I was having a hardtime hitting a 250 lb bench for about 6 months. I started Larsen Pressing (thanks to you and Bald Omni Man) and I recently benched 255 lbs within 2 months of Larsen Pressing 👍🏼
@@texas3258 I always heard that it’s extremely hard to maintain after smolov jr, and that most people lose their strength gains quickly after. How was it for you?
@@texas3258 I've thought about running smolov jr, but like StaticDreamsEntert said, people seem to lose some strength after. I do not mind grinding and taking time to hit 275 and then 315.
I’ve come to a similar conclusion about leg drive developmentally. As long as you keep the skill fresh, most of your pressing training should be the harder shit
On an incline I don’t even feel my legs driving at all (non Larsen style), but I guess with your feet being up it makes you psychologically retract your scapular less which makes the butler press a better variation then incline
@@AlexLeonidasI love that all my favorite fitness youtubers know about each other I still can’t believe you guys know about each other, agree with a lot of the stuff you guys say but when you don’t, you can have a civil debate. You guys put me on with natural hypertrophy.
My favourite thing about Larsen press and why it’s the only bench variation I do now is form accountability, which is crucial for hypertrophy. That last rep is a grind you have to fight for and you can’t raise your butt to change the leverages mid rep and cheat yourself of those precious gains, which is something I sometimes just can’t stop myself from doing on accident if using leg drive.
@@SustenanceUdyrits absolutely impossible to not involve chest in a pressing movement even with close grip, so yeah probably, if you want to focus on tricep
A huge advantage to the larsen press is reduced strain on the SI joints. When you look at your training as a whole, this can affect how much training volume or intensity you can afford to deadlifts and squats. Much like how low bar squat can affect your bench press due to elbow or shoulder strain. I prefer the larsen press for that reason alone, along with being in the high 90 percentile of my full leg drive bench
I started doing legs up bench pressing (feet on bench, knees bent) simply because I had a severe back injury, so it took my back out of the equation, which felt better. The issue is I switched gyms and my new gym has SUPER narrow benches. Even with my feet down just for stabilization, I feel unstable. And it does aggravate my lower back. Frustrating. I’ve been sticking to DB benching because I feel like it hits my chest so much more.
Sucks to hear about those garbage benches!!!! But I'm glad you got the benefits while you had the chance, and db bench is still a great option overall.
I’ve done Larsen presses since you introduced them. I feel stronger and bigger than ever in my upper body. My flat/incline dumbbell/barbell presses are up. My shoulder press is more stable and I lift more. I feel my chest much more activated than my feet planted. I’m the only one in my gym who does that, hopefully I’ll inspire my peers to try it out. Thanks Alex
I noticed the same difference in grindability when I switched from TNG to pause benching. I used to hit failure really suddenly after only like 1 or 2 slowed down reps, now I feel like I can grind out quite a few slow reps before actually failing. I'll be rotating Larsens back in soonish so it'll be interesting to see if that becomes even more pronounced.
Larsen is freaking amazing. Ever since I learned about them i stopped using leg drive completely on all presses. Also very interesting to see you doing incline work again, excited see what it will bring down the line.
Honestly, is there even any reason for a purely recreational lifter to ever do regular bench over Larsen press, other than caring about a competition lift? You get increased ROM, more out of less weight, better form consistency, pure upper body focus. I just don’t see a reason to prefer regular bench, at least if your main goal is hypertrophy
@@pouihurmen not every bench is sturdy and it is easy to lose balance and when you’re pressing heavy weight without any stability, you can easily fuck yourself up. Plus who said that every bench press needs to be super heavy 3 rep sets of RPE8.5+? I never said that Larsen presses were useless and they have their place in training, but you can’t say that it can replace bench pressing since that is a naive statement.
@@JoeyCentral As Alex said, a Larsen press is not unstable at all, nor is there any increased injury risk compared to regular bench. Your feet are literally only a few inches off the ground, you should have zero problems putting them down to gain back any lost stability in the case of an accident. Also, not once did I mention anything about either regular benching nor Larsen presses needing to be heavy or very low reps. I can absolutely say that they can replace bench for a recreational lifter as I just did. I don’t see how it’s naive either as you haven’t provided me with any arguments in favor of regular benching being mandatory for a purely recreational lifter.
I have been having a difficult time hitting 315. I hit 310 a while ago, but progression had gotten slow... I started doing the Larsen Press, this week was my 6th week doing it, 2x a week. I was able to rep 225 for 45 total reps, something I've never been able to do before. Set 1 - 11, Set 2 - 10, Set 3 - 9, 4 - 8, 5 - 7, and 6 - 3. If it wasn't for this video I never would have started. Thanks for this video! I haven't tried 315 yet, but I will next week. After today I'm fairly confident I can do it.
