Predictors of bench press throw performance in resistance-trained athletes: relative strength, training experience, and body morphology.

BACKGROUND

This study examined the relationships between relative strength, training experience, body composition, and upper-body power performance assessed through the bench press throw (BPT).

METHODS

Thirty-one resistance-trained men aged 21.9±2.7 years, with a training experience: 4.3±1.5 years participated. Participants performed 1RM testing in the bench press and executed the BPT with 30% 1RM on a Smith machine, using a linear position transducer to record mean concentric velocity (MCV), bar displacement (BD), and relative power (RPO). Pearson's correlations and linear/quadratic regression models were applied.

RESULTS

Relative strength (BP-to-body mass ratio) correlated strongly with RPO (r=0.63, P<0.001), and training experience showed a moderate positive correlation (r=0.53, P=0.002). Body fat percentage (BF%) correlated negatively with RPO (r=-0.36, P=0.044). Regression analysis confirmed that relative strength (R2=0.43) and training experience (R2=0.26) were the main predictors of RPO, whereas BF% explained a smaller portion of the variance (R2=0.15). The quadratic model revealed a curvilinear association between relative strength and RPO, with a threshold around a 1.35 bench press-to-body mass ratio, beyond which performance plateaued. BF% exhibited an inverse nonlinear trend, with RPO near 11-12%.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that BPT performance depends primarily on relative strength and long-term training experience, with body composition exerting a secondary, yet meaningful, influence. Practically, optimizing strength-to-mass ratio and maintaining moderate body fat levels may enhance upper-body power output in trained athletes.