If you’re a weight lifting enthusiast, or you are an old-time veteran, you are aware of the bench press. Most people know that one of the most beneficial workouts for strengthening the chest musculature is the wide grip bench press. There are many variants of this movement. For instance, you can use machines, dumbbells, and barbells, and more. Additionally, you will use bodyweight in the form of press-ups or outward resistance.
The following paragraphs give more info on the wide grip bench press and other related exercises.
What Are The Wide Grip Bench Press Target Muscles?
It accomplishes the pecs, positioning them at the bottom of the lift under a deep stretch. Perhaps most importantly, the limiting factor is usually your stomach. This means that the chest has suffered if you struggle to get another rep. This means that the chest is still enough challenged to cause muscle production.
The upper chest is equally well activated by the bench press to the incline bench press. This implies that for improving the whole torso, the bench press allows a perfect primary lift.
Some experiments have found that both the dumbbell and barbell bench activate the sides of the shoulders (side delts). They are not the determining factor, however, and so they’re not going to see too much development.
Wide-Grip Bench Press
For decades of fitness routines, the wide-grip bench press has become a favorite. And it is arguably one of the most popular strength-training movements for excellent reasons.
This exercise is among the most successful exercises in the pectoralis major to induce a high degree of muscle activation. Hence, making it a superior focused chest exercise compared to traditional push-ups or flies of incline dumbbell.
You should go through the entire range of motion of discipline to reduce the risk of injury. Make sure that you lower the bar to three to four inches just above the chest.
This is opposed to completely lowering the bar to softly touch the chest, often during the lower and lifting movement process.
Wide-Grip Bench Press Benefits
The wide grip bench press comes with a lot of benefits. Below are some benefits that you might rip.
Strength
It is a movement that comprises the chest pectoralis major, the shoulder anterior deltoids, and the upper arm triceps brachii. This develops strength as well as facilitates the development of such muscles.
Muscle enhancement is not only expected by bodybuilders, and also as muscle mass usually reduces with age for all. You can contact a licensed coach for personal guidance while you are practicing for competitive powerlifting.
Practicing a broader grip of the bench press increases torque undeniably. As torque increases the amount of force required to lift the weight, it can increase strength in exchange.
As opposed to narrower grip types, the wide-grip bench press raises torque by around 1.5 times. Nevertheless, this rise in torque also raises the risk of injuries involved with exercise. Therefore, you should do your exercises with care.
Muscle Involvement
In essence, a broader grip bench press allows the body to engage more muscles in the workout. This leads to greater involvement of core muscles and assistants.
Compared to a smaller grip, the broad grip strongly involves the pectoralis major. Likewise, in the anterior deltoid, the grip induces greater activity. This grip difference often contributes to a wider range of motion and improved stability.
It is a practical workout that assists you with any everyday tasks that include pushing or lifting. For athletes who mainly use pulling muscles, such as in boxing, mountain climbing, bench press may help restore muscle balance. In the sport of powerlifting, the barbell bench press is a competitive lift.
Wide Grip Bench Press VS Normal Grip
Just when shifting from an incline to flat to decrease bench press position transfers focus from the upper, mid, and lower pectoral muscle fibers respectively.
By moving from a near to wide grip bench press position, a related pattern can be observed. Simply speaking, you substantially move the load provided by the pressure away from your chest muscles. And then the load can go onto your triceps muscles if you choose a near grip position.
It is also important to remember that the load imposed into the shoulder area decreases by this tight grip posture. But the tension placed on your wrists is intensified.
This is crucial, particularly if you are suffering from joint problems. For instance, the shoulder or wrist could decide which grip position you initially select. Make sure that you keep all that info and your fingertips when doing this exercise.
On the other hand, the broad grip poses places the triceps muscles in a disadvantageous position. Because they do not train as much against the resistance offered.
This stance, however, stresses the musculature of the chest and shoulder to a much greater degree. And places these two muscular regions of strength in a posture in which they are able to exert their effects as much as possible.
By positioning each thumb, the broad grip is usually chosen. This is done so that it is in line with both the outer region within each corresponding shoulder joint.
Because both the chest and shoulder areas here are in a place of gain. It means that in this position, most people can lift more. As a result, based solely on this rationale, many would choose the broad grip over the narrow grip.
Wide Bench Press Powerlifting
Since powerlifters perform in the flat bench press, using the flat version, they may primarily prefer to bench press. When they think their shoulder strength is lagging, they will also use the incline bench.
This is in preparation to strengthen more of the shoulder muscles. It is exceedingly unusual, however, to see a powerlifter use a variant of the diminishing bench press. In the variation in which they will perform, powerlifters actually try to get as much experience as possible.
In place of this exercise, you can always do other exercises such as wide grip lat pulldown, wide grip pull ups, wide grip push-ups, and more.
Wide Bench Press Chest
The bench press defines the chest muscles of the triceps. Additionally, it also affects the front deltoid shoulder muscles. You should perform this exercise with barbells and dumbbells. You will also practice the bench press in a weight lifting program. Beginners should attempt lifts without weight on the bar to warm up.
They can also get a feel for the rope, and learn to do it with sufficient balance. You should use it every day as part of an upper-body routine for strength and muscle development.
Just keep your chest and shoulders tight, but your upper arms are under the limelight. This move is also one of the better methods of hitting your triceps.
Most importantly, this is an exercise that can be performed with a handy spotter, particularly if you’re new to moving. But make sure you use a slightly lighter weight if you’re flying solo.
- With your feet flat on the concrete, lay on the bench.
- Grip the barbell with both hands divided by shoulder width. They may be marginally closer than that. But just don’t move them too close together or you’ll be at risk of damage to your wrists and the set-up may become shaky.
- To stabilize your body, brace your heart and pinch your shoulder blades together.
- Slowly lower the bar and push up powerfully. Put the bar back down into the sternum, then.
- To highlight your triceps, bring your elbows close to your sides and don’t curve your back.
If for some reason you cannot do this exercise, you can always do other related exercises. For instance, you can do exercises such as wide grip seated row, wide grip seated cable rows, and others that target the chest muscles.
Close Grip Bench Press Vs Wide Grip
Your choice of grip depends mostly on whether your attention is primarily on improving the chest or triceps. But there are other variables to remember too.
If the bench press is an activity that you are passionate about but keeping straight bar results in pain, consider using dumbbells instead of a barbell. Or try to use a bench inclined around 15 and 60 degrees to execute this exercise.
Although both variants of this move stay relevant, there would be hundreds of push-based exercises to pick from. And make sure that any pulling exercises (such as a dumbbell back workout) offset these motions. That minimizes the chances of injury and provides a more full workout experience.
Conclusion
In short, the wide grip bench press emphasizes the muscles of the chest and arm while putting substantially greater stress through the joint of the shoulder. The narrow grip position emphasizes the muscles of the triceps. But also places greater stress through the joint of the forearm.
The narrow grip position will not only maximize the size and strength of the muscle of the triceps.
But it will also allow the muscles of the triceps to add more to the broad grip position over a period of time, encouraging you to either transfer further resistance or complete more repetitions.