What muscles does wide reverse grip bench press work?

Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press mainly works your chest. It also works your triceps, shoulders and biceps.

What equipment do you need for wide reverse grip bench press?

To do wide reverse grip bench press, you need barbell.

How do you do wide reverse grip bench press?

Here is how to do wide reverse grip bench press. Lie flat on a bench and set your feet hard into the floor before you touch the bar. Pull your shoulder blades down and back and press them into the bench so you build a stable shelf to press from. Reach up and grip the barbell with your palms facing you, hands set wider than shoulder width. This underhand, wide grip is what shifts the emphasis onto your upper chest and loads the biceps as helpers. Wrap your thumbs securely around the bar and squeeze hard. A reverse grip can feel less secure, so lock the bar in and keep your wrists as stacked as you can over your forearms. Take a big breath into your belly, brace your core, and unrack the bar, ideally with a spotter guiding it out. Bring it out until it sits directly over your upper chest with your arms straight. Lower the bar slowly toward your lower sternum, keeping your elbows tucked in toward your sides rather than flared wide. Aim for a two to three second descent and stay tight through your upper back. Touch the bar lightly to your upper chest without bouncing it. Keep your shoulder blades pinned and your wrists firm as the bar settles. Drive your feet into the floor and press the bar up and slightly back over your chest, breathing out through the hardest part of the rep. Think about pushing yourself down into the bench rather than shoving the bar away. Keep your elbows tucked as you press, which is what keeps the load on your upper chest and triceps. Stop just short of a harsh lockout to keep tension on the muscle. Complete your reps, usually 6 to 10 for this advanced lift, then rack the bar carefully with your spotter's help. Never try to muscle a failed reverse-grip rep back to the hooks alone.

What are common mistakes to avoid with wide reverse grip bench press?

When you do wide reverse grip bench press, avoid these common mistakes: using a grip that is too narrow or too wide for you; letting the bar roll or slip in an insecure grip; flaring your elbows straight out to the sides.

Is wide reverse grip bench press good for beginners?

Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press is an advanced exercise. It is an advanced move for experienced lifters.

Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press Exercise

Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press Overview

The wide reverse grip bench press is a barbell chest move. Your chest muscles sit across the front of your ribs. You lie on a bench and grip the bar with your palms facing you. Your hands go wider than your shoulders. This grip also works your triceps, shoulders, and biceps. The wide reverse grip bench press hits your upper chest well. The palms-up grip changes the angle of the push. This move is for advanced lifters. It needs good control and a spotter. Use it to add variety to your push day. It helps your chest grow in new ways.

What Is The Point of the Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press?

The wide reverse grip bench press targets your upper chest and biceps while building pushing strength. It hits different muscle fibers than regular bench press.

How To Do The Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press

Lie flat on a bench and set your feet hard into the floor before you touch the bar. Pull your shoulder blades down and back and press them into the bench so you build a stable shelf to press from.
Reach up and grip the barbell with your palms facing you, hands set wider than shoulder width. This underhand, wide grip is what shifts the emphasis onto your upper chest and loads the biceps as helpers.
Wrap your thumbs securely around the bar and squeeze hard. A reverse grip can feel less secure, so lock the bar in and keep your wrists as stacked as you can over your forearms.
Take a big breath into your belly, brace your core, and unrack the bar, ideally with a spotter guiding it out. Bring it out until it sits directly over your upper chest with your arms straight.
Lower the bar slowly toward your lower sternum, keeping your elbows tucked in toward your sides rather than flared wide. Aim for a two to three second descent and stay tight through your upper back.
Touch the bar lightly to your upper chest without bouncing it. Keep your shoulder blades pinned and your wrists firm as the bar settles.
Drive your feet into the floor and press the bar up and slightly back over your chest, breathing out through the hardest part of the rep. Think about pushing yourself down into the bench rather than shoving the bar away.
Keep your elbows tucked as you press, which is what keeps the load on your upper chest and triceps. Stop just short of a harsh lockout to keep tension on the muscle.
Complete your reps, usually 6 to 10 for this advanced lift, then rack the bar carefully with your spotter's help. Never try to muscle a failed reverse-grip rep back to the hooks alone.

Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press Form Tips

Keep your wrists straight and firm the whole time.
Set your hands wider than your shoulders.
Keep your feet flat and pressed into the floor.
Lower the bar to your upper chest, not your belly.
Move the bar slow and controlled on the way down.
Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down.
Breathe in as you lower. Breathe out as you press.
Squeeze your chest hard at the top of each rep.
Keep a small, steady arch in your lower back.

Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press

Using a grip that is too narrow or too wide for you. A grip set poorly makes the reverse hold feel unstable and can strain the wrists and shoulders. Set your hands a bit wider than shoulder width, then adjust slightly until the bar path feels strong and your wrists stay stacked.
Letting the bar roll or slip in an insecure grip. The underhand hold naturally feels less locked in, and a loose bar is dangerous over your face and chest. Wrap your thumbs, squeeze hard, and never press this movement without a spotter.
Flaring your elbows straight out to the sides. Wide flare on a reverse grip stresses the shoulder and pulls tension off the upper chest. Keep the elbows tucked toward your body so the load tracks where this variation is meant to hit.
Losing your shoulder blade set mid-set. If your shoulders round forward as you press, you lose your stable base and put the joint at risk. Re-set the blades down and back before every rep and hold that position hard.
Bouncing the bar off your chest. The bounce steals reps from your muscles and can bruise your sternum on a heavy set. Touch lightly, pause if needed, and press with control.
Pressing the bar in a straight vertical line. On this variation the bar should travel from your lower chest up and slightly back over your face. A purely vertical path leaves you weak and off balance at the bottom.
Going too heavy before you own the movement. This is an advanced lift, and ego loading wrecks your bar path and beats up the wrists and shoulders. Build it with a weight you fully control, then add small jumps over time.
Cocking your wrists back under the bar. A floppy, extended wrist leaks power and is a real injury risk with a supinated grip. Keep the bar low in your palm with your wrists as neutral as you can.
Lifting your hips off the bench. Driving your hips up to grind a rep turns it into a cheat and risks your lower back. Keep your glutes down and get your power from your legs pushing the floor.
Cutting the range of motion short. Stopping the bar a few inches high only builds strength in that short range. Touch your upper chest on each rep unless a joint issue says otherwise.
Rushing the lowering phase. Dropping the bar fast wastes the eccentric, one of the best muscle-building parts of the rep, and makes the light grip harder to control. Own a slow two to three second descent.

Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press Workout Tips

Treat this as an advanced accessory, not a max-out lift. The reverse grip loads the upper chest and biceps in a novel way, so respect it and build the weight gradually.
Always press with a spotter or inside a rack with safety pins. The underhand grip feels less secure at the top, and a plan for a missed rep keeps you safe.
Keep your elbows tucked toward your sides throughout. That tuck is what steers the tension onto your upper chest and protects your shoulders.
Use a controlled two to three second eccentric. A slow lowering phase keeps tension on the chest and helps you manage the trickier reverse grip.
Warm up your wrists and shoulders well before loading. The supinated position asks a lot of those joints, so prime them with lighter sets first.
Aim the bar at your lower chest on the way down and slightly back on the way up. This slanted path matches the mechanics of the reverse grip and keeps you strong.
Program it after your main flat or incline press when the upper chest still needs work. Fresh enough to press with control, but not competing with your top strength lift.
For most lifters, 6 to 10 reps for 3 to 4 sets works well here. The novel grip already provides plenty of stimulus without grinding ultra-heavy singles.
Squeeze the bar as hard as you can. A tight grip stabilizes the wrist and shoulder and can instantly add pounds to a shaky reverse-grip press.
Try a one second pause on the chest for a few sets. Pausing removes the bounce and teaches you to press strongly from a dead stop.
Keep your upper-back arch coming from your mid and upper back, not your lower back. If your lumbar is cramping to set up, you are out of position.
Film your sets from the side. A quick video reveals elbow flare and bar path far better than how the lift feels under a grip this unusual.
Consider using this to bring up a lagging upper chest. Many lifters feel their clavicular pecs here in a way flat pressing never delivers.
Do not train to failure with this grip. The insecure lockout makes failure risky, so leave a rep or two in the tank on most sets.
Add weight in small, steady steps. Progressive overload you can control is what drives long-term gains, and it matters even more on a technical lift like this.
Build your regular pressing strength alongside it. A strong flat and incline bench give you the base that makes this reverse variation productive rather than just hard.