Set the Bench Bar in Your Hand Before You Squeeze It

“Squeeze the bar.”

It is one of the most common bench press cues in powerlifting. It is also incomplete.

Maximum grip tension is useful after the bar is where you want it.

Squeezing aggressively before the bar is properly seated can make an imperfect hand position harder to correct.

The Bar Should Sit Over the Wrist

Heavy bench pressing works best when force can travel efficiently from the forearm through the hand into the bar.

If the bar sits too high toward the fingers, the wrist may extend excessively under load.

Now the bar, wrist, and forearm are no longer stacked efficiently.

The powerlifter may still complete the lift, but force must pass through a less stable position.

Instead, place the bar deeper into the hand so its pressure is supported closer to the heel of the palm and over the wrist.

The exact orientation will depend on grip width and individual anatomy.

The principle remains the same:

Do not make the wrist support a bar position that the palm should be supporting.

Position First, Tension Second

During setup, establish the competition grip width.

Then allow the palm to make firm contact with the bar and deliberately position it where the hand feels strongest and most stable.

Only after that position is established should full gripping tension be applied.

This creates a useful sequence:

Find the bar.
Seat the bar.
Set the wrist.
Then squeeze.

Powerlifters frequently reverse the first and last steps.

Check the Position Under Load

Empty-bar positioning can hide wrist problems.

As weight increases, the bar will try to settle into the position dictated by gravity.

If the original grip is poorly stacked, heavier loads expose it.

Video from the side can help.

Look at whether the bar remains approximately supported over the forearm or whether the wrist progressively folds backward as the load increases.

Grip Pressure Can Support the Entire Setup

The hands are not isolated from the rest of the bench press.

Pressure applied into the bar can contribute to upper-body tension before the unrack.

Once the bar is secured, squeezing it aggressively can reinforce a stable connection between the powerlifter and the barbell.

That makes grip setup part of bench setup.

Not an afterthought.

Small Errors Matter More With Big Weights

A slightly inefficient wrist angle under 135 pounds may be irrelevant.

The same position under 400 pounds carries a much larger demand.

Advanced powerlifters therefore benefit from examining details that beginners can often get away with ignoring.

Before adding another triceps exercise or changing the bench program, look at where the bar actually sits in your hand.

Force production begins with contact.

Make that contact solid before you squeeze.

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Exclusive Powerlifting.com content drawing on published research and industry expertise to ensure accuracy and relevance for powerlifters. Certain statements in this article represent the author’s perspective and may not reflect the views of Powerlifting.com.