Hey, ive been wondering how my grip width should be. im 6’2 with quite long arms, and i dont want to flare my ellbows too much because of all the stress it puts on my shoulders. ive heard that my wrist and elbow should always be in line, so my forarm is 90° to the floor, but i kinda got the feeling that when i do this i would drop the bar really low (around my belly button).
i know i should drop it around my sternum/lower chest, but i think cuz of my long arms when i just hold my arms right now in a bench press position and try to make my hands in line with my sternum my elbows wouldnt be tucked at all.
atm i bench with my pointer fingers just a smitch outside the rings on the olympic bar, because i really dont want to go wider, but i feel when i go narrower i would drop the bar really low on my belly to keep my wrist in line with my elbow and 90° to the floor.
any thoughts and tips on how to find the perfect bench press grip width for a persons built?
You’re telling me that if you stand up with your arms at your sides, your elbows are vertically in line with your belly button? Those are some freakishly long upper arms.
You need to find what works for you, but most longer- armed guys I know use a fairly close grip (inside the rings), as a wider grip places too much torque on their shoulders and elbows.
OP, watch Konstantinovs Bench. Tall guy, long arms, and a very narrow grip to the point where when he unracks his arms are near vertical.
Im 6’1 with a 6’5 wingspan and always get shoulder pains. I brought my grip in very narrow (well inside the rings, my arms are nearly vertical at lockout), and minimal shoulder pain now. You have to strengthen your triceps like monster however.
[quote]mg3 wrote:
OP, watch Konstantinovs Bench. Tall guy, long arms, and a very narrow grip to the point where when he unracks his arms are near vertical.
Im 6’1 with a 6’5 wingspan and always get shoulder pains. I brought my grip in very narrow (well inside the rings, my arms are nearly vertical at lockout), and minimal shoulder pain now. You have to strengthen your triceps like monster however.[/quote]
this pretty much, I’m 6’1" as well with a 6’7" span so same boat
[quote]mg3 wrote:
OP, watch Konstantinovs Bench. Tall guy, long arms, and a very narrow grip to the point where when he unracks his arms are near vertical.
Im 6’1 with a 6’5 wingspan and always get shoulder pains. I brought my grip in very narrow (well inside the rings, my arms are nearly vertical at lockout), and minimal shoulder pain now. You have to strengthen your triceps like monster however.[/quote]
this pretty much, I’m 6’1" as well with a 6’7" span so same boat[/quote]
Holy shit lol.
[quote]mg3 wrote:
OP, watch Konstantinovs Bench. Tall guy, long arms, and a very narrow grip to the point where when he unracks his arms are near vertical.
Im 6’1 with a 6’5 wingspan and always get shoulder pains. I brought my grip in very narrow (well inside the rings, my arms are nearly vertical at lockout), and minimal shoulder pain now. You have to strengthen your triceps like monster however.[/quote]
this pretty much, I’m 6’1" as well with a 6’7" span so same boat[/quote]
Holy shit lol.
Just give up and deadlift.[/quote]
it angers me when i see the t-rex’s benching, i literally move the bar as much as 3 of their benches together.
[quote]mg3 wrote:
OP, watch Konstantinovs Bench. Tall guy, long arms, and a very narrow grip to the point where when he unracks his arms are near vertical.
Im 6’1 with a 6’5 wingspan and always get shoulder pains. I brought my grip in very narrow (well inside the rings, my arms are nearly vertical at lockout), and minimal shoulder pain now. You have to strengthen your triceps like monster however.[/quote]
this pretty much, I’m 6’1" as well with a 6’7" span so same boat[/quote]
yes, when i let my arms hang loose to my sides, my elbow is about belly button level…
ok, i will experiment a bit more with my grip widht and try some narrower styles as well, but again: this would mean to let my wrist and elbow stay in line to drop the bar really, really low, and it would only hit my triceps this way…
but anyways, ill go on searching for the right grip
6’4" 6’7" wingspan, Ive found pinky on the rings work the best for me on a standard Olympic bar. The gym I lift at has weird bars, so its the birdie finger on the rings…
