Is there only one right width to hold the bar when benching?

>>40810733
Depends on arm length

>tall fags need wider grip
>manlets need closer grip

Bench is a meme movement iirc

>>40810733

There is a "right" width for you.

Its not the same for everyone, due to limb lengths and such.
Generally it will be somewhere near the smooth rings on a standard barbell, I have my index finger on the rings.

The rule of thumb is that in the "down" position, when the bar is touching your chest, your forearms should be perfectly vertical when viewed from the spotter's angle.

That's not to say there isn't a use for "wide grip" and "narrow grip" bench, but that's where the line between the two is.

>>40810805
okay, yeah i was thinking in the lines of where you have the most power. since im stuck on my pr i think i need to fix my technique

I started off really narrow, even though I'm tall, went wide 2 years later off of advice from some dudes at my gym, then back to between wide and narrow 2 years after that after watching a video by Konstantin Konstantinovs

I like the middle ground, even if it's a little hard for longer arms

>>40810959
i tried wide even with my short arms. felt really easy since the path was shortened by a lot. But it strained quite a bit on my forearms and wrist

>>40810990

I'm a little touchy about how much pressure it puts on your chest and strains your balance

also a little harder to rerack and since I don't usually have a spotter I want more control over that

don't want a tendon tear or something

>>40810733
i'm pretty sure i bench a bit narrower than i should. i'm recruiting more triceps and relying less on my chest less which allows me to lift more for now.

if i were to bench a tad wider then my numbers would decrease for a bit but i'd probably be stronger overall.

I mime the bottom of the bench to where my forearms are vertical and then from that position grab the bar.

>>40811034
>>40811028
>>40811024
unrelated note, im stuck on a 105kg pr. (73kg body weight) i can press 100 no problem all day, i rep with 90 with ease but when i load over 100 the weight just feels really heavy. Any tips to get out?

>>40811070

Work on your form and staying tight throughout the movement.

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pic related is pec engagement on close grip (purple) vs normal grip (green). too close of a grip and you are primary working your triceps.

your forearms should be right under the bar when the bar is touching your chest and your elbows should be flared out about 60 degrees so you are incorporating as much pec muscle as possible

>>40811070
>just feels really heavy

it's meant to be heavy if it's a PR. if you can't get it up then your spotter/safeties are there for that reason. board presses maybe?

with squats, i do unracks at the end of my working sets with weight at or (usually) above my PR. i don't plan on squatting it. i look like a fucking autist loading up weight, walking it out, standing there for 10s, and racking it again but i feel it helps to acclimate my body to the expected load.

>>40811070
When going for a single I just think about keeping my wrists straight with my forearm and grip the bar hard as fuck. GRIP GRIP GRIP STRAIGHT STRAIGHT STRAIGHT and it's down, up, racked

>>40811133
Walkouts actually do help you acclimate to having the heavier weight on your back. It's a legitimate thing.

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>>40811070
I recently went through the bench press chapter in SS again for tips. This one looked good, it might help you.

>>40811133
i always do that with squats. i overload my skeleton so it has time to adapt before i can even squat that weight. i can currently squat 4pl8 and after i'm done i load up an extra pl8 and unrack it and hold it. people gave me strange looks but it works.

i also do it with about 0.5pl8 above my current work set just before i start them so they feel easier. same reason as to why the second set usually feels easier because the weight is not such a shock to the body.

>>40810733
There is no "right position" for your hands. It's different for everyone, same with squats. It's whatever feels most comfortable and stable for you.

>>40811268
i meant more like that there is only one way for each person.

went to see LIFE, but thanks for all the tips. looks really good.

>>40811190
Im gonna start doing it for squats and bench.

For years I always did super wide grip and bench presses were always hell on my shoulders. I listened to the argument that side is better for pecs and closed is for triceps, even though closed has wider range of motion.

This month I started to do them with a grip slightly wider than shoulder and it feels MUCH better. My fucking shoulder says thanmks

>>40812430
No. You can train flexibility and stabilizer muscles to change position but you'll always have that natural set up that feels best

>>40812554
ok, good to know

6'1 with wide shoulders and i'm way inside the rings

bench 155kg

>>40811133
Sounds like poor man's yoke. I want a fucking yoke so bad.

>>40810733
>Is there only one right width to hold the bar when benching?

Yes, 1.5 times your biacromial width.