Form check on squat and bench press

[OMG]

I just wanted some input on my form and know what you all think or suggest I should work on or correct. Im open to any suggestions.

Squat 285lbs Set 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ4MGwGKmyk

Squat 285lbs Set 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD1PxoixlDo

Squat 285lbs Set 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVlDufoBDd4

Bench Press Set 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wptgPvd_MVs

Bench Press Set 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0EnLtP8Euc

Bench Press Set 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIhXFX_EN0Q

[BruteForce]

Well the bench form is horseshit... and the squat form, well, if there were any weight on there maybe we could critique it but hey, what can you do. j/k dude, lol. Focus on keeping the elbows tight on the benchpress and try to go a bit lower in your squats while keeping the weight on your heels.

[OMG]

Well the bench form is horseshit... and the squat form, well, if there were any weight on there maybe we could critique it but hey, what can you do. j/k dude, lol. Focus on keeping the elbows tight on the benchpress and try to go a bit lower in your squats while keeping the weight on your heels.

How did I know you was going to be the first to bash me, lol. Call me tomorrow if you want to lift with me. Im either going to the south club or north, not sure yet.

[milesdyson]

Take video from behind you. Put the camera inline with one of your feet or around there.

Where is the bar on your back?

[mcsquared]

On you bench it looks like the bar path isn't straight, and you're pushing the bar backwards and upwards. If you're following Rip's doctrine then your bench is probably too heavy since your spotter is helping you on those last reps of your sets. Also you might be arching your back a little too much.

[tennisgod]

Squat: needs more depth

Bench: you have a very wide grip (BBT says between 22 and 28 inches). Also your elbows were almost 90 degrees to your body which puts a lot of stress on the shoulders. Again, BBT says elbows should be locked out the entire lift which yours weren't (they moved a lot). Also, why the gloves?

Nice weight though... although it seems strange that you can bench 300 but squat only 285.

[blowdpanis]

Squat - High bar squats, not there's anything wrong with that. You have a tendency for your knees to slide forward, which causes your weight to shift forward, and depth is lacking a bit. Both of these will probably be well addressed by thinking "knees out" during the descent. Actually, I find the cues "knees out" and "chest up" arguably the most useful for teaching a high bar squat. You're also an excellent candidate for a pair of heeled weightlifting shoes.

Bench - This needs a lot of work, though you are rather strong. Firstly, your ass is leaving the bench. Even if you have no competition aspirations, hyperextending the spine like this is not entirely wise from a "want to not hurt my back" perspective. Bar path is also pretty inconsistent. Both of these can be addressed by a reset in weight to some degree, and determining a "style" and simply sticking to it.

Strong dude, and your potential will be rather good imho, but I'd iron out these technical issues before slapping on more weight, and would probably take off a bit of weight for both just to groove the right pattern without weight being an obstacle.

[Paul Sousa]

I suck at squatting so I have no comments on that, but on the bench I'll reiterate what some others have said. Your grip is definitely too wide. Bring it in a bit, tuck your elbows on the way down, and touch the bar to your chest just above your sternum. Also, keep your butt on the bench. You are arching really bad (it gets worse as the set progresses). And as everyone else has noted, you definitely have good strength, just keep working on form and you'll see some great progress.

Edit - I only watched the first set before commenting. Your third set is actually a good deal better than the first two. I would still say bring your grip in a bit, but you kept your elbows tucked better on that set which probably led to you getting all 5 reps much easier than the first two sets. There also looked to less arching in the third set.

[spangler]

as a side note, you might consider trimming your videos in half, the first 40 seconds is you getting to the lift and getting into position.

[Force Production]

Even if you have no competition aspirations, hyperextending the spine like this is not entirely wise from a "want to not hurt my back" perspective.

Isn't it safe to have an extreme arch in the bench because there's nothing compressing the spine from this -> plane?