Suicide Grip: Pros and Cons

When I was first starting out I watched a few videos of some Pro’s working out. I saw them using a false grip and figured that was the ‘proper’ way. I’ve used it for almost all of my pressing movements with a barbell ever. With a decent amount of chalk the bar never moves at all.

It seems like in almost all of the ‘LOL BENCH FAILURZ’ videos on Youtube, the lifters are using a suicide-grip.

As for the strength increase, doesn’t the suicide grip put more pressure on the medial/ulnar part of the palm (medial in the anatomical position)? If so, I think I remember Pavel and Steve Maxwell talking about a pressure point/muscle activation point that reflexes up to the triceps and delt. Perhaps that’s why it’s stronger?

i always use a suicide grip and i’ve benched 540 touch and go as well as done 4 board press with 675.

using it places the bar directly over the forearm which provides better leverage. a lot of the time when people wrap their thumbs around the bar, the bar then slides back towards the nuckles. when this happens the weight is no longer over the forearms, it’s behind them. needless to say, that’s not a very efficient way to press.

you do what makes you stronger. fear is poison when lifting big.

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
i always use a suicide grip and i’ve benched 540 touch and go as well as done 4 board press with 675.

using it places the bar directly over the forearm which provides better leverage. a lot of the time when people wrap their thumbs around the bar, the bar then slides back towards the nuckles. when this happens the weight is no longer over the forearms, it’s behind them. needless to say, that’s not a very efficient way to press.

you do what makes you stronger. fear is poison when lifting big. [/quote]

Guess that takes care of my “how does that work for PL?” question.
Interesting.

funny, i always called it monkey grip…because monkeys don’t have any thumbs!

Monkeys don’t have thumbs?

I have always used it for ‘close-grip’ bar presses (easier on my left wrist that was broken in Jr. High). Although I have tried it for other movements; I never felt it made much difference.

[quote]xivb4m wrote:
funny, i always called it monkey grip…because monkeys don’t have any thumbs![/quote]

No, you’re thinking of goats.

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
I have always used it for ‘close-grip’ bar presses (easier on my left wrist that was broken in Jr. High). Although I have tried it for other movements; I never felt it made much difference. [/quote]

Same here for the close grip bench. I use DBs for chest exercises, so it’s not too smart to use it there. Recently, when doing romanian DLs, I forgot my straps so I used the suicide grip and found it easier to hold the bar. Usually I’ll use the opposite grip, but it feels awkard when alternating sides.

I have to use it on certain presses. I get an excruciating cramp in my thumb muscle if I use a normal grip, especially on dips and DB presses.

I still haven’t figured out what it is… Maybe nerve damage?

i just hate the feeling of the bar digging into the pocket area between my thumb and index finger. and as i said earlier, i use it for db presses and it doesn’t seem any more dangerous than using it with bb movements. i even use thumbless for all my back work like rows, chins, pulldowns, etc. i’ve seen some use it for curls but that feels uncomfortable to me.

[quote]1morerep wrote:
i guess it is risky but i’ve used it even since i started with all pressing movements both bb and db and have never, ever felt unsafe or had a close call in terms of the bar feeling like it might slip. i even use a thumbless grip when i do flys. i just feel i get a better mind/muscle connection with it. [/quote]

i’m with you. Heck I have even used it for Push Press and never felt unsafe. To each their own.

[quote]i always use a suicide grip and i’ve benched 540 touch and go as well as done 4 board press with 675.

using it places the bar directly over the forearm which provides better leverage. a lot of the time when people wrap their thumbs around the bar, the bar then slides back towards the nuckles. when this happens the weight is no longer over the forearms, it’s behind them. needless to say, that’s not a very efficient way to press. [/quote]

Good enough for me.

I’m stealing that.

Now that I think about it, I’ve never really done close grip presses because of (a) awkward positioning and (b) shoulder discomfort that might well stem from my forearms being out of position. As a result my bench has stagnated and I am severely lacking in triceps mass when every other muscle group is more or less even.

I’m really looking forward to trying out CGPs with a suicide grip. I bench in a rack with the pins at chest level, so I’m not that worried about it.

[quote]kellerdp wrote:
It seems like in almost all of the ‘LOL BENCH FAILURZ’ videos on Youtube, the lifters are using a suicide-grip.

As for the strength increase, doesn’t the suicide grip put more pressure on the medial/ulnar part of the palm (medial in the anatomical position)? If so, I think I remember Pavel and Steve Maxwell talking about a pressure point/muscle activation point that reflexes up to the triceps and delt. Perhaps that’s why it’s stronger?

[/quote]

that is correct. i read something similar in one of pavel’s books. (another reason for losing the gloves when lifting)

i like this grip for heavy low-rep sets but when using lighter weight for higher reps it starts to feel a little unstable.

also, when i used it exclusively on the bench for about a month or two a while back, i ended up with some forearm pain when doing preacher curls. it seemed to go away when i stopped using this grip regularly.

maybe just a coincidence.

alit4: I think the pressure point you are referring to is located near the pinky finger & when you wear padding your level of proprioception in terms of grip is deadened - thus lose the gloves to lift better :slight_smile:

W/regards to the OP I use this grip occasionally for some benching but am working on solidifying my standard grip (thumbs around the bar) - where it works like a charm is in ME squats where a thumbless grip helps position my elbows moreso perpendicular to the ground (improved my form & reduced shoulder pain immensely)

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
i always use a suicide grip and i’ve benched 540 touch and go as well as done 4 board press with 675.

[/quote]

Fuck that. You’re a braver man than I am. Just the thought of losing it with 400 on the bar is enough to make me cringe, let alone what would happen to me if 600+ slipped.

I use the standard grip on everything but v-grip seated rows and chins/pulldowns. Easier on my grip to just loop my fingers over than try to squeeze the bar–my tendonitis usually acts up.

this is the only lift where i get a little twinge of “ohhh shit!! if the bar slips it’s going to crush my skull”

even then i just hope if it gets me it will be quick and i won’t feel too much.

christopher drummond
team Staley sponsored athlete

It’s not really risky grip, especially if your experienced/chalk up.
It is more of a mental thing for me, every time I try suicide grip I think of the ‘what if’ factor

[quote]LUEshi wrote:

Now that I think about it, I’ve never really done close grip presses because of (a) awkward positioning and (b) shoulder discomfort that might well stem from my forearms being out of position. As a result my bench has stagnated and I am severely lacking in triceps mass when every other muscle group is more or less even.

I’m really looking forward to trying out CGPs with a suicide grip. I bench in a rack with the pins at chest level, so I’m not that worried about it.[/quote]

Just out of curiosity, do you use that 6-8 inch wide grip on CGP’s or do you do them armpit/shoulder-width and elbows tucked ?