Definitely agree with this. Larsen pressing (close grip, tshirt pause/bald omni man pause) immediately helped my bench press, I gained 5-7kg on my working weight for my close grip bench in one mesocycle (6 weeks for me), and I'm still gaining way faster than I though was possible for me. Highly recommend
I do think the larsen press makes sense as a potentially superior pure hypertrophy movement to the traditional bench press. If pectoral development is the goal, legs shouldn't enter the equation. I know this reference may upset some people but I view it the same way I do as someone utilizing the lowback in a bicep curl. It's not doing anything to build the biceps, in fact it is taking tension off of the biceps.
Larsen press does such a great job of hitting the target muscles. For the 6+ rep range i only use Larsen's and dumbbells. Much better for building muscle (and even strength) than that contortionist legdrive bs.
I always hated benching while keeping my feet on the ground. It caused my hip flexors to be in a stretched position which never let me keep a tight core while pressing so I used to tuck my knees in and rested my heels on the bench close to my butt. This helped me to keep my core tighter, contract my back and stick my chest out more and helped me press better. Larsen press is more natural tbh coz in real life you're always gonna press something while standing.
Nice breakdown. I'm not built for the bench and still prefer the flatback, close grip style for larsens. Bench blocks can be used for us taller lifters to protect shoulders.
You're totally right on interference from arching/leg drive. If I do a heavy bench day with a big arch, it tires out my spinal erectors, making it harder to deadlift the next day.
JM Blakeley has always said leg drive isn't really a thing, based on the angles involved to create force on the bar, and I guess you've kind of come to the same conclusion now. Really interesting!
If you press your body towards the rack, and do the same with the bar, a diagonaö bar bath, leg drive will help abit with getting speed off the chest. Leg drive also helps getting tight, and gives you a bigger arch, wich can help you pressing heavier loads.
If you don't care about pushing the most weight possible, not using leg drive will probably be a better option to get "more out of less weight" and target the pecs better without too much diffuse tonnage. And I have gorilla arms, so the rom I get with these is insane 😂
Been hitting Larsen Press for a couple of weeks and it has basically fixed my issue with upper body stability. Excited to see the carry-over strength gains on regular bench in a few more weeks!
I'm actually working with an 85 year old beast and we incorporate alot of Larson pressing which he actually enjoys and helps uphold whatever strength levels he has left. This is a very fruitful variation
I’ve never larsen pressed but I do the feet-up version when I close grip. In terms of how I feel the triceps and the chest it’s definitely an intense feeling. I can’t grade how it’s improved me since I’ve only been seriously lifting for 6 months. Even so, I’m looking to hit 245 tonight for a single. I think feet-up has helped me get there.
I can attest to the point you brought up about benching involving the low back. You mentioned it as "minor" however I have been absolutely WRECKED in my erectors from benching multiple times. I bench with a pretty flat back. Idk what it is but when I go for a heavy bench The activation i get in my low back is insane. Not painful by any means, but 100% carried over into other training. I dont necessarilly have weak erectors either.
checkout the paralympic benchpressers, they dont even have the physical abilitie to have their legs on the floor, and they are literally the greatest benchpressers ever.
Btw Alex I know you’re a huge weighted-stretch promoter and on the topic of chest hypertrophy I want to share something I’ve been experimenting with, this is unrelated to the video but I’m just dropping it here. I found out about heavy rack pulls for traps from your channel way back, been doing lots and lots of heavy pulls for my traps for a while now and they’ve exploded in size so I wanted to see what other muscle groups I can do the same thing for. Anyway been basically just taking the weight I’d normally use on weighted dips and doing 30 second isometric holds in the bottom position daily. It’s been such a short period of time and it already feels and looks like it’s making a change and I’m keeping up with it just wanted to share, I appreciate you redpilling me on stretch training this is just an experiment for me but I’m hoping this can help supplement my benching for watermelon pecs 💪🏻
Smart thinking with the isometric holds, I've neglected them until recently when I found out how they were great for enhancing stability. Try out band chest fly isometric holds in the stretched position when you wanna rotate variations.
