I have read that review article and a couple of other ones, before I wrote this post. Thanks for adding some good info to my post, it makes sense when most people are at a desk all day to simply reduce the stress but maximize the benefits of the lift.

Cheers.

This is a cool post, there was a review article on this a few months ago in the Strength and Conditioning Journal….as a rule all my clients press (bench and overhead) with a neutral grip when using dumbbells to ease stress on the shoulder and they bench press with a relatively narrow grip (around bi-acromial)…as most my guys are at desks all day this is without doubt a precaution that doesn’t compromise results but eases shoulder stress massively….I will also use a lot of single arm stuff at the outset as well to reduce the stress to the shoulder…bilateral movements require a far better ROM. Had to have an operation on my shoulder 2 months ago largely because of this before I knew better….same for rowing, I find that repeated use of an overhand grip over-emphasises the upper traps over mid and lower and also can lead to problems….so with my desk bound clients – neutral and supinated grip rowing are also the order of the day!

Cool post, good info that a lot of folks could benefit from!

Nice points and good food for thought. Triceps are rarely a limiting factor in bench unless you have a very narrow grip. Wider grip does decrease your range immensely, something I neglected to mention, thanks for pointing that out.

forearms perpendicular to the floor is best I agree. The funny part is that many people use the wider grip to focus more on the chest and less on the triceps. My question is, why try to turn a compound movement into an isolation exercise? Perhaps if your triceps are becoming the limiting factor in the movement there may be some validity, but the wider grip also decreases your range of motion and therefore reduces maximal muscle recruitment.

Chest flyes might be better if the goal is to isolate the chest muscles.

Thats a good point. A very good cue to avoid. Thanks for the input.

Lauren

They never listen.

One of the major symptoms when you are wacthing someone do a bench with too wide a grip is they “roll” their shoulders forward as if they are pushing from the shoulder and not the chest.

Great post.

RT