How to Bench Press For Your Anatomy (Grip Width Finder)

[@Styl4x]

I always knew I had short clavicles / narrow shoulders but goddamn. My clavicles are also 36cm apart like Jen's, but I'm a 6'2 190lb guy lol

[@Wickers67]

I don't know how far apart my clavicles are but I don't know if I want to know now. I'm built like a door, my hips are as wide if not wider than my shoulders

[@Styl4x]

@@Wickers67 yeah for me it's not too bad because I have narrow hips as well so it kind of cancels each other out

[@pravkdey]

Don't worry, a triangle is still a beautiful shape 😎😉

[@jedinxf7]

holy shit that's skinny lol. I'm also 190 pounds... 5'7 lmao

[@Styl4x]

@@jedinxf7 good for you

[@littlemoo52]

For those who don’t know Jen is about 49 years old and can bench around 330 pounds at a body weight of 150. Raw.

[@lilhuntxd]

Roids

[@jjm4643]

Dang.

[@pantalxn5892]

​@@lilhuntxdstill impressive though

[@awfullyawful]

No. 🤣

[@Grandmasterkiller]

​@@lilhuntxdahe doesnt look nor sound like a roid user though

[@HonkeyKongLive]

Okay so I gave this a shot and my previous bench grip was pinkies an inch inside the rings. This put me at middle fingers on the rings, so way wider than my usual. I tested this out at home on my cheapass little setup, no warmups, no spot, first attempt at the new width, empty stomach, no preworkout. 275x10 paused at like... an RPE8-8.5, whereas 275x10 paused had previously been a complete max effort grind out best set. YOU WIN THIS ROUND, SQUAT UNIVERSITY.

[@flch95]

Good for you

[@derkaptin1611]

Your grip before was extremly narrow... some people close grip is wider then your normal before

[@metalgod0000]

Widening the grip reduces the rom,it makes it easier,and you work more on your pecs rather than your triceps

[@Ownyx]

You probably have nice tri's because of the narrow grip

[@reggie7716]

This worked great for me! Switched to this grip width 2x clavicle and it is much stronger than the more narrow grip ive always used! Thanks! 👍

[@Nyadnar]

Been stuck at 250 because of bicep pain for like 6 months. This was the final missing piece(other piece was kuckles to ceiling). 250x6 with no pain today. Thanks Jen! Thanks Squat University!

[@trenboloneacetate1]

I feel exact shoulder width to be the most powerful and comfortable for me.

[@Pappaoh]

Unbelievable how much is crammed into this short!

[@mike-yp1uk]

Very inspiring and im glad i saw this as a good reminder to stay consistent

[@OleSevers]

As you get much higher into much bigger bench number.. I’m talking around double what she can bench.. you will find guys start to actually work their grip inward to engage more triceps into the movement. We are starting to realize the triceps are the primary movers in bench

[@Ofmyownvolition]

I just try out a few different widths, and settle on the one you feel most powerful and can lift the most weight while using it.

[@thefox1703]

Having your arms at 90 degrees will give you maximum leverage, but it will also give you maximum shoulder impingement. A balance needs to struck between minimizing shoulder impingement and leverage. Having yours arms between 30 and 45 degrees will achieve this balance-point so that you can bench-press for the long haul.

[@DeluxeLXZ]

I believe the 90° angle refers to the angle between the forearm and your upper arm when looking from the front (or roughly in the front, as seen in the video). The 45° guideline is usually given for the angle between your elbow (upper arm) and your torso. This second angle is visible from above the lifter. The bigger this angle, the more one's elbows flare out, which indeed increases the risk of shoulder impingement.

[@taweasmr]

@@DeluxeLXZthis is definitely what was meant. Thanks for clarifying

[@liamengram6326]

As someone who is a 6'2 with a 6'8 wingspan I assure you this does not work for everyone. Just make sure your wrists and elbows are stacked. No need to bring a tape measurer in to it.

