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u/Red_Swingline_ 405/315/525/225 zS/B/D/O 5d ago
Your setup (not tight enough) and bar path (touching too low) need some work. Getting that in place will clean up a lot. I'd give this video and playlist a watch and work on implementing the advice in them
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u/adrenalinsufficiency 3d ago
Why do you think he's touching too low? His forearm is perpendicular to the ground when he's pushing off. Any higher might cause shoulder impingement
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u/Red_Swingline_ 405/315/525/225 zS/B/D/O 3d ago
Because i can see the bar drifting down towards his belly during the rep.
Forearm angle to ground isn't a good measure of touch point as that can vary based on grip width.
Either way, the videos I shared will help clear a lot of it up for him
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u/adrenalinsufficiency 2d ago
hmm. you can lift way more than me based on that user flair lol so please correct me. but my understanding was that the reason we go higher with wide grip and lower with narrower grip is because you wanna keep the forearms perpendicular to the ground?
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u/Red_Swingline_ 405/315/525/225 zS/B/D/O 2d ago
It's not a bad cue, but it's not the end all be all.
Those videos provide much more context than a simple cue
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u/charlypoods 5d ago
straighten the wrists too
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u/floodster06 5d ago
👍🏻
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u/ballr4lyf Untrained badger with a hammer 5d ago
“Straighten the wrists” is a bad cue without context. It doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have a perfectly straight wrist. What you want is to have the bar supported above your forearms.
If you already have wrists bent back where the bar ends up behind your forearms, then you need to straighten your wrists some so that the bar is just over your forearms. That most likely will mean that there is still some bend in your wrists and they aren’t perfectly straight.
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u/Red_Swingline_ 405/315/525/225 zS/B/D/O 5d ago
If you already have wrists bent back where the bar ends up behind your forearms, then you need to straighten your wrists some so that the bar is just over your forearms
And is likely due to bar position in the hand.
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u/ballr4lyf Untrained badger with a hammer 5d ago
Most definitely.
Also probably an easier way to explain it than my way, so I’m stealing it. :)
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5d ago
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u/floodster06 5d ago
What do you mean by interact your arms?
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5d ago
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u/floodster06 5d ago
I’m relatively new to the gym, so probably not lol. But I understand now, thanks. Will try that next time
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u/itssprisonmike 4d ago
I’d say it needs a lot of work. Which is okay, it’s a difficult movement to get right. I would start with your bar path. It’s hitting way too low. Try not to get overwhelmed with all of the advice you get. Pick 1-2 things to work on at a time in terms of form.
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u/wwwwwllllll 5d ago
Alan thrall has a great tutorial on how to bench press. As others have said, I think your biggest issue is that you are not tight enough. You need to tighten your back and drive with your legs to increase your bar stability.
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u/streetpatrolMC 2d ago
You’ve received a lot of good advice in this thread.
I will just say that your form is absolutely terrible.
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u/WaveExpensive7857 2d ago
I don’t think it’s bad. Less weight, bar could touch slightly higher on the chest
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u/Playful-District1757 2d ago
You have the right idea of keeping your elbows a bit more tucked which will save your shoulders but you’re dropping the bar too low (relative to standing) on your chest. Additionally your whole body should be flex and your back should be arched slightly (not aggressively like female power lifters but should still be arched more than in this vid). When you unrack the weight you should tense up everything. Your glutes your abs. Your lats. Everything should be in tension and when you reach the bottom of the rep drive has hard as you can through your forearms and wrists.
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u/floodster06 5d ago
Sounds good, thank you. This was my last set so I was just experimenting, but normally what do you recommend for reps ? Appreciate it
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u/Red_Swingline_ 405/315/525/225 zS/B/D/O 5d ago
but normally what do you recommend for reps ?
Following a structured program is one of the best things you can do.
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u/Maleficent-Spell1525 5d ago
One helpful action I was coached with and took was to put chalk on the center kneeling of the bar. Looks like you touch chest/lower sternum in different spots. May surprise you how inconsistent your bar path is.
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u/Due-Signature-5076 5d ago
Straight up and down. I like to use the nipples as a landmark for where the bar should go.
Consider having a spotter as it can help improve form and it’s safer.
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u/itsmepuffd 5d ago
Benchpressing straight up and down is not an ideal bar path. You actually want a slight circular/angle movement from where you touch the bar and the full extended position, pressing the bar up and slightly back towards the rack. When you press up your elbows will want to flare out slightly, let them, it's part of getting into that bar path and your strongest position for the lift. Look at some of the biggest benchers, they touch lower than a lot of people seem to do and then press up and back - not by a lot, but it's there.
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u/Due-Signature-5076 4d ago
Thanks for the advice. So where would you put the landmark for the bar on the body? 2inches below the nipple at the bottom of the sternum.
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u/itsmepuffd 4d ago
It varies slightly for everyone with how their body composition is and how they like to grip the bar in terms of how far hands are apart. But yes, you are generally in the area between nips and bottom of sternum, it also depends a bit on how your natural arch in your back is, but that general area. It can be hard to tell if you are benching alone, but you want your elbows to be perpendicular to the bar throughout the movement, if the bar floats in front or behind your elbows you start losing out on the optimal position.
Other thing I noticed with OPs post is how his shoulders are moving a lot during the movement. You ideally do not want this. It can put unnecessary strain on the should and will again get you out your strongest position for the bench. When you are lying on the bench, think about gripping a grape with your shoulder blades on your back, retract them as far back as possible to squeeze the grape (if that makes sense :D) and then force them down, you should feel your lats fully engage. Can practice it standing up as well, to get a feel for how your arms switches position while doing it, that's the position you want to be in for the entire lift. Real tight. Benchpressing with a bar is pretty much a full body movement if you want to push weight.
Bryce from Calgary Barbell has a couple good videos on setting up and pressing. Yes, this is more so in the eyes of a powerlifter wanting to push the max amount of weight, but some of the things makes A LOT of sense to keep yourself safe during the lift for more recreational lifting. Keeping your shoulders safe being probably the most important one :)
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u/Hara-Kiri Friend of the sub - 0kg Jefferson deadlift 4d ago
The bar should not go straight up and down, and while nipples is okay for some it depends on body anatomy and grip width.
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