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Thread: Bench Form Check

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
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    Default Bench Form Check

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    Hello again all you strong folks, always appreciate the time you give here

    I have been hesitant to post a bench video, as I just hate benching in general.. and I never feel like I am great at it.
    Alas, here it is, in all the glory of its horizontal press-ness. This is a video of 195x5 last set of four after hitting a heavy single at 225.
    I competed in my first PL meet beginning of Feb, and hit 231. Just want to get a feel for what i could be doing better.

    YouTube

    Thanks again, your input is very much respected.
    Nathan

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
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    7,856

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    Hey Nathan,

    A few things here:

    1. Benching in a set-up without safeties or a spotter is not the smartest move, when dealing with a weight you're having some trouble with. I'm not saying you should absolutely never do it, hell, I used to do it myself - but I like to think I learned from it. Anyway, I highly recommend either benching in a rack with safeties, or getting a spotter for sets you're going to or close to failure on. Dumping the plates off the sides is really a last resort.

    2. I can't tell from this angle about your grip, but at the grip width you're taking, you're flaring your elbows too much - at some points they get behind the barbell. The tip of your elbow should be brought down so it's just in front of the barbell, and the keep that alignment as you start to press back up off your chest. Your elbows will move out a bit to the sides once you're a little higher up, but shouldn't flare out so much that they're behind the barbell like they are here.

    3. Since you've been benching for a while and not just learning it, take a bigger breath and get multiple reps in on that one breath - so you don't have to re-set every rep. You lose a little tightness when you do so. Make sure to lock out every rep, but see if you can do a set of five on three breaths or even two, and do 2-3 reps per breath while staying tight in your arch and holding your scapulae in retraction.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
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    Thanks Wolf!

    I had bench yesterday, and tried holding onto my breath for more than one rep. Wow it definitely helped out a lot, able to maintain the scapulas retracted much easier. I had just always been on the mindset of getting a new breath/resetting every rep would help me be super tight every rep. Glad you got my mind changed for this, hit sets of 8 yesterday in 3 breaths!
    As with the spotter, yes it would be very beneficial to have one, I just do not have anyone to train with consistently. I might just have to deal with all the evil looks of me benching in the rack

    Also last thing, why are you saying to have my elbows just in front of the bar? I always read in the book that you want your elbow right under the bar?! I am just curious if i am just misreading something, or the mindset at SS has changed since SSBBT3?
    I assume you do not mean you want my elbow "inches" in front of the bar, but just a tiny bit? Would this still essentially put my olecranon right under the bar?

    Thanks as always, NAthan

  4. #4
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    Apr 2010
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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
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    Ahh yes very good posts by you two. Thanks for sending me there, I definitely think your cue of using the elbows to bring the bar to the chest will help me a lot. I will definitely think about that the next time I bench.
    Much appreciate it!

    P.S.
    Those are some beefy forearms.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
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    7,856

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    starting strength coach development program
    Beefy is always the goal. Along with swole.

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