@@petrl9838 Keep a natural bend in the elbow and really focus on the mind-muscle connection (something that really helps with this is placing 2-3 fingers on the pec so you can feel it fire)
I do happen to love the Larsen press as a great accessory movement. It's a really effective way to build the chest and triceps. As for the legs straight or feet up, I disagree with the assessment of leg drive. It's true that if you have back problems, it might be better, but for many people having the feet on the ground correctly and tightened core is important. The best approach, in my experience, is doing a variety of both. This is especially the case if you're powerlifting, where having your feet on the ground is important. I'd also add the same holds true for DB variations. Thanks for posting.
Great video!. Hitting the most of the fibers is always good. What many people seem to do though is going too heavy and with not enough volume cause its tedious and takes alot of time. But the most important resource to get strong will always be time.
Instead of my usual bench press regime on friday I did dips and tricep extensions and lots of heavy shoulder work and then to finish I did larsen press. I'm not as strong as you ( training for 16 months and benching for 9) but I did a pyramid up to 100kg ( 2 sets of 3 reps) and today sunday my chest is still ruined. no doubt the pec activation is massive and if you fatigue the triceps and shoulders first then you are i for a world of pec development.
What about arching for safety by using feet and traps to make back bridge, but not using legs to drive body back. I have long rom bench press leverages.
My set of 5 paused went from 275 to 290 recently after doing larsen presses constantly on my second bench day. You and bald omi-man woke me up to this exercise my bench went from 325 to 340. The hypertrophy and explosives I've gained from this exercise is nuts.
Larsen incline close grip benchpress is one of my volume variations thought I’d be good because I have a 6ft2 wingspan. Then on my max effort days I’ll max it out with a wide grip and a pause.
Never tried Larsen presses until I seen you doing them and I did 275 3x10 Larsens today for first time ever my current bench is 440lbs at 322lb bodyweight im 21 6ft2 without shoes and im natural and will always be but Larsen are definitely a new favorite for me
@el eija so I'm going bald my dad was bald before 30 I have crap hair genetics nothing I can do about it and it doesn't bother me at all and as far as my bench press goes 275 for 3x10 Larsen presses was on a light day my max bench is 440 thats around 1.3 ish times bodyweight I used to be 410lbs before lifting weights I started at 16 years old and last January I decided to lose the weight I didn't like the way I looked I cut calories and did walks around where I live I went from 376 to 321.4 in 7 months my strength went down cause I lost weight fast not the smartest approach and I went from a 420 bench and 540 deadlift to 365 bench and 455 deadlift then my strength came back better then ever since Losing weight I don't understand these comments like omg that's not even 10 times your bodyweight you noob or you only lift that cause your fat how about put the phone down and go to the gym and put the work in and support everyone seems Simple but impossible for most people
Great advice. I am 6ft4 with a very long clavicle and extremely long arms, the one body part I have always struggled with growing is the chest. Gonna to give the Larsen press another go using your advice!
@amaterasu4439 I went back to dumbbells. Seen the best results with a flat dumbbell press, some bent over cable flys and incline dumbbell presses. Focusing massively on execution.
i personally think it’s best for a lifter to determine there bench speciality before overloading. tricep dom or chest dom. i made mistake adding too many variations. when i figured out how i work, (high volume) i’m close to breaking 405 as a natural at 19
Ngl i prefer larsen and feet up bench over the powerlifting bench. I dont plan to compete. I just want a great pec development and strong pecs. Also, i feel stronger in them than the PL type of bench. I dont know how to utilize leg drive. The arch kills my groove too haha
Saw this yesterday and gave it another chance today. Love it now I just did it on a crap bench before so didn't like it but now I tried it on my home gym in my rack and a slightly wider bench it felt amazing thought my pecs might explode! I'm sure this will help with busting plateuas
Great video Alex, really interesting your take on Larssen press. Whats your opinion on feet up bench? Does it have similar benefits? Id say it may provide more stability with similar rom as Larssen and without leg drive.
Great video as always Alex. Do you recommend replacing floor/pause bench in your novice program with Larsen? Also do you reckon you'd ever do a video revisiting your novice program and talking about any changes you'd make now that you're more experienced?
In my opinion, a novice should get good at the basics before moving on to other variations. Once form is dialed in with the basic versions, then you deinitely could, even if you aren't a true intermediate yet.
Hey Alex! Curious about your thoughts on Eugene Teo’s bench press video since you are a big advocate for arching in the bench press. What he says makes a lot of sense to me as I’ve struggled a lot pushing heavy weight with my shoulders locked back. Thank! :)
Tbh, pecs seem to benefit the most from certain Flys with bands and cables for me, especially upper chest. My range of motion is very long with Flys too. Idk if my "wing" span of 72" at 5'7" has anything to do with it tho.
