Been playing with reverse grip benching

[silverlightning]

You can also bring the bar down with a regular grip, rest bar on chest and reverse grip. Best way is with a spot or smith machine to go heavy.

[ajdahlheimer]

Thought I would bump this thread as I've been incorporating reverse grip bench over the last few weeks. I'm liking them, other than the unracking by yourself part. Felt much more natural by the 3rd time doing them.

[induced_drag]

Thought I would bump this thread as I've been incorporating reverse grip bench over the last few weeks. I'm liking them, other than the unracking by yourself part. Felt much more natural by the 3rd time doing them.

Oldie but goodie! I went over a year doing nothing but reverse grip. (never going over 225) MUCH easier on the shoulders over time. Just for the heck of it, recently (as my shoulder was feeling good) I did a few sets of "normal" benching and had not lost really any strength at all. I am keeping it as it is much MUCH easier and I went a year without any shoulder pain.

[ajdahlheimer]

Oldie but goodie! I went over a year doing nothing but reverse grip. (never going over 225) MUCH easier on the shoulders over time. Just for the heck of it, recently (as my shoulder was feeling good) I did a few sets of "normal" benching and had not lost really any strength at all. I am keeping it as it is much MUCH easier and I went a year without any shoulder pain.

Thus far my heaviest set has been 220×5, which felt pretty easy. What kind of rep ranges do you like to do with the 225?

Still trying to figure out the unracking conundrum. You unrack that 255 like nothing in your vid. Anything over 200, I feel like I'm gonna drop the bar. Last week I unracked it normal grip, set it on my chest, then changed grip. It worked but my sternum was sore afterwards from the weight sitting on it. I put a towel on my chest for the last couple sets and it was more tolerable.

[BustaCapp]

Didn't someone just die because of this method?

[ajdahlheimer]

Didn't someone just die because of this method?

No brah, you are thinking of thumbless or "suicide" grip.

[pryme]

This to me seems much more dangerous than a thumbless regular bench. I've never tried them but the risk vs reward is not worth it to me.
If a guy drops a regular bench it would most likely and does land across the chest. If you let the bar slip on this grip, goodbye sweet neck. No thanks.

The way the hand is constructed and shaped does not lend itself well to this version of bench imo.

[ajdahlheimer]

This to me seems much more dangerous than a thumbless regular bench. I've never tried them but the risk vs reward is not worth it to me.
If a guy drops a regular bench it would most likely and does land across the chest. If you let the bar slip on this grip, goodbye sweet neck. No thanks.

The way the hand is constructed and shaped does not lend itself well to this version of bench imo.

Well not every lift can be as "safe" as a quarter rep shrug, brah.....

[induced_drag]

Thus far my heaviest set has been 220×5, which felt pretty easy. What kind of rep ranges do you like to do with the 225?

Still trying to figure out the unracking conundrum. You unrack that 255 like nothing in your vid. Anything over 200, I feel like I'm gonna drop the bar. Last week I unracked it normal grip, set it on my chest, then changed grip. It worked but my sternum was sore afterwards from the weight sitting on it. I put a towel on my chest for the last couple sets and it was more tolerable.

Unracking is the hardest, but I am used to it now. I have found setting up under the bench a little more helps. I will also use a more narrow grip sometimes and then lower it and widen. If you can find the comfortable spot for your shoulders is the big thing. A lift off helps a lot, but moving under the weight more does the trick for me. I really dont go heavier than 225 much at all. I spent almost a year never going over 135 reverse after I tweaked my shoulder. It was about the only movement I could do.

If you have never tried it, try inclines as well! I usually alternate week to week. You will never have shoulders as happy. Not what I would recommend if you are still trying to put weight on the bar, but it certainly works if you need to back off a little and want to keep up with training while letting the body have a little break.

This to me seems much more dangerous than a thumbless regular bench. I've never tried them but the risk vs reward is not worth it to me.
If a guy drops a regular bench it would most likely and does land across the chest. If you let the bar slip on this grip, goodbye sweet neck. No thanks.

The way the hand is constructed and shaped does not lend itself well to this version of bench imo.

You are a silly guy. If you knew anything other than half reps, you would realize that the bar actually comes down lower than most people's normal bench. It would be about impossible to lower it over your neck without doing a reverse curl skull crusher of sorts. Of course you know that though because of your extensive training knowledge.

[pryme]

Unracking is the hardest, but I am used to it now. I have found setting up under the bench a little more helps. I will also use a more narrow grip sometimes and then lower it and widen. If you can find the comfortable spot for your shoulders is the big thing. A lift off helps a lot, but moving under the weight more does the trick for me. I really dont go heavier than 225 much at all. I spent almost a year never going over 135 reverse after I tweaked my shoulder. It was about the only movement I could do.

If you have never tried it, try inclines as well! I usually alternate week to week. You will never have shoulders as happy. Not what I would recommend if you are still trying to put weight on the bar, but it certainly works if you need to back off a little and want to keep up with training while letting the body have a little break.



You are a silly guy. If you knew anything other than half reps, you would realize that the bar actually comes down lower than most people's normal bench. It would be about impossible to lower it over your neck without doing a reverse curl skull crusher of sorts. Of course you know that though because of your extensive training knowledge.

You sound mad, roider.

What's silly is you not comprehending things.
If one would drop a reverse bench it would probably be while unracking it. Where will it most likely land in that scenario?

