Arm involvement in pressing lifts and lifting in real life

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  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    ForecasterJason wrote: »
    I'm curious as to why the upper body presses like bench and overhead work the triceps much more than the biceps, but yet in real life when I lift a heavy object, it's my biceps that do a lot more work. Any reason why there is a disconnect?
    I don't understand.

    bench is pushing- if you were pushing a car- you'd be doing a whole body bench.

    you don't bench things off the ground- so why would you assume you would be using the same muscles?

    what are you trying to pick up- most things you should pick up you should be using a dead lift stance rather than actually pulling with your arms. hence the term "lift with your legs not your back"

    ^All kinds of this
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    Basic kinematics of biceps and triceps

    - Biceps are responsible for elbow flexion and resist elbow extension
    - Triceps are responsible for elbow extension and resist elbow flexion

    You can see how if you're pushing something the triceps are going to be the primary mover has far as your elbow flexors are concerned. Now that's not to say that the biceps don't get involved in the eccentric portion of the bench press for example, though the activation is probably low and not enough to overload them over time.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    ForecasterJason wrote: »
    It could just be that from spending a few years of having a very sedentary lifestyle, my leg muscles are just not activating as best they should. So maybe I do have a good bit more leg strength, but I'm not able to utilize it.

    As it is, my bench press numbers are still in the beginner stage.

    Do you work professionally as a mover?
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    ForecasterJason wrote: »
    It could just be that from spending a few years of having a very sedentary lifestyle, my leg muscles are just not activating as best they should. So maybe I do have a good bit more leg strength, but I'm not able to utilize it.

    As it is, my bench press numbers are still in the beginner stage.

    Do you work professionally as a mover?
    No. I don't lift heavy things in general very often; usually it's just on occasion when something needs moving in my house (although sometimes once a week I put away a musical keyboard elsewhere).

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