BLUF: As a 5’8" guy who’s only ever benched 255# once, and is currently not that strong, since I bench with a nearly maxed grip width, when should I start considering narrowing my grip for the sake of my shoulder health (or other reasons you may provide)?
So before getting into “Barbell training” (that is, SS inspired techniques) I was a bit of a bench bro, and skipped that section of SS on the first go-through much to my detriment. I had a considerate and knowledgeable individual in the gym correct some of the things I was missing from the book (particularly with my feet and lack of back arch), but he also encouraged me to adjust my grip practically to the widest allowable per competition, which is not per the book. I’ve had reasons to believe that my Tri’s strength had always outpaced my pec’s so when I actually went back and read the relevant chapter in the book and saw the sections on grip width calling for a medium grip for arm development, I stuck with the guy in the gym’s recommendations.
And I saw the GainzzZzz!
So I’ve heard people mention how a wider grip is more stressful on the shoulders, especially for those with a wider wing span, (not me) and a bigger bench (something I am working towards of course). I don’t have any pain or current shoulder problems (a couple old trauma induced right shoulder injuries that haven’t bothered me at all for years though), and I’d like to keep things that way, so I thought I’d ask the hivemind if and when I should consider choking in my bench grip.