Is Suicide Grip Bench Press Safe? Technique, Tips & More

A suicide grip bench press, aka false grip bench press or thumbless grip, is a bench press variation where you don't wrap your thumbs around the barbell. 

Instead, your bar sits on your palms, with your thumbs placed next to your fingers. It’s a less secure grip than you’d have on the bar using a standard grip. 

But is there a benefit to using suicide grip, or is it just one giant risk? 

We’ll look through the core differences between a suicide grip and a standard grip. We’ll see what muscles this grip variation activates. 

Plus, is a suicide grip bench press dangerous? We’ll get to know more of the safety factors you should be familiar with and examine whether this grip is safe to use at all or if you should skip it entirely in your workout routine.

Key Differences— Suicide Grip Bench Press vs. Standard Grip 

Before we delve into a few main benefits and drawbacks of the suicide grip bench press, it’s helpful to define what this grip is and how it differs from the regular way you’re probably used to holding a barbell. 

A suicide grip bench press, also called a false grip bench press, open grip bench press, or thumbless bench press, simply means you don’t wrap your thumb around the bar. 

• In a traditional grip, your thumb wraps around the bar, securing it in place.
• In the suicide grip, your thumb stays on the same side as your fingers. This reduces the grip's security but can feel more comfortable for some lifters.

Why Do People Use Suicide Grip?— Benefits

Are there any benefits of suicide grip other than looking like a daredevil? 

Some lifters claim to see these improvements when they do false grip bench presses. 

Less Strain on the Wrists and Shoulders

Some lifters find this grip more comfortable for the wrists and shoulders, allowing for a more natural pressing motion.

Using a suicide grip can keep your wrists in a more neutral position rather than cocking backward or forwards like they would in a standard bench press. 

Since this grip is open, you need to have proper alignment so your barbell won’t slip out of your hands. Lining up your wrists directly with your forearms can alleviate some of the wrist strain that you may feel in a regular bench press.

More Tricep Activation

By keeping the grip thumbless, some feel they can engage the triceps more effectively during the press.

Shifting your wrists also shifts your forearm position, and with a suicide grip, this brings your forearms in closer along the sides of your ribcage. 

The change in position results in more effort for your triceps. If you’re looking to develop your triceps or increase their strength, this could be one way to improve their muscular activation. 

For more tricep toning tips, check out Medial Head Tricep Exercises, Tricep V Bar Pushdown. 

Suicide Grip Bench Press Risks

They don’t call it “suicide” for no reason. 

No, you most likely won’t perish using this challenging grip. Nevertheless, it’s a good way to hurt yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing. 

Take a look at a few of the key risks and concerns of the suicide grip bench press. 

You Might Drop the Bar

This is the most obvious point. Without your thumb wrapping around the bar to secure it, there's a much higher risk of your barbell slipping from your hands. 

Because you’re set up under the bar in a bench press, this could mean a costly collision with your chest or face. You can imagine how painful this could be, and at higher weights, especially, this would put you at risk of head injuries, fractured ribs, or worse. 

Less Secondary Muscle Activation

In a sense, suicide grips are a more isolated form of bench press compared to the traditional version since most of the muscular emphasis is on your triceps. 

Because of this, relying too much on this grip may be causing you to lose work in your stabilizer muscles— you know, the ones you want to train so you can get stronger and progressively overload your weight over time! 

Engaging muscles like your lats (the latissimus dorsi, your largest back muscles) can also be trickier to do when you use a suicide grip.  

Less Control

In terms of the glide path for your barbell, a suicide grip can make it harder to keep control.

Psychologically, your thumb is like an emergency break. 

Not having that extra fallback of the thumb for support can shake your mental confidence along with your physical. 

Being hesitant or uncertain about a lift can ionically make it a lot more dangerous. If you’re anxious about not having your thumb wrap the bar to catch your weight, you’re more likely to get too in your own head, causing shaky or unpredictable lifts. 

Ultimately, it’s safer to have a grip on the bar that you feel comfortable and confident in so you’re not making simple and avoidable mistakes with your technique.

Not Competition Approved

If you’re involved in competition or hoping to compete, suicide and reverse grip are typically banned by most athletic federations. 

Per their rules, powerlifting competitions have banned using a suicide or thumbless grip in competitions. 

So, if you love training this way, by all means, you can do so in the gym, but it won’t have much real-world crossover to competition or athletics. It’s a better idea to train with a grip that you would be allowed to legally use. 

Suicide Grip Bench Press— FAQ

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about suicide grip bench presses: 

Is it safe to use suicide grip for the bench press?

