Bench press form check: 6 mistakes to look for on every rep

How to film it

One set, filmed so the whole movement stays in frame. A steady phone matters more than a perfect angle.

AngleSide-on at bench height, or 45° from behind the head.

FramingWhole body on the bench, bar and feet in view.

Phone heightLevel with the bench, on the floor or a box.

Elbows flared wide
Upper arms sit straight out at 90° to the body as the bar comes down.
CueTuck the elbows to roughly 45 to 70° and bend the bar.
Bouncing off the chest
The bar crashes down and rebounds instead of touching and pressing.
CueLower under control, touch, then press.
Hips leaving the bench
The glutes lift off as the press gets hard.
CueDrive through the floor, but keep your butt on the bench.
Wrists bent back
The bar sits in the fingers and the wrists fold backwards.
CueBar low in the palm, knuckles to the ceiling.
Loose shoulder blades
The shoulders roll forward off the bench through the set.
CueSqueeze the shoulder blades back and down before you unrack.
Uneven lockout
One arm finishes before the other and the bar tilts.
CueLighten the load and press evenly. Film from behind to see it.

Each rep gets its own band on the timeline, marked good, watch or fix, with a short note on what happened in that rep. Tap a rep to replay it.

Film a set and Formax marks every rep. Your first three scans are free.

General coaching information, not medical advice. If something hurts, stop and see a professional.