These dang arms....How arm length plays a role in bench pressing.

I am 6'4".
My wingspan is 6'5".

I think it is important to factor this in when attempting to increase your bench press.
It is a logistical fact that men with a shorter arm span are able to bench press more weight than men with longer arm spans. With a shorter travel distance this is an obvious.

Does this mean that a man who is 5'10" tall will always be able to bench press more than a man who is 6'4" tall assuming that the effort between the two is equal?

Mathematically, yes. Many forums and posts claim that a man with longer arms should widen his grip on the bar and by doing so, decreases the travel distance of the weight from chest to full extension. This is not a fix though. By widening your grip, your are decreasing your vertical leverage. Therefore decreasing your ability to press as much weight as a man with a shorter arm span with a closer grip who has a shorter distance to travel when pressing.

Livestrong claims this: If you have long arms, you will push the weight of the barbell across a greater distance. Your elbows will drop below your body at the start of the bench press. This position moves your upper arm lower than a parallel position so the muscles of your triceps, shoulders and back are not used as efficiently to move the barbell.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/458669-is-a-bench-press-affected-by-arm-length/#ixzz2IphLGaNO

 

So true. All of my life I have been disgruntled at the lack of my ability to progress and increase my bench press when compared to those around me who are not as tall. I had a buddy when I was in the Coast Guard who was 5 inches shorter than me and we worked out together almost daily on the ship. His bench skyrocketed beyond mine to the point of becoming a distraction when benching together because of having to change weight configuration with each switch.

 

The Oak, Arnold, who is 6'2"; says because of his height and wingspan, of all his body parts, it took him the most effort to get himself to a 400 pound bench press.

 

Should I find discouragement in this? No way. Although I am taller than Arnold, older than Arnold and missing probably a few key genetic markers, I am all in on this task.

One forum posting said this: It sounds strange but it is very true. If you see a stacked tall dude, give him some props, he's worked his ass off to get that way! http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=3157&page=1

 

So in conclusion. Having long arms suck when attempting to bench press 400 pounds. But are great when trying to reach that can of tomato soup way back in the cupboard. Or for scratching your knees.