Authors

Alan Bennett

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Description

The Bench Press is said to be the most important of all upper body exercises (Deaton, Ras, 2019). This exercise incorporates several of the muscles in the upper body and is included in training programs for several different sports and activities. The participants of this study were 30 college males, each with at least 1 year of previous training experience and no previous injuries or disabilities that would impair bench press performance. Each of the 30 participants were randomly assigned to 1 of three groups with 10 participants in each group: close grip bench press (100% shoulder width), moderate grip bench press (135% shoulder width), and wide grip bench press (170% shoulder width). This study assessed how grip width while performing this exercise effected strength over time. This was done through a pre-testing session, followed by a 6 week training period, and then a post-testing session. Participants performed a 1RM as a measure of upper body strength during each testing session and percent change was assessed. During the 6 week training protocol, participants trained 3 times per week with at least 48 hours between each session. During each training session, the participants followed a strict 15 minute warm-up protocol before starting the training protocol. The training protocol consisted of 3 sets or 6 repetitions of bench press, with each set’s weight changed to a weight where by the 6th repetition, the participant would reach momentary failure. The moderate grip bench press group was hypothesized to have the largest percent change over the duration of the study. Correlations and data analysis of the study were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Statistically significant findings were given a P-value of .05 or less (P<.05).

Publication Date

Spring 2019

City

Boiling Springs, NC

Keywords

bench press, repetition, grip width, college males

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Movement and Mind-Body Therapies | Rehabilitation and Therapy | Sports Sciences

Effects of Grip Width on Bench Press 1RM in College Males

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