carleton

I think the question is about the range of motion in the lifts. For example, we can all squat more weight if we aren't required to go down "ass to grass" and engage our hamstrings via Lombard's Paradox.

So, yes, the weight does move up and down, but the range of motion is much shorter.

There are plenty of people who do half-squats with high weights but couldn't do a fraction of that weight if they were required to have thighs parallel to the ground.

The same is being argued with this bench press style. Wide grip means that the bar starts lower. Artificially pushed-up chest means that the touch occurs higher. Not to mention that rotating the torso makes the lift less of a bench press and more of a decline press, which is a different lift.

It's not cheating, but it is exploiting. In a sport where winning and losing is separated by very small amounts, this is significant. One estimate said that it can add 18kg/40lbs to some people's bench press. I've read interviews of some top athletes and I gather that at this point, it's a "I train conventional but compete using the arch. I do it because everyone else does it and I have to do it to keep up" kind of thing. Sound familiar?

I'm surprised that the IPF hasn't made a rule about this. My guess is that they encountered a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" scenario. I read that they couldn't mandate that the lower back be flat on the bench because some athletes have big butts that raise the lower backs off of the bench.

One thing I found interesting is that the bar lands on the chest wherever the chest is. So, if a man or woman has abnormally large pecks/breasts, then they effectively lower the range of motion significantly when compared to a competitor with a much less deep chest. So, the playing field isn't exactly level to start with.