Squat everyday Day 1842: The best grip for training bench

[@ExecutionSommaire]

Makes sense. If you hit a plateau on flat bench, maybe try to complement with incline and decline rather than varying the grip?

[@Agalloch1234]

Or just train flat bench harder; more sets, higher frequency, higher intensity, etc.

[@ExecutionSommaire]

@@Agalloch1234 I would guess he's already juggling to the max between his shifts, family, bench, leg training, deadlifts etc

[@Agalloch1234]

@@ExecutionSommaire If that’s the case, he should probably realize he will need to prioritize one lift at a time to progressively overload, while maintaining the other lifts. Every couple months he can switch which exercises to progress and which ones to maintain.

[@ExecutionSommaire]

@@Agalloch1234 Yeah that could be a solution I guess. Hard to imagine making progress on the big 3 all at the same time at his level.

[@Agalloch1234]

@@ExecutionSommaire He could also hop on the big juuuuuuiiiiiiccccceeee!

[@loungeroomlifting2223]

IMO, the optimal bench width is generally elbows and wrists vertically stacked when in the absolute "bottom" position. We can see consistency with the best benches of all time and good stacked positions. When you get overuse issues, it naturally feels good to take a break and hit the wider or closer style, but most objectively good programs will have you run both or even 3 types of benchpress or pressing variations. Running main technique on the main day with max intensity and Vol, then the 1 or 2 alters run at a moderate-low int/volume to maintain progress on that portion of the movement. With the exception of this, like board/block/banded press, which may have a higher intensity in order to overload lockout. My most simple recommendation for you if you didnt want to do too much variation, would be to do a "2-1thousand" or 2 second pause with a soft touch (no weight resting on the chest) on 1 of your pressing days during the week, to help illicit a neurological force development off the chest... purely based on the speed of your press as the intensity rises. It's easy to say we have lockout issues when we come off of the chest super slow and hit that halt in momentum. Also, if you struggle with scapula tightness then give the "toes under the bench, driving into the floor" technique a go, it helped me a lot with scap retraction/depression with a narrow grip.

[@zachboskovich6616]

Love your mindset. Never thought I’d hear you say something like bouncing around all the machines at the gym is a good way to go about it. You have to do a bit of it all.

[@IvanDjuric300]

Yeh man. Took me a while to come to that conclusion. But I now definitely think there is a lot of value there.

[@1TieDye1]

5:25 yeah, this is a thing. It is much harder to maintain your scapular retraction at lockout with a more narrow grip. Bad posture isn't necessarily punishing on DL though.

[@375billy]

I was strongest at wide grip bench when I was younger. It started giving me shoulder pain and strained/pulled my right shoulder a couple times. Benched for years wide. Now I do floor press and bench press shoulder width and have no problems.

[@1TieDye1]

Same. I am stronger at a wide grip but my shoulders do not like it. I am just about as wide as I can go now without developing shoulder pain, I think

[@Edwardscissor]

Something ive been having success with on bench press grip is having the bar right in the heal of the hand ,you get much better force production when it is stacked directly on the bones of the arm

[@runix2189]

Everyone has their own body. I benched narrow/med for a long time and got shoulder issues all the time. Changed to wide and guillotine style and my shoulders have never felt healthier.

[@diogoandre3783]

many people claim that barbell bench hurt their shoulders and they rather stick to dumbbells while for me it's the opposite, I also like to flare my elbows a little so the chest takes the lead but my grip is not that wide, about 50cm.

[@ms3ben]

Agreed about the wide bench being optimal as a quick fix to move more weight. That and or weight gain... The wide grip will feel awkward at first, then feel smooth and strong after a few sessions. Index on the ring may be a bit too wide for some.

[@ScottFoxton]

I've found that Weighted Dips and Seated OHP with a good pause at the bottom feels good for end range on the bench. Found that after dislocating my shoulder playing rugby.

[@IvanDjuric300]

Nice. There you go.

[@ElDragow]

I get what you mean. When you go wider, the tension is almost always completely on the chest, since the triceps are less involved. Also the sticking point with wide is pretty much right of the chest. When i want to feel strongest i go for a slightly close or medium grip. But when i just want to feel it all in my chest, i go wide.

[@pinksupremacy6076]

Have you ever tried putting rubber bands on the bench, Ivan? You strap em out along the bench to get some friction and it helps a lot with keeping your scapula together.

