I know the standard grip on the overhead press is usually “hands just outside the medial delts”.
The exercise feels the most natural to me, though, when I have a wider grip, thumbs three to four inches away from shoulders.
I have heard Poliquin say that a wide grip may lead to injuries.
Christian, what is your view on this, I’d value your opinion especially for your olympic weightlifting background.
Thank you very much!
[quote]bro1989 wrote:
I know the standard grip on the overhead press is usually “hands just outside the medial delts”.
The exercise feels the most natural to me, though, when I have a wider grip, thumbs three to four inches away from shoulders.
I have heard Poliquin say that a wide grip may lead to injuries.
Christian, what is your view on this, I’d value your opinion especially for your olympic weightlifting background.
Thank you very much![/quote]
A lot of old-school olympic lifters used a wide grip for both the press (when it was being competed) and the jerk. While I generally prefer a normal grip for most of my sets, I do roughly 30% of my overhead pressing volume with a wide grip and really like what it does for me. I feel that it is a very good exercise to build shoulder width and the upper chest.
For example Doug Hepburn (who Poliquin often quotes as an example) used a wide grip on his overhead press and a SUPER wide grip for his bench press.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]bro1989 wrote:
I know the standard grip on the overhead press is usually “hands just outside the medial delts”.
The exercise feels the most natural to me, though, when I have a wider grip, thumbs three to four inches away from shoulders.
I have heard Poliquin say that a wide grip may lead to injuries.
Christian, what is your view on this, I’d value your opinion especially for your olympic weightlifting background.
Thank you very much![/quote]
A lot of old-school olympic lifters used a wide grip for both the press (when it was being competed) and the jerk. While I generally prefer a normal grip for most of my sets, I do roughly 30% of my overhead pressing volume with a wide grip and really like what it does for me. I feel that it is a very good exercise to build shoulder width and the upper chest.
For example Doug Hepburn (who Poliquin often quotes as an example) used a wide grip on his overhead press and a SUPER wide grip for his bench press.[/quote]
CT you really put me onto the old time lifters with the site you posted a while ago. These guys mostly stick to what works the best, the basics! Simply powerful. 
One of the best sites i’ve read to date! 
Hepburn was the man!
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]bro1989 wrote:
I know the standard grip on the overhead press is usually “hands just outside the medial delts”.
The exercise feels the most natural to me, though, when I have a wider grip, thumbs three to four inches away from shoulders.
I have heard Poliquin say that a wide grip may lead to injuries.
Christian, what is your view on this, I’d value your opinion especially for your olympic weightlifting background.
Thank you very much![/quote]
A lot of old-school olympic lifters used a wide grip for both the press (when it was being competed) and the jerk. While I generally prefer a normal grip for most of my sets, I do roughly 30% of my overhead pressing volume with a wide grip and really like what it does for me. I feel that it is a very good exercise to build shoulder width and the upper chest.
For example Doug Hepburn (who Poliquin often quotes as an example) used a wide grip on his overhead press and a SUPER wide grip for his bench press.[/quote]
Is it better to target the lateral delts than regular grip? (also seems to lessen triceps involvement for me, or could feel like this just because of lesser rom)
Here is a great video from the 1940s of a perfect wide-grip press. This is around 130-140kg in the 82.5kg category
[quote]Thy. wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]bro1989 wrote:
I know the standard grip on the overhead press is usually “hands just outside the medial delts”.
The exercise feels the most natural to me, though, when I have a wider grip, thumbs three to four inches away from shoulders.
I have heard Poliquin say that a wide grip may lead to injuries.
Christian, what is your view on this, I’d value your opinion especially for your olympic weightlifting background.
Thank you very much![/quote]
A lot of old-school olympic lifters used a wide grip for both the press (when it was being competed) and the jerk. While I generally prefer a normal grip for most of my sets, I do roughly 30% of my overhead pressing volume with a wide grip and really like what it does for me. I feel that it is a very good exercise to build shoulder width and the upper chest.