[@lukeludwig1055]

Yeah man. Hes only using one study, i wouldnt put too much merit on it

[@j.cbarajas8988]

I’m 5’10 with a 6’2 wing span and a more narrow/almost close grip bench is where I’m strongest.

[@brandonteeling3037]

Yeah this put me like 2-3 inches outside the bar and felt absurdly uncomfortable. It’s worth a try but definitely not for everyone.

[@learningtofly5081]

This even helped with my shoulder pain too!

[@onionknight5553]

I was looking exactly for the mathematical measurement. Thank you !

[@jasonhwu21]

Yo wtf, you ARE a. God send! Love this channel!

[@hinglemccringleberry8805]

Sternum to AC is 9" for me. I'm 5'9" This setup would put my hands against the inside frame of the rack.

[@sacriste]

This girl's smart. She uses centimeters to measure, not fucking inches.

[@AngelGarcia-op3bd]

I use kelvin

[@murphy-qg9yv]

​@@AngelGarcia-op3bd Isn't that temparture? 😅

[@patootie3529]

​@@murphy-qg9yv yea hes joking

[@Manvir.]

girl? wtf

[@sabyasachidas4680]

joule is better tho @@AngelGarcia-op3bd

[@closeenough1343]

Powerlifts bench this way to reduce the amount of distance the bar has to travel and still be considered a rep. Its like kipping to pull ups. If you want to push numbers you would kip, if you want to develop the body you would do pull ups.

[@adilzahidoglu4291]

Super explanation

[@BossFinale]

I was taught, back in the day, thumb on the inside of the knurls of each side and spread the hands. That's the grip. So maybe shoulder width. I've tried the wider grip and just cant get used to it. Maybe I just need to suck it up and just start with the bad itself.

[@thorwannabe6810]

This depends person to person. If your more tricep dominant like myself a wide grip is sub optimal even if anatomically a wide grip is "correct"

[@jedinxf7]

that is not a real thing. your triceps do not get the bar off your chest. if you're not benching in a ridiculous steel shirt, you are looking to maximize strength off the chest. if you are "triceps dominant" in your imagination then what do you have to lose with a slightly less advantageous lockout position but a stronger position off the chest? by your claim your triceps shouldn't be the weak point in the chain.

[@achilles872]

@@jedinxf7 it absolutely is a real thing. Eveyone has different sticking points.

[@stranger2035]

Ye well the thing is, for guys( who would be a little wider on average) the optimal width might be outside the legal one (index on rings) so the widest possible is probably the best. PS: this is the width most powerlifters choose

[@jjm4643]

this is really interesting, thank you

[@shiringham]

I'd be out of the rack like this, Aldo my shoulders would absolutely kill me. You have to experiment and find the most pain-free position where you can still deliver power instead of focusing too much ob reducing ROM.

[@clayton_christoffels_Pt]

But some studies say arms must be perpendicular to the on the negative

[@strongsick2866]

I have tried all grips and have had sucess with all in getting stronger but the 21 inch grip I feel is best for me most of the time because I am able to get tighter and get more muscle involved and I am faster off the chest . But every time I have hit a 1 rep pr I usually go wider but I feel the 21 grip Is where I should stay most of the time .But I mess around with all grips and feel they are all useful.

[@ebenezersureshworkaccount8947]

Note to self: by flaring out the pinky finger (mentioned near the end), this ensures that the bar stays over your palms and keeps your wrists from bending backward and causing wrist pain.

[@ss2886]

Now we have to go to the gym with a tape measurer now? It’s always been that different hand placement on the bar hit different parts of the chest, shoulder, triceps, and some back.

