Reply With QuoteThe bench and the squat both look very good to me. But I'm moving the post because I think you'll get more input from more people on the TD board.
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Bench Press Technique
Rip,
I'm nearing the end of my novice progression after some bumps along the road (mainly being a pussy and crossfit) and was wondering if I could bother you about my bench press technique (and possibly squat technique).
Is this the correct bar path for a bench press as described in Starting Strength?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_MLSgVpce4
If you feel like looking at another squat video (or can even tell anything from the angle) I'd appreciate a look. These were my worksets today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVelg2AVUic
Disclaimer: Feel free to post this in the training discussion board if you've gotten completely fed up with form checks. I'd understand.
TMPHBITEU
The bench and the squat both look very good to me. But I'm moving the post because I think you'll get more input from more people on the TD board.
Member
Nice squats. The 2nd set had the tightest bottom position of the three. Most importantly, you've got good hip drive in these vids.
During your bench, how wide is your grip? Although there will be lateral displacement forward away from your chin as you lower the barbell, it looks as though the bar is almost touching the lower chest, not the mid-chest, upon the descent. Correct me if I'm wrong, though.
-Stacey
Member
Thanks Rip!
I'm hitting right below the nipple line and have a grip with my pinkies on the outside ring on the knurling (Obviously all bars are different and I have no idea what kind my school's gym has so I can't get any exact numbers).
Perhaps with just a hair narrower grip I could get it right on?
Member
Is their anything about the above squat that could be causing leg pain?
My right leg has had some weird quad aches and pains as well as shin aches and pains. It feels muscular. The right knee hurts a bit as well. I've been training through it though since about 255 (about 2 weeks) and it hasn't gotten worse. It hasn't gotten better either. The left leg feels great though.
It's relatively erratic pain as some mornings I need ibuprofen to walk and others I feel great.
Is it related to that tiny bit of knee slide/bounce at the bottom possibly? Maybe narrower stance? Coming out of the hole crooked? Any thoughts? I'm just going to continue training through it, but if its a technique issue... It'd be nice to fix!
Last edited by pbjorge12; 12-21-2009 at 01:47 PM.
Member
You're going to have to be a little more specific about the location of the pain. Where around "the knee?"Originally Posted by pbjorge12
Member
OK.
So my right shin hurts intermittently (feels almost like shin splints. not nearly as intense though).
My right quad feels similarly.
The knee is more of a dull ache located in the picture below.
http://i45.tinypic.com/30ijihg.jpg
All of this pain is pretty intermittent. It hurts after every workout for a bit. But after that it is pretty random.
Member
A couple things come together there. You have the vastus medialis and the sartorius insertion point. The big circle you provided could implicate either of those. That's also vaguely where the medialis comes together with the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis to form the quadricep tendon, so you could have some tendinitis there, I guess. Anyway, it's a minor soft tissue injury (I assume there's no swelling), so there's relatively little "serious" threat of harm to you at the moment. The simple answer is, "I don't know."
But it's rather odd to have pain on only one side of your body and not the other. Film yourself from the front when you squat next, and see whether you can't see something from there that might be causing this, one knee caving it, hips shifting to one side dramatically more than the other, etc. And if you're seriously concerned about any slight knee drift, use the Terribly Useful Block of Wood method to get your knees forward sooner. It can only help.
In the meantime, try ice therapy 15 min. on and 10 min. off a few time each night and immediately after your workout if you feel it to be helpful. If nothing else presents itself in your video, and the TUBOW method doesn't fix things, consider foam rolling that motherfucker all up and down the length of the thigh to the insertion point and/or seeking out a good chiropractor who isn't going to try to cure your erecticle dysfunction or some other stupid shit.
Anyone else got any suggestions?
-Stacey
Member
pbjorge12,
How did you get the bar trajectory path to show up on you bench press? That is a nice tool.
You bar trajectory is good. That is the way the bar should move, arching down and then being pushed slightly back toward your head.
Nice depth.
You want to slow you descent down a little. "Ride the brakes" on the way down until you get to within a couple of inches of where you going to reverse direction, descent to ascent.
Once within a couple of inches of that position, allow the bar to accelerate. Then rebound out of the hole.
Kenny Croxdale
Member
The tool is http://www.kinovea.org/en/
It's a pretty easy to use piece of software. I'm a big fan.
I'll give the riding the breaks a go. As the weight has gotten heavier my descent has probably gotten faster.
It makes sense though that slowing the descent would be beneficial - It has been the key in my continued progress in my presses.
Thanks Stacey for your suggestions. I'll make sure to take the camera and film from the front (and back and side).
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