I'm in the same boat as you man, as a long armed bencher, I get the best results and SFR from doing bench volume with 1/2 to 1 board and then band chest flies as an accessory.
First time I joined the gym , I have no idea that I should arch my back , so for like 2 months I was doing bench press with my back flat , the next month I learned how to bench with an arch , and I hit a pr of 120 Kg , i was like daaamn I didn't expect that , from training with 90 kg with my back flat to 120 kg pr with an arch , really the larsen press is a must in everyone's program , (I have long Arms, 185 cm , 6'1)
really brace the abs or just lift the legs off the ground? i hope someone gets my question. you can kinda do a APT while leaving the legs off the floor or you really brace the abs to keep the back and legs strictly straight
Hey Alex can you make a video on which excercises need to be cycled? Like do you only cycle the excercise that you max out on? Can I keep accessories the same every week?
For novices do a 4-6 week cycle for max effort work, after that an 8-12 week rotation works well. For accessories, keep them in until progress stalls or overuse occurs, if you wanna plan it, generally every 5-10 weeks, depending on the lift and where you are currently at in your lifting journey
I was having a hardtime hitting a 250 lb bench for about 6 months. I started Larsen Pressing (thanks to you and Bald Omni Man) and I recently benched 255 lbs within 2 months of Larsen Pressing 👍🏼
Crazy progress dude!
I ran smolov Jr to get passed 275
@@texas3258
I always heard that it’s extremely hard to maintain after smolov jr, and that most people lose their strength gains quickly after.
How was it for you?
@@texas3258 I've thought about running smolov jr, but like StaticDreamsEntert said, people seem to lose some strength after. I do not mind grinding and taking time to hit 275 and then 315.
@@AlexLeonidas how do i build my tricpes that does not get sore with bodyweight
I’ve come to a similar conclusion about leg drive developmentally. As long as you keep the skill fresh, most of your pressing training should be the harder shit
Exactly and it's not like leg drive is a difficult skill to maintain or get back to.
I usually just practice leg drive on my warm up sets for feet up bench and also during close grip bench on secondary days
On an incline I don’t even feel my legs driving at all (non Larsen style), but I guess with your feet being up it makes you psychologically retract your scapular less which makes the butler press a better variation then incline
Probably my favorite current horizontal press at the moment!
Right on Geoffrey! 💯🍉
@@AlexLeonidasI love that all my favorite fitness youtubers know about each other I still can’t believe you guys know about each other, agree with a lot of the stuff you guys say but when you don’t, you can have a civil debate. You guys put me on with natural hypertrophy.
I have to say, implementing all of these uncommon exercises you have been recommending over the years has really helped my physique.
Excellent Justin!!
My favourite thing about Larsen press and why it’s the only bench variation I do now is form accountability, which is crucial for hypertrophy. That last rep is a grind you have to fight for and you can’t raise your butt to change the leverages mid rep and cheat yourself of those precious gains, which is something I sometimes just can’t stop myself from doing on accident if using leg drive.
Larsen close grip bench. Absolutely blowing up my triceps.
Can someone use this variation as their main horizontal pressing of the week?
@@SustenanceUdyrits absolutely impossible to not involve chest in a pressing movement even with close grip, so yeah probably, if you want to focus on tricep
A huge advantage to the larsen press is reduced strain on the SI joints. When you look at your training as a whole, this can affect how much training volume or intensity you can afford to deadlifts and squats. Much like how low bar squat can affect your bench press due to elbow or shoulder strain. I prefer the larsen press for that reason alone, along with being in the high 90 percentile of my full leg drive bench
Your presentation of information just keeps getting better. Thanks for constantly pushing yourself to be better.
I started doing legs up bench pressing (feet on bench, knees bent) simply because I had a severe back injury, so it took my back out of the equation, which felt better. The issue is I switched gyms and my new gym has SUPER narrow benches. Even with my feet down just for stabilization, I feel unstable. And it does aggravate my lower back. Frustrating. I’ve been sticking to DB benching because I feel like it hits my chest so much more.
Maybe you could put a plate on the end of the bench so it makes it a bit wider then put your feet on that? Idk if that’s practical just an idea
Sucks to hear about those garbage benches!!!!
But I'm glad you got the benefits while you had the chance, and db bench is still a great option overall.
You could try draping a yoga mat over the bench to increase the surface area a bit.