[@rhaastdarkin1150]

Yes and no . He isnt talking aboutthe optimal hand placement for training your chest , or triceps . Hes talking about the optimal hand placement for pushing more weight . Just like there's an optimal technique for punching aomeone as hard as you can . Boxers and mma fighters dont just swing their arms around to hit as hard as possible , they rotate their bodies , their arms , hold their hands in the optimal position , squeese and relax the right muscles etc

[@MegaBova]

Jen is a beast

[@AscendHumanity]

This was very useful thank you

[@SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

Wonderful

[@jonathanblack99]

Interesting...Thank You.

[@rebbo2440]

Thank you

[@craigharen7312]

Max limit for comp width is 81cm

[@achilles872]

For me (45ish cm clavicles, 5'9 reach and height) this makes my grip absurdly wide. Fingers fully outside the ring and very uncomfortable position overall.

[@theItalianshamrock]

Same. 5'9 with 43cm clavicles. Seems super wide for me

[@mariusandersen2952]

Are you sure it is 45 cm? Remember it is only the bones, not other tissue. 45. Seems absurd for a 5’9 individual

[@achilles872]

@@mariusandersen2952 yeah its the bones. Im measuring from the furthest out bony bit. I might be a cm or so off bc i was measuring myself, but i made sure to keep as much slack out of it as possible. Ive always had a pretty flat and wide upper body. Just measured again and yeah its between 44 and 46 depending on where exactly i put my fingers on the bone.

[@garjian0]

​@@mariusandersen2952I'm 5'9 too and mine are 52cm. Measured as shown on the diagram here.

[@craigharen7312]

I’m 41cm at 5’7 and my reach is 7.5 heigh

[@shad3115]

I just put my thumb on the line closest to the middle of the bar

[@j.c.m8847]

@Democrats Suck i would argue a world record holder knows a bit more about benching than you do

[@bastikickl3828]

Show this Matt Wenning and 81cm is the max in the IPF rules 😂

[@drinkinouttacups2665]

I thought of wenning too

[@ourclarioncall]

That’s what I’m confused about I just subscribed to wennings videos. One video on KZbin with a Chinese guy has him trying to find where he feels strongest in a push up then adding an inch or two . Also there’s a newer squat university video with Maddox doing a bench press tutorial with the same method and I doubt it’s anywhere near double clavicle . I would say 1.5 clavicle width or less for most of the strongmen . I don’t know if there is a difference between power lifters and weightlifters . I think a weight lifting bar has the rings at 36inch instead of 32 on power lifting bar so maybe they go with a wider grip for cleans and snatches etc. I’m just measuring in on my bar and 2 x clavicle seems really wide for me. I feel weak in that position but maybe it’s just exposing weak links in my chain ? 🤷‍♂️ Dunno

[@taweasmr]

@@ourclarioncallthanks for this insight. I suppose if you have stronger triceps that are used to a closer grip, you will definitely feel stronger with them being activated more, since a wider grip would also bring your elbows closer to your body. What I find weird is strict press ups have your elbows tucked in to maximise tricep fatigue, whereas this bench video recommends a very wide grip, but the two goals are very different. The goal of this is to maximise strength whereas the goal of strict press ups is to make it harder and work arms more than chest by putting more load on triceps. Does make you wonder

[@bitrage.]

Ehhh, i dunno if this smart, you might be a little stronger off the beginning but its really hard on the shoulders, gripping close and keeping elbows in and not flairing out will keep shoulder's healthy and pain free.

[@achilles872]

If a wide grip causes you pain, you have bigger problems you need to sort out with your shoulder health. Do some rotator cuff and mobility work rather than just avoiding whatever hurts.

[@bitrage.]

@@achilles872 Top trainers like Wenning strengh recommends a narrow grip as well... it was doin dumb bs like super wide grip and behind the head shoulder pressing what got my shoulders pain in the first place....

