Thread: Reverse grip bench press

I've done this before many times on the flat bench and incline bench. I feel like it really hits the middle of my chest good, but then I've had people tell me that it is a tricep exercise. I don't see how though.

Yeah It's a triceps exercise.I never tried it myself.I'm doing close grip bench press.Dante (doggcrapp) recommends it in his routine.

i can only imagine but it appears to be more should and tris and very little chest since elbows are forced to be pointing down towards abs as you press down and up instead of at 90 degrees and out to the side....

I've always considered it a tricep exercise first before anything. I don't think I've reversed gripped since HS.

Never tried reverse grips on a bench before. Ill have to try them out. seems like it would kinda be the same as reverse grip tri pull downs.

Originally Posted by zoco

Yeah It's a triceps exercise.I never tried it myself.I'm doing close grip bench press.Dante (doggcrapp) recommends it in his routine.

I like to do skull crushers, then right after my last rep do close grip bench press, makes my tris burn nice!

On the smith machine I'd say it's the greatest Tricep workout there is !
I was having problems gaining on my tri's till I startred this and WOW did they grow !!!

I have read that this is a great exercise for your upper pecs.

Originally Posted by pwloiacano

I have read that this is a great exercise for your upper pecs.

sounds like a dangerous and unatural movement to me.

Theres probably a reason you dont see many people doing it, and thats becouse the amount progress you'd make does'nt compensate for the risks involved. Especialy when there are already so many great exercises for tricepts with zero risk

just my too cents

WOAH WOAH WOAH.....does anybody here genuinely think that by supinating the wrist during a press that they're going to make a difference to they're tricep development?!..all you are doing is making a good exercise (close grip bench press) into a poor inefficient exercise..+1 Natural1

Anthony Clark used to compete using a reverse grip,I think he was one of the first powerlifters to use a reverse grip with a bench shirt. I do on tricep day and my reverse bench is about 320 and my close grip 330, while my raw bench is 340. I am a master lifter age 62 @220 class. Reverse is a grip bench routine for me anyway.

ut and pasting this from an email I got. I had always done the clavicle benching in the past since I always thought it gave a better chest developement and stretch but this article also mens the reverse grip bench press we are talking about here:


ALPHA MALE ADVANCED WORKOUTS SPECIAL REPORT: UPPER PEC PUMPING!

Thanks for signing up for your special Report on building a bigger, better UPPER CHEST! We're going to give you the details on a few rarely-performed exercises that we've found some yield AWESOME results! Try them out and watch your Upper Chest GROW!!!

Most of the trainees we see toiling away in the gym spend most of their time on the bench press, which can be a mistake. While this certainly can be a wonderful pec builder, over-reliance on this movement can give the chest a saggy, sometimes "breast like," appearance. In our experience, the upper chest is much more stubborn to grow and thus needs even more stimulation than the mid and lower pecs. We suggest that many trainees could spend 2/3 of their chest training on movements that target the upper chest in order to achieve a balanced look. Truthfully, we have never seen an upper chest that was too big for the lower. However, we have seen the opposite hundreds of times.

So how do you go about building thickness to the area of the pecs that lie right below the clavicle?

Let's talk about some specific, often underutilized movements that will help tremendously at adding thickness to the upper pectoral region.

Now, we are sure that everyone reading this report has done incline barbell and dumbbell presses, as well as incline dumbbell and cable flyes in his or her training. However, if these movements are not getting the job done we would like to offer you three alternative exercises that hit the upper pec fibers hard, but are rarely used by most trainees. Please keep in mind that these movements are not meant to replace the basic incline exercises, but are to be used as an adjunct in a targeted upper chest attack!
Smith Bench Press to Clavicles

Grab a flat bench and position it evenly within a Smith machine. Lie down and line up your body so that the bar is directly over your clavicle bones. Make sure to utilize the body positioning tips that we just specified! Your grip on the bar should be just outside shoulder width, and your upper arms should be completely perpendicular to your torso, so that your elbows will be flared out wide. Lower the bar slowly, under full control, until you feel a deep stretch along the entire upper chest. Depending on your shoulder flexibility, you may not be able to lower the bar all the way down, and might need to stop an inch or two short of your clavicles. Once you feel the stretch, hold it for a count of one, and then push the bar back to the top using pure pec power. This is not an exercise in which extremely heavy weights can be used, or you could risk injury to your shoulder joints. Stick with poundages that will allow you between 8 and 12 reps in good form. Also, make sure you ! warm up properly before getting into your working sets.

Smith Machine Reverse Grip Bench Press

You read this right! The reverse grip bench press has been shown in EMG studies to activate the upper pecs to a 40% greater degree than the incline press!

Since this movement can be somewhat awkward we recommend that most trainees perform it in a Smith machine, although it can also be done with a free-bar. The movement should be performed just like a regular bench press, but with a reverse grip. For most, a slightly-wider-than-shoulder-width hand positioning seems to work best, and forces the pecs to work harder than the triceps. As far as where to lower the bar, we like to do so right around the mid-pec region, although this is something you can experiment with.

We find that in order to best engage the upper pecs it is important to use a weight that allows for full control in a rep range of about 10-12. Anything heavier than this and it's harder to really target the upper chest, which is the goal.

Definitely add this exercise to your routine if upper pecs is a problem area for you (and for most, it certainly is), but start slowly and get used to the mechanics of it before really beginning to push it.

Lower Pulley Cable Crossovers

Cable crossovers as they are normally done, using the upper pulleys, basically work the lower and inner pecs. However, by using the lower pulleys, and the correct "plane of motion," you can really torch the upper "shelf" of the chest.

Take hold of the two lower pulleys and position yourself in the center of the cable crossover machine. Stand up straight with your chest held up high. There should be a slight bend in your arms and the pulley handles should be at about waist level. Before you even begin the movement you should feel the tension of a stretch in your chest. Using pec strength only, pull the handles up and together so that they actually meet at arm's length out in front of your face. Squeeze the pecs hard for a count of one, and then slowly return to the starting position. We recommend sets in the range of 12-15 reps for this movement.

Try these three blistering movements and watch that upper chest grow!

If you want a better biceps peak to go with that new upper chest development, stay tuned for our next report! And if you want an overall better physique with more lean muscle and less fat than ever, check out our amazing Alpha Male Advanced Workouts e-book! It's the 10-week blueprint to an extraordinary body, and you can download it RIGHT NOW at a special introductory discount price! You'll also get 2 FREE bonus e-books - 3 separate e-books in all - along with access to all 3 co-creators of this incredible new program to coach you through the program whenever you need help or motivation! A better body is only 10 weeks away! GET IT NOW!!!!!!

Stay tuned for more tips ... coming your way SOON!

Best in health,
Eric, James & Rick

True Alpha Ltd., 138 Mineola Blvd., Mineola, NY 11501