# Thumb position while benching?



## verve (Sep 10, 2003)

Been watching a Jay Cutler video, and when he's benching, he has his thumb along the underside of the bar, rather than gripping with his thumb around it. Tried it today in the gym, felt alright but unusual so I went back to my normal grip. Just curious why he uses that one, and if anyone else on here does?

The video was "A cut above" if anyone wants to have a look.


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## DB (Oct 31, 2003)

yes mate always do it on most lift dunno why just feels comfy for me less stress of my wrist and thumb


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## Bigdav (May 24, 2005)

safer doing it with your thumbs wrapped round the bar, especially with heavy weights. Gives you a better grip on the bar, but if you have a good spotter any way is just as good


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## Aftershock (Jan 28, 2004)

I do it with m thumbs along the bar. I find it makes it easier to balance the weight if your using an olympic bar.


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## Nev (Dec 13, 2004)

never tryed it with thumb along bar il try it next time im down , c what like it is


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## dk246 (Jun 19, 2004)

i bench with ma thum under the bar.

i find that if my thum goes around the bar, my hands have a tedancy to slip out wider


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## Jimmy1 (Aug 14, 2003)

i dont use thumbs at all

i have them the side i have my fingers

this is called a suicide grip

thumbs under the bar is calle semi suicide


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

I think having the thumbs next to the fingers hits more triceps.

Thumbs around the bar hit more front delts.

I did have a friend doing bench and he had the suicide grip going on and he was benching and the bar rolled off of his hands and POW it landed on his ribs.

Oh boy did that guy jack him self up.

He was out of the gym for quite some time.

When he told me the story, I started laughing but I was not trying to laugh but it was funny.

The whole time i was thinking like STUPID!


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## dk246 (Jun 19, 2004)

Jimmy said:


> i dont use thumbs at all
> 
> i have them the side i have my fingers
> 
> ...


thqts the grip i meant

the bar jus rests on the palm of ur hand


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## h4ydn (Jul 15, 2005)

i use the suicide grip aswell, not only for comfort but for these reasons:

firstly, when you grip with your thumb, you tend to wrist your wrist to a natural holding position, so the knuckles are inline with the straight of your foremarm, this means your wristing the weight - therfore your body is tryign to consentrate most of its effort intosupporting the wrist and the surroundign muscle to stop the weight from tipping away, thus you cant lift as much as well as risking damage to the wrist

the other reason is that as you are not depending on your wrist muscles as much, (i find) i can bench more weight, dunno if thats just me, but i find i can bench more. But this grip can also be used in t-bar rows and lat pulldowns (but i use wrist straps in the lat pulldown just to keep it incase i let go, aswell as alowing me to go heavier)

anyway, thats what i gotta say, agree or disagree, try it and find out for yourself


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## verve (Sep 10, 2003)

Well I would like to try this, but after what happened to Hackskii's friend I'm not so sure...


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

He got hurt bad

It was funny and sad all at the same time.:eek:


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## Timmy Smooth (Nov 24, 2004)

hackskii said:


> It was funny and sad all at the same time.:eek:


Like when you're shagging in the back of your girlfriend's dad's car, but have to pay for the valet afterwards to get rid of the evidence?


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## Jock (Apr 8, 2003)

Started using a thumbless grip years ago, used to have sore wrist joints but they have all but stopped.....


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## Old Man GABA (Jul 24, 2003)

A mate of mine droped 130kg on his chest benching with a thumbless grip, broke 3 ribs.

It aint called the suicide grip for nothing...

I dont use a thumbless grip myself


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## KINGKONG24 (Mar 27, 2009)

Thumbs under and along the bar for me....didnt know so many people actually do this too!

Good to hear, thought it was a bad habbit of mine.


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## ElfinTan (May 23, 2008)

fcking zillions of years of evolution gave us the opposing thumb....use it!!!!!!! Quote power lifter giving us a master class in benching :0)


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## martin brown (Dec 31, 2008)

h4ydn said:


> i use the suicide grip aswell, not only for comfort but for these reasons:
> 
> *firstly, when you grip with your thumb, you tend to wrist your wrist to a natural holding position, so the knuckles are inline with the straight of your foremarm, this means your wristing the weight - therfore your body is tryign to consentrate most of its effort intosupporting the wrist and the surroundign muscle to stop the weight from tipping away, thus you cant lift as much as well as risking damage to the wrist*
> 
> ...