[@achilles872]

@@bitrage. Behind the head shoulder press shoudnt cause you problems. You might need to load it slightly lighter, but if you want to avoid weaknesses, train in every rom and every position. There is no such thing as a bad movement so long as it is done at a reasonable intensity and frequency. The behind the head ohp wasn't the problem, it just exposed existing issues with strength and mobility. I strongly reccomend making your whole body strong, it will be more than worth it in the long run. I personally do behind the head ohp, snatch balance, behind the head pull ups, bent back deadlifts, super wide squats and bench, and my body has never felt better. Ofc I do them all at an appropriate weight. Notable exceptions are things like straight legged jumps and locking out on something like leg press, which are a problem as they are slamming joints on each other.

[@bitrage.]

@@achilles872 I guess its a subjective topic, I started doing things similar to what is advised here, and sure it didnt cause me any issues the first 5 years but with time and strength increases the weights got heavier, The shoulder is not a very good joint for heavier loads in the outmost areas of movement... After converting to keeping grip close and not flairing after years of doing it the other way i was finally able to bench heavy again without nagging pain... Every1 is different, but in general the shoulder is stronger the more parallel the arm is to the torso... Even ball/socket ball joints in cars advise to not keep them on the outmost of travel..

[@leonerd_klondike]

More reason I always use dumbbells for bench press

[@HonkeyKongLive]

This sort of assumes that everyone has the same clavicle/arm ratio. Woe betide narrow shouldered people with really long arms.

[@mitchellfit3437]

Yea, true..

[@mozzticles6834]

It does not assume that at all. The study didn’t select for arm to clavicle ratio, it measured effective width on the bar.

[@PURPL3_R3IN]

Absolutely not…. I don’t think you were listening this is dependent on your clavicle length her’s just happen to be 36 cm apart

[@jedinxf7]

um, no. if said people were to widen their grip believing their long arms warranted it they'd be putting a lot more leverage on the rotator cuff.

[@jedinxf7]

I see from your other comment you tried it out and science won lol :)

[@Ty-kj4su]

Ring finger on the rings works for me

[@naveenbalachandran5221]

Jen can star as a Greek goddess with those delts💀

[@ΙερώνυμοςΚόρακας]

I have the hots for Jen. Big time

[@rickbeastrandolph]

Amazing

[@lollolez7147]

solid

[@18vamshi]

Should we follow the same distance for Incline Bench also?

[@Chimpmanboom]

Damn this would be such a wide grip for me

[@bastianian2939]

Apparently its the strongest. Cant argue with experts

[@mimoosa7390]

@@bastianian2939 did you try it?

[@loveydovey4u]

​@@bastianian2939Bill Kazmaier and Julius Maddox would disagree

[@ourclarioncall]

@@loveydovey4uEddie hall got a pretty narrow grip too. Maybe folk with Olympic style weightlifting experience (cleans /snatch etc) are used to wider grips with an Olympic bar ? Dunno. Apparently powerlifting bars have the rings at 32inches instead of 36inches . I learned that today

[@ourclarioncall]

@@loveydovey4uEddie hall got a pretty narrow grip too. Maybe folk with Olympic style weightlifting experience (cleans /snatch etc) are used to wider grips with an Olympic bar ? Dunno. Apparently powerlifting bars have the rings at 32inches instead of 36inches . I learned that today

[@anthonycaretti5107]

Jennifer Thompson?

[@neonk2222]

Okay I'm definitely gripping too wide. 32cm clavicle and I grip the same as Jen!

[@h4ymc]

noce glad it helped

[@samd2865]

I like to keep my elbows beside my torso. So when I lift I can maximize tricep power and rely less on the shoulders.

[@lloyd4011]

When you do that, the pushing power comes from triceps/shoulder rather than chest muscles.

[@samd2865]

@@lloyd4011 chest and triceb work together. It's not possible to lift 300-400 pounds without the chest.

[@lloyd4011]

@@samd2865 All the muscles work together, it's a compound movement. However, the less chest you use, the more anterior delt and triceps take over. This is what happens if you keep your elbows tucked. Try doing a press up with your elbows tucked by your side and then try again with a wider grip. I'm not saying your chest won't get worked, not saying that at all. Depends what you're looking for I guess. If you're doing it for strength then it doesn't matter how the bar gets up, but if you were looking for a chest exercise, this is probably "less optimal" to do an exercise that will normally pick up anterior delts/triceps.

