Strongest bench grip??

[Stapled to the Floor]

Always read that middle to index finger on the line should be the strongest grip due to distance of stroke and tricep activation..

I have always been strongest at pinky on the ring or a tad closer(inside the ring)I know this is a longer stroke but I have always been stronger this way..after reading posts I decided to work on the middle and index finger grip (weak link philosophy). .. it didnt go up as impressive as I thought it might.. then when trying with my narrower grip; that got weaker also (porbably from not working it).. now the ego is definitely shot I have made some improvements but mild.. will this carry over on to my normal grip causing eventual strength gains (pr's for that matter)? I have always lifted raw but will be shirting up soon...should I just go back to the grip I was strongest with;or work the weakest link in the chain??

thanks

 

[jeremys]

i'd like to know as well. sometimes i feel stronger with a pinky on the rings

 

[GR8SCOT]

can remember reading that you should do most of your bench work with a narrower than normal grip and go wide for comps, theory being that you should hit the triceps more in training (needing the tris to blast when using a shirt).

I do however concur that while i feel tight and in the groove while benching pinky on the rings, when i go wider i dont feel as strong at all.

Ill add that i originaly took on the narrower grip cause i was finding it hard to keep my elbows tight and in at the side of my body while benching wider. When i bench with a wider grip i lose form.

I seem to remember seeing a video of Glen Chabot benching 635 for 3 reps and his grip was pretty narrow as well.

be interesting to see what others say.

 

[CytoMel]

I used to do all my maxes with a thumbs grip away from the smooth.

When I shirted up and tried the wider grip it threw me off because I was used to the thumbs grip. I was best at the pinky on the rings grip though.

Lately like the past few months i started doing ME day with a wide grip (middle finger on the rings) and after a few weeks I got very comfortable and strong at it. The thumbs grip had built up my wide grip quite well.

I think its best to use comp grip (middle finger or index on rings) frequenty like every other max day so when you go wide for a shirt you will be comfortable with that.

Also I feel illegal wides (every 5 r 6 weeks) are good for getting used to wider grips.

 

[IrishPower]

i think whatever grip you train the most is going to become your strongest.

a mistake i think i made last cycle was NOT training my competition grip. i trained mostly narrow except for a few singles shirted. When i took the bar out in the meet, it felt awkward.

I developed a LOT of lockout power for this meet by doing all this inner work BUT i think i lost explosiveness off the chest by not doing comp grip.

with a shirt, the best leverage you are going to get is with a wide grip as there is less distance to move the bar. But, if you neglect this in your training, it will show. I learned my lesson.

/irish

 

[benchmonster]

I bombed in a meet this spring with a weight I had hit many times in training cause I did not shirt work, and no wide work going into that meet.

I did everything with a thumb's length away from the smooth grip, and as a result, I forgot how to bench when the shirt got on and it counted for real. Bad Mojo.

I have changed dramatically in my training since then. I am now doing 9 sets of 3 on my speed day. 3-thumb away, 3- pinky on rings, 3-index on rings.

I also do shirt/board work every other week as a M.E. exercise. With the addition of bands up or down, and the use of a 2 and a 3 board, the combinations are almost endless, so no fear of burning out. The other 2 weeks I do some sort of raw work, on this week, I concentrate on a closer grip to hit the triceps more.

I would say for most people, that doing shirt work at least once per month if not every other week like we do, is imperative for a competitive bencher. Raising raw strength is all well and good, but when you get on that platform it doesn't matter if you could do 4 or 5 plates raw back in the warmups, what matters is how much you get with the shirt on. Get some practice in.

And if you are wearing a shirt, you need to have the maximum grip allowed, to shorten the stroke. Practice that. It may feel weird at first, but if you do it regularly it will be come the normal for you.

B.

 

[Stapled to the Floor]

Thanks Bench monster


So what you are saying even though my raw wide grip is weaker than my lets say pinky width (etc.).. when I start using a shirt this will change?? My wider grip with shirt will be stronger than narrow grip with shirt due to stroke? This would be the opposite with me raw at this time ( narrower grip stronger than wider)

does this make sense??


Furthermore should most people work all 3 grips or should you focus on the weakest one (mine being wide) until it comes up or near your strongest grip?

 

[benchmonster]

I would always recommend working 3 grips on speed day regardless of your weak area.

And yes, when you put on a shirt, it will take care of the problems which are keeping your wide grip raw lower than your narrow grip raw right now. A shirt kind of acts like extra pecs and front delts, you know, those parts that sometimes feel like they are coming loose when you bench heavy raw?

I work wide with a shirt and then work close and medium grip when doing raw work.

Others may have better success doing other things, but that has worked well for me recently.

B.

 

[Stapled to the Floor]

Thanks benchmonster I like that logic.. (wide with shirt , narrow raw) When I get shirted and start a bench cycle (with the shirt) I will start with that philosophy

 

[IrishPower]

stapled...

i think you lost a good point though:

dont neglect your raw wide training. do some speed with it as well.

good luck.