My normal bench grip is about 16-18". I’ve done 335x1 TNG with that grip, 315x3, and 275x8.
Recently I’ve been alternating OHP and Close Grip Bench at the end of my workouts and worked up to 250x11 today. 250x10 comes out to 333x1 on 1RM calculators, so I think 250x11 would be around 335-340 range. I also don’t try to leg drive much on Close Grip Bench Press.
Is this a strange technical issue or should muscular deficiency? Despite gripping the bar closer, the weight feels even more stable in my hands. It doesn’t really make sense to me at all.
I’m the same, I’m stronger with a close grip also… I’m guessing it’s simply due to the triceps being much stronger than the chest, which makes sense for me since I have virtually no chest development where as my triceps aren’t too bad.
Perhaps there’s more to it, maybe we’re not being technically efficient in our standard grip benching, I really don’t know… but I’m curious to see what others have to say about this.
Same here. When I pressing with fingers on rings I don’t feel good, unnatural position for me and less weight on barbell. Usually my grip is 3 fingers closer from rings.
I would never trust a projected max coming from an 11-rep set. Those tables are loose guidelines even at fairly low-rep sets, but they completely fall apart when you try to stretch them too far.
[quote]TB284 wrote:
I would never trust a projected max coming from an 11-rep set. Those tables are loose guidelines even at fairly low-rep sets, but they completely fall apart when you try to stretch them too far.[/quote]
I think depending on the person, they can be fairly accurate over a wide range. My calculated max is within 15 lbs from reps of 16, 12, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 (but that is with a standard grip). But to your point, it depends on the person whether someone works in a wide rep range.
[quote]csulli wrote:
Are you sure you can close grip more than you can regular? I mean what’s your max rep set of 250 with your normal grip?[/quote]
IIRC, my regular bench PRs were
255x10
275x8
300x5
315x3
335x1
Recently I struggled with 260x5. Really threw me off, but I chalked it up to not lifting for basically a month and a recent bout of flu. Two days later I go and close grip 10 pounds less for twice the reps.
[quote]Ecchastang wrote:
I think depending on the person, they can be fairly accurate over a wide range. My calculated max is within 15 lbs from reps of 16, 12, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 (but that is with a standard grip). But to your point, it depends on the person whether someone works in a wide rep range. [/quote]
Fair enough; I think beyond a certain rep range, you’re testing the limit of certain energy systems that at best tie-in loosely with maximal force production, so the correlation can get pretty shaky. How well your conditioning matches up with your maximal strength probably dictates how tightly you fit into the tables; so, as you said, different for everyone. They’re really, really inaccurate for me, so its possible (read: likely) that I suck at moderate to high rep ranges.
Its harder to stay in the groove and balance as the weight goes up w. Closegrip…at least w. My 14 in. Grip… I wouldnt say 315 was easy…but w. A spotter id have gone for 325 that day. But since I didnt have one and felt how much I had to fight the 315 balance wise I knew not to risk it. Point is…at least for me the balance difference can skew the rep comparison vs. Reg bench.
[quote]amayakyrol wrote:
My normal bench grip is about 16-18". I’ve done 335x1 TNG with that grip, 315x3, and 275x8.
Recently I’ve been alternating OHP and Close Grip Bench at the end of my workouts and worked up to 250x11 today. 250x10 comes out to 333x1 on 1RM calculators, so I think 250x11 would be around 335-340 range. I also don’t try to leg drive much on Close Grip Bench Press.
Is this a strange technical issue or should muscular deficiency? Despite gripping the bar closer, the weight feels even more stable in my hands. It doesn’t really make sense to me at all.[/quote]
I would ask how it was that you decided that this was your “Normal grip” and advise that you quit worrying about shit like this and think big picture. Think OPTIMAL grip. whatevr grip width allows you the most weight on the bar should be your “NORMAL” grip. Doesn’t matter where that is so long as it’s within the grip width rule book for your fed right?. Narrower and wider grips are solely for different training stimulus.
In my mind this would be akin to saying that I can jump a 28" vertical while standing 20" apart, my “normal stance” but when I stand 14" apart I can get a 36" vertical. If your goal was to jump as high as possible why would you jump from anywhere other than optimal? See?
And don’t put too much stock in 1 rm calculators. Much past 5 reps and they go to worthless IMO. Why not take that 335 for a ride and leave nothing to doubt?
