Reverse-Grip Bench Press
How to Do the Reverse-Grip Bench Press With Proper Form
Set the bench inside a rack with correctly positioned safety arms and use a spotter for the unrack when possible.
Lie back, retract your shoulder blades, and take an underhand grip with your palms facing toward your head.
Wrap your thumbs fully around the bar and choose a grip width that keeps the wrists and elbows comfortable.
Unrack the bar carefully and stabilize it above the lower chest before beginning the descent.
Lower the bar toward the lower sternum or upper-abdominal region while keeping the elbows closer to the torso than in many conventional bench styles.
Press the bar upward and slightly back along a controlled path until the elbows are extended.
Rerack the bar carefully with the spotter or safety setup supporting the finish.
Form Check & Technique
DO THIS (Technique Tips)
- Use a full thumb-around grip
- Start lighter than your conventional bench press
- Let the bar touch lower on the torso where the forearms stay aligned
- Use rack safeties and a spotter whenever possible
- Stop if the grip creates persistent wrist or elbow discomfort
AVOID THIS (Common Mistakes)
- Using a thumbless grip with an already less-secure hand position
- Benching without safeties or a spotter
- Using a grip width that forces painful wrist extension
- Trying to copy a conventional bench-press touch point
- Touching too high on the chest
- Flaring the elbows excessively
- Loading too heavily before learning the grip and rerack
About Reverse-Grip Bench Press
The reverse-grip bench press is a barbell bench variation performed with a supinated or underhand grip. It still trains the pectoralis major, triceps, and anterior deltoids, but acute EMG research has found greater clavicular-pectoralis and biceps activity with a supinated grip than with pronated bench-press grips. That finding supports an upper-chest emphasis claim, but it does not prove superior long-term hypertrophy.
Reverse-Grip Bench Press Muscles Worked
The reverse grip still trains the major bench-press muscles.
- Acute EMG research has found increased clavicular pectoralis-major and biceps activity with supinated grip conditions compared with pronated grip conditions, but that does not establish superior long-term upper-chest growth.
Sets & Reps Guidance
Technique / Learning
2-3 sets of 8-12 reps with a light load while learning wrist position, bar path, and reracking.
Strength Focus
3-4 sets of 5-8 reps after the grip is well practiced and the safety setup is reliable.
Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)
3-4 sets of 6-12 reps with a controlled lower touch point and secure grip.
General training baseline. Need.fit automatically adjusts exact sets, reps, and working weight based on your individual fitness level, recovery, and progress over time.
Exercise Variations & Alternatives
Barbell Bench Press
Variation targeting Pectorals
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Variation targeting Upper Chest
smith machine bench press
floor press
Dumbbell Bench Press
Learn dumbbell bench press form, muscles worked, setup, range-of-motion cues, common mistakes, and practical sets and reps for controlled chest training.
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Learn incline dumbbell bench press form, muscles worked, bench-angle guidance, setup, common mistakes, and practical sets and reps for upper-chest training.
Does Reverse Grip Really Work the Upper Chest More?
Acute EMG research has found higher clavicular-pectoralis activity with a supinated grip than with pronated bench-press grips. That supports a regional activation difference, but EMG is not the same as a long-term hypertrophy trial.
Reverse-Grip Bench Press vs Incline Bench Press
Reverse grip changes forearm rotation and elbow orientation while keeping the bench flat.
- Incline pressing changes the torso and shoulder angle.
- They are different ways to alter pressing mechanics and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Why the Bar Touches Lower
The supinated grip changes elbow and forearm orientation, so the natural bar path usually reaches lower on the torso than a conventional bench press. Forcing a high chest touch point can create poor wrist and elbow alignment.
Grip Width and Wrist Position
Use a width that lets the wrists stay stacked and avoids excessive extension. A full thumb-around grip is strongly preferred because the reverse grip is less secure than a standard pronated bench grip.
Why Safeties Matter More Here
The unusual grip can make unracking and reracking less secure. Use rack safeties and ideally a competent spotter, especially while learning the movement or working near failure.
Sources & References
- [1]The effect of grip width and forearm pronation/supination on upper-body myoelectric activity during the flat bench press — PubMed (PMID 16095407)View Source
- [2]
- [3]American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews — PubMed (PMID 41843416)View Source