hand spacing on bench press

T

terp

New Member
I've been working out for 20 years so you'd think I'd know this, but what do you guys consider the proper spacing for your hands during the bench press? for years I've put my ring fingers on the smooth ring in the middle of the knurling- making my thumbs ~ 24 inches apart. I've read in a couple places that the index fingers should be ~ 22" apart (about 1.5" in from where I am now w/ each hand). I'm 6'0". any thoughts?

thanks.
 
it does depend on your body shape but 22" sounds good.

the thing is if you go too wide you will work the delts more and add more stress generally in that area, too narrow and you,ll hit the tri's more.

someone has a link on here that will point you in the right direction as regards to good form.
 
I also used to bench with with my ring fingers on the smooth rings, but I'm only 5'6" so that was a really wide grip for me. I also brought my elbows out to where they were almost at right angles to my body. I did it this way because somebody told me that that was the "proper" way. I ended up developing some shoulder problems and thought that this was probably the source. So, when I got back into weight training about 6 months ago I narrowed my hand spacing a bit using a slightly wider than shoulder width, and brought my elbows in towards my body a bit more. Result - although I'm starting to have some post workout shoulder pain again, it's not as bad as in the past and I feel less stress on my shoulders while I'm benching.

The bottom line IMHO is that you should use the hand spacing that feels most comfortable to you and not worry about somebody else's determination of what it is "supposed to be". Experiment with different widths and go with the one that feels best. You might even want to vary the spacing from time to time.
 
Hand spacing can be used to vary the lift. That's not a bad thing at all. Use it to your advantage.

For general flat benching I grip the bar so that when the bar is on my chest my forearms are nearly perpendicular to the floor. In reality they point outward just a tiny bit. This rule of thumb does not require the use of a ruler and is based on your own body mechanics. My shoulders are 21" wide right now. If I used a 22" spacing I'd be doing a close grip as far my body is concerned. Perhaps there is a more specific way then my method. If so I'd like to hear it. I am forever learning how much technique I don't know. But using a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to body shape usually winds up being a no-size-fits-anyone result, as in the case of off-the-shelf men's suits.

If I were you'd I'd ask a competitive power lifter. Those guys know bench. I never thought lifting technique could be so detailed until I started following the PL writers. Please get back to us if you find something.

P.S. Are you sure the recommendation isn't 22 inches from the center of the bar?
 
QP- the 22" I read about is b/t the thumbs or 1 or 2" inside the outermost smooth ring & is intended as a starting point for most men. it feels narrow for me too. maybe b/c I've done it the way I have for so long, maybe b/c I have arms like a chimpanzee
laugh.gif
 
Mark Rippetoe recommends anywhere from 22" to 28" depending on your body proportions. So your 24" grip width, if it feels comfortable for you, should be fine.

What I think is far more likely to be a problem is getting bar height on the pins and therefore shoulder adduction right. Your scapulae(?) should be squeezed tightly together and should stay that way for the whole of the set, including the lift-off from the pins. It is very easy to set the bar too high so that you have to abduct your shoulders to get the bar off the pins. Once you have the load bearing down on you it is difficult to get your shoulders back in the correct adducted position. A spotter can help with lifting the bar off but if you train alone it is worth experimenting with pin height to help with this.
 
Lol you gave me a mini-epiphany: Why oh why do manufacturers put the pins behind our head? Its such a pain in the a-- to get the bar off the rack, and even moreso to guide it back to the pins after a hard set. The uprights should be further toward the end of the bench than they presently are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top