As far as the 1RM calculators go. I can take a high bar narrower stance squat with more weight to a max set of 20 than I can a low bar wider stance. But the low bar wide stance gives a solid advantage over a high bar narrow stance for max weights.
If your actual, not projected max, is higher for close grip…by all means, use that as your 1RM bench grip. Some people are stronger that way, and that’s fine.
Hey- I noticed you said if your close grip is better than your
wide grip- just use close grip. I don’t know why it is with me,
but I am also stronger with close grips. Even when I lift with it- it’s like I have perfect control of the weight- I have no problem pausing- and almost at will I can turn
on the power to push that weight up. With my regular grip it’s I always feel I have to put a lot of effort into it- almost as if I need to use a lot of other muscles to get the weight up.
I am thinking that the regular grip needs to be fixed, like there’s some weakness that I need to overcome. Am I thinking wrong on this? I don’t know any major lifters who lift with a narrow grip so Im feeling like I gotta fix the regular grip. Maybe I’m not looking st it right
[quote]JR35 wrote:
Hey- I noticed you said if your close grip is better than your
wide grip- just use close grip. I don’t know why it is with me,
but I am also stronger with close grips. Even when I lift with it- it’s like I have perfect control of the weight- I have no problem pausing- and almost at will I can turn
on the power to push that weight up. With my regular grip it’s I always feel I have to put a lot of effort into it- almost as if I need to use a lot of other muscles to get the weight up.
I am thinking that the regular grip needs to be fixed, like there’s some weakness that I need to overcome. Am I thinking wrong on this? I don’t know any major lifters who lift with a narrow grip so Im feeling like I gotta fix the regular grip. Maybe I’m not looking st it right
[/quote]
The thread is nearly a year old… you probably would have done better just to make a new thread. Regardless of that, it’s really hard to say without seeing a video of your form. Preferably a video of both what you call a regular grip and your stronger narrow grip with some decent weight on the bar.
Hey guys, I have an inquiry regarding how much I am able to bench press powerlifting wide grip and regular 22" grip. For some reason, the amount of the weight that I can lift with the wide powerlifting grip (I think it’s about 32" apart) is the same as what I can lift with the regular 22" grip. So, I don’t get why benching in a shorter range of motion doesn’t allow me to lift more?
[quote]Bull_Scientist wrote:
Hey guys, I have an inquiry regarding how much I am able to bench press powerlifting wide grip and regular 22" grip. For some reason, the amount of the weight that I can lift with the wide powerlifting grip (I think it’s about 32" apart) is the same as what I can lift with the regular 22" grip. So, I don’t get why benching in a shorter range of motion doesn’t allow me to lift more?[/quote]
Because your leverages get worse.
Consider if you will trying to bench with something approaching a snatch grip, the ROM will be very short but you’re obviously not going to be able to lift much.
[quote]Bull_Scientist wrote:
Hey guys, I have an inquiry regarding how much I am able to bench press powerlifting wide grip and regular 22" grip. For some reason, the amount of the weight that I can lift with the wide powerlifting grip (I think it’s about 32" apart) is the same as what I can lift with the regular 22" grip. So, I don’t get why benching in a shorter range of motion doesn’t allow me to lift more?[/quote]
Because your leverages get worse.
Consider if you will trying to bench with something approaching a snatch grip, the ROM will be very short but you’re obviously not going to be able to lift much.[/quote]
What? That’s not true. Practically all powerlifters use the widest grip possible on the bench during meets (and when getting ready for meets) because they know that when you move the barbell through a short path then you can lift significantly more weight than you are able to through a longer path.
Dude, you’re ignoring the evidence of your own body in favour of something you read on the internet somewhere. And you’re also getting advice for geared lifters mixed with raw. If ROM is all that’s important then explain the results you’ve seen with your very own body. Either your logic is wrong or your body is defying logic.
I recommend actually going to the gym to try what I said in my previous post and bench with an absurdly wide grip. You’ll see the maximum weight you can bench drop substantially. As you go wider your leverages will get worse since your arms will be closer to straight, causing your triceps to be less involved (look up the strength-length relationship). The low ROM will also probably reduce the effects of the stretch-shortening cycle as well, again due to the worse leverages.
Also, if you’re right then why don’t sumo deadlifters hold all the world records since sumo gives them a shorter ROM? Different leverages, same as with benching.
