Grip Shirt vs Bench Mat: Which Stops Sliding on the Bench Better?
Posted by Yannick Ring on
Disclosure: we make Odyssey Liquid Chalk and the Odyssey Bench Mat. Competitor details below come from each brand's own product pages, checked November 2026. Other trademarks belong to their owners; we are not affiliated with them.
If your upper back slides up the bench, you have two gear options: change what is on your back (a grip shirt) or change what is on the bench (a bench mat). Both work on the same contact point: shirt against pad. Here is how they compare.
How each one works
- Grip shirt: a training shirt with a grippy print or panel across the upper back. It grips the pad from your side.
- Bench mat: a grippy layer that lays on the pad. It grips your shirt from the bench's side, whatever shirt you wear.
Side by side
| Grip shirt | Bench mat | |
|---|---|---|
| Works with any shirt | No, only that shirt | Yes |
| Works on any bench | Yes | Yes, lay it on the pad |
| Wash cycle | Grip print can wear with washing | Wipe clean |
| Bench days per week | One shirt per session, or rewear | One mat for every session |
| Incline and dumbbell work | Yes | Yes |
| Shared with training partners | No | Yes |
Where a grip shirt wins
Nothing to carry and nothing to set down. If you only bench once a week and always wear the same shirt, a grip shirt is simple.
Where a bench mat wins
You can wear whatever you want, and the grip does not depend on which shirt is clean. One mat covers every bench session, incline and dumbbell work, and your training partners can use it too. The Odyssey Bench Mat lays flat with no straps: lay it down, lock in your setup, press.
Honest limits of both
Neither fixes technique. If your feet are too far forward or your shoulder blades are not set, you will still slide. Start with the free fixes. And with heavy sweat soaking through the shirt, any grip surface loses some hold; wipe the mat between sets.
More comparisons: bench mat vs grip cover vs towel vs chalk and bench mat vs AbMat vs BenchSkinz. Every Odyssey mat has a 90-day money-back guarantee.
- Tags: bench mat bench press comparison setup
Questions lifters ask
Do grip shirts work for bench press?
They help on slick pads by gripping from your side, but only when you wear that shirt, and the grip print can wear with washing.
Is a bench mat better than a grip shirt?
A mat works with any shirt and every session and can be shared; a grip shirt needs nothing to carry. Both depend on good setup technique.
Can I use a grip shirt and a bench mat together?
Yes, though most lifters find one is enough once their setup is right.
