Bench Press Form Check - 355x5 TnG

Hit a new 5RM on touch and go bench today with 162.5kg (around 355lbs) and just looking for any input and advice regarding my technique. Thanks!

Overall, looks good. I notice you have your wrists cocked back, that doesn’t hurt your wrists at all? It’s a somewhat unconventional technique, but if it works for you then I won’t try to stop you.

It looks like you don’t use much leg drive, if at all. There are some good bencher who don’t use leg drive at all, but it’s something worth experimenting with. There is a recent post on Boris Sheiko’s facebook page that you should check out.

Other than that, I would advise having someone spot you (someone competent, that is) or benching in a power rack. Apparently there are a few people who die every year from getting stuck under a bar, don’t let yourself be one of them.

Thanks for your response. I do cock my wrists back, I just feel more powerful that way and it feels natural to me. So far, I haven’t had any wrist pain or issues there. As far as leg drive goes, I’ll take your advice into account and incorporate it into my technique. So other thant that, my bench technique would pass in a meet? (With a pause onviously)

Well, in a meet there are different rules depending on the federation. You have your ass on the bench all the time and your feet aren’t moving (some federations allow you to go up on your toes, others it’s flat feet only) but it looks like you lift your head off the bench which, again, is allowed in certain feds and not others. It’s only a problem if it’s not allowed. Other than that, you usually have to unrack the bar, wait for the “start” command, lower the bar to your chest and then wait for the “press” command, press and lock it out and then wait for the “rack” command. Again, some feds don’t follow all those rules but generally speaking, that’s how it is. I train alone so I just imagine the commands in my head when I do some heavy singles leading up to the meet. There are also commands for squat (“squat” and "rack) and deadlift (“down”), I got a couple red lights in my first meet because I wasn’t used to the commands. At my last meet, there was one guy who might have been the strongest guy there but he missed a few attempts because of the commands and then bombed out on bench because he was used to lifting his head.

Which federation do you plan to compete in?