Differences in the Load-Velocity Profile Between 4 Bench-Press Variants

Purpose: To compare the load-velocity relationship between 4 variants of the bench-press (BP) exercise.

Methods: The full load-velocity relationship of 30 men was evaluated by means of an incremental loading test starting at 17 kg and progressing to the individual 1-repetition maximum (1RM) in 4 BP variants: concentric-only BP, concentric-only BP throw (BPT), eccentric-concentric BP, and eccentric-concentric BPT.

Results: A strong and fairly linear relationship between mean velocity (MV) and %1RM was observed for the 4 BP variants (r > .96 for pooled data and r > .98 for individual data). The MV associated with each %1RM was significantly higher in the eccentric-concentric technique than in the concentric-only technique. The only significant difference between the BP and BPT variants was the higher MV with the light to moderate loads (20-70%1RM) in the BPT using the concentric-only technique. MV was significantly and positively correlated between the 4 BP variants (r = .44-.76), which suggests that the subjects with higher velocities for each %1RM in 1 BP variant also tend to have higher velocities for each %1RM in the 3 other BP variants.

Conclusions: These results highlight the need for obtaining specific equations for each BP variant and the existence of individual load-velocity profiles.