@@jakestanley190 Just tried this for the first time last week and am never going back, way better than using bands
I sometimes do this and almost turn it into a decline press. Feels better to me
This just popped up on my feed and holy shit i got catfished!! Where’s the beard at bro #freeTheBeard
Yooo lmao I bet since you've always seen me with a beard! It'll come back 💯🧔
@@AlexLeonidas that emoji 😂😂
I’ve done Larsen presses since you introduced them. I feel stronger and bigger than ever in my upper body. My flat/incline dumbbell/barbell presses are up. My shoulder press is more stable and I lift more. I feel my chest much more activated than my feet planted. I’m the only one in my gym who does that, hopefully I’ll inspire my peers to try it out. Thanks Alex
Man your delivery in ON POINT
‘More out of less weight’ 👌
I love how Alex is so diverse in thinking and very open minded to other ideas
Thanks for being you Alex.
Thank you 😁
Have just started implementing this. Hoping it gets me to a 315 bench (285 PR).
You will 100% get that 315!!
Damn we on the same exact journey , GL broo
You too man. Gl.
Exactly same for me lol, 285 PR tryna get 315, good luck on ur journey brother and stay injury free.
@@gud_soup6991 Good stuff man. Ditto to you.
Hoping a focus on larsen press and close grip can take me from a 250 bench to 315 this year. Sick video as a always
Did you hit 315?
I noticed the same difference in grindability when I switched from TNG to pause benching. I used to hit failure really suddenly after only like 1 or 2 slowed down reps, now I feel like I can grind out quite a few slow reps before actually failing. I'll be rotating Larsens back in soonish so it'll be interesting to see if that becomes even more pronounced.
Larsen is freaking amazing. Ever since I learned about them i stopped using leg drive completely on all presses. Also very interesting to see you doing incline work again, excited see what it will bring down the line.
Team Larsen press checking in
Honestly, is there even any reason for a purely recreational lifter to ever do regular bench over Larsen press, other than caring about a competition lift? You get increased ROM, more out of less weight, better form consistency, pure upper body focus. I just don’t see a reason to prefer regular bench, at least if your main goal is hypertrophy
Because you can lift more with a regular bench than a Larsen press and it’s less risky.
@@JoeyCentral what part of „more out of less weight“ did you not understand? And how is it less risky exactly?
Gets you thinking, doesn't it?
@@pouihurmen not every bench is sturdy and it is easy to lose balance and when you’re pressing heavy weight without any stability, you can easily fuck yourself up. Plus who said that every bench press needs to be super heavy 3 rep sets of RPE8.5+? I never said that Larsen presses were useless and they have their place in training, but you can’t say that it can replace bench pressing since that is a naive statement.
@@JoeyCentral As Alex said, a Larsen press is not unstable at all, nor is there any increased injury risk compared to regular bench. Your feet are literally only a few inches off the ground, you should have zero problems putting them down to gain back any lost stability in the case of an accident. Also, not once did I mention anything about either regular benching nor Larsen presses needing to be heavy or very low reps. I can absolutely say that they can replace bench for a recreational lifter as I just did. I don’t see how it’s naive either as you haven’t provided me with any arguments in favor of regular benching being mandatory for a purely recreational lifter.
I have been having a difficult time hitting 315. I hit 310 a while ago, but progression had gotten slow... I started doing the Larsen Press, this week was my 6th week doing it, 2x a week. I was able to rep 225 for 45 total reps, something I've never been able to do before. Set 1 - 11, Set 2 - 10, Set 3 - 9, 4 - 8, 5 - 7, and 6 - 3. If it wasn't for this video I never would have started. Thanks for this video!
I haven't tried 315 yet, but I will next week. After today I'm fairly confident I can do it.
Definitely agree with this. Larsen pressing (close grip, tshirt pause/bald omni man pause) immediately helped my bench press, I gained 5-7kg on my working weight for my close grip bench in one mesocycle (6 weeks for me), and I'm still gaining way faster than I though was possible for me. Highly recommend
I do think the larsen press makes sense as a potentially superior pure hypertrophy movement to the traditional bench press. If pectoral development is the goal, legs shouldn't enter the equation. I know this reference may upset some people but I view it the same way I do as someone utilizing the lowback in a bicep curl. It's not doing anything to build the biceps, in fact it is taking tension off of the biceps.
Very true
Larsen press does such a great job of hitting the target muscles. For the 6+ rep range i only use Larsen's and dumbbells. Much better for building muscle (and even strength) than that contortionist legdrive bs.