[@inny27]

Hello, Does this technique apply to those with both an anterior and posterior shoulder reconstructions?

[@RGV2300]

Im gonna do the second one, let's see what happens as im having an annoying click in my right shoulder. I use a kinda narrow grip, and that could be the cause.

[@lloyd4011]

I guess a narrower grip shifts the pushing force from your chest muscles to your front delts/triceps.

[@davidbradley1692]

@squatuniversty where are you taking the measurement from on the clavicle? If I measure to the end of the bone on the shoulder it’s 46cm, seemed a bit excessive when trying on bench….

[@filipulahel9141]

What about triceps dominance?

[@clarity2115]

Tried this few years ago, my shoulders really hate bench press so all mine are little outside close grip range

[@walalabengbeng9071]

Im doing this once a week

[@PutraRhm]

Man, I have to do a whole engineering shit just to bench optimally.

[@maxsteele7352]

2x clavicle grip for me is wider than the legal limit

[@kenea3226]

Squat U. Showing, once again, he isn't just about squatting.

[@andrescast]

🔥

[@athedynasty]

Is this the same methodology with incline bench? My bench is brutal and I have super long arms.

[@AlexAlex-bu3ct]

At last, a science way to hold a bar!

[@emmm_4465]

Her arms 😍😍😍

[@Willy72070]

🤨

[@randallradke1279]

On average*** I was always told to bench wider and only until I started benching with a more narrow grip did benching stop fucking up my shoulders.

[@kevincollazos9514]

does this optimal grip width apply to incline barbell bench press as well?

[@LM_28035]

Knew I was doing it wrong, kept feeling a burn in my triceps every time as I had a grip too close together

[@BL-161]

I am really struggling with my bench at the moment. Can never feel planted and locked in position and the bar and my body is always moving about.

[@geteducatedyoufool4563]

That red arrow on twisting the arm threw me off. I would have thought it would be in the opposite direction where you sink the pinkie INTO the bar (imagine a dumbell press where the dumbells aren't in line with each other)

[@petermitchell7851]

Is a study with 6 data points actually the best source on this?

[@jonathancollins22]

That study you cited has to be one of the worst I've read. 24 dudes who have been benching for more than 2 years and all it found was they were strongest the way they were used to benching.

[@Zephreyer]

Me squatting: 👹👹👹 Me benching: 🤓🤔💭🧐

[@lucashenriques4242]

the best grip is the one that doesnt cause shoulder pain

[@Openyourmind275]

I just tried this tonight, outside clavicle measures 52 1/2cm, and when I transfer that to the bar, it’s so wide I can’t get my hands on the bar because the bench rack….. sooo back to pinky on the ring

[@billabonewow]

Re-Measure your clavicals, its not from outside of delt to outside of delt, you need to feel for the little ball in your shoulder, that is the end of your clavicals. I have wide clavicals at 40cm and that is pretty high for humans as is.

[@ThaiLitzki]

And some may wonder why going to the gym is intimidating.. Imagine some dude coming with a measure tape saying you're one inch off for your optimal leverage angle. I'd be laughing so hard.

[@smashb3766]

But no one does that..

[@ThaiLitzki]

@@smashb3766 I hope not and at the same time I kinda wish someone would, cause it'd be hilarious! Also I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually thought of this. In this era where everything that can be improved HAS to be improved.

[@smashb3766]

@@ThaiLitzki didn’t ask.

[@ThaiLitzki]

@@smashb3766 Fair enough, keep on living alone. :)

[@smashb3766]

@@ThaiLitzki didn’t ask + ratio

[@Jahsurfer]

Does this apply to dumbbells too?

