Reverse grip barbell press. Reverse bench press. When not to do this exercise

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By performing a reverse grip press, you can perfectly work all parts of the triceps. In this case, unlike using a narrow grip, your hands will not be heavily loaded. For bodybuilders, this is a very effective movement, as it promotes hypertrophy of muscle tissue, but it develops strength indicators quite poorly and will not be so useful in powerlifting.

Some athletes pay special attention to biceps training, which is fundamentally wrong. This is primarily due to the fact that it is this muscle that occupies most of the mass of the arms. Don't forget to pump your biceps to have truly powerful arms.

This makes it possible to reduce the load on the joints, due to the even distribution of the load between them. At the same time, the target muscle is pumped better, since the muscles of the shoulder girdle are excluded from work. As a result, you not only pump up your triceps efficiently, but also reduce the load on your joints and, as a result, reduce the risk of injury.

Lie down on a bench with your feet on it, thereby excluding them from work. The sports equipment should be taken in the same way as a classic bench press, but at the same time turn your hands towards you. Lower the barbell slightly below the solar plexus, but there is no need to fix the barbell in the lower position. When pushing the projectile up, do not fully extend your arms in the highest position.

To perform a reverse grip press, you will need the help of a friend, since otherwise you will not be able to remove the apparatus from the rack. When performing the movement, your gaze should always be directed upward, but do not lift your head from the bench. Do not spread your elbow joints to the side, but keep them as close to the body as possible. Otherwise, part of the load will go to the pectoral muscles.

It is also necessary to ensure that the projectile is always at the level of the solar plexus and does not need to be raised to the head. To eliminate the risk of elbow injury, perform the movement for 12 to 15 repetitions.

Anatomical features of the reverse grip press

Since almost all the load falls on the hands, the joints are not at risk of injury. Although you won't be able to lift heavy weights for this reason, you can increase the intensity significantly. It is this fact that explains the ability of the reverse grip press to have the maximum impact on the hypertrophy of muscle tissue. Also, muscle failure occurs precisely in the target muscle group, which is very important when gaining weight. If you don't already use this movement in your training, then it's time to correct this flaw in your program.

How to perform a barbell press with a reverse grip, see the following video:

Hi all. Today we’ll talk about an unusual bench press exercise, namely, reverse grip bench press.

I'm sure many of you have never even heard of him before. Meanwhile, it is widely used in the training programs of professional athletes, mainly powerlifters.

Used as an auxiliary exercise for training the stall in the classic bench press. The reverse grip press has a powerful effect on the upper pectoral muscles and the anterior deltoids.

How to do a reverse grip bench press

We will need a regular bench for bench press. We lie down on it in such a way that the bar of the barbell is at eye level. We grab the bar in such a way that your palms are facing towards your head (with a reverse grip, this is how you hold the barbell when performing). The grip must be closed (the thumb wraps around the bar).

Hands are positioned shoulder-width apart. In general, the width of the grip determines which muscles the load falls on. When using a grip slightly narrower than the shoulders, the triceps do the main work. Using a wider grip allows you to concentrate the load on the chest muscles as much as possible.

So, take a deep breath and remove the bar from the racks. Then slowly lower the barbell down to the lower chest area. Having reached the bottom point, we powerfully press the barbell up along the same trajectory. Perform the exercise the required number of times.

The nuances of the reverse grip bench press

When performing this exercise, do not try to lift the weight you would use for a regular bench press. The working weight in this exercise will be significantly different from the weight in. Start with light weights and gradually increase the weight on the barbell.

Never do this exercise without an assistant. Non-physiological position of the hands can lead to loss of control over the apparatus and injury to the athlete. Additionally, it is difficult to perform enough repetitions with heavy weights. Always start the exercise with warm-up sets.

Don't do the batting drill. For those who don't know what it is, I'll explain. This is when the athlete practically throws the barbell onto his chest, it bounces off the chest and begins to move upward. This may help to squeeze it up, but this technique is extremely dangerous. Imagine that a barbell weighing even 80 kg falls on you, I think it’s not very pleasant.

