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My Bench Press

PowerBuilder

New member
[YOUTUBE]SYfMV3OFwkI&feature=player_profilepage#[/YOUTUBE]

I'd really appreciate if you guys (and girls) could point out anything wrong or unhelpful with this BP.

I've noticed that my head isn't laying down, that it bobs up & down & that my feet aren't planted to the ground. Two major hold backs. Anything else?

This was just a light quick 8 reps just for entertainment & a learning experience only
 
I'm not an expert. Though I will give my point.

You are moving around a bit much (you don't look tight through core and legs), head is up, legs are not planted and possibly to far back, grip width? It looks like you are doing close grip bench to me.
 
Yeah grip width looks a little narrow for a standard bench press to me. Also something that really helped me was keeping my wrists above my elbows so the forearm is basically going straight up and you're not losing any strength or power controlling the bar.

Not sure why your head is all over the place. It doesn't look like there's any support under. As Josh said, maybe to far back?
 
iam no expert either but grip width can be a little wider and maybe a little slower on your movements
 
i cant see the vid as my internets shaped but i can still see most of what the others are pointing out. grip looks a bit close and your feet definitely need to be planted firm so you can tighten up that core.
 
The following comes with the caveat that I am not a big lifter in bench. However, people I've offered the same tips to in person have added 10-15kg to their top lift, so there must be something to it.

Try putting plates under your feet, that'll make it easier to ground them.

Widen your grip a bit. Ideally, your elbows are always right under the bar, to ensure you have good pressing strength. If your elbows are forward or behind the bar, you're not able to deliver the full force from your chest, some of it is going to hold the weight in that funny position.

If your grip is very narrow or very wide, then you can't keep your elbows under the bar. So find something in between. You'll have a more solid feel to your press and know pretty quickly when you've got it right.

Aside from that is just the things you yourself have seen. Keep your head on the bench. To achieve that, when you grab the bar at first, bring your shoulderblades together. Then press straight up, and only then bring the bar forwards over you.

That way, you have the best chance of keeping your shoulderblades together, and have a firmer base to press from. And your head is more likely to stay down, too.

Though once you go heavy, you won't be able to keep your shoulderblades together without someone giving you a lift off.

The grip issue is probably the main one, and fixing that should add a chunk to your lift. The other stuff just a little bit.
 
Im certainly no expert but eveything I read says a full stop at the bottom so no momentum can be built and two seconds between the top and bottom movement? Rather then keeping it flowing? It depends what results you want from your muscles though I guess..
 
Not a single thing wrong with your bench press technique big fella.

That bench itself is crap though, its too tall, try a lower bench or add blocks to stand on, they are used in competition.

As far as grip goes, my brother benched 165kg with that grip, and the guy that recently won my last comp benched 152.5kg with a narrower grip than that.

The head bobbing is personal preference, I tried to get Max to stop doing it, but my brother benched 165kg doing it.

Bar speed is good, it would be nicer if it was faster, but its not slow, bar hits the chest in the right spot, looks okay really, aside from the feet not being planted.

Hope this helps
 
Well there you go!

I find when I have my head off the bench I feel it in my neck when pushing it.
 
I dont move my head at all when I bench Josh, but like I said, my brother always moves his, doesnt appear to effect him too much.

Max has just started doing it and I'm trying to stop him, but he's 17, he knows it all, I keep forgetting lol
 
HAHA, I remember when I used to know it all. Somehow between 17 - 21 you know everything, then about 25+ you start to realise you don't. :D

Sometimes Chris does it as well when pushing hard, it just puts me off. Different strokes hey?
 
yer sometimes i do it and it seams to get me through i havent done it in awhile cos i my bench has gotten stronger i think must be those military presses
 
HAHA, I remember when I used to know it all. Somehow between 17 - 21 you know everything, then about 25+ you start to realise you don't. :D

Reminds me of that Mark Twain quote
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years.”
 
The experienced coach said it was fine, so ignore all that **** I said.

I did include the disclaimer, but still :)
 
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