For example Doug Hepburn (who Poliquin often quotes as an example) used a wide grip on his overhead press and a SUPER wide grip for his bench press.[/quote]
Is it better to target the lateral delts than regular grip? (also seems to lessen triceps involvement for me, or could feel like this just because of lesser rom)
Here is a great video from the 1940s of a perfect wide-grip press. This is around 130-140kg in the 82.5kg category
[/quote]
Very cool video, thanks!
From my experience it does hit the lateral head more but I wouldn’t be able to provide a scientific explanation to back it up.
I can’t say if this qualifies as scientific, but perhaps a wider grip forces the elbows further apart and thus further back? Does having the elbows out rather than in work one better?
I can’t really figure it out, to be honest. This is flexion vs. abduction. What gets confusing is since our scapulae rotate upwards, it makes it harder to visualize the line of pull with the delts due to that rotation.
When elbows are in, and in front of us, and we press up, that’s flexion. When the elbows are out, to our left and right, forming a line midway through the press, that’s abduction.
Of course, I doubt anyone does these perfectly and likely when we press we are somewhere in between these two extremes. But a close grip makes it hard to move the elbows out, just as a wide grip makes it hard to move it in.
Due to the influence on elbow width (much like with bench pressing or rowing) that could explain different muscular emphasis.
The only thing is… when our arms are externally rotated, I thought the anterior deltoid provided the adduction. Or I guess we might call it abduction, but if you think of how it adducts in the transverse plane when neutral (like in a bench) if we externally rotate, we’re pointing the anterior deltoid upwards so it’s still performing that function of drawing towards the midline (overhead in this case) even if in our circumductory fashion we call it abduction.
Conversely, I wonder how the medial deltoid works during presses like this. What we know is that internal rotation shifts the work back and external rotation shifts the work forward, we see this when we do a rear delt row, if the elbows point back it’s more rear delt and if you externally rotate, it allows the medial delt to work.
When we’re in neutral position, the anterior deltoid works as our shoulder flexor, like when we do a forward dumbbell raise. So, what happens if we externally rotate (elbows down hands up) into the overhead pressing position? Could the medial delt become a shoulder flexor?
[quote]tyciol wrote:
I can’t say if this qualifies as scientific, but perhaps a wider grip forces the elbows further apart and thus further back? Does having the elbows out rather than in work one better?
I can’t really figure it out, to be honest. This is flexion vs. abduction. What gets confusing is since our scapulae rotate upwards, it makes it harder to visualize the line of pull with the delts due to that rotation.
When elbows are in, and in front of us, and we press up, that’s flexion. When the elbows are out, to our left and right, forming a line midway through the press, that’s abduction.
Of course, I doubt anyone does these perfectly and likely when we press we are somewhere in between these two extremes. But a close grip makes it hard to move the elbows out, just as a wide grip makes it hard to move it in.
Due to the influence on elbow width (much like with bench pressing or rowing) that could explain different muscular emphasis.
The only thing is… when our arms are externally rotated, I thought the anterior deltoid provided the adduction. Or I guess we might call it abduction, but if you think of how it adducts in the transverse plane when neutral (like in a bench) if we externally rotate, we’re pointing the anterior deltoid upwards so it’s still performing that function of drawing towards the midline (overhead in this case) even if in our circumductory fashion we call it abduction.
Conversely, I wonder how the medial deltoid works during presses like this. What we know is that internal rotation shifts the work back and external rotation shifts the work forward, we see this when we do a rear delt row, if the elbows point back it’s more rear delt and if you externally rotate, it allows the medial delt to work.
When we’re in neutral position, the anterior deltoid works as our shoulder flexor, like when we do a forward dumbbell raise. So, what happens if we externally rotate (elbows down hands up) into the overhead pressing position? Could the medial delt become a shoulder flexor?
[/quote]
i’m in no way sure of this, but i’ve seen sources say the ocverhead BB press works all three heads, and it would make sense that the wider the grip, the more lateral deltoids get used, at the very least as a stabilizer, think about doing laterals above 90 degrees, given it uses the traps, it still uses the lateral head of the deltoids for flexion. either way wider grip should put more emphasis on your lateral head and give you a wider look
How wide are we talking? Like the point where your pinkies wrap around the smooth ring?
