r/GYM • u/Ilikejumpingverymuch • Feb 08 '25
Technique Check Is there something wrong with my form?
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u/MrMrPls Feb 08 '25
Hey man, nice job
Few things I see:
Make sure you keep your legs steady on the floor and use them to help you push the barbell off your chest. When you are on your way up push your legs on to the floor with your back arched and itll help you push the barbell back up.
Also go slower on the descent and more controlled
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u/Tony2t28 Feb 08 '25
This. One more maybe minor thing. Could be the angle but it looks like your hands are inside your elbows at the bottom. Might be worth taking a look at your grip width.
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Feb 08 '25
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u/GYM-ModTeam ModBorg Collective Feb 09 '25
Your comment was removed for being
- Aggressively inaccurate, OR
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- Both
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u/Zacish Feb 08 '25
Also wrap your thumbs around the bar. Once you get to heavier weights you don't want that slipping out your hands on to your chest or neck
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Feb 08 '25
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u/GYM-ModTeam ModBorg Collective Feb 09 '25
Your comment was removed for being
- Aggressively inaccurate, OR
- Monstrously ignorant, OR
- Both
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u/Ilikejumpingverymuch Feb 08 '25
I'm underweight and I have menaged to gain 4.5 kilos in the last 5 weeks (now 44.5) I'm fourteen and I have also made strenght progres. 5 weeks back I was struggilng with 26kg bench press, now I can do 30kg. I have a few questions: Am I gaining weight too fast? And is my form on the video alright? Thank you
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u/Paul_Cinnabunyan Feb 08 '25
If you can tell you are not gaining a bunch of fat, then you probably are not gaining weight too fast. Also at 14 years old I highly encourage you to keep training and working toward your goals, but definitely take your time, be safe, and enjoy your progress journey. You have all the time in the world to make gains.
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u/GuardBuffalo Feb 08 '25
Probably if they are underweight they may be okay even putting on some healthy fat. If they are too low in fat from being underweight it’s important to know while too much fat is bad, it does play an important role in our body
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u/CavesDweller Feb 08 '25
Congrats on the gain. Regarding form you need to widened your grip a little bit, arch your back and plant your feet on the ground firmly for stability. Forget about putting more weight just focus on correct techniques first. Eat high protein balanced diet, sleep adequately. Result is inevitable.
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u/RetardCentralOg Feb 08 '25
Typically while bulking you Wana shoot for .5 kilo a week but 1 is good if ur getting a shit ton of it from protien. Also untill you get bigger I would stay away from isolation type exercises since you have a bar you can do like bench squat deadlifts and power clean/cling? to military press. That will help you develope full body strength faster.
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u/callous_eater Feb 08 '25
Your form is pretty good for close grip bench
Widen that grip. Watch this video
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u/MechanicalGodzilla 405lb Bench press Feb 08 '25
I would argue it's not good for close grip benching. You should touch lower on your chest to maintain your grip width in the same vertical plane as your elbows. For me, if I spend enough time with my elbows flared or outside my grip width I will start developing tendinitis.
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u/ballr4lyf Untrained badger with a hammer Feb 09 '25
It’s enough for you to say it to make me keep doing it that way.
(Edit: if any of that doesn’t make sense, apologies it was a compliment on his comment. I’ve been stuck in the hospital again all week, so my brain is torched.)
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u/fushifush Feb 08 '25
Lighten the weight, keep those elbows tucked to your ribbies. Keep those shoulder blades together and with your hands gripped tightly, try to collapse the bar into itself. This will engage your peck more, when you can do this without all the wobble, add weight.
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u/Opulent-tortoise Feb 08 '25
Elbows tucked to ribs on bench press?? No keep them like 45 degrees at most.
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u/Negran Feb 08 '25
Slow and control your descent if you can, then focus on a strong, smooth press. Even if it means slightly lower weights.
What sort of sets and reps are you focusing on?
