If my competition bench grip is fairly narrow, about a fingers width from the knurls, could a wider grip bench be a better choice for a supplemental lift than close grip bench? My CB and close grip are very similar so would a wide grip introduce a more novel movement benefiting strength and hypertrophy?
Yes, probably, though we’d ask why your competition bench width is that narrow if you can tolerate a wider grip?
I can tolerate a wider grip to some degree, but I am stronger with a narrower grip. I believe Jordan has a relatively narrow bench grip also.
Not nearly that narrow. I think Austin’s point is that one finger width from the knurling is quite narrow for a regular bench grip. I’d expect that if you moved it out a bit and trained it there, you would see some success.
I’m another one of those with a pretty narrow bench grip (when I first ran the NLP, I somehow got it in my head that my wrists should be directly above my shoulders at lockout).
As far as going wider… would you suggest a gradual approach (maybe an additional finger’s width each week) while trying to maintain weight on the bar? Or just going straight to a more conventional grip width, even if that means taking some weight off?
I almost always have someone move their grip out one finger width at a time, especially if they are really used to that grip. If you move out one finger width, I’d expect the bar weight to stay consistent.
Well, my plan was to start using a wider grip for the supplemental lift and see where it takes me.