What's remarkable about those graphs is that 900 people die each year by bed sheet entanglement.
I don't know about the weight. I think there is a definite drop off in weight when you bench narrower. I think retraction may help by also building tension so it's possible.
Do you feel worn out by hitting that close to your 5rm everyday?
Yah, the internet is a treasure trove of titillating trivia.
Yesterday I investigated bench press form a bit over lunch.
http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/powerlifting-technique-bench-press-form/
First I read and watched the powerlifter how-to stuff. Dave Tate presents a convincing argument on how the powerlifter style is actually quite healthy:
But it somehow seems wrong to reduce the ROM of a bench press to 7". So I looked into more conventional trainers, and ended up with Mark Rippetoe recommendation of a slight arch and forearms that are perfectly vertical when in the descended position. So during my workout I brought my hands back out to the rack posts, which is where they had felt good before. I had brought them in closer because I read somewhere it helps tuck in the elbows, which helps the shoulders, but I think I can still do that with a slightly wider grip, and, like you said, lift more weight. Te stuff I read said that pulling the shoulder blades together should increase load capacity, because now the whole platform is on the bench, so the force transfer is more efficient.
I also read to try to keep the bar as close to the heel of the hand as possible, to minimize the moment arm between the bar and the forearm. I did it a little, but I didn't have the confidence to bring it out as much as I could. I'll try to practice a bit more with littler weights when I have more time. It feels a little unsafe when the bar's not snug in the middle of the palm. I also made an effort to retract the shoulder blades, as we've discussed, and make sure everything is tight, and arch my back a bit, but not in an exaggerated powerlifter manner like this:
Seemed to help. I don't think I'll increase weight or test my 1RM until I'm done experimenting with these parameters. I had always taken the bench press as a given, but I guess it behooves me to work on form details there too.
It's definitely a full workout doing everything 2 x 5 @ 5RM, especially now that I'm able to bring my Squat and Deadlift back up to close where they need to be. 5RM varies a bit though. I guess only on the OH Press and Pulldowns do I come close to absolutely not being able to do another rep. More like technical failure than absolute failure on the other lifts, and I'm still holding back on the bench a bit.
I'm almost wondering if I should move the Deadlifts back closer to the start of the workout, when I have the most concentration and energy, but I like the idea of spacing the Squat and Deadlift out maximally, and doing the four upper body lifts in between, alternating push with pull.
I also seem to get in at least one workout per week where I reduce the weight for at least some of the lifts, so I haven't ever done three workouts in a week at a true 5RM intensity. I would like to do that consistently though, that's the goal. Having two 48-hour periods and one 72-hour period for recovery seems to be enough.
Also, my 5RM is set at 80% of my true 1RM, but a lot of people would say it should be around 85%, so maybe my 5RM is a little easier than it should be, but I'm also doing 2-3 sets.
I think in general, this is a very good progressive overload scheme for me. A good example is the OH Press. Yesterday I did 5 x 120/115/115, but I probably should start doing each set at 120 with diminishing reps per sets, until I can consistently do 3 x 5 x 120 sets across, at which point I bump it up to 125. Yesterday, however, it seemed more important to get the total sets/reps in, at the expense of load.
This break in running, and the footwear-necessitating cold, has me thinking about fartleks again, as a way of running with a little more intensity too. If I can eventually manage it, I wonder if just three 5K runs per week at tempo pace might be the way to go for someone like me.