You can never be sure that this grip variation comes with no risks, but there are some safety precautions you can put in place to ensure you’re working with to reduce the likelihood of injury. 

Let’s take a look at a few simple tips.  

Safety Precautions

• Use a spotter or safety pins in a power rack.
• Double-check that your grip is secure before starting this press. If your gym offers chalk or your own weightlifting gloves, it can be a good idea to use these for suicide grip. 
• Try to sit the bar in the center of your palm. 
• Focus more on engaging your fingers to secure the bar along with your thumb. 
• Don’t work outside of your rep range. Because this is a riskier move, it’s not necessarily the best idea to try and be a hero and challenge yourself with supersets. This can tire you out too much to lift safely. Simply focus on using a clean technique and completing the number of reps you have planned. If you’re not sure what rep range to use, a fitness tracker app like the Flex Fitness app can give you good guidelines so you stay on track. If you’re feeling too tired or too lazy to workout, we recommend skipping this move.   

Why does Arnold Schwarzenegger use a suicide grip? 

You’re probably familiar with Arnold “The Governator” Schwarzenegger for his movie roles, political involvement, and, on the fitness spectrum, the aptly named “Arnold Press” (hint: if you’re not, read Arnold Press vs. Shoulder Press to get caught up). 

But he’s also notable for using a suicide grip on his bench presses. 

In a Men’s Health article, Arnold Schwarzenegger explains why he uses suicide grip. 

"The reality is, there was no reason, and I mainly did it on the incline bench just because it felt good."

For some, it can simply be a fun way to switch things up. But Arnold cautions:

"It is called the suicide grip for a reason. Only do this if you have a spotter with you, and make sure you have a real spotter, not someone looking at their Instagram while you unrack the weight."

While the suicide grip offers some comfort for certain lifters, the risks associated with it often make it less recommended, especially if you’re handling heavy weights like Arnold. 

What other exercises use suicide grip? 

There are many other exercises where you could incorporate suicide grip, like: 

• Pull-ups
• Rows 
• Barbell overhead press
• Back squats

If you scour the web, there’s not much information on specifically why bodybuilders often use suicide grip. 

Despite this, we see a ton of professional lifters captured on video doing it. So why does it happen so frequently? 

• More weight lifted: Because of the forearm alignment, some lifters feel like they can get higher weights up on their bar. Whether scientifically true or purely psychological, it can feel like a boost to your strength. 
• Less wrist pain at high weights: Because they are often lifting much heavier weights than your average gym bro, bodybuilders put a lot of stress on their joints. The altered wrist position can feel like a relief when working with more weight. 
• Feeling cool!: Bodybuilders often tend to have extreme personalities and enjoy a challenge. The idea of taking the safety breaks off (your thumb!) and being a daredevil appeals to people with a tendency toward more risk. They may feel like it is an accomplishment or more “difficult” variation on a traditional bench press, which speaks to the competitive nature.  

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, we DO NOT recommend using suicide grip, but It doesn’t have to be a death sentence. 

With a little finesse, suicide grip bench presses can be safe if done with a spotter. Ultimately, though, it's not advisable to try this bench press variation if you’re a beginner, and even for experienced lifters, the risk to strength gain balance generally isn’t worth it. 

If you are going to attempt this move, only do so if you’re an advanced-level lifter working with a partner or with support on hand to ensure your safety. 

If you’re at the gym solo, upping your weight or somewhat new to weightlifting, traditional grip is the way to go. Using your thumb gives you an extra out if you do mess up. 

It will put your mind at ease and save you from costly injuries. 

On the benefits side, suicide grip prioritizes the triceps and can help you improve your shoulder and wrist health if you find a standard grip to be strenuous on your joints. 

That being said, in most cases, the risk simply isn’t worth the reward. 

References

Bohannon R. W. (2019). Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker For Older Adults. Clinical interventions in aging, 14, 1681–1691. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S194543

Melani A, Gobbi G, Galli D, Carubbi C, Masselli E, Neri LM, Giovinco G, Cicchella A, Galuppo L, Presta V, Vaccarezza M, Vitale M, Mirandola P. Muscle Activation in Traditional and Experimental Barbell Bench Press Exercise: A Potential New Tool for Fitness Maintenance. Sports (Basel). 2019 Oct 17;7(10):224. doi: 10.3390/sports7100224. PMID: 31627293; PMCID: PMC6835758.

Saeterbakken, A. H., Stien, N., Pedersen, H., Solstad, T. E. J., Cumming, K. T., & Andersen, V. (2021). The Effect of Grip Width on Muscle Strength and Electromyographic Activity in Bench Press among Novice- and Resistance-Trained Men. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(12), 6444. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126444