"Contortionist bs" looool
@@Jspore-ip5rkyeah, that guy probably doesn't even bench 80kg
I always hated benching while keeping my feet on the ground. It caused my hip flexors to be in a stretched position which never let me keep a tight core while pressing so I used to tuck my knees in and rested my heels on the bench close to my butt. This helped me to keep my core tighter, contract my back and stick my chest out more and helped me press better. Larsen press is more natural tbh coz in real life you're always gonna press something while standing.
Nice breakdown. I'm not built for the bench and still prefer the flatback, close grip style for larsens. Bench blocks can be used for us taller lifters to protect shoulders.
I got a knee injury this month so the larsen press is my best friend now
You're totally right on interference from arching/leg drive. If I do a heavy bench day with a big arch, it tires out my spinal erectors, making it harder to deadlift the next day.
Larsen press with a spoto pause is the absolute best bench assistance
JM Blakeley has always said leg drive isn't really a thing, based on the angles involved to create force on the bar, and I guess you've kind of come to the same conclusion now. Really interesting!
If you press your body towards the rack, and do the same with the bar, a diagonaö bar bath, leg drive will help abit with getting speed off the chest.
Leg drive also helps getting tight, and gives you a bigger arch, wich can help you pressing heavier loads.
2 months ago I could barely bench 185 for 1, started Larsen pressing that same week and hit 205 for 1 within six weeks of training Larsen press.
If you don't care about pushing the most weight possible, not using leg drive will probably be a better option to get "more out of less weight" and target the pecs better without too much diffuse tonnage. And I have gorilla arms, so the rom I get with these is insane 😂
I only have a bench and dumbbells… I have to be imaginative and your videos really stimulate the brain.
Been hitting Larsen Press for a couple of weeks and it has basically fixed my issue with upper body stability. Excited to see the carry-over strength gains on regular bench in a few more weeks!
Eliminating/conjugating rows with rod’s really was a game changer for me
Grindability, great word, well put.
I'm actually working with an 85 year old beast and we incorporate alot of Larson pressing which he actually enjoys and helps uphold whatever strength levels he has left. This is a very fruitful variation
Very cool man!
It taxes my lower back when I use a lot of leg drive. I love the Larson press
Definitely adding these to my routine cheers man!
This video came just in time cause yesterday I just got back to Larsen Pressing. My chest is sore af just from 4 sets. Very motivating video!
Larsen Press and Seal barbell row, a match made in heaven.
Larsen has been a game changer, recently did 200 on close grip Larsen for a 3x10. Be pretty cool to get it to 275 one day!
I’ve never larsen pressed but I do the feet-up version when I close grip. In terms of how I feel the triceps and the chest it’s definitely an intense feeling. I can’t grade how it’s improved me since I’ve only been seriously lifting for 6 months. Even so, I’m looking to hit 245 tonight for a single. I think feet-up has helped me get there.
The reason why this works so well is because it takes away the leg drive and bounce, isolating the upper muscles that are worked, like the chest.
I can attest to the point you brought up about benching involving the low back. You mentioned it as "minor" however I have been absolutely WRECKED in my erectors from benching multiple times. I bench with a pretty flat back. Idk what it is but when I go for a heavy bench The activation i get in my low back is insane. Not painful by any means, but 100% carried over into other training. I dont necessarilly have weak erectors either.
checkout the paralympic benchpressers, they dont even have the physical abilitie to have their legs on the floor, and they are literally the greatest benchpressers ever.
Only Just started doing these and I’ve notice the Dom’s in my pecs straight for days!
Great stuff man👊
Btw Alex I know you’re a huge weighted-stretch promoter and on the topic of chest hypertrophy I want to share something I’ve been experimenting with, this is unrelated to the video but I’m just dropping it here.
I found out about heavy rack pulls for traps from your channel way back, been doing lots and lots of heavy pulls for my traps for a while now and they’ve exploded in size so I wanted to see what other muscle groups I can do the same thing for.
Anyway been basically just taking the weight I’d normally use on weighted dips and doing 30 second isometric holds in the bottom position daily. It’s been such a short period of time and it already feels and looks like it’s making a change and I’m keeping up with it just wanted to share, I appreciate you redpilling me on stretch training this is just an experiment for me but I’m hoping this can help supplement my benching for watermelon pecs 💪🏻
Smart thinking with the isometric holds, I've neglected them until recently when I found out how they were great for enhancing stability. Try out band chest fly isometric holds in the stretched position when you wanna rotate variations.
@@StrengthHacksCoaching how do I get the band flyes to hit my chest and not have my anterior delt take over?