During runtime reverse grip press do not spread your elbows to the sides, keep them parallel to your body. Perform the exercise at a slow pace with clear control over the position of the apparatus.

This exercise is auxiliary. It should be performed on the day of training the chest muscles after the main exercise on the pectoral muscles, for example. You can finish your workout

Back in touch again. Welcome to the New Year! Today we will talk about the wide grip bench press.

After reading, you will learn everything about the muscle atlas, the advantages and technique of performing the exercise, and we will also find out the degree of its effectiveness and analyze some practical points.

So, make yourself comfortable, let's begin.

Bench press with a wide grip. What, why and why?

In almost any gym, Monday is a bench press day for the male population there. And the locomotive exercise is the classic - bench press on a horizontal bench. As you know, the AB resource advocates a variety of training activities, and therefore quite often we offer our audience, you, non-standard exercises or various tricks/ideas on how else you can work out a muscle group. And today we will talk about the classic barbell press, but with a non-classical hand width.

Let's go find out what's what.

Note:
For better assimilation of the material, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.

Muscle atlas

The exercise belongs to the basic/compound class and is aimed at working out the chest.

The muscle ensemble includes the following units:

• targeted – large chest (sternal head);
• synergists – pectoralis major (clavicular head), front delta, triceps;
• dynamic stabilizers – biceps (short head).

A complete muscle atlas looks like this:

Advantages

By performing the bench press exercise with a wide grip, you can expect to receive the following benefits:

• inclusion of more (larger area of ​​muscle fiber involvement) main and assisting muscles;
• shift of emphasis to the outer edges of the pectorals;
• more “deep”, but short (compared to standard, shoulder-width grip) range of motion;
• increased chest strength;
• increase in working weight compared to the classic version;
• increase in chest muscle mass;
• development of chest width;
• shaping a more contoured bust (relevant for women).

Execution technique

The wide-grip bench press is an exercise of medium difficulty. The step-by-step execution technique is as follows:

Step #0.

Go to a horizontal bench and lie down on it, squeeze your shoulder blades together, bend slightly in the middle of your lower back until an arch forms, press your feet firmly into the floor and statically tense your abs. Using a wide grip (wider than shoulder width), grab the barbell on the racks. Remove the projectile and fixate at the top point.

This is your starting position.

Step #1.

As you inhale, slowly and under control lower the barbell down until it touches the middle of your chest. Stay at the bottom of the trajectory for 1-2 count and then, as you exhale, powerfully squeeze the projectile vertically upward, returning the bar to the IP. Repeat the specified number of times.

In picture form, all this disgrace looks like this:

In motion like this:

Variations

In addition to the standard wide bench press, there are several variations of the exercise:

• press at an angle down/up;
• lying on the floor;
• reverse grip;
• in a Smith machine.

Secrets and subtleties

To get the most out of the exercise, follow these guidelines:

• during the movement, focus on pressing the weight exclusively through the chest (large chest) muscles;
• to increase shoulder stability, squeeze the barbell as hard as possible;
• slowly and controlledly lower the projectile down and squeeze up powerfully and explosively;
• avoid inertia – the barbell bouncing off your chest;
• at the lowest point of the trajectory, pause for 1-2 counts to further stretch the pecs;
• while performing the movement, do not move your back on the bench/climb;
• Squeeze your buttocks and plant your feet firmly on the floor to stabilize your pelvis;
• remember, if you have long limbs, then your grip will be wider;
• when lifting heavy weights, resort to the help of a belay partner and the use of a weightlifting belt;
• Before working approaches, warm up the deltas and, in particular, the rotator cuff;
• breathing technique: inhale - when lowering the projectile down, exhale - when going up;
• numerical training parameters: number of approaches 3 , number of repetitions – 8-12 .

