255x8 Reverse-Grip Bench

[ajdahlheimer]

Been doing this lift about 6 weeks now.

Vid from workout the other day.

[JPAesthetics98]

Hi buddy. How are you finding this lift?

What is it doing for you?

[ajdahlheimer]

Hi buddy. How are you finding this lift?

What is it doing for you?

I've been lifting heavy for 20+ years, so was having some shoulder issues from traditional benching and overhead pressing. Reverse-grip allows for one to bench and take the pressure off the shoulders at the same time, though it is a lot more triceps and upper pectoral activation than regular bench.

I was able to hit 300 pounds for one rep after doing the lift under 6 months.



My shoulders feel a lot better from the break, so I am back to doing traditional bench press the last 4 weeks. Still avoiding OHP though.

[JPAesthetics98]

I've been lifting heavy for 20+ years, so was having some shoulder issues from traditional benching and overhead pressing. Reverse-grip allows for one to bench and take the pressure off the shoulders at the same time, though it is a lot more triceps and upper pectoral activation than regular bench.

I was able to hit 300 pounds for one rep after doing the lift under 6 months.



My shoulders feel a lot better from the break, so I am back to doing traditional bench press the last 4 weeks. Still avoiding OHP though.

Would you recommend it for strength or just to avoid injury? Has your normal bench press benefitted from this?

[ajdahlheimer]

Would you recommend it for strength or just to avoid injury?

There have been some studies that indicate Reverse-grip bench has more upper pectoral activation than Incline Bench does, so I would say there are more benefits than just injury-prevention to the lift.

Has your normal bench press benefitted from this?

Not sure it has benefited, but it definitely allowed me to take 6+ months off from traditional bench w/o losing much or any strength in that particular lift. So I think it is best to use as a maintenance tool like that. Give it a try. Make sure you scoot way up on the bench, unracking can be tricky at first. And start with low weight until you are used to the ROM. I could only do 185 when I first started doing the lift in January, but you progress quickly, as you can see......