Where are your thumbs while flat benching?

Where are your thumbs while flat benching with a bar?


  • Total voters
    82

5111

Member
Awards
0
Where are your thumbs while flat benching? Do you put them up by your fingers or opposite your fingers (around the bar)?


I have been getting some pain in my forearms lately and I was wondering if changing my grip might help. I have always put my thumbs next to my pointer finger.

What do you do?
 
Jayhawkk

Jayhawkk

Legend
Awards
2
  • Legend!
  • Established
Heavier weight gets a full around grip. Lighter weight gets a false grip. Forearm pain usually comes from too strong a grip on the weights when lifting. Usual suspects are strong grips while curling.
 
spatch

spatch

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
my thumbs do not wrap around the bar, they never have. Just the way I learned i guess.
 
Beelzebub

Beelzebub

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
False grip is dangerous, don't get in that habit.
 

5111

Member
Awards
0
False grip is dangerous, don't get in that habit.
Too late. I guess now I will have to get out of the habit. Way back in highschool my coaches told me to do it so that it did not put so much stress on my wrists.

I always thought that he was an idiot, I guess this confirms it.
 

5111

Member
Awards
0
Heavier weight gets a full around grip. Lighter weight gets a false grip. Forearm pain usually comes from too strong a grip on the weights when lifting. Usual suspects are strong grips while curling.
I wondered if that could be the problem, especially as I have been going heavy for about a month on everything. Heavier weight usually means that I grip it harder. I guess I'll have to focus on relaxing.
 

fil3113

New member
Awards
0
Full grip on heavy sets, open grip on lighter warm ups
 
spatch

spatch

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
False grip on everything except my heaviest set. But this is kinda dangerous
 
motive

motive

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
there was an article about 4 months ago in mens health and they say a true grip gets more chest activity. something about it forces you to line up better with your shoulders.
 
rpen22

rpen22

Board Sponsor
Awards
1
  • Established
I've gotten used to using a false grip almost exclusively compliments of looking at pictures of Arnold mainly when I first started getting into bodybuilding.
 
SoMdHunter

SoMdHunter

Member
Awards
1
  • Established
You don't use false grips on DB presses, why would you on bench presses? Use full grip all the time. I assure you, the first time that barbell rolls off your hands and onto your chest, you will use full grip with a bare bar!
 
SoMdHunter

SoMdHunter

Member
Awards
1
  • Established
Here is a link to a video that shows what happens when you don't wrap your thumbs doing benchpress.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEcv0Yn8z_c&mode=related&search="]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]
 
pistonpump

pistonpump

Banned
Awards
2
  • Legend!
  • Established
great VID! lol

anyone care for a false grip? hahah

I use normal. I recently watche the Battle for the Olympia 2003 and if im not mistaken Ronnie uses false grip.
 

moflika

New member
Awards
0
I wrap my thumbs around the bar so I can keep everything nice and tight.
 
Australian made

Australian made

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
After watching that i'm never going to use false grip again. Anyone know what happened to that guy?
 
gators52

gators52

Member
Awards
1
  • Established
After watching that i'm never going to use false grip again. Anyone know what happened to that guy?

No idea, but i would assume cracked and/or fractured ribs. As long as a rib didn't puncture something he would probably be fine, just in a lot of pain.
 
John Smeton

John Smeton

Legend
Awards
4
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
what is false grip and true grip?

From my understanding and watching the Video

Flase grip- thumbs above bar

true grip- thumaround bar like making a fist with the bar in between. Never really paid attention to this to know if I do the true grip. I think I do the true grip.

here is a pic of Ronnie Incline pressing Dumbells. His grip is TRUE , correct? Fingers around bar AOL Image Search results for "pictures of bench pressing"
 
rpen22

rpen22

Board Sponsor
Awards
1
  • Established
Yeah, a true grip is when you have your thumb wrapped around the bar, and a false grip is when you have your thumb on the same side of the bar as the rest of your fingers.
 

bigluke39

New member
Awards
0
my thumbs do not wrap around the bar, they never have. Just the way I learned i guess.
That is 100% correct. You should NEVER use a thumbless grip on any of the Bench Press exercises. This is a very good way to end not only your lifting. But also your life, if you do not use a safety rack.

My younger Brother used to do the thumbless grip bench press, and he broke his arm when the bar slipped out of his grip, and he tried to use his forearm to protect his chest. (Maybe it did save him, I don't know. But I do know that 300+ lbs falls really fast.)
 

Similar threads


Top