We're done with the theoretical side, now let's look at some practical points.

Is the wide grip bench press a dangerous exercise for the shoulders? Why is it worth doing?

If we compare all types of presses in terms of the grip used in them, then research published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal (USA, 2016 ) they say the following. When athletes use a wide grip barbell bench press, the amount of torque in the shoulders is 1.5 times higher compared to a standard grip. The report also states that shoulder injuries in the wide-grip press are more related to the use of excessively heavy weights and improper technique than to the use of the grip itself.

Conclusion: The closer your grip is to shoulder width, the safer the movement. However, a wide grip allows you to lift the weight by 5-7% more (data from the study "Journal of Applied Biomechanics", USA, 1992 ) than other types of presses. It can be practiced periodically, but two mandatory requirements must be observed: 1) select the correct working weight and 2) work no more than once a week (without using other pressing exercises that day) and no more 2-3 -x times in a row.

Actually, that’s all to the point, let’s move on to...

Afterword

We are entering the New Year with a technical note on the topic “Wide-Grip Bench Press.” I am sure that this exercise will take its rightful place in your toolkit for changing yourself. It is so?

PS: What types of presses do you use?

PPS: did the project help? Then leave a link to it in your social network status - plus 100 points towards karma guaranteed :)

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.

Reverse grip barbell press

Video: reverse grip barbell press (lying)

The reverse grip barbell press was invented, oddly enough, long before the incline bench press. And it was used to “explode” the upper chest. However, a detailed analysis revealed additional advantages of this exercise:

• working out the upper pectoral muscles. Usually, this is done with an incline bench press, however, the reverse press also brings decent results;
• triceps work. Moreover, he does not exclude the chest, as happens with the classic bench press, but only refines the movement. This is especially true for the final phase of the exercise, when the bar is at the top point;
• the elbow is in an isolated position, this does not allow the athlete to simply physically move their elbows apart. It is very useful after injuries to the elbow joint, when the classic bench press leads to very unpleasant painful effects.

Differences between the reverse grip press and the classic one

Actually, the position of the hands on the bar. With a reverse grip, the palms face back, not forward. This leads to an anatomically determined specific trajectory of the projectile. As a result, the upper areas of the pectoral muscles are included in the work, and the deviation of the ulna to the side is eliminated.

Of course, you cannot take record weights with this type of bench press - and the working weight will inevitably decrease. However, the goal of any bodybuilding workout is not to lift a record weight “at once,” but to build harmoniously developed muscles throughout the body. This should never be forgotten. And careful work of even the smallest muscle is absolutely necessary to achieve this goal.

Correct reverse grip press technique is the key to success

When performing such a specific exercise as the reverse grip press, it is very important to follow the correct technique. Firstly, this will minimize the risk of injury, and secondly, it is guaranteed to “break through” the upper chest and front delts.

1. The grip is shoulder-width apart, palms facing back. Closed grip required! That is, the finger should “lock” the bar in the palm. Otherwise, the entire load may simply slip out of your hands and tip over onto your face.
2. For greater stability, the legs are placed wider and rest firmly on the floor.
3. Next, the weight is carefully removed from the racks and lowered onto the chest. The insurance partner must keep everything under constant control and not be distracted for a second.
4. The weight is pressed up all the way; at the highest point of the amplitude you need to pause for 1-2 seconds.
5. Lowering occurs under control and smoothly. It is unacceptable to suddenly throw weight on your chest.

