The bench arch. If you've ever been to a powerlifting meet or lifted in a gym with serious strength athletes, you've seen it. And recently, Steve Goggins has witnessed a lot of discussion about the bench arch, with many people saying that it's bad for you. The common claim is that it hurts your back, can cause injury, and is even cheating for the bench press. Steve disagrees. In powerlifting today—and for many years in the past, too—lifters arch their backs during a bench press. For those complaining about it, Steve's advice if simple: if you don't want to see it, don't follow the lifters. Don't watch them lift.
But if you want to learn, listen to what Steve has to say.
In this video, Steve explains why he coaches his Goggins Force lifters to use a bench arch and why, if you're a powerlifter, you should use it too. If someone tells you that the bench arch is unsafe or unhealthy and you want to listen to them, that's fine. But if you decide to use it, the bench arch accomplishes several important things: it allows a lifter to shorten the range of motion while also helping them keep their shoulder blades together. This is accomplished with an anterior pelvic tilt and will allow you to move more weight in a stronger position.
Steve notes that he used a bench arch for his entire powerlifting career and never had back issues because of it — and he deadlifted 881 in competition and benched 520 raw while doing so. All of this happened while trying to arch as much as he possibly could on the bench press. He encountered no injuries due to the bench arch and no setbacks. If you have pre-existing injuries, a bench arch may aggravate the issues, but if you're healthy, it will not cause problems.
The final point Steve discusses is the claim that arching in the bench press is "fake strength." He says to remember that this is powerlifting and not a gym lift. If you're involved in powerlifting and you want to be competitive, you need to use all the tools of powerlifting to be as good as you can possibly be. This including using a bench arch. If your lifts are within the rules, they are good lifts and no one can argue against them. The rules were written long ago and, for the most part, they haven't changed. As long as you're taking care of yourself and are smart about your training, arching for the bench press will make you stronger and not cause any problems.
And remember: this isn't bodybuilding. This is powerlifting. It's all about moving as much weight as you possibly can.
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No one can voluntarily injure their back by arching. The spinal processes are different shapes and spacing in each individual which allows some to arch deeply. When those spinal processes touch each otehr in a deep arch you will not be able to arch anymore. I there fore believe it impossible to injure your back by arching.