Best width for bench

[Serea]

How wide should I be gripping on flat and incline bench to hit the chest best? Outside of palms at the outer line? That feels a bit too wide for me.

Are there any visuals online of grip positions to help show this?

 

[Liftbig]

i always feel my chest works more the wider i go. depends on your height too, try the pinky on the ring thing and see how that works.

 

[BlkWS6]

I would say go with what grip you are comfortable with. I think I have done them all. At one point I gripped so wide that when I reracked the weight my palms would get pinched on the rack between the bar. Im currently going with pinky on the ring, and although the ROM feels significantly larger I feel no stress on my shoulders and feel a little more explosive. I think that grip is a personal thing, go with the one that you feel strong with (and the one that doesnt cause unneccessary discomfort for that matter)

Oh yeah and experiment around with some different grips (I would do this experimentation with lighter weights...say your warmups) and see what ya get.

 

[Yarg!]

The best grip for bench press should be your optimal stance in pushups. So the distance that your hands are placed apart for maximum pushup power should be your bench grip. Thats what I use anyways.

 

[louden_swain]

Based on my structure, a really wide grip works for me. I need to use the muscles in my chest rather than triceps.

Play around and see what you can come up with.

 

[jeremys]

for an individual shorter than 6 ft and taller than like 5', index fingers on the rings should do it for chest

 

[BlkWS6]

Originally posted by jeremys
for an individual shorter than 6 ft and taller than like 5', index fingers on the rings should do it for chest

So you would advocate that wide of a grip for an individual who most likely has short arms? If anything I would think the opposite. I would think those with really long limbs (once again assuming taller = longer arms) would benefit from such a grip. My old training partner has really short arms and he can't do index on the rings nor would it benefit him anymore with his almost already non-existent ROM.

Could you elaborate more on why you would choose that grip for that designated height range?

 

[jeremys]

Originally posted by jeremys
for an individual shorter than 6 ft and taller than like 5', index fingers on the rings should do it for chest

So you would advocate that wide of a grip for an individual who most likely has short arms? If anything I would think the opposite. I would think those with really long limbs (once again assuming taller = longer arms) would benefit from such a grip. My old training partner has really short arms and he can't do index on the rings nor would it benefit him anymore with his almost already non-existent ROM.

Could you elaborate more on why you would choose that grip for that designated height range?

because people taller than 6 ft can usually do well with a grip OUTSIDE the rings, which is nuts to me but it usually works for those that are taller

in competition, the rule is the widest you can go is index finger on ring. for everybody. this is usually not the same for a shorter guy vs. a taller guy.

and of course, don't strain to get a grip thats impossible