How Much Butt Can "Leave" The Bench?

[Lutticon]

So I have worked on my bench press form for a while now tweaking it to something really comfortable, and my question is I have read mixed reviews on what the “butt” actually is in regards to leaving the bench. If you could please see the attached video and let me know…would this pass as a good bench? Also would like to hear how my pauses are for training and other things that may seem off or appear obviously with form issues.

It seems like when I properly use leg drive and get that good push off my chest with the legs (pushing towards my head) the top area of my butt (like coccyx and up) will lift off the bench a little bit initially and then come back down. Is this okay as long as the lower part of my butt and thighs are still on the bench? Check out the video and let me know what you think. Wondering if I should lower weights or what, but I still have this issue on back-offs, etc. I am wearing some tight pants as well, if I wear loose pants you cannot see the issue.

160 lbs. BW, 190 x 2 @ RPE 7, Week 5 Low ISF 3 Day

- YouTube

[Jordan_Feigenbaum]

Lutticon,

The pauses look like reasonable training-length pauses, though I’d probably lengthen them if preparing for a meet. They always feel longer during a meet for some reason!

For your tookus, it is indeed leaving the bench pad as evidenced by the daylight between your sweatpants and the pad. These would likely be red-lighted at a PL meet if they noticed that. If you’re not going to a PL meet, these are fine with me for a training bench.

It looks like you’re initiating your drive up with a hip thrust rather than maintaining leg drive throughout the bench movement. I would focus on pushing “back” towards the rack with your feet (not legs or hips) during the entirety of the rep and initiating the up phase by pushing your chest away from the barbell.

For future form-check queries, check this out: Online Form Check - Barbell Medicine

-Jordan

[Jordan_Feigenbaum]

I have no found that the size of the arch matters, but I do like cueing leg drive towards the rack.