Anyone setting up a bench and barbell at home has to choose where to place their hands. Advice commonly ranges from “wide for chest” to “narrow for triceps”. What do controlled studies of grip width actually show? This article summarises the abstracts of three small studies, published in 2005, 2021 and 2021, and states what they can and cannot support. All three tested men in short experiments, so the results should be read as small-sample evidence. It is general information about training, not medical advice.
Study one: 28 men lifting a six-repetition maximum
Saeterbakken and colleagues, in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2021), compared narrow, medium and wide grips in 28 men, including resistance-trained and novice-trained subgroups, measuring muscle activity by electromyography (EMG) while the men lifted their six-repetition maximum (6-RM) loads. Biceps brachii activity increased as the grip widened, while a wide grip produced lower triceps brachii activation than medium and narrow grips. Anterior deltoid activity was greater with a medium grip than a narrow one, and other muscles showed similar activity across grips. Both groups lifted lower 6-RM loads with a narrow grip than with the other grips. The authors conclude that grip width affects both 6-RM loads and the activity of the triceps, biceps and anterior deltoid, especially between wide and narrow grips.
Study two: an older isometric study of 12 men
Lehman, in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2005), recorded the electrical activity of parts of the pectoralis major, the biceps and the triceps in 12 healthy men during isometric holds in five bench press variations, changing grip width and forearm rotation. Moving from a wide to a narrower grip increased triceps activity and decreased activity in the sternoclavicular portion of the pectoralis major, unless the grip was supinated. A supinated grip increased biceps and clavicular pectoralis activity. Lehman noted that the changes were small and concluded that grip choice should follow the positions athletes adopt in their sport, and that sport specificity should supersede attempts to train specific muscle groups.
Study three: reps to failure on a Smith machine
Perez-Castilla and colleagues, in the same journal as study one (2021), asked 19 men to perform a single set to failure at 75% of one-repetition maximum in the Smith machine bench press with a narrow, medium, wide or self-selected grip on four separate days. The number of repetitions to failure was not significantly affected by grip width (p = 0.545), and neither were repetitions performed before reaching velocity-loss thresholds of 15%, 30% or 45%. The authors conclude that training volume in this exercise is not influenced by grip width. The test used a Smith machine and a single set, so it does not describe free barbell bench pressing across a full programme.
Reading the three together
The studies point the same way on load: the narrow grip in study one permitted less weight, while study three found no difference in repetitions at a fixed relative load on a Smith machine. Muscle activity changed with grip width in studies one and two, with wider grips reducing triceps involvement, though Lehman describes the changes as small. None of the three measured muscle growth. EMG amplitude shows how much electrical activity was recorded during a lift, and it cannot by itself show that a different grip will build more muscle over months. No study here compared long-term training outcomes. Each tested a single session or short protocol on modest samples of 28, 12 and 19 men, which limits how far the results can be generalised to other lifters, including women, older adults or people using different equipment.
Practical points for a home set-up
The medium grip was the middle option in all three studies, and none of them reported it as inferior on load or repetitions. The participants totalled 59 men across three separate designs, all male, and the conclusions from Lehman point towards choosing a grip according to the positions needed for a sport or purpose rather than trying to isolate a muscle. Our guides to weight benches and barbell specifications cover the equipment side.
Frequently asked questions
Does a narrow grip lift less weight? In the 28-man study both the resistance-trained and novice groups lifted lower 6-RM loads with a narrow grip.
Does grip width change repetitions to failure? Not in the Smith machine study of 19 men, which found no significant effect.
Does a wide grip build a bigger chest? None of these studies measured muscle growth, so the question is not answered by them.
The bottom line
Small studies in men show that grip width changes the load lifted with a narrow grip and shifts muscle activity between the chest, triceps and shoulders, while repetitions to failure on a Smith machine were unaffected. The evidence does not show that any grip builds more muscle, so grip choice is best guided by comfort, control and the purpose of the lift.
Sources
- Saeterbakken AH et al., “The Effect of Grip Width on Muscle Strength and Electromyographic Activity in Bench Press among Novice- and Resistance-Trained Men,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
- Lehman GJ, “The influence of grip width and forearm pronation/supination on upper-body myoelectric activity during the flat bench press,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2005
- Perez-Castilla A et al., “The Bench Press Grip Width Does Not Affect the Number of Repetitions Performed at Different Velocity Loss Thresholds,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021