title: Effects of the bench shirt on sagittal bar path.
abstract: Powerlifting, like many sports, uses specialized equipment to enhance performance and decrease the chance of injury. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether wearing a bench press shirt would alter the natural mechanics of the bench press, causing a more efficient lift when pressing the same weight as without the bench shirt. Participants (n = 5) completed 2 series of 1-repetition maximum (1RM) bench press tests, with 1 week of rest in between 1 series without the bench shirt (no-shirt), and 1 series with a bench shirt (bench shirt). Results revealed that the vertical bar path ranges were significantly less in the bench shirt condition (35.7 +/- 4.8 cm) compared with the no-shirt condition (40.2 +/- 7.0 cm) (p < 0.05). Significant differences were found between the bar's optimal (81.4 +/- 14.2 cm) and observed (96.7 +/- 19.1 cm) total distances traveled in the no-shirt condition (p < 0.01), but no significant differences were found between the bar's optimal (71.6 +/- 12.7 cm) and observed (86.3 +/- 10.5 cm) total distances traveled in the bench shirt condition. These findings suggest that the bar path in bench shirt trials is more efficient and consistent than in the no-shirt trials. This pattern demonstrates that a bench shirt can improve load capacity. It is also possible that the bench shirt decreases the forces that act on the shoulder for a given weight and, thus, may decrease the risk of injury.
authors.affiliation: Health and Kinesiology Department, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, USA. tasilver@purdue.edu
authors.forename: Tobin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Silver
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fortenbaugh
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003020:Clothing; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014891:Weight Lifting / Q000293:injuries