Bench form check, please

[nickem]

Third set of 5x155:
YouTube

I faced difficulty unracking the bar and bringing it over my shoulders, locked. As the weight increases, it gets more difficult to do. Aside from a spotter, any tips? What am I doing wrong?

[Eric Schexnayder]

You don’t necessarily need a spotter. You can also just push the bench further under the bar. Just make sure the bar will clear the J hooks while benching.

Ideally you wouldn’t do this, but if you bench alone you take risks.

[Alex K]

I'm not very experienced, but I do bench alone and I am also very cautious about it. It looks to me like you are having to reach too far to unrack the bar. Could you either move slightly closer to the hooks, or lower the hooks by one notch? You could try this with a lower weight and see how it feels.

What worried me the most from watching your video is that your elbow unlocks after you unrack the bar and as you are bringing it across your face and neck. I would say if you can't safely unrack and rack the bar with locked elbows then you should not bench press. No one wants you risking serious injury. At some point the weight will be heavy enough to cause failure and if that happens as you rack/unrack it with unlocked elbows, then it could be very ugly.

For a more detailed discussion on this see the barbell logic podcast on safety (they discuss bench at the end).

#92 - The TRUTH about Barbell Safety | Barbell Logic

Good luck!

[nickem]

Thanks guys, I'm going to try moving the bench in closer next time.

Alex, I am an avid listener of Barbell Logic podcasts and have listened to that particular episode already, which is why I felt the need to post my video here in search for a timely adjustment of my technique before stuff got ugly

You don’t necessarily need a spotter. You can also just push the bench further under the bar. Just make sure the bar will clear the J hooks while benching.

Ideally you wouldn’t do this, but if you bench alone you take risks.

I'm not very experienced, but I do bench alone and I am also very cautious about it. It looks to me like you are having to reach too far to unrack the bar. Could you either move slightly closer to the hooks, or lower the hooks by one notch? You could try this with a lower weight and see how it feels.

What worried me the most from watching your video is that your elbow unlocks after you unrack the bar and as you are bringing it across your face and neck. I would say if you can't safely unrack and rack the bar with locked elbows then you should not bench press. No one wants you risking serious injury. At some point the weight will be heavy enough to cause failure and if that happens as you rack/unrack it with unlocked elbows, then it could be very ugly.

For a more detailed discussion on this see the barbell logic podcast on safety (they discuss bench at the end).

#92 - The TRUTH about Barbell Safety | Barbell Logic

Good luck!

[Satch12879]

Agreed on start position; move down the bench more to get your nose under the bar. This will reduce the distance you have to move the bar after i racking to get it over your shoulder joints. Agree on locked elbows.

Other issues to work on:

1. Arch and leg drive. You set up your arch and then immediately relax and let it collapse. Worse, you let your arch collapse after you unrack. During warm-ups, you need to focus on setting up your arch and then maintaining it. Until your arch is stable, don’t unrack. Next time, give us a video where we can see your feet and legs.

2. Grip. Look at where the bar is and where your fingers end up. They are wrapped around the bar. This may mean the bar is too far up near your fingers. You need to make sure you get it in that slot between the long crease and the thumb pad to make sure the load is transmitted as concentrically as possible down your forearms. The pads of your fingers squeeze the bar.

Bar speed on the ascent is good. Bar path is good. Elbow position looks OK. Maybe slow down the descent just slightly.

Damn bench press; I hate this lift.

[nickem]

Great analysis, thank you! I will work on the grip and maintaining the arch.

I personally quite enjoy the bench press and look forward to it. The squat, on the other hand... Is taking eternity to learn. Someone needs to write a book about it, ASAP.

You don’t necessarily need a spotter. You can also just push the bench further under the bar. Just make sure the bar will clear the J hooks while benching.

Ideally you wouldn’t do this, but if you bench alone you take risks.

I'm not very experienced, but I do bench alone and I am also very cautious about it. It looks to me like you are having to reach too far to unrack the bar. Could you either move slightly closer to the hooks, or lower the hooks by one notch? You could try this with a lower weight and see how it feels.

What worried me the most from watching your video is that your elbow unlocks after you unrack the bar and as you are bringing it across your face and neck. I would say if you can't safely unrack and rack the bar with locked elbows then you should not bench press. No one wants you risking serious injury. At some point the weight will be heavy enough to cause failure and if that happens as you rack/unrack it with unlocked elbows, then it could be very ugly.

For a more detailed discussion on this see the barbell logic podcast on safety (they discuss bench at the end).

#92 - The TRUTH about Barbell Safety | Barbell Logic

Good luck!

Agreed on start position; move down the bench more to get your nose under the bar. This will reduce the distance you have to move the bar after i racking to get it over your shoulder joints. Agree on locked elbows.

Other issues to work on:

1. Arch and leg drive. You set up your arch and then immediately relax and let it collapse. Worse, you let your arch collapse after you unrack. During warm-ups, you need to focus on setting up your arch and then maintaining it. Until your arch is stable, don’t unrack. Next time, give us a video where we can see your feet and legs.

2. Grip. Look at where the bar is and where your fingers end up. They are wrapped around the bar. This may mean the bar is too far up near your fingers. You need to make sure you get it in that slot between the long crease and the thumb pad to make sure the load is transmitted as concentrically as possible down your forearms. The pads of your fingers squeeze the bar.

Bar speed on the ascent is good. Bar path is good. Elbow position looks OK. Maybe slow down the descent just slightly.

Damn bench press; I hate this lift.