@@petrl9838 Keep a natural bend in the elbow and really focus on the mind-muscle connection (something that really helps with this is placing 2-3 fingers on the pec so you can feel it fire)
@@StrengthHacksCoaching thanks, I have never experimented with the elbow bend, ill try it
Larsen got me to my first 455 bench
Hitting 225 x 20 was a lot easier after hitting 225 x 15 on a larsen
Makes sense bro!
I do happen to love the Larsen press as a great accessory movement. It's a really effective way to build the chest and triceps. As for the legs straight or feet up, I disagree with the assessment of leg drive. It's true that if you have back problems, it might be better, but for many people having the feet on the ground correctly and tightened core is important. The best approach, in my experience, is doing a variety of both. This is especially the case if you're powerlifting, where having your feet on the ground is important. I'd also add the same holds true for DB variations. Thanks for posting.
I just came here to see what beard/hairstyle my guy is rocking today
3:43 video on going atg instead of parallel coming soon? that was some good ass depth
Great video!. Hitting the most of the fibers is always good. What many people seem to do though is going too heavy and with not enough volume cause its tedious and takes alot of time.
But the most important resource to get strong will always be time.
Instead of my usual bench press regime on friday I did dips and tricep extensions and lots of heavy shoulder work and then to finish I did larsen press. I'm not as strong as you ( training for 16 months and benching for 9) but I did a pyramid up to 100kg ( 2 sets of 3 reps) and today sunday my chest is still ruined. no doubt the pec activation is massive and if you fatigue the triceps and shoulders first then you are i for a world of pec development.
What about arching for safety by using feet and traps to make back bridge, but not using legs to drive body back. I have long rom bench press leverages.
My set of 5 paused went from 275 to 290 recently after doing larsen presses constantly on my second bench day. You and bald omi-man woke me up to this exercise my bench went from 325 to 340. The hypertrophy and explosives I've gained from this exercise is nuts.
Zac Rowen hit a 800 deadlift natty, an interview would be nice!!!
Started larsen pressing this week, and holy shit was I humbled. I struggled to hit 2 plates for 3, but damn the pump i got was great
larsens press is the new rackpull above the knee
Larsen incline close grip benchpress is one of my volume variations thought I’d be good because I have a 6ft2 wingspan. Then on my max effort days I’ll max it out with a wide grip and a pause.
Does it matter if legs are straight vs knees up with feet on bench?
In a practical sense, I doubt it. Use what's most comfortable for you.
Great video man. Been loving Larsen Presses. Going for 250x10 tonight!
Never tried Larsen presses until I seen you doing them and I did 275 3x10 Larsens today for first time ever my current bench is 440lbs at 322lb bodyweight im 21 6ft2 without shoes and im natural and will always be but Larsen are definitely a new favorite for me
Now that's what I'm talking about man!!!!
@@AlexLeonidas thanks for making your awesome videos I've learned alot from you I look forward to seeing your progress on your lifts
@el eija so I'm going bald my dad was bald before 30 I have crap hair genetics nothing I can do about it and it doesn't bother me at all and as far as my bench press goes 275 for 3x10 Larsen presses was on a light day my max bench is 440 thats around 1.3 ish times bodyweight I used to be 410lbs before lifting weights I started at 16 years old and last January I decided to lose the weight I didn't like the way I looked I cut calories and did walks around where I live I went from 376 to 321.4 in 7 months my strength went down cause I lost weight fast not the smartest approach and I went from a 420 bench and 540 deadlift to 365 bench and 455 deadlift then my strength came back better then ever since Losing weight I don't understand these comments like omg that's not even 10 times your bodyweight you noob or you only lift that cause your fat how about put the phone down and go to the gym and put the work in and support everyone seems Simple but impossible for most people
Great advice. I am 6ft4 with a very long clavicle and extremely long arms, the one body part I have always struggled with growing is the chest. Gonna to give the Larsen press another go using your advice!
How is it going?
@amaterasu4439 I went back to dumbbells. Seen the best results with a flat dumbbell press, some bent over cable flys and incline dumbbell presses. Focusing massively on execution.
i personally think it’s best for a lifter to determine there bench speciality before overloading. tricep dom or chest dom. i made mistake adding too many variations. when i figured out how i work, (high volume) i’m close to breaking 405 as a natural at 19
Love your work, Alex. Can you please do a video on the dynamic double progression concept?
I'm not going to lie I don't feel leg drive. I get set like I do, but I don't think it is driving shit
Ngl i prefer larsen and feet up bench over the powerlifting bench. I dont plan to compete. I just want a great pec development and strong pecs.