What??????????

The SRONGEST position any joint can be in is straight.

You wouldn't punch someone with your wrist bent back would you???

Wrap thumb around the bar, keep you wrist as straight up s possible for the least stress on the delicate wrist joint.

M


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## Rickski (Jan 24, 2008)

I use the thumbless grip for close grip bench and standing military press because it sets the bar slightly further back in to the hand stopping forward rotation through the vertical plane of motion which I find handy especially with military press. I use a thumbed grip on bench as it keeps my arms positioned at more of a right angle to the torso putting the stress more toward the pecs than the triceps.


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## laurie g (Nov 28, 2008)

i opdt for the proper wrap round grip on heavy lifts and the suicide grip on light high rep work works best for me


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## Kezz (Sep 3, 2007)

i dont bench so cant comment, lol... but if i did i would hold bar in a proper grip and not thumbless or whatever its called lol


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## BLUE(UK) (Jan 9, 2008)

I use either grip,i used to use the 'suicide grip' because i hurt my scaphoid or a bone in there somewhere and it meant very little pain when pressing.I also use to use it for power cleans even though i'd start the movement with a normal grip and during the 'flick',i'd slip my thumb under the bar to catch it on my palms.I'd manage this with 100kg(not internet weights but genuine weight). My wrist now seems ok so i now use normal grip.


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## d4ead (Nov 3, 2008)

thumbless for light weight cos its more comfy then wrap thumb around when i get a bit heavier.


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## d4ead (Nov 3, 2008)

BLUE(UK) said:


> I use either grip,i used to use the 'suicide grip' because i hurt my scaphoid or a bone in there somewhere and it meant very little pain when pressing.I also use to use it for power cleans even though i'd start the movement with a normal grip and during the 'flick',i'd slip my thumb under the bar to catch it on my palms.I'd manage this with 100kg(not internet weights but genuine weight). My wrist now seems ok so i now use normal grip.


yeh the scaphoid is a bitch of a bone to break i did mine, thats why i say its more comfy thumbless.

I ground mine to dust and im now bolted together with a bit of hip bone they chiselled off. The doc told me it was all my fault because i kept benching even when i new it wasnt right (it was 6 months before i went to docs).

pain is good


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## Harry Sacks (May 3, 2009)

On the odd odd occasion i bench i use suicide grip except on my heaviest set

Feels much better IMO


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## gumballdom (Dec 14, 2008)

i do most lifts with an open grip (no thumbs) especially bench press. When i wrap my thumb around the bar i find it makes me bend my wrist which causes a fair bit of discomfort. Using an open grip enables me to keep my wrists straight.


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## BLUE(UK) (Jan 9, 2008)

d4ead said:


> yeh the scaphoid is a bitch of a bone to break i did mine, thats why i say its more comfy thumbless.
> 
> I ground mine to dust and im now bolted together with a bit of hip bone they chiselled off. The doc told me it was all my fault because i kept benching even when i new it wasnt right (it was 6 months before i went to docs).
> 
> pain is good


I dont know if i broke it or just bruised it but it was like it for a good few years but seems ok now.


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## BigDom86 (Jul 27, 2008)

i always use suicide grip. havnt died yet


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## bigm (Jun 16, 2008)

i find it a lot more comfy thumbs under bar


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

I know a guy that did a suicide grip and the weight crashed on his ribs.

Yep, busted some of those and I didnt see him in the gym for months.

Know another dude that had like 500 pounds on the squat rack. He hyperextended his leg messing around at the drinking fountain, he asked me if he should do another set I told him no.

He said something to the effect of "thanks for the vote of confidance dude".

Well, he did another set and he went down like a sack of potatoes, bar hit the bottom of the rack, bounced half of the plates off the bar, and it scared the crap out of me as I had my back to him lifting.

Well, that one has not been back sense either........


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