The effectiveness of bench press training with or without throws on strength and shot put distance of competitive...

Maximum force exertion against various resistance levels (heavy-light) is commonly implemented to improve both strength- and speed-oriented components of power. Medium-light resistances allow rapid accelerations, yet incur significant decelerations in the later concentric phase to bring the bar to a halt, which may limit the concentric effort and, therefore, the effectiveness of training. Accordingly, ballistic actions have been recommended. This study evaluated the effectiveness of power bench press training, with the bar thrown on a Smith machine (BP_throw) or without throwing (BP_non-throw), for developing strength and shot put distance.

Nine university shot-putters performed BP_throw and BP_non-throw at 50, 40 and 30% 1RM, as well as seated and standing shot put trials. Peak angular velocities at the elbow were measured in these tasks using a wireless electro-goniometer. Participants underwent 24 sessions of training (12 weeks) with either BP_throw (n = 5) or BP_non-throw (n = 4) at the three intensities (20 s × 2 sets at 50, 40 and 30% 1RM).

The peak elbow velocity during BP_throw was 1.7 times greater than BP_non-throw for all intensities. The velocity of BP_throw at 30% 1RM (854.7°/s), however, was still slower than seated (1121.3°/s) and standing (1539.1°/s) shot puts. BP_throw training significantly improved 1RM (+ 10.0%) and the distances of seated (+ 11.7%) and standing (+ 3.8%) shot puts, while no performance changes occurred after BP_non-throw training.

When undergoing power bench press against medium-light resistances, maximum ballistic actions are important strategies for improving 1RM and shot put performance of university shot-putters.