[@dasdos002]

It would be interesting to see if the Thompson fat pad would help his bench

[@daviddoran1682]

He did this a while back and really fecked up his elbows.

[@dasdos002]

@@daviddoran1682 he is saying put the bands on the bench not the bar

[@souster98]

Yeah he tried this and had severe elbow pain from it for a couple of weeks

[@daviddoran1682]

@@dasdos002 aah! I see.

[@risottozero2799]

Hey Ivan, since you were asking yourself the question lately if you should continue squatting every day or maybe move to "just" training every day.. I think you should really try to play around with the olympic lifts or rather their variations like a power clean.. I think what you need is a new barbell related obsession, and honestly I have never had so much fun with a barbell than working on my power cleans the last year! It would be a completely new rabbithole and I'm pretty sure you would love it if you get into it.. Oh and with your level of strength in the deadlift and squat you would progress pretty fast

[@Anton-os5lk]

Is there a reason you do not pause the bench press? I know youre not a powerlifter and you don't have to. But for me it made my bench stronger in the long term, and more consistent. But Ivan it make sense. I moved from 1 thumb from the smooth(close) to pinky on the ring due to similair issues. My bicep tendon was getting shredded from the narrow. It really feels like the narrow you go the more the shoulder bone rolls forward and stresses the joints. Also the chest expands the arm and contracts it towards the body right, so going wide should increase the stress of the chest? I see Josef Eriksson for example, has zero tuck in his elbow and really flares it. Same with Pana. Seems to be a good way to stay injury free.

[@RylandBraton]

Could buy some Avancus or a type of flat shoe, that gives a more stable pressing foundation then OLY shoes

[@HeroAesthetics]

Same man, I switched to wide pushups and its way better for my shoulders and elbows and I noticed a similar difficulty when first starting them, compared to normal pushups I did much less reps. I also started neutral grip at the same time and noticed a similar weakness when switching grip. Have you done reverse grip bench? Alex Leonidas did some videos on it, I haven’t tried it personally but it’s supposed to be the best for training the upper chest.

[@IvanDjuric300]

Yeh I’ve tried reverse bench. What a weird concept man. I liked it. Felt amazing. But a lil awkward on the hands. Unracking is also tricky. But the reps feel amazing. Definitely more upper chest activation.

[@Llucius1]

I been doing wide pull up like forever , just never felt the same , but I heard many got hurt using the wide grip.

[@salty3069]

I had tendinitis from weighted wide grip pullups but it was due to weakness of my forearms some forearm and rotational work fixes and strengthens it

[@Llucius1]

@salty3069 Tendinitis really nasty , I got that once from doing that yoga push up , luckily it wasn't that serious and I got over it. Glad you fixed your too , cheers , stay strong.

[@salty3069]

@@Llucius1 Thanks man you too!

[@Mikko._.]

Ivan have you tried narrow grip incline bench? To me that's the best close grip press , feels really natural for my shoulders.

[@Egoliftdaily]

Noti gang gang

[@salty3069]

Get a life thickboi 😏

[@Dlindo8892]

Be careful going out too wide. That’s how I tore my pec tendon.

[@josemarialaguinge]

Try dips to have different stimulus.

[@byna5809]

I feel the same with push-ups

[@christopherseat9871]

You're bench press is very POPPY at the Moment!!

[@purplejerry1]

give reverse grip a try

[@IvanDjuric300]

Yeh I have. I liked it. Even when my elbow was killing me. Reverse bench felt great. No pain at all.

[@yeeeaaahmayneee3808]

It’s subjective,feels so awkward for me benching wide,also i am much stronger with little more narrow grip

[@Valla451]

I really appreciate you daily videos Helps me get in some extra reflection 👉

[@howjackedcaniget]

Someone occupied YOUR squat rack?! :O Ivan in the left rack?! Mind boggled.

[@andrewdudenhoffer9512]

What you are doing is regular grip, not wide. If your index finger was that close to the smooth on your "regular grip" bench, that wasn't a bench press, it was a tricep press. My fingers aren't even that close to the smooth when I am doing what I consider "narrow grip" when I want to hit triceps only. And you are a bigger person than I am.

[@chonkeboi]

I barely feel my triceps at all with that grip, my chest is by far the prime mover, and in my experience my chest has grown a ton by using a grip that’s a thumb away from the smooths.

[@joecowan3719]

Bulldog grip