[quote]forbes wrote:
How wide are we talking? Like the point where your pinkies wrap around the smooth ring?[/quote]
that’s usually how wide i do mine, but i’ve been working on moving my hands out wider each time i train. i feel like training the way you stated hits my tri’s a little harder than shoulders, but i still hit my delts pretty good (since im a smaller guy - 5’8")
[quote]BARDUKE wrote:
[quote]forbes wrote:
How wide are we talking? Like the point where your pinkies wrap around the smooth ring?[/quote]
that’s usually how wide i do mine, but i’ve been working on moving my hands out wider each time i train. i feel like training the way you stated hits my tri’s a little harder than shoulders, but i still hit my delts pretty good (since im a smaller guy - 5’8")[/quote]
What kind of weights are you putting up?
How long have you done it for?
Any shoulder problems?
I apologize for the questions, but Im interested in this as I have snapping triceps syndrome (ulnar nerve subluxation) and only shoulder presses with a wide grip don’t irritate it. But they seem to hurt my shoulders. I just want some hope
bumpitiy bump bump?
[quote]forbes wrote:
[quote]BARDUKE wrote:
[quote]forbes wrote:
How wide are we talking? Like the point where your pinkies wrap around the smooth ring?[/quote]
that’s usually how wide i do mine, but i’ve been working on moving my hands out wider each time i train. i feel like training the way you stated hits my tri’s a little harder than shoulders, but i still hit my delts pretty good (since im a smaller guy - 5’8")[/quote]
What kind of weights are you putting up?
How long have you done it for?
Any shoulder problems?
I apologize for the questions, but Im interested in this as I have snapping triceps syndrome (ulnar nerve subluxation) and only shoulder presses with a wide grip don’t irritate it. But they seem to hurt my shoulders. I just want some hope :)[/quote]
I did have shoulder pain in the past, but ever since trading the barbell bench press for dumbells, they have never felt better.
I’ve only been training for 4-5 years seriously (aside from doing bicep curls and flys with my mom’s aerobic weights when i was 13). I can overhead press 135lbs pretty easily for reps, and I can push press 185lbs for reps.
I would say go with the exercises that don’t cause you pain, and check your form to make sure you’re pressing correctly.
hey coach, for your “look like bodybuiler and perform like athlete” article. so how often do we do the workouts??? i dont understand the 7 day chart with primary enphisis and secondary empisis. please explain coach. thanks
[quote]portero8a wrote:
hey coach, for your “look like bodybuiler and perform like athlete” article. so how often do we do the workouts??? i dont understand the 7 day chart with primary enphisis and secondary empisis. please explain coach. thanks[/quote]
It works like this:
Week 1:
Monday - do the stuff written to the right of “Monday” in the chart
Tuesday - do the stuff written to the right of “Tuesday” in the chart
Wednesday - do the stuff written to the right of “Wednesday” in the chart
Thursday - do the stuff written to the right of “Thursday” in the chart
Friday - do the stuff written to the right of “Friday” in the chart
Saturday - do the stuff written to the right of “Saturday” in the chart
Sunday - do the stuff written to the right of “Sunday” in the chart
Week 2:
Monday - do the stuff written to the right of “Monday” in the chart
Tuesday - do the stuff written to the right of “Tuesday” in the chart
Wednesday - do the stuff written to the right of “Wednesday” in the chart
Thursday - do the stuff written to the right of “Thursday” in the chart
Friday - do the stuff written to the right of “Friday” in the chart
Saturday - do the stuff written to the right of “Saturday” in the chart
Sunday - do the stuff written to the right of “Sunday” in the chart
Week 3:
Monday - do the stuff written to the right of “Monday” in the chart
Tuesday - do the stuff written to the right of “Tuesday” in the chart
Wednesday - do the stuff written to the right of “Wednesday” in the chart
Thursday - do the stuff written to the right of “Thursday” in the chart
Friday - do the stuff written to the right of “Friday” in the chart
Saturday - do the stuff written to the right of “Saturday” in the chart
Sunday - do the stuff written to the right of “Sunday” in the chart
Weeks 4-6: repeat the above with higher weight were appropriate
Oh, and most of the questions are ANSWERED IN THE LIVESPILL COMMENTS BELOW THE ARTICLE.
Also, this is the wrong thread for this question. Completely wrong one.
B.