[ajdahlheimer]

If one would drop a reverse bench it would probably be while unracking it. Where will it most likely land in that scenario?

In order to unrack it using the reverse grip, you have to scoot way up on the bench, brah. So your neck is actually more protected in case of a drop than on your normal grip bench.

[induced_drag]

In order to unrack it using the reverse grip, you have to scoot way up on the bench, brah. So your neck is actually more protected in case of a drop than on your normal grip bench.

Given his level of PRACTICAL gym knowledge, it is understandable that he couldnt figure out it would pretty much be impossible to drop it on your neck. Now if we were talking about bending nails....or doing head bobs (also known as Pryme Shrugs), that would be more in his wheelhouse.

Anyway...dont let him ruin a good training thread. I got a guy to switch up to reverse grip about 4 months ago. He is a strong dude for an avg gym-goer. About 170lbs and coming very close to a 315 press. So here is the thing, he has not yet gotten the 315 flat, but his incline has made awesome progress since he started reverse gripping. He put up a 295 incline the other day! (that is pretty nuts considering he has yet to rep 315 flat).

Just goes to show the upper chest activation you get with reverse grip. Makes it a great exercise for guys at home who dont have an incline bench. You get A LOT of upper activation doing reverse. (and that is of course besides the benefit of being easy on shoulders).

[pryme]

Take a magic marker, the big fat smelly ones, and draw a line from your wrist alllllll the way down the inside of your arms. What is in close proximity to the end of that line no matter what angle your arms are at?

A. Chest
B. Neck
C. Back

I'll take B for a Million, Alex.

Your only old joke is stale btw. You should post a video of you showing me how it's done.
You seem to forget my exaggerated long rom PAUSED 365x10 completely dieted down to 202lbs. (Thats pretty thin at almost 6'2")

[ajdahlheimer]

Take a magic marker, the big fat smelly ones, and draw a line from your wrist alllllll the way down the inside of your arms. What is in close proximity to the end of that line no matter what angle your arms are at?

You still aren't getting it, Pryme. You have to scoot so far up under the bar in order to unrack it that way, that your neck is well beyond the rack--before and during the lift. If you dropped the bar it would land on your chest, then if you let it roll/slide down your chest--it STILL couldn't get to your neck--as it would hit the arms first.

[pryme]

You still aren't getting it, Pryme. You have to scoot so far up under the bar in order to unrack it that way, that your neck is well beyond the rack--before and during the lift. If you dropped the bar it would land on your chest, then if you let it roll/slide down your chest--it STILL couldn't get to your neck--as it would hit the arms first.

Dude, if it slips out of your reverse grip it will most likely slip off the palm side and slide down your arms and yes could hit the upper chest and if it's rolling anywhere it's rolling to your NECK.

[induced_drag]

it STILL couldn't get to your neck--as it would hit the arms first.

Heck...even if your arms fell off, it would hit the bench uprights and not make it to your neck. I try to position myself as far up on the bench as I can and not hit the hooks at the top during the movement. I have decent control over the bar so I can get pretty close and hold that grove during the lift.

The purpose for getting close is not for safety though.....Just makes it easier and less awkward to get a lift off. (which I know you know). I am just trying to paint a more clear picture for the challenged people

[induced_drag]

Ha...as I was posting Pryme came in with some genius. Dude just does not get it.

AJ One other thing I have played with is another modified grip. My new gym does not have a swiss bar so I do my own modified grip on a normal bar that comes close. It is like a reverse grip but I rotate my hands towards palms facing each other. I allow my pinkie finger to come around the other side of the bar. Not sure if that description makes sense....but I am basically holding the bar between my thumb and 3 fingers.

This allows quite a bit of wrist rotation. Not quite parallel, but quite comfortable as well. I do that mostly on incline.

[Payton1221]

I got a guy to switch up to reverse grip about 4 months ago. He is a strong dude for an avg gym-goer. About 170lbs and coming very close to a 315 press. So here is the thing, he has not yet gotten the 315 flat, but his incline has made awesome progress since he started reverse gripping. He put up a 295 incline the other day! (that is pretty nuts considering he has yet to rep 315 flat).

Just goes to show the upper chest activation you get with reverse grip. Makes it a great exercise for guys at home who dont have an incline bench. You get A LOT of upper activation doing reverse.

ID,

How would you program this? Would you alternate days of incline benching with reverse grip benching or would you do both on the same day with the reverse grip done second as an accessory?

[ajdahlheimer]

Heck...even if your arms fell off, it would hit the bench uprights

Sorry, arms = bench uprights.

That's what I meant, wrong terminology.

[ajdahlheimer]

Bump.

Been doing this lift about 6 weeks now and progressing nicely.

Vid from workout yesterday.

[ajdahlheimer]

Did my first ever 300 pound reverse-grip bench this morning. Couldn't really have gotten much uglier as I hit the pin on the way up and pretty sure I stretched a tendon or something when I did it (as I have a twinge in there now afterwards). Then the cherry on top was my daughter didn't hold the phone sideways to make the weight clearly visible, but it's a 45, two 35's, a 10, and a 2.5 on each side. I think I've posted enough vids where I shouldn't have to worry about e-statting.

Anyway, got 300 and had never tried doing this lift until the first of the year (so just under 5 months). Good progress.