Pick the RIGHT Bench Variation For YOU! (Wide vs Close Grip)

Sam is taking us through the differences in grip and when you should use them!
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[@ageesgym8948]

Great tip on using the hips for the unrack. Definitely have trouble keeping tightness when I don't have a lift off

[@immersiveparadox]

True. I struggle with the same problems of losing scapula tightness. And we have notches/hooks on the bench, which makes me lose tightness when I move my hands up to grab the bar.

[@danielhawk5390]

Comment of great value

[@cydeYT]

Wide: ~2x / Max shoulder length - Larger arch - More flexible - Corkscrew* your body - Drive heels straight down - Press feet aggressively into the ground - Line of force directly to upper back, rear delts, external rotators of that shoulder - work extra on upper back for better stability to produce force Closer: ~1.5x - Wider chest - Wider ribcage - Less flexible - Heel under the knee - J path bench press - Create counterforce, push yourself across - Utilize hips to unrack (hips go up) - Line of force on tricep, anterior delts - Depending on ribcage size chest engagement may vary

[@aborigine777]

My chest is thick but not wide. I have narrow clavicles and shoulders and forearms and wrist. My back is thick with narrow lats and small traps. I am 5ft7", 64yrs old and a 67" reach. My bench is currently 225 x 5 feet on bench and thumbs-length close-grip.

[@gumbygreeneye3655]

I just figured out the hips off the bench for the unrack 3-4 weeks ago and now understand it’s a thing! It really helped me stay tight with my closer grip.

[@anaussie213]

Yeah before lockdown I used a bench where it hinged out and made unracking easy. Now I've been stuck training at home I've had to get a home rack and unrack myself. I must have seen someone do the hips up unrack on Instagram or something because I started doing it to stop pronating and it became so much easier.

[@1981steelworker]

Elbows were way in front of the bar on his closer grip.

[@cremedelamemesupreme1649]

I've heard people talking about using the leg drive as a "pushing down" movement so as to counteract the pushing up, but the physics of that never made any sense to me and several other respected KZbin fitness channels have also expressed this concern. I feel like leg drive finally clicked when I watched Alan Thrall's video where he said the objective is not to push down, but to push back towards the bench so as to stabilize the skin "give" on your back. When benching without a backward push, heavy weight will force us to rock back and forth with each rep as our body moves "within" our skin on the bench. The backwards leg drive forces our body into one extreme of our back skin's give, and thus our body remains still while repping. Ever since then, leg drive has been much more resourceful for me than when I imagined pushing straight into the ground. I used to waste so much energy trying to stabilize the rocking motion, and yet I assumed it was just part of benching.

[@Mantorok12]

Yeah, you have to think of the body like an architectural arch. The arch is able to hold more weight than a flat slab over two columns because the compressive force is distributed out and down to the piers, rather than straight down. The bench arch is more like a buttress than a Roman arch though, because the legs create more of the arch and the stability than the shoulders. Your shoulders are set and pinned down by the weight, the force of the barbell isn't going to break the arch at your shoulders. But if you knock the base of a buttress out, that whole arc will fall, and all the weight of that wall (shoulders under load) goes straight down. Your legs as a system absorb the downward force of the barbell along the length of the arch, so you need to be pushing ALONG the length of the arch, rather than solely UP the length of the arch. You're pushing against that wall to keep it up

[@SchuyFit]

So cool to see the hip drive explained. That's something I've been doing intuitively since I started benching.

[@bmstylee]

What's hip drive? I thought it hip drahve when doing your fahves.

[@helmutkrusemann9194]

these videos are by far the best! Please more technique and exercise tutorial videos. Thank you very much!!! I really appreciate this

[@brianhickey5949]

It pains me to think how many early years I wasted benching while overextending my scaps on the take out. Now that I know - it is almost instinct. Great information on grip width!

