Effects of bouncing the barbell in bench press on throwing velocity and strength among handball players

Abstract

Bench press is a popular training-exercise in throw related sports such as javelin, baseball and handball. Athletes in these sports often use bouncing (i.e., letting the barbell collide with the chest) to create an increased momentum to accelerate the barbell upwards before completing the movement by throwing the barbell. Importantly, the effects of the bouncing technique in bench press have not been examined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of bench press throw with (BPTbounce) or without bounce (BPT) on throwing velocity (penalty and 3-step), 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) and average power output (20-60kg) in bench press among handball players. Sixteen male amateur handball players (7.1±1.9 years of handball experience) were randomly allocated to an eight-week supplementary power training program (2 x week-1) with either the BPT or BPTbounce. Except for the bounce technique, the training programs were identical and consisted of 3 sets with 3–5 repetitions at 40–60% of 1-RM with maximal effort in free-weight barbell bench press throw. The results revealed no significant differences between the groups in any of the tests (p = 0.109–0.957). However, both groups improved penalty throw (BPT; 4.6%, p<0.001, ES = 0.57; BPTbounce; 5.1%, p = 0.008, ES = 0.91) and 1-RM (BPT; 9.7%, p<0.001, ES = 0.49; BPTbounce; 8.7%, p = 0.018, ES = 0.60), but only the BPT improved the 3-step throw (BPT; 2.9%, p = 0.060, ES = 0.38; BPTbounce; 2.3%, p = 0.216, ES = 0.40). The BPT improved power output only at 20kg and 30kg loads (9.1% and 12.7%; p = 0.018–0.048, ES = 0.43–0.51) whereas BPTbounce demonstrated no significant differences across the loads (p = 0.252–0.806). In conclusion, the bounce technique demonstrated similar effects on throwing velocity, muscle strength and muscle power output as conventional bench press throw without the bounce technique.

Acute Effects of Barbell Bouncing and External Cueing on Power Output in Bench Press Throw in Resistance-Trained Men

“…Similarly, this finding has been reproduced at different drop jump heights (30–70 cm), although no difference in absolute jump height was demonstrated ( Taube et al, 2012 ). Furthermore, Loken et al ( Løken et al, 2021 ) examined the effects of BPT bounce compared with BPT (40–60% of 1-RM, three sets, three to five repetitions, twice per week) on throwing velocity, power output, and strength among handball players, and found no difference between the groups after 8 weeks. The authors speculated that the relative 1-RM strength level of the bounce group was too low to exploit potential gains from utilizing the bounce technique.…”

“…With reference to Loken et al ( Løken et al, 2021 ) and with α = 0.05 and β = 0.80, the sample size of 24 subjects appeared to be necessary to detect significant differences in mean power between BPT bounce and BPT. In total, 27resistance-trained men (age 23.1 ± 2.1 years, body mass 79.4 ± 7.4 kg, height 178.8 ± 5.5 cm, and 4.6 ± 1.9 years of resistance training experience) were recruited.…”

“…Furthermore, the deceleration phase is accompanied by a reduction in agonist muscle activity ( Elliott et al, 1989 ; Newton et al, 1996 ; Sakamoto and Sinclair, 2012 ), which suggests that the traditional barbell technique may not provide the best approach to train maximal neuromuscular adaptions. In order to overcome the delimited reduction in active force production at the end of the ascent phase, the effect of implementing ballistic actions (e.g., projecting the barbell) has been studied ( Newton et al, 1996 ; McEvoy and Newton, 1998 ; Sakamoto and Sinclair, 2012 ; Sakamoto et al, 2018 ; Pestaña-Melero et al, 2020 ; Løken et al, 2021 ). For example, Newton et al ( Newton et al, 1996 ) demonstrated that using a bench press throw technique (BPT) resulted in barbell acceleration during 96% of the ascent phase, compared to 60% using a traditional, non-ballistic bench press action.…”

“…Traditionally, it is recommended that the barbell should only lightly touch the chest and not rebound (i.e., bounce) off it ( Løken et al, 2021 ). Theoretically, the bounce bench press may enable greater acceleration of the barbell than traditional approaches to the bench press technique, increasing power output during the exercise, particularly in the early part of the lift (ascent phase).…”

“…Theoretically, the bounce bench press may enable greater acceleration of the barbell than traditional approaches to the bench press technique, increasing power output during the exercise, particularly in the early part of the lift (ascent phase). However, Loken et al ( Løken et al, 2021 ) compared the training effects of bench press, with or without bouncing the barbell, in amateur handball players and found no difference in throwing velocity, 1-RM strength, or power output between the two approaches. Elsewhere, Krajewski et al ( Krajewski et al, 2019 ) compared a conventional deadlift, performed with and without bouncing the barbell, and demonstrated increased acceleration during the first 0.1 s of the lifting phase for the bounce technique.…”