The bench press with the hands well wider than the shoulders, the forearms vertical at the chest: the wide grip lifted the most in Larsen 2021, and grip width changed only the arm muscles' activity in Saeterbakken 2017.
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Chest press family
These tiers compare demands within this family, not universal safety or a mandatory sequence. Load, range, balance and your circumstances can change difficulty. Choose deliberately; pain does not select a progression.
The bench press with the hands well wider than the shoulders, the forearms vertical at the chest: the wide grip lifted the most in Larsen 2021, and grip width changed only the arm muscles' activity in Saeterbakken 2017.
Source-researched guide. Clinical review is pending.
No universal dose is assigned. Choose a manageable amount for your current capacity, leave room for controlled repetitions, and allow recovery. A clinician’s individual plan takes priority.
Mass General's shoulder guide advises against wide-grip bench pressing: with a sore shoulder, keep the grip no wider than the shoulders. This is movement education, not an assessment or treatment prescription. Stop for sharp or increasing pain, dizziness, numbness or tingling; seek individual guidance for symptoms, injury or restrictions.
Sources support the educational description; they do not establish that this exercise is suitable for you.
Unlicense · Free Exercise DB contributors; derived from wrkout/exercises.json. Text import; no photographs or media. · Revision f00c92c7dcf1216a928a52c3706c7ce8e2f71ed5
No variation is labeled clinically validated.