Subtleties of the reverse grip press

• You should not focus on your working weights in the classic bench press. With a reverse press they will inevitably be smaller. It is necessary to make a note in the training diary so that the bench press is carried out with a reverse grip;
• During the exercise, insurance from a partner is required. A reverse grip is not anatomically normal for a person, and therefore you can lose control of the weight at any time;
• if there is no partner at the moment, it is permissible to perform a reverse grip press in a Smith machine. By the way, in Smith, such a press can be performed with one hand if the right or left side of the body lags behind;
• at the lowest point of the trajectory, the bar should not touch the chest. And in no case is it permissible to perform a “bouncing” exercise - when the bar literally springs away from the chest and bounces up a little;
• As for the time to perform this exercise during training, opinions differ here: some recommend performing it before the main complex, and others after. And everyone argues their point of view differently. Here you can take an individual approach: focus on your own feelings and the effect of training;
• In any case, this exercise is not a basic one. It should act as an auxiliary one. It is recommended to combine it with such as the classic bench press, crossovers, etc.
• The classic option in the complex is 3-4 approaches with 8-10 repetitions in each.

What muscles work when doing a reverse grip press?

As mentioned above, the reverse grip bench press is mainly used to work out upper pectoral muscles. However, the triceps muscles, as well as the anterior deltoid muscles, are also included in the work.

In order to turn off the triceps, you can not complete the movement at the very top point of the trajectory, but hold your arms in a slightly bent state for a while, and then start moving down.

The following principle can also be traced: the wider the grip, the more intense the chest works. The narrower the grip, the more they develop triceps.

You can do the reverse grip press on an incline bench in the same way. This will work on the upper chest even more effectively. However, working weights will also decrease significantly.

Have you ever heard that in addition to the regular barbell press, you can use the reverse grip press, which is used mostly by professional powerlifters. A correctly performed bench press allows you to work the upper part of the delta chest (front beam).

Features of performing the bench press - what is important to know?

To perform a bench press in a lying position with a reverse grip, you will need a sports bench. Lie down on the bench so that your eyes are level with the bar of the apparatus. Grab the bar with an underhand grip (palms facing you), with your thumb wrapped around the bar (this is called a closed grip).

Please note that the load on the muscles will depend on how wide or narrow the grip is. So, for example, when gripping the shoulders narrower, the triceps work; a wider grip will allow you to pump up the chest muscles in the best way.

Inhale deeply and remove the apparatus from the racks, then smoothly lower it to the level of the lower chest. From this position, perform a reverse grip press along the same trajectory. Do the required number of repetitions of barbell presses.

When working on this exercise, it is very important not to overdo the weight of the barbell. Start with a light weight and gradually increase it. Be sure to enlist the help of a spotter who will help remove the apparatus and provide insurance in case of loss of control over the barbell. Also, be sure to warm up well before starting the exercise.

Another important point - never perform a barbell kicking exercise. That is, do not throw the apparatus on your chest for a subsequent press. Yes, it will indeed be easier to perform a bench press this way, but the risk of injury increases significantly.

Watch the position of your elbows while doing the barbell press. They must be parallel to the body. Squeeze the barbell and return to the starting position slowly, maintaining a rhythm, constantly monitoring each movement.

Remember that the exercise belongs to the auxiliary group, so it would be good to perform it on the day of working on the chest muscles after the main one. It will be enough to do 8-10 repetitions in 3-4 sets.

One-handed reverse grip press technique

An interesting and useful exercise for working the lateral and inner head of the triceps is the one-arm downward press with a reverse grip. It is performed using a special simulator (crossover) in the gym. The execution technique will look like this:

As a variation on the reverse grip press with one hand, consider the reverse grip press with two hands. The exercise is suitable for working the lateral and medial heads of the triceps. As a rule, experienced athletes with a certain level of training work on it.

You need to perform the exercise on the day of working on the triceps, at the end of the workout. As a warm-up, a barbell bench press in a lying position with a narrow grip or regular extensions with a dumbbell in an inclined position and from behind the head are suitable.

The downward press with a reverse grip with two hands, just like with one hand, is aimed at working the lateral and inner head of the triceps. Working on the development of these muscles will make the muscles of the arms more expressive. Bodybuilders use the reverse grip press to separate the heads of the triceps and create what is known as a "striation" effect.

The exercise is well suited for athletes whose work involves pushing movements. Developed triceps will allow you to perform these movements faster and more powerfully.