Bench grip

[Skeletor]

Where do you all place your hands in relation to the rings on your benchpress?  I've recently widened my grip quite noticeably from what was a very triceps and chest dominant almost close grip to having my middle finger out on the rings more to help engage the lats more wide grip. Thought I'd see where you all have fingers placed on a standard powerlifting bar.

[BeastBuilder]

You'll notice more Chest/Lat involvement with a wider grip rather than Delts/Tris which is typical of a closer grip. There's people who are exceptions to this but biomechanics will dictate this for most people unless your mind muscle connection works better the other way if you know what I mean.

 

I'd be cautious of doing a massive grip change like that instantly as your shoulders may not be able to handle it mobility wise or have the supporting muscles activating properly.

 

I used to do a Narrow Grip style until this year where I gradually worked out to a wider grip, I now prefer to grip quite wide (almost at max GPC legal grip which is index fingers on rings on a competition bar, 81cm between index fingers) as I have learnt to engage my Lats a lot better and my Pecs have gotten a lot stronger. I had to bring my grip in to a Narrow/Close grip to nurse a shoulder injury so I could even compete in November but I am slowly working it back out as my Pec Minors loosen up and my Shoulders become healthier. I'm currently at inner side of my pinky on the rings but will get out to middle/index finger soon.

 

Individual as to what you'll be strongest at due to neural adaptions, strong vs weak muscle groups etc but biomechanically how muscles and joints are set up, every human should be stronger with a wider grip to a point. 

[GyzzBrah]

My thumbs will generally be around 10cm away from my ribs. So kind of close - medium grip, since wide / close make me loose a lot of strength so easier like that for me

 

dont have competition length bench / bars at my gym so dunno where it would be for rings.

[soundsgood]

I bench raw with my pinkies on the rings.  It's still a strong position for me and I can get anything off my chest to halfway up (seriously I've 3/4 benched 240kg before) where I was always failing off the chest before.   Funnily enough I tend to fail most at lockout now but I'm trying to flare my elbows at the top so lockout is more of an arm position Change rather than an actual movement of the bar. 

 

I have tried benching wider (middle and index finger on the rings) equipped and it feels like a good compromise, although lockout is still my downfall.  But that could be related to many things not least my slow descent and also the reasonably heavy weights I'm benching these days lol.

 

As Beastbuilder said everyone is slightly different and it pays to keep playing around.  You would think wider the better due to shoulder muscle recruitment and lower rom.  But you never know.  

 

Shit for a while there I was benching asymmetrical grip!  Left hand had index on ring, right hand ring finger.  That was to counter a glute imbalance and it worked somewhat but wasn't hitting prs till I changed back to even spacing earlier this year.  

[maccaz]

I went ring fingers on rings for ages till saw a video where brandon lilly recommended thinking as if you are punching. Forearms to be perfectly vertical when bar is on chest and i tried pinkies on rings just a tiny bit in and it felt stronger so i do that

[Katipo]

I grip the bar so my forearms are vertical with bar on chest, pinkies just inside the rings for me.

[Pseudonym]

So many narrow grippers in this topic! I'm a middle finger man, myself.

[BeastBuilder]

4 minutes ago, Pseudonym said:

So many narrow grippers in this topic! I'm a middle finger man, myself. :-)

Lol but is that a proper bar ? Most commercial gyms have bars with funny ring spacings.

 

I'm at pinky on the rings at my gym bar atm which is about ring/middle finger on a competition bar, I'll have to remeasure and find out exactly for comp prep starting this weekend.

[Pseudonym]

Good point. It seems pretty consistent across most gyms I visit, but I've got no idea how it compares to a proper competition bar.

[GyzzBrah]

22 hours ago, BeastBuilder said:

Lol but is that a proper bar ? Most commercial gyms have bars with funny ring spacings.

 

I'm at pinky on the rings at my gym bar atm which is about ring/middle finger on a competition bar, I'll have to remeasure and find out exactly for comp prep starting this weekend.

 

Are competition bars the same length as gym bars though?

[BeastBuilder]

1 hour ago, GyzzBrah said:

 

Are competition bars the same length as gym bars though?

 

Depends on the bars the gym has. So many varieties of bars that are slightly different it's impossible to give a definite answer.