Bench Press Grip

[want2bstrong]

Title says it all: how wide do you guys grab the bar?

I tried putting my pinky on the crack but it felt too wide for me.

I'm 5'8 tall and my arms are pretty short (~26 inches)

Anyone else has similar arm lengths and care to share their grip?

[machinegunjake]

It's fairly difficult to describe since not all BBs are made the same. If the one you're using is smooth in the middle, then gets the rough designs, I usually place the first knuckle (from finger tip) right where the bar goes from smooth to rough. Also I'm 5'9

[ungeheur]

I use about shoulder width...same as a pushup

[Chaosvash]

Barbells might be different, I put my index on the smooth little rings, but basically you want to have your forearms lined straight up, at the bottom when the bar is on your chest.

[The6TwoTitan]

I use about shoulder width...same as a pushup

I go off a similar method, that is a great one. To the question; I have 77" reach so I had a different experience when I started benching on a regular basis, I had to adjust the length of the bench etc due to height/range, with that said you have to keep working with it like a science project to find your perfect placement. I'd imagine with a much shorter reach for width/grip you'd want to go closer then the average arm span to hit all of your muscle groups in that area. Grip is different no matter your size I used to try to use 4 fingers and my thumbs under the grip's edge were the meet closest, this changed and I found the putting a full wrap around the bar with both hand's has benefited me more do to length and range of motion. That is my experience though I am much longer, as "ungeheur" stated the push-up is a great point of reference as to where you start and you figure grip from there, Best of luck and God bless.

[ungeheur]

Barbells might be different, I put my index on the smooth little rings, but basically you want to have your forearms lined straight up, at the bottom when the bar is on your chest.

I put my ring fingers on the smooth rings, I have a pretty narrow grip at 6 ft I think. OP, find out what is most comfortable and stay consistent with it.

[charles1997]

It's hard to describe. If your bar is smooth in the middle I used to put it where if my thumb were pointing at each other they would barely touch the smooth part. This was pretty narrow.

Now I put my pinkies on the rings. Ever since (little after a month) my chest is growing better than it has in a while. Imma keep doing it like this.

[want2bstrong]

Thank you all for replies. Ya I used to do pretty narrow like my thumb lined up with right outside inner smooth ring. Today, I tried my pinky on the outer smooth ring.
I should try to tape myself doing it cuz I found out that my arms should be pointing straight down when I touch the chest with the bar.

[xxdieharderxx]

I use about shoulder width...same as a pushup

This is about right for general chest building . Rippetoe said some where along the lines as this would be best for building muscle and anything wider is better for competition

[darrenash]

Experiment to find what is best for you. Start with a position where your arms are perpendicular to the ground. Then try sets getting gradually wider. Find the widest point you can use without pain and that works your chest best and that's the position to stick to. Forget about specific points on the bar. Everybody has a different wing-span.

[sh0esmacK]

The bench press is a compound movment so which muscles gets worked more is relative to the grip width. Wider grip activates more chest muscles. Contrarily, the narrower the grip it recruits more tricep/shoulders.

I'm 5'8" and I grip wider because a bench press is a compound movement, but its primary target is the chest so I maximize it in that sense. Triceps and shoulders are still being worked regardless of grip width but again, its all in relation to the width.

[davisj3537]

This is about right for general chest building . Rippetoe said some where along the lines as this would be best for building muscle and anything wider is better for competition if you use a bench shirt.Benching wide with heavy weight is a great way to get hurt raw.

Fixed that for you sir.

OP, I personally like my to keep my grip one extended thumb length from the smooth area (pinky on rings on most bars). I find that for me it is a fairly even mix of chest/shoulder/tricep activation with relatively no shoulder issues. There are other ways to work chest without tearin up your shoulders.

[xxdieharderxx]

Fixed that for you sir.

OP, I personally like my to keep my grip one extended thumb length from the smooth area (pinky on rings on most bars). I find that for me it is a fairly even mix of chest/shoulder/tricep activation with relatively no shoulder issues. There are other ways to work chest without tearin up your shoulders.

Thanks
And I bet 95% of the time the person bench pressing is not and does not know how to activate the chest muscle.
Watch this video to get a better understanding

http://youtu.be/dl6_IJrV004

[PeterGibbons316]

When your elbows are at 90° your forearms should be perpendicular to the bar. This will be your strongest position from a leverage standpoint. You can go a little wider to reduce ROM, but any narrower will use more tricep and be weaker.

[adamdavidson47]

I put my ring finger on the lines.

[Final_Rep]

I vary mine, purposefully. But, what PG said when I am trying for a 1RM.

Sitting in a chair I can move my hands towards and away from my chest, at pec level, and as I flex my pecs I can feel them reach a point of maximum contraction. That position is about a hand's width out from my shoulders on each side.