Use This Grip for a BIGGER Bench Press and Press!
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 11/24/23)
Want a bigger bench? A bigger press? Of course you do. Let’s get right to it.
figure 1: Compression grip (bench press configuration)
This article is the first in our short series on the correct grip for each lift - from pushing movements like a bench press or a press to pulling movements like a deadlift or a row, and we’ll also discuss the differences that come into play when you have an Olympic movement like a snatch or clean.
Today’s Topic: Pushing Movements
The grip we are covering today is the type of grip you would take for the bench press (Figure 1), the press, the incline bench press, the close grip bench press, etc. This grip is commonly referred to as a compression grip.
An important concept to remember is that - and this is true for both pushing and pulling movements - gravity alway wants objects to move downward.
This includes the barbell that’s in your hands, so when you’re pushing on the bar, you don’t want to put the bar in a position that permits the bar to accidentally reach a lower position (in your hands) than the position it’s already occupying. In other words, make sure that the bar is in the lowest, stable position you can achieve . . . right from the start.
figure 2: Do not put the bar up here.
What NOT To Do
For example, when you unrack the press, don’t support the barbell up high in the hand (Figure 2). If you do this with a heavy weight, it’s simply going to bend your wrist backward (thus lowering the bar). As a result, your flimsy, little, dainty, baby wrists are in a rather unstable position of extreme extension (Figure 3).
You’ve created an energy leak, and this is not a productive position from which to press or bench heavy weights. What to do?
figure 3: wrists in extreme extension - don’t be like this fool.
Figure 4
The Answer
Before unracking either the press or the bench, get the bar sitting over the base of the palms - not up by the base of your fingers, but at the base of your actual hand (Figure 4).
This position permits the bar to be stacked right over the bones of the forearms, which is excellent for force transfer.
From here, pronate your grip just enough that your thumbs can grip the bar (Figure 5). This positions the thumbs so that they can wrap around the bar in the opposite direction of the rest of your fingers.
Squeeze the bar tightly, and that’s it - this is your grip (Figure 6).
figure 5: pronate the grip slightly until the thumbs are below the bar.
The Result
This grip permits the bar to sit deep in the base of your palm - whether you’re benching or pressing. Your wrists are as straight as they can be, although they won’t be entirely straight - let’s call it a neutral position.
As a side not, wrist wraps can help achieve and maintain this position, but they shouldn’t be a crutch - learn to achieve the correct position without wraps, and then start using wraps as your work weights get heavier.
Figure 6: squeeze the bar tightly.
The wrists certainly are no longer bent back in extreme extension, and they also aren’t so straight that it feels like the bar is pushing down on the webbing of your thumb.
As previously mentioned, the bar is now positioned right over the bones of the forearm (Figure 7), which makes for efficient force transfer between your arms, hands, and the bar, and this makes for a stronger press or bench press.
figure 7: compression grip (press width)
Next up - the tension grip.
As always, we hope these tips help you get stronger and live better.
-Phil
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