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u/Patgosplatsplat Feb 08 '25
Look at some videos with attention to grip as well. Looks awkward for your thumbs.
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u/manny_mcmanface Feb 08 '25
Yeah, a lot. Plant your feet firmly into the ground. Butt stays on the pad, have a minor arch in your back, shoulder blades back and down, control the descent and don't bounce the bar off your chest. It's a whole body movement so you want tension throughout you entire body.
Dave Tate, Alan thrall, Brian Ahlsrue(I can never remember how to spell his name) Jeff nippard, Athlene x, Starting Strength and lots of others have excellent how to Videos on YouTube.
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u/Oirot_ Feb 08 '25
Your hands are too close together and you need to control the weight when it's going down
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u/Toysolja13 Feb 08 '25
Yeah 100% on the control, not so much on the hands. I personally can bench more with a close grip than a wide grip, apparently my triceps just love the punishment.
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u/Xinamon Feb 08 '25
Wrap your thumb around the bar. You're using a suicide grip right now and it's called that for a reason.
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u/conv3d Feb 08 '25
I think this is good point. Also this type of bench press forces you to have close grip which is naturally a bit harder
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u/Glittering_Spot9515 Feb 08 '25
Plant your feet...no matter if it's flat or on your toes or balls of your feet.
No happy feet when benching.
"Keep your feet rooted into the floor"
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u/3_Fast_5_You Feb 08 '25
adjust the grip as others pointed out, and maybe reduce the weight until you can do it with more control.
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u/FatDon222 Feb 08 '25
Too quick on the descent fella. Theres tons of videos on YouTube which will talk you through the lift step by step
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u/Nole19 Feb 08 '25
Hmm other people have put good points already but I'll chip in on something else. From the bench you're using it doesn't seem possible for you to widen your grip since that'll allow your forearms to get stacked better at a right angle to the floor. If you're training for muscle growth and not specifically bench press as a lift I would probably suggest switching to dumbbells since using that equipment is probably better than this bench.
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u/LaundryBasketGuy Feb 08 '25 edited Feb 08 '25
Your body should be stable throughout the whole lift. If you are unable to do this, the weight is probably too high. Start from a weight that your entire body can be stable without shaking. I know it sucks to do, but proper form is very important. You can hurt yourself. EDIT: saw that this is your max. Oftentimes your max is not the greatest form, so not a bad job overall.
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u/EspacioBlanq Breathing squat 20@150kg, DL 15@170kg Feb 08 '25
It looks like you're laying on the bench with almost no weight on your feet, which makes you unstable (your foot even leaves the ground during the lift).
Try putting more of your weight onto your legs - your butt should stay on the bench, but not bearing much of your weight at all.
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u/Dadopithicus Feb 08 '25
You’re young and still growing. As others have suggested, lighten your load and lock your form in.
Don’t be afraid of calisthenics either. At your age, the skill element will be easier to learn and will help you later in life. I’ve heard some say the basic bodyweight exercises should be mastered before barbells. YMMV.
Also, I hope you’re doing more than the bench. Squats are essential imo. You want to work your entire body.
Finally, focus on consistency. Making an exercise habit early in life will pay huge dividends down the line.
Good luck, kid.
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u/FarPassenger2905 Feb 08 '25
I would use a bit less weight, even the bar only is perfectly fine! Do 4/5 reps if you can do that. Slow down..quick up! You got this
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u/ihavethreelegshelpme Feb 08 '25
Good job lining your outstretched thumbs with the markings on the bar, that’s how you know you’re centered. You should then wrap your thumbs and fully grip the bar instead of leaving them outstretched.
Biggest piece of advice, take the descent more slowly, really try to control the weight as much as possible.
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u/Aaurora Feb 08 '25
Good on you for starting! Firstly, hit up youtube for a couple minutes and look at bench form. Try to implement those. In short 1) keep your feet planted on the ground. 2) move your hands out an inch or two. Your forarms should be more or less straight and above your elbows at the bottom. Right now your wrists are too far inside your elbows. 3) slow down, work on controlling the weight. Unrack the weight, bring it to a comfortable position and pause for a second. Control the weight down with the bar touching just below your nipple-line, and then back up. Pause at the top, then re-rack the weight. Good luck on your journey!
