doing a classic neck press. (http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralSternal/BBGuillotineBenchPress.html) Some might say, "not a beginner move" which is mearly opinion, but still a great exercise. I wouldn't recommend doing all chest presses with your feet on the bench, but doing so does have it's place in a routine. I'm not trying to bash anybody for giving advice here. But if somebody was to look at that one link, and got it set in their mind that "I should NEVER do THIS motion" they could conceivably shortchange themselves of some serious chest development down the road. I did 8 x 8's of these last weekend, and couldn't touch my chest for almost 3 days later. :lol:
Good intent!...So, So..picture/reference...

kino, did you scroll down? that page shows the wrong and the right way to do it...the neck press is labeled the 'dork' way to do it.

neck presses be effective as they may, but the web page as a whole if you read it is about bench presses, which is what this posts is about, not neck presses.

so my point is, my link ( http://www.stumptuous.com/badbench.html i realized i can make a more direct link) shows the neck press, which clearly isn't a bench press as the wrong way to do a bench press, and the bench press as the correct method.

As much as I appreciate seeing others helping people, the picture that you reference, and the statement that is made with that picture, can be constrewed as being somewhat misleading. Other than her lifting her ass up off of the bench, instead of keeping her back flat like it should be, she'd be doing a classic neck press. (http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralSternal/BBGuillotineBenchPress.html) Some might say, "not a beginner move" which is mearly opinion, but still a great exercise. I wouldn't recommend doing all chest presses with your feet on the bench, but doing so does have it's place in a routine. I'm not trying to bash anybody for giving advice here. But if somebody was to look at that one link, and got it set in their mind that "I should NEVER do THIS motion" they could conceivably shortchange themselves of some serious chest development down the road. I did 8 x 8's of these last weekend, and couldn't touch my chest for almost 3 days later. :lol:
Good intent!...So, So..picture/reference...
Doing the neck press the way Gironda explains really does isolate your chest. I love 8x8 workouts and have had tremendous results. It is pretty addictive when you finally understand how to isolate your chest. A typical bench works like six different muscles and the chest doesn't get all the benefit. I get the same 2-3 day soreness when doing neck presses.

...I bought a powertec bench and I finally got it set up in my new gym, pics coming soon, and when laid down to do a few reps with just the bar to see how it felt...my feet barely touch the floor.

I'm 5' 8" ...I was thinking of putting blocks of wood down maybe?

Any ideas?
Get your legs off the ground which takes your lower back out of the equation. I put them up like I were doing crunches. Look into neck presses the Vince Gironda way like Kino is talking about. I assume you are targeting your chest not your triceps. If this is the case the traditional bench is less effective. It is more a power lifting move like a squat, that works more than one muscle group.

Doing the neck press the way Gironda explains really does isolate your chest. I love 8x8 workouts and have had tremendous results. It is pretty addictive when you finally understand how to isolate your chest. A typical bench works like six different muscles and the chest doesn't get all the benefit. I get the same 2-3 day soreness when doing neck presses.

ALRIGHT! Somebody else that appreciates Girondas methods. I'm not jumping into that topic, because this IS a thread that was directed to Benching and Feet being on the floor, and I'm not going to hijack it.
I am waiting on my copy of Vince's book though, which I'm hoping will be here early this week.