OH Press vs CG Bench for Korte's 3x3

Milkman

New Member
Hello everyone,
After finishing my first cycle of Korte's 3x3, I started getting severe wrist pain; I hurt it at work. I'm about to start my second cycle of 3x3 and I need to switch from bench press to either overhead press or close grip bench press. Since I can't lift as much with OHP, it doesn't bother my wrist as much, and I can CGBP with very little pain at all. Basically, it only hurts with wide grip bench. I'm hoping to get some opinions on which one I should switch to. Thank you in advance.
 
I'm sorry, I should have stated in the original post that I have no plans of ever competing. My only goal is to be strong and fit.
 
Have you ever tried moving your hands in closer for traditional bench, so it's less of a "wide-grip bench" and more of a natural hand placement? Maybe try putting your pinkie on or on the inside of the knurling. That may really help your wrists - especially since you said that CGBP doesn't hurt. I'd hate to see you sacrifice the benefits of bench in a Korte program.
 
I'm literally just finished the second workout of the last week of the High Intensity part (benching at 95% of my projected 1RM). I put my hands at more of a medium grip width, where my index fingers were just outside the smooth part in the middle of the bar. I had just a little bit of pain but nothing bad and just a very slight loss of strength, compared to a wider grip.

So, you think I should just stick with the program the best I can? I wasn't sure if overhead pressing would be an appropriate substitution or not. It seems that the overhead press is a more natural movement, but then again the bench press definitely uses more muscles.

Thank you for your reply.
 
I think if you move your hands in even more, the wrist pain will significantly diminish. The smooth part of the bar is the knurling that I mentioned before; if your index finger is outside it, try a few reps with your ring finger right on it. That will be a much more natural hand position for you, and though you may sacrifice a couple pounds for your sets, the range of motion you'll be using is greater, so you'll hit more fibers in your chest.

I definitely think you should stay with bench if you can get past the wrist pain issue. If that persists, then you'll have to find an alternative.
 
When I start my new cycle of Korte's 3x3 I will definitely be doing just this. Thank you for your help!
 
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