[@johntwineham6015]

Thanks! Most usefull analysis I have seen, and i have looked at a half dozen different sites. Seems like I am a close grip bencher. Would enjoy comments on elbow flaring or not in concentric portion of lift. With small hands and wrists I tend to have a hand orientation which leads to elbow flaring, just to maximize vertical bar load over hand, wrist , and arm.

[@honeygourami3586]

Very informative. I did not know that different body types each have their own ideal grip width. This explains why I'm much stronger with a slightly closer grip while most of my powerlifting team uses a much wider grip

[@towerofkuma2526]

this is the best video about bench grip width! 👍 thanks man!

[@aborigine777]

5ft7" , 170lbs, 68" reach, small narrow clavicles and shoulders and forearms and wrist and lats. Thick chest and back. Small biceps and dense triceps. 64 yrs young and can bench 225x5 feet up with a thumbs-length close-grip. I seem to get very strong but not bigger.

[@MrWinterblade]

very useful! I've always tried to get a wider grip for less bar path but I always felt uncomfortable and I am always stronger with a close grip and couldn't figure out why. Now I understood that you have to find your setup and don't just copy others', cause they have different body mechanics

[@darinrichardson3598]

Awesome video, just getting back too flat comp grip bench after 2 yrs of db inclines and this video was just what the doctor ordered. Thank you

[@farhanhussain_]

Good information👍 I would like to know your opinion on commonly associated issue with bench press. It is said that scapulae are retracted and remain pinched the entire time while the arms move up and down. It breaks the natural rhythm of scapulae and upper arm that are supposed to move in sync. It results in undue stress on shoulders, causes impingement, or injuries, etc.

[@eliteftsofficial]

You are correct. When you are talking about scapulohumeral rhythm, the competition style bench press does indeed work against that. That is why if you are a competitor you should be including more than just working on pinching your shoulder down and back.

[@farhanhussain_]

@@eliteftsofficial thanx a lot for this 👍 It would be of great help to many of us if you would make a video about this aspect of benching and that how we can handle this problem so that we may remain safe. Many people avoid benching because of this and they might feel encouraged to include it in training. Thanx.

[@user-nw1sq8vj8c]

As a competitive “benchpresser”, I have worked tirelessly for many years on this very issue. Grip width, but especially the “retraction of the scapula” recommendations that are universally repeated everywhere. I am dealing with a nagging rotator cuff strain that is very slowly improving (what power lifter doesn’t have to deal with sprains and strains ...none that I know of) but I am in my next cycle to my next meet in 13 weeks and while currently in my hypertrophic phase, once I get to the strength and peaking weeks, i still will maintain my scapula retraction during the lift, but perhaps someone at Elitefts could consider some of the finer points of the bench lifting maneuver. Eg the “scapula-humerus rhythm”??? Not sure what that is but perhaps it may help me and others with reduction in shoulder injuries and better lifts???

[@farhanhussain_]

@@user-nw1sq8vj8c I am sure many people ( not all) face similar issues with bench over long term. I think that benching is one of those movements that are inherently riskier, higher ratio of risk to reward. I personally avoid it due to this and my main horizontal pressing is based around push-up variations like one arm push-up, dips with weights, etc.

[@nilo7727]

Excellent tutorial Sam!! Specificity is #1 training variable👌💪😎

[@justintime5313]

Thank you! Very informative 💪

[@rickettyross9254]

Great video! The best in the game for tried and tested advice. Will definitely try these tips next session. One question I do have is whilst benching I often get hip cramps does this happen to alot of people? Is this a common problem possibly weak/unflexible hip adductor or abductors? It usually happens when I try to use leg drive in the powerlifting style.

[@demoncore5342]

Happens to me if I try to plant my feet really wide. Guess it has to do more with the hip joint anatomy than muscle.

[@freshly733jd5]

The self-unrack with your hips is the best (for me). Hahaha as a larger guy and average height, it’s great to see bits and pieces of both variations seen here in the form that I have today.

