Using the right grip when weightlifting can determine how effective your routine is. The grip you use can build different muscles, useful for when you want to focus on the triceps or your chest, for example. Some grips might not be safe to use it all, because of the position they put your arms in as you lift heavy weights over your head.
Let’s discuss the best grip for bench press and look at a few different grips you can use. I’ll talk about how certain grips can benefit you in specific ways so that you know the right one to use for each situation. You may even want to change up the grip you’re using to something that’s more effective or that’s more suitable to the kind of gains you want to make.
Suicide Grip
Let’s start off with one grip that is definitely not the best grip for bench press. This grip makes you tuck your elbows and forces your triceps to carry a lot of the load. It’s a thumbless grip, which means that there is a big risk that the barbell will fall out of your grip.
This group also forces you to put your wrist into the proper position for lifting, but that doesn’t greatly reduce the risk of slipping and dropping the barbell on your head. It does make the weight feel heavier, though, which is why it forces you to grab onto the bar as hard as possible. It helps you to have a very strong bench press, but the dangers that come with this grip are definitely much greater than any benefits it may offer.
Wide Grip
This probably isn’t a grip that you’ll naturally gravitate toward. It works your pectorals, so it’s a great way to build up your chest muscles. It also minimizes your motion range, which means that the load of the weights will be easier on you while trying to complete a full rep. There won’t be as much stress placed on your arm muscles for this kind of grip, so you may want to keep that in mind if you need to take a little stress off your arms and still want to do some bench presses.
To classify as a wide grip, this bench press grip would usually need to be about one and a half to two times as wide as your shoulders. It gives you a really strong bench press if your shoulders are set properly while you do it.
Are you looking for the best grip on bench press for chest development? I say try the wide bench press grip, as it will definitely build chest muscles faster than most of the other options. It’s also pretty safe and easy to pull off.
You may have trouble doing the wide grip if you don’t have strong pectoral muscles yet. If you’re struggling, you may want to work on developing your pectoral muscles before you use this grip very often. It takes a lot of the load off your triceps and your shoulders and puts it directly onto your chest muscles, helping them to develop faster. It’s also a great way to strengthen the overall bench press.
Close Grip Bench Press
What is the best grip for bench press? I would say for most people it’s the close script, which would mean placing your hands a shoulder width apart or just inside the shoulder area. This is an excellent way to build up triceps and to work on lockout strength. It takes some of the stress off of your shoulders and transfers some of that to your upper chest area. Many people consider this to be the best grip for mass in bench press, but it all depends on what parts of your upper body you are trying to build up.
Some people measure the close grip differently, and it might be measured by picking out a point five finger lengths inside the standard bench press grip. You may need this specific kind of measurement to help correct an overly wide standard grip.
Medium Grip
If you want to really work your triceps, the medium grip is a great choice. It doesn’t have a huge range of motion, making it a little easier than a narrow grip might be. It causes you to tuck your elbows and take some pressure off of your chest muscles, particularly the pectoralis major.
A medium grip is about three to four finger lengths inside the normal bench press grip. It’s not quite a narrow grip, but it may put you a little bit out of your comfort zone. That can be good, as that gets you to work muscles that don’t normally get worked. If you’ve tried a narrow grip and found that it was too tough for you and not very comfortable, I suggest switching over to the medium grip. It might be a good alternative that gives you a little break and may prove less stressful for you.
This is probably the best grip to work your triceps, so if you feel that they are underworked and it’s mostly been the biceps getting the attention, try out the medium grip for a while.
What Bench Press Grip Is Best for Long Arms
I would recommend the close grip bench press for long arms. It really maximizes what you do with your arms and builds up that triceps strength to give you toned, muscular arms.
You may think that a wider grip would be better, but once you try this close grip with your long arms, I think you will notice the benefits. It is pretty easy to pull off and feels comfortable, even after a long weightlifting session.
Test Your Strength
Before you start lifting any weights, you should make sure that you have the strength to do so. If you haven’t worked out in a long time, you could be out of shape, and you might not be able to lift the same weight that you used to. If you want to give weight lifting to try for the first time, start with something small and work your way up to heavier weights.
Make sure you have a spotter as well, as your spotter can keep you from getting in trouble. This is especially important for people who are new to weightlifting and aren’t sure about their limits yet.
You should also know how to measure the best grip on barbell for bench press. I’ve told you about a few different kinds of grips and the difference between some of them. You can see how different grips can be useful for building up specific muscle groups, but you also have to realize that you may be comfortable with one kind of grip over another. Being able to measure off the right grip is important if you’re going to have a comfortable weightlifting session, especially if you’re not used to weight lifting.
It’s a good idea to take things slow and easy at first if you’re just getting back into weightlifting or just starting it. Try not to make your exercise sessions too long at first. Keep them brief and low intensity when you begin, and then you can work up to something a little more strenuous once you’re comfortable. Those gains will come in time, as long as you’re patient and build up your strength.
