{"id":89960,"date":"2011-08-16T15:10:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-16T13:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rolling-lizard-2tbi.flyinghost.app\/l-impact-d-un-maillot-d-assistance-sur-la-performance-en-developpe-couche-001\/"},"modified":"2024-12-11T08:04:51","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T07:04:51","slug":"effect-of-bench-shirts-on-bench-press-performance-001","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sci-sport.com\/en\/effect-of-bench-shirts-on-bench-press-performance-001\/","title":{"rendered":"Effect of bench shirts on bench press performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Initially designed to limit the risk of injury and accidents when performing the bench press movement, bench shirts quickly became tools for performance. There are different models, usually characterized by their material, placement of seams and tissue thickness. Their role is supposed to allow athletes to lift heavier loads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bench press is a weight training exercise. In powerlifting, the bench press is one of the 3 main movements. It consists of lying on your back on a flat bench with your head, shoulders and butts in contact with the surface of the bench, and your feet flat on the floor. The arms are in an extended position and hold a loaded bar vertically. After the starting signal of a judge, the movement is executed by flexing the upper limbs to bring the loaded bar into contact with the chest. Again, at the signal of a referee, the athlete will have to extend the upper limbs to return to the starting position (i.e.<\/abbr><\/em>, arms locked in an extended position).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The powerlifting is a discipline based on maximum muscular strength, the goal is to lift the heaviest loads on 3 movements which are the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. To achieve these 3 movements, athletes can use different equipment approved by I.P.F.<\/a>. such as shirts, belts, suits or wraps, for example. For more information on powerlifting, visit the official website of I.P.F.<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A study conducted at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France) consisted of observing the differences in terms of performance (i.e.<\/abbr><\/em>, loads raised) and speed of execution of the movement during a bench press exercise with and without bench shirt. Two shirts were used in this study: an Inzer “Phenom” shirt with seams on the shoulders and a Titan “Fury” shirt with seams under the triceps brachii (Fig. 1). These tests were realized with a sample of 11 french national strength athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To compare the effects of bench shirts, the researchers analyzed, for each condition (i.e.<\/abbr><\/em>, without and with shirt) three variables:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • The maximum load moved<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The average speed during the concentric phase (i.e.<\/abbr><\/em>, the “push” phase of the bar)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The maximum speed during the concentric phase<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Each condition was tested one week apart and the conditions for determining the maximum load were similar to those of a competition. In addition, it should be noted that the speed measurements were made with a load equal to 90% of the maximum load without shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For data acquisition, an opto-electronic three-dimensional motion analysis system (Vicon Mx, UK) was used. This system allows for 3D kinematic analysis (e.g., acceleration, speed, displacement, angles) of the human body thanks to several special cameras placed around the capture zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Results & Analyzes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The results of this study are presented in Table 1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Differences in performance and speed (mean values ± SD)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Kinematic variables<\/td>Without shirt<\/td>Shirt Inzer “Phenom”<\/td>Shirt Titan “Fury”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    1RM (kg)<\/td>147.7 ± 16.7b<\/sup><\/td>169.5 ± 24.1a,b<\/sup><\/td>176.4 ± 26.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    vmean<\/sub> (m\/s)<\/td>0.24 ± 0.07b<\/sup><\/td>0.28 ± 0.07b<\/sup><\/td>0.34 ± 0.07<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    vMAX<\/sub> (m\/s)<\/td>0.44 ± 0.11b<\/sup><\/td>0.46 ± 0.08b<\/sup><\/td>0.54 ± 0.08<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    1RM : Maximal Load; vmean<\/sub>: Mean velocity; vMAX<\/sub> : Maximal velocity.
    \na<\/sup>Significant difference with “Without shirt” condition (p < 0.05).
    \nb<\/sup>Significant difference with shirt Titan “Fury” (p < 0.05).<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Unsurprisingly, this study demonstrated on a sample of 11 athletes that the use of a bench shirt improves the performance in terms of loads moved and speed of execution. In this sample, the Titan “Fury” shirt seems to allow, significantly, the best performances<\/strong>. Figures 3 and 4 show the average differences between the different shirts and the “no shirt” condition, a heavier load of 19% and a higher average running speed of more than 38% for the Titan “Fury”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n