leaning back on pulldowns/ feet up when benching?

[theoperator]

when i do pulldowns i do not lean back but i do feel it in my lats. i always thought that was the correct way to do it but recently i saw a video of jay cutler doing them and he leaned back quite a bit on every single rep.
obviously cutler knows alot more than i do about training but the big reason i think it would be bad to lean back is that turns it more into a rowing motion than a pulldown.
I feel it in my lats without leaning back so should i just stick with that or am i leaning back the wrong way and that is why i dont feel it?

one more question

why do people put their feet up on the bench when they are bench pressing? what is the point to that. i always thought this was stupid and would be harder to balance the weight but the biggest guy at my gym does it like that so im pretty confused.

are these just personal preferences and really do not matter or is one way definitely superior to the other?

[pumpster]

Good questions. IMO leaning back is absolutely wrong for isolating the lats; I used to do it and never felt it in the lats that way. There are other ways to get the weight moving without leaning back. Pros don't always train in the most effective manner BTW.

Pushdowns behind the head are considered bad for the shoulders, but in fact they're quite effective in a different way than front pulldowns, and not bad for the shoulders if careful. If there is no existing shoulder problem, if a good warmup's used, if the right grip is found and if necessary the ROM's shortened, there is no problem and a great lat pump.

Feet up or down on benches is personal preference IMO.

[Stubborn]

I believe the feet on the bench thing is that people are trying to train their stabilizer muscles while benching. Whether or not this benefits you, Im not sure but I've never heard of anyone "swearing by them."

Leaning back in the pulldown is just to cheat the weight a little. Its not good form. You should arch your back just so the bar can pass your face. I rarely use rear pulldowns because my shoulder pops when put in that position. If you choose to then go light and practice your form.

[WOOO]

feet up while benching is fruity... leaning back while doing pull ups takes away from the work on the lats

[Princess L]

feet up while benching is fruity...

It helps keep my back flat.  When my feet are on the floor, my low back tends to arch slightly.  It's very common for 'shorter' people.

[JPM]

Lovely Princess L is correct. Usually the ankles are crossed while the knees are drawn up.  Flater back and takes the leg/hip's out of the exercise for better focus on the chest. Lot's of BB'er in SoCal do it that way.

Lat pull leaning back or straight up...take your pick. Both way's work for a bigger, wider back. Good Luck.

[tab1]

Feet on bench while benching, will help keep back flat and will isolate chest more. Works for some people. Leaning back while doing pulldowns, I sometimes lean back and sometimes not. Can put up more weight leaning back of course. Only way to get big is put up the heavy weight, and sometimes you need to cheat.

[kh300]

i thought when benching you need your back arched,butt down, and chest high. that way your chest does the work. when your feet are up your back is flat and your shoulders are up more. that way your front delts are doing more work than your chest.

[WOOO]

It helps keep my back flat.  When my feet are on the floor, my low back tends to arch slightly.  It's very common for 'shorter' people.

i don't mind my back arching... in your position i would suggest putting your feet on a bench or step... foot drive is a key component of power and balance while benching...

i didn't realize you were so petite... 

[JPM]

For pure BB'ing it's not so much a question about power and how more you can lift than the other guy. People tend to get caught up in ego training that way. Wish I had a dollar for every guy who's come up to me and ask how come they can bench 50-60lbs more than Joe Gymbag, in a workout, but he's much bigger and muscular all around in the upper body. With BB'ing, it's as much a mind game as it's a lifting effort. For the most part moderate weight, rep scheme of 8-12  and very short intervals between set's (45-60 seconds) are the main workout style of most successful BB'ers. The main purpose is to train the muscle fibers and not over stress the joints, ligaments, tendons, etc. The goal is hypertrophy, not strength so much. Strength will usually follow and develop with a good BB'ing workout. The progressive system of training demands that. This does not mean that all exercises are preformed in the strictist style or each rep is a complete ROM. A looser style does have it's place in classic BB'ing.

That's one of the reasons that a lot of BB'ers will raise the feet/legs of the floor when doing BB/DB BP's, fly's, cable fly's, etc. Reducing the element of other body areas out of the bench and just to focus on the chest and pressing muscles themselves. Lot of guy's will do sitting presses, laterial raises, curls, triceps , etc pretty much for the same reason of a better focus on the region they want to work. Of course much less weight is used for their desired results. Ego training and the amount of weight used is not the main factor. Hypertrophy is. Good Luck.