legal bench press width

[TheAugustKid]

I've always benched with a decently narrow grip with my pinkies on the rings. Is this legal? I couldn't find it in the rules of the usapl rule book.

 

[TheAugustKid]

I mean I see it talking about not going too wide and making sure your index finger stays in contact with the rings but nothing about too narrow. So am I safe? I feel way more comfortable with a narrow grp

 

[ballhawkdawk]

I dont think it's possible to go too narrow for competition.

 

[PorkPiePusher]

Goint too near transfers too much on the triceps and lenghtens the travel of the bar, by all accounts making the lift harder than it should be, no reason for making it illegal would be the conventional logic.

 

[TheAugustKid]

Awesome. That's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure

 

[JimRussel]

Grip width legality in powerlifting only refers to a maximum, which is index fingers on the rings.

 

[miaou]

What the previous posters said, plus pinkies on the rings isn't particularly narrow.

 

[TheAugustKid]

What the previous posters said, plus pinkies on the rings isn't particularly narrow.

Well honestly i just got a new bar and the rings were further out and pinkies on ring felt too wide to me. So i wanted to know if I could go inside more.

 

[Tosa]

Well honestly i just got a new bar and the rings were further out and pinkies on ring felt too wide to me. So i wanted to know if I could go inside more.

On a legitimate powerlifting bar, the rings are always 81cm apart. Other kinds of bars will have different markings. A weightlifting bar will have the rings 91cm apart. And other bars might have the rings in random places, because who knows what goes through the minds of some people making strength training equipment.

 

[TheAugustKid]

Yeah it was a random academy bar with the standard 300 lbs of weight. The stupid thing only weighed 38 lbs

 

[goldennboy]

I haven't read what others have said but the rules DO say you can't go narrow. your pinkys on the grip is like as narrow as competitions will allow.

Use the rings as guidance. my index finger goes around the ring. That's my width. OR sometimes I go thumb width apart from the grip.

The widest competition allows you to go is pinky on the rings

 

[Tosa]

I haven't read what others have said but the rules DO say you can't go narrow. your pinkys on the grip is like as narrow as competitions will allow.

Straight out of the IPF rulebook:

The spacing of the hands shall not exceed 81 cm measured between the forefingers (both forefingers must be within the 81 cm marks and the whole of the forefingers must be in contact with the 81 cm
marks if maximum grip is used).

That is all it has to say on the matter. In other words, yes, you can use a narrower grip in competition. The only thing limiting how narrow a grip you can use is someone's ability to bench with that grip.

 

[miaou]

Tosa, IPF doesn't even combine paused benching with clean and jerking.

Its rulebook is inconsequential.

 

[Fighting Sprite]

your pinkys on the grip is like as narrow as competitions will allow.

The widest competition allows you to go is pinky on the rings

lulz

 

[rocketskates]

I always go pinky on the ring. Maybe if I went index on the ring I could lift more. I'll give it a shot.