Big Pecs, Big Bench?

If you add muscle mass to your pecs, will that mean you'll also be able to lift more weight in the bench press?

In today's episode, we look at a new study of Paralympic bench pressers that measured their pecs, triceps, and arm length, and then compared these variables with their performance at the Brazilian national championship.

The results? Bigger pecs and triceps were associated with stronger benches, while longer arms were associated with weaker ones. Together, those three variables explained a surprisingly large amount of the differences in bench press strength. But does that actually mean growing your pecs will automatically increase your bench?

Let's discuss what the study can and can't tell us!

Finally, we answer a listener question about body fat: at what body fat percentage does your strength start to decrease?

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Opening banter about bench pressing
• 10:00 - Program of the week: Bench Press Boogie
• 14:15 - Study review: Big pecs, big bench?
• 27:00 - Listener question: At what body fat percentage does your strength decrease?

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