Also, i feel stronger in them than the PL type of bench. I dont know how to utilize leg drive. The arch kills my groove too haha
Saw this yesterday and gave it another chance today. Love it now I just did it on a crap bench before so didn't like it but now I tried it on my home gym in my rack and a slightly wider bench it felt amazing thought my pecs might explode! I'm sure this will help with busting plateuas
And you give this to us for free? Thank you so much brother! Doing gods work spreading the message of Larssen 🙏
It's about isolation and once again, relative to bodybuilding.
Great video Alex, really interesting your take on Larssen press. Whats your opinion on feet up bench? Does it have similar benefits? Id say it may provide more stability with similar rom as Larssen and without leg drive.
It's actually less stable, a little risky too, I prefer the larsen press because there isn't a risk of losing balance and rolling to the side
I've been Larsen pressing for the last three-ish weeks and I can attest to the chest contraction!
How is compared to regular like 220 for day 19 instead of day 15 on flat
Problem being, I powerbuild, and leg drive adds 20kg to my bench, and I ain't even at 2 plates yet.
Nice I can fit this in when I switch up my 3 week waves. Great vid 👌🏼
The only thing I’m jealous of in life is Alex’s traps and neck
no retraction increases the risk of pec-tears though. Not saying "dont do it", just be mindful of that.
Yo how the fuck do you stay stable on the larsen, on these skinny ass benches it's actually scary
If they're too narrow I feel sorry bro!!
I bench 285 pounds and wannna get to 315, I will defo incorporate this lift in my routine.
I’m currently using the weighted dip and OHP to boost my bench press. Can’t wait to sub out one of those with a Larson press to get to 315
Alex rocking that 0 BIR look (beard in reserve)
Great video as always Alex. Do you recommend replacing floor/pause bench in your novice program with Larsen?
Also do you reckon you'd ever do a video revisiting your novice program and talking about any changes you'd make now that you're more experienced?
In my opinion, a novice should get good at the basics before moving on to other variations. Once form is dialed in with the basic versions, then you deinitely could, even if you aren't a true intermediate yet.
Definitely incorporating some larsen pressing into my next hypertrophy phase. Too much hype around this kind of pressing to not give it a good shot.
When it's a good time to incorporate this style instead of regular bench?
Late intermediates and beyond will benefit the most from it
Great video Alex as always.
By the way what watch are you wearing?
Hey Alex! Curious about your thoughts on Eugene Teo’s bench press video since you are a big advocate for arching in the bench press. What he says makes a lot of sense to me as I’ve struggled a lot pushing heavy weight with my shoulders locked back. Thank! :)
Tbh, pecs seem to benefit the most from certain Flys with bands and cables for me, especially upper chest. My range of motion is very long with Flys too. Idk if my "wing" span of 72" at 5'7" has anything to do with it tho.
I'm in the same boat as you man, as a long armed bencher, I get the best results and SFR from doing bench volume with 1/2 to 1 board and then band chest flies as an accessory.
A buzz cut with a fade will suit you more Alex
Hair looking nice my guy!
First time I joined the gym , I have no idea that I should arch my back , so for like 2 months I was doing bench press with my back flat , the next month I learned how to bench with an arch , and I hit a pr of 120 Kg , i was like daaamn I didn't expect that , from training with 90 kg with my back flat to 120 kg pr with an arch , really the larsen press is a must in everyone's program , (I have long Arms, 185 cm , 6'1)
Alex can age up and down 15 years just having or not having a beard.
I actually find the back arch in bench press very relaxing after a back workout.
Wouldn't dumbbell larsen press be more effective
I don't know why people keep their feet in the air during the unrack. I always unrack it then bring my feet up. Personally that feels way more stable.
All preference. I prefer unracking with the feet up, feels more synched
@@AlexLeonidas Yeah when I think about it, dividing the motion into two parts can throw people off. Nice video!
Larsen press will really humble you. Not in the sense that you're so much weaker, but realizing that your leg drive is next to non-existent hahaha
really brace the abs or just lift the legs off the ground? i hope someone gets my question. you can kinda do a APT while leaving the legs off the floor or you really brace the abs to keep the back and legs strictly straight
you could even add fat grips to further increase the stretch on the pecs.
Hey Alex can you make a video on which excercises need to be cycled? Like do you only cycle the excercise that you max out on? Can I keep accessories the same every week?
For novices do a 4-6 week cycle for max effort work, after that an 8-12 week rotation works well. For accessories, keep them in until progress stalls or overuse occurs, if you wanna plan it, generally every 5-10 weeks, depending on the lift and where you are currently at in your lifting journey