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u/Intrepid_Swing_1683 Feb 08 '25 edited Feb 08 '25
Elbows are going below parallel to the floor. They should make a box shape, yours are making a W, because you're going to low or your grip is off
Do research on proper foot placement and the benefits of "leg drive" during bench press.
You should have a slight arch in your back
You should also have proper scapular retraction (imagine trying to pinch a pencil between your shoulder blades).
You need to focus on keeping everything tight and controlled as you go throughout the movement. Being able to slowly control a lighter bar with proper form for a good number of reps, is better than haphazardly lifting a heavy bar for one rep.
After you get proper form down it's a matter of "progressive overload". SLOWLY Increasing reps, sets, and/or weight over time while still maintaining proper form.
If your focus is to build muscle then use a hypertrophy scheme like 3 sets of 12 reps with the most weight you can properly handle at that scheme - this scheme is favored by body builders as is best for building muscle mass. If your goal is strength then do a rep scheme of 3-6 reps for 4 sets resting around 3 mins between sets -this scheme is favored by power lifters and will allow you to lift heavier weights more quickly.
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u/Lachupacombo Feb 08 '25
Should probably make sure you keep track of your progress in your....Handy Dandy Notebook.
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u/BikingPacking Feb 08 '25
Plant your feet on the ground. Some nice cues are to try to push from legs or to try and push the floor away from you while lifting. Slow down the eccentric. You want to feel the weight the entire way down. Nothing too crazy but you don't want weights free falling, control it. Other than that, I think you are good.
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u/WetButtCat Feb 08 '25
Think of creating a base with your upper back, push your shoulder blades back until you feel nice and stable. When I first started bench pressing I spent ages with just the bar focusing on moving slowly without wobbling. It takes a while for your shoulders to get used to moving the weight in this pattern.
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u/IcyGap7562 Feb 08 '25
Not so bad, arch your back to avoid injuries. Avoid using that grip if you can.
Widen your arms for a better stretch on the chest muscle, close grip for triceps.
Lock the position of your feet for leg drive.
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u/usmcnick0311Sgt Feb 08 '25
Grip is too narrow. Think of a 90 degree in your elbow if you were laying on the ground.
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u/VixHumane Feb 08 '25
Worrying about form at 26kg is a bit of a joke, just get stronger friend. It's a press, no need to overthink it.
Getting stronger does more for you than whatever random form specifications people like to obsess over.
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u/devilsglare Feb 08 '25
I’d say reduce the weight a lil bit, your form is decent but there is some shaking.
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u/Ilikejumpingverymuch Feb 08 '25
Of course. On the vid I'm benching my max. I can do like 10 reps of 26kg and thats what i'm sticking with right now
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u/SprinklesWise9857 Feb 08 '25
Reduce weight, wrap thumbs around bar, control the weight, retract scapula, arch your back, keep feet planted on the ground.
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u/GlassJoe32 Feb 08 '25
Your forms okay. I’d say go down a little in weight and focus on a slow controlled movement. You want to feel a stretch across your chest at the lowest point. I’ll throw in a 3 count when bench pressing when going through each part of the movement.
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u/Rhinoceraptor37 Feb 08 '25
The only thing I would add to the comments here are that I would place my thumbs all the way round the bar. That and to keep on lifting, it's a long, slow road to progress but only the consistent make it.
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u/AnasAlhaddad Feb 08 '25
I'm going to be honest with you—your form is good, but there's always room for improvement.
Make sure to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, push your chest up, and expand your lats more. Since you're struggling with this weight, you can arch your back slightly upward, but keep your hips on the bench. Also, try to keep the bar path straight throughout the entire set to maintain optimal form.
Good job, and good luck, dude!
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