[@immersiveparadox]

Thank you. For many months, I've been trying to figure out why do I lose my scapula tightness. Unfortunately, our gym has those pesky hooks/notches on the bench press, and those are not adjustable to the limb length. I'll definitely give your technique a try. Thank you. Subscribed!

[@Sc0ttishHitman]

Lifting the hips on the unrack is an interesting detail I’ll have to try next time I bench. Enjoyed the info on what to focus on for the different bench styles too.

[@user-nw1sq8vj8c]

Like the series of videos! Keep em coming! But would have liked to see your demonstration lifter slow down during the lift motions. It was hard to watch the bar path subtlety that I think you were trying to show. Thanks!!!

[@BobaFatt182]

Switched to close grip now my bench is going up again

[@DuaqsToir]

Sam is such a great coach

[@cameronbatko]

I figured out the hip lifting thing by accident. Is a standard bench for someone 5’11” or so, pinky finger on the rings? I usually set up with a thumb length from the start of the knurl. Or would this be considered CGBP? I am probably 1 inch from the rings inward.

[@alespider9905]

Yeah, I'm 5'7 with short arms and my standard grip is pinky right inside the rings. When I do CGBP I grip a little less than a thumb length from the start of the knurl. So, yeah, your grip is kind of close.

[@cameronbatko]

@@alespider9905 interesting. Thank you. That is good to know.

[@johnjachens7103]

i got a 6'3 wing span so maxed out bench helps alot with to much rom

[@michaelrachmiel8709]

Great video! I'm old dog but can always use new tricks to benching. Hey any chance you can do a video on the American Camber (i have one, just curious on your thoughts) bar on uses?

[@eliteftsofficial]

Great suggestion!

[@khole15]

how wide your grip is should not be based on shoulder with, but the lengt of your arms (especially your upper arms)

[@aborigine777]

What is formula or explanation for the arms measurements?

[@khole15]

@@aborigine777 no formula, the longer arms you have the wider grip you should take. Do what is comfortable for you. I have long arms and index fingers on the inner rings

[@cydeYT]

Apparently I should bench with a closer grip.

[@pxddlez852]

terrible camera angle for showing the grip widths but appreciate the help nonetheless

[@petrl9838]

If you're interested in wide grip self unracking watch Daiki Kodama

[@midnightanimal4598]

Hey Bill Buff, great video. For a beginner like me, this stuff really helps cause I can never seem to get my grip width just right. How about some triceps exercises in the future? The only thing I feel comfortable with is the pull down, would love some pointers in regards to other triceps exercises.

[@jameszbierski391]

Awesome video

[@alphaomega7758]

Is it just me or did he not bring his grip in when demonstrating the narrow grip position?

[@aborigine777]

Inside the rings is considered close grip in powerlifting anywhere inside the rings.

[@oswelds]

If you compete you want exactly the amount of width and arch to barely get white lights for depth. Not less. Not more. Its that simple.

[@chikilla1994]

Quality information ❤️

[@Rookie40K]

I have a devils haircut in my mind.

[@elobiretv]

Got to get the camera guy to stand back a little, cant even see what the guy benching is doing half the time.

[@ureydeliz8636]

Those wrist being straight up is very unrealistic. Top benchers don’t even have knuckles pointing to the ceiling

[@george7404]

I'd like to see the trainers lifts

[@Applefanatic1000]

Well, you can. Go check out some of the videos of Sam training with Dave before he was hired to work at elitefts.

[@Xplora213]

Good god.... kids, this video should be illegal it’s so good. Absurd detail, you have to pay someone very, very expensive to learn this stuff. Way beyond a normal PT. It’s fine if you are strong and built to bench, but the usual generic advice is not helpful for gen pop once they have finished all the easy gains and want to really challenge their limits. The detail on wide grip and close grip is close to priceless. Some of us have such compromised shoulders that any consistent progress is very hard. 💡

[@cydeYT]

I never knew I should bench with close grip because I was less flexible and was wider.

[@socal_noah]

please, just bring the MINX back

[@socal_noah]

lol, lmao