miked512’s BodyBlog

You may be wondering “Dang, Mike hasn’t seen any bad exercises?”  Nothing could be further from the truth.  However, they aren’t all that unique so I never thought of them as blog worthy.  However, today I thought about this one.
The second exercise to be listed in the travesty section is the Arch Press.  I first encountered it at my college gym and have been seeing it for years.  At any rate, the description is as follows.

Arch Press
Exercise Data
Main Muscle Worked: Chest, Diaphragm
Other Muscles Worked: Shoulders, Triceps
Equipment: Barbell
Mechanics Type: Compound

Execution: Lie on a flat bench and firmly position your feet flat on the floor a little more than shoulder width apart. If you want, you can raise your feet and legs into all types of positions. Arch your back as much as possible.  Make sure your feet are in a position to support this big gigantic arch.  I should be able to fit a few new york city phone books under the arch. Using a grip broader than shoulder width, hold the barbell above your body, then lower quickly to your solar plexus/rib cage line. Make sure you bounce the weight off of the arch you’ve created.  As the bar accelerates upward from the bounce, drive the barbell up over the middle of your chest until your arms are straight and your elbows are locked. You have successfully complete one rep.  If you’re gasping for air, have ruptured your diaphragm, or broken a rib, you’ve completed a rep with perfect form.