How Wide Should You Grip the Bench Press?
How wide should your bench press grip be? Is it individual, or is there an optimal grip width everyone should use?
In this article, I will explain how I approach the question and why I have come to that conclusion. One important thing to understand is that opinions about grip width have always been shaped by era, location, and lifting culture. What lifters consider correct technique has changed repeatedly throughout bench press history, often for reasons that have very little to do with biomechanics.
The Background of the Bench Press
Grip width has been one of the most debated topics in bench press training for decades.
I often say that the bench press, as we know it today, truly emerged during the 1950s. The exercise existed earlier. Photos from Muscle Beach in Santa Monica during the 1940s clearly show lifters bench pressing. However, it was not until the 1950s that lifters began treating the movement as a serious test of strength and actively pursued maximal performance.
Originally, the bench press was mainly used by bodybuilders and, to some extent, Olympic weightlifters. By bodybuilders, I do not mean competitive physique athletes specifically, but individuals training to build strength and muscular development.
The primary goal was chest development. A wider grip naturally became common because lifters quickly noticed increased chest involvement. Today, the purpose has shifted. The bench press is often performed primarily to move the most weight possible rather than to maximize muscle growth.
During the 1950s, Doug Hepburn established himself as one of the greatest bench pressers of all time. He used an extremely wide grip, often wider than today’s legal powerlifting limit of 81 cm between the hands. With a maximal legal grip, the index fingers are placed on the barbell rings. Hepburn frequently gripped even farther out during training.
When powerlifting became organized in the 1960s, standardized rules were introduced and maximum grip width was set at 81 cm. Even after this limitation, elite lifters continued to bench with grips at or very close to the legal maximum.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, maximal or near-maximal grip width became the standard among top bench pressers. Still, successful exceptions existed.
Bill Kazmaier became the first IPF lifter to bench press 300 kg in 1981 using a ring-finger-on-the-ring grip rather than a full-width grip. Mike Bridges benched even narrower, placing his little finger on the ring despite being only about 160 cm tall. Larry Pacifico and Rich Weil also began their careers using narrower grips before eventually widening them.
Bill Seno represents another interesting example. He trained with an extremely wide grip, sometimes outside the rings, yet competed with a significantly narrower grip and still set world records. At age 42, he benched 262.5 kg with his hands well inside maximal width.
The introduction of bench shirts during the 1980s and their dominance throughout the 1990s largely ended the grip width debate. Bench shirts performed best with a wide grip, so nearly all competitive lifters adopted the widest legal position. During this era, grip selection became more or less automatic.
When raw lifting regained popularity in the 2010s, the discussion returned. Many lifters experimented with slightly narrower grips, arguing that extreme width had mainly been driven by equipment advantages. Despite this, most lifters gradually moved back toward wider grips even in raw competition.
Today, maximal legal grip width is once again the norm.
Exceptions are more common in heavier weight classes and untested federations, where increased body mass provides mechanical advantages and technical precision sometimes becomes less critical. In lighter classes and tested federations such as the IPF, technique tends to be more refined because performance depends more heavily on efficiency and positioning.
How Most Lifters Start
Almost every lifter begins with a narrower grip than the one they eventually use at their strongest.
A wide grip demands greater coordination, balance, and stability. For beginners, a narrower grip feels safer and easier to control. Over time, many lifters realize that widening their grip unlocks greater performance potential.
Lifters Who Stay Narrow
Three groups commonly remain with narrower grips even after attempting to widen them.
Naturally Talented Lifters
Lifters who progress quickly early in their careers rarely feel a need to change. They continue getting stronger with their original grip, and any adjustment would temporarily reduce performance. As a result, grip changes rarely occur once success has already been established.
Injury History
Some lifters maintain a narrower grip due to shoulder or pec discomfort. In many cases, the issue is not grip width itself but changing width without adjusting scapular positioning and upper-body stability.
Long-Armed Lifters
Lifters with long arms are often assumed to benefit most from wide grips. In practice, longer limbs increase stability demands. A narrower grip often feels more secure, even if it does not provide the highest long-term performance ceiling.
Results of a Wider Grip
Across multiple training projects testing different grip widths, I have repeatedly observed the same pattern. Lifters often perform better with a maximal grip even when it feels worse. A narrower grip frequently feels more stable and comfortable. Mechanically, however, the wider grip usually places the lifter in a more advantageous position. I experience this myself. Medium grip often feels better, yet performance consistently improves when I bench wider.
My Recommendation
Many arguments support individualized grip width based on everyday pushing mechanics. The problem is simple. The bench press is not an everyday movement. The objective is to move the greatest amount of weight possible within competition rules.
My recommendation is straightforward. Use the widest legal grip.
I have coached lifters ranging from 150 cm to 200 cm in height to successful results using maximal grip width. For the overwhelming majority of lifters, this is where the highest potential exists.
If you struggle after widening your grip, understand that hand placement is only one part of the change. Scapular positioning shifts as grip width changes, which creates new stability demands. That position must be trained deliberately.
Many lifters immediately lift more weight after widening their grip because leverage improves, not because strength suddenly increased. Stability often develops more slowly. Give the body time to adapt and build control in the new position.
Training Different Grip Widths
To develop strength across different grip widths, I use several programs available in the Built Strong app. Before Hallsbergs AK won the Swedish Team Championships, I ran Built Strong – Conjugate + Extra, which included max effort work in multiple bench variations using different grips.
Before winning the individual Swedish Bench Press Championships, I ran Built Strong 1.0. Every bench session used max-rep work, with one session performed using a medium grip and the other using a maximal grip.
These programs may not be ideal for building beginner technique, but they are extremely effective for understanding positional strength and mechanical demands. They have played a major role in building the foundation for my current World Championship preparation.
All programs with grip variation:
Built Strong 1.0
Built Strong – Conjugate + Extra
Built Strong – Conjugate
Barbell Built – Conjugate
Built Foundation – Upper body
8s @80
Barbell Built – Express Volume
Barbell Built – Express HIT
Barbell Built ( 3 pass i veckan)
Barbell Built ( 4 pass i veckan)
PL Singels – Avancerad