[@guybratt6238]

Bla Bla Bla. You're watching this on your phone. Just go to the gym, load the bar. Lift the weight. What's a couple of cm's in or out? If that's so imp. Why do we do narrow grip and wide grip BP's?

[@zzz-jj6zh]

My clavicle is 46cm. I guess no optimal benching for me.

[@CFLS95]

🎖

[@batman-sr2px]

What about dumbbell?

[@joseantoniomoch4006]

Not for OCD patients!

[@guardianvalor962]

I don't get the last tip. Can someone explain?

[@theItalianshamrock]

Seems wide as hell... for me personally. But my tri's are strong and my chest is weak af lol

[@lloyd4011]

That's why. Narrow grip bench press is more of a tricep exercise than a chest exercise.

[@coolstory6193]

Is this the same for incline?

[@TypicallyUniqueOfficial]

My clavicles are too wide. If I grip the way I should, my index finger goes beyond the rings.

[@nathanielalaburgDelhi]

Hmmmm most of the "heaviest" bench pressers of all time use a close grip variation to engage triceps.....

[@jedinxf7]

equipped benchers, and still not particularly close. in real life your triceps don't need to be convinced to be engaged, this is silly. maybe you should look at what Maddox does...it looks like what she does. not exactly shocking that a woman who benched 330 raw in her late 40s weighing under 150 might actually know what she's doing?

[@closeenough1343]

Thats how I bench. Its very comfortable for me and I don't have any pain moving the bar at all. I put my thumb on the smooth of the bar and than place my grip slightly behind it. So I have my grip placed about an inch to a half inch into the knurled part of the bar. It may seem close but my close grip bench is on the knurled part of the bar in the middle of the bar (some bars are knurled in the middle). My best bench was 325 at 170 lbs. I'm 5'9". When I first started benching I couldn't bench because I was taught that wide grip and for some reason my body did not like it at all. I learned to bench on my own and found the "close" grip worked phenomenal for me. My chest also has great development and gets an amazing stretch benching that way.

[@achilles872]

Not most. Some do. Agreed though, this catch all method is trash.

[@deang8910]

Hey I put my ring finger on the line too! Lol

[@jameswayton2340]

I have one of those “multi purpose work out machines “ and now I find out it’s not even possible to have the correct grip with this thing… to small

[@MrFullCake]

Does this work for pullups ?

[@n.349]

Jen does test and var Jen has grown hair in places ladies don't grow she has also deepened her voice don't copy Jen ladies

[@respectedmastermind]

My closeish grip bench is stronger than my wide grip

[@the_legendary_fuhrer]

same

[@DantesInferno96]

That means your triceps are proportionally stronger than your pecs.

[@the_legendary_fuhrer]

@@DantesInferno96 probably

[@joshqaszq4773]

Anyone can train a suboptimal position for an extended amount of time and claim they are "stronger" with it. That doesn't mean much of anything.

[@the_legendary_fuhrer]

@@joshqaszq4773 different leverages

[@orangeisthenewstrawberry6603]

Was that first spotter a giant???

[@accradata]

Looks a bit wide big Jen, but you do you

[@aweimoleayopeter6960]

It doesn't feel good for me ... perhaps my shoulder blade is weak🤔

[@dannybautista8817]

What if I have short arms ?

[@goncalosilva2160]

Damn, everybody told me i had wide shoulders but mine are 35.5 at 5'8

[@tonybob791]

I wonder what Joaquin Phoenix's 2x clavicle length grip width is.

[@ToxicDaxTheApe]

Mines way over the limit for powerlifting🤣

[@johnanneheim6467]

It says mine are 48 cm???? Did I do this right

[@FRElHEIT]

48 cm gang 💪🤝

[@jaredshope1122]

Honestly this did not work for me. I actually by default had a 2x ish grip and it caused tendon pain and weakness. When I narrowed by grip but like an inch or 2 my power was so much higher

[@PioNavarro]

If i do that thats gonna be a too wide grip fpr me