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Exercise library · Triceps

Close grip bench press

Horizontal press for the triceps with a barbell.

How to do it

1 of 3

Grip the bar shoulder-width

  1. Starting position

    Lie on the bench with your feet on the floor, pull your shoulder blades together and grip the bar about shoulder-width apart.

  2. The movement

    Lower the bar toward your lower chest with your elbows close to your body, then press up until your arms are straight.

Most common mistake

Don't grip the bar too narrowly, keep your hands about shoulder-width apart and your wrists straight.

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Muscle group
Triceps
Equipment
Barbell
Where
Gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The close grip bench press is a compound exercise in which your triceps and chest share the work, with help from the front of your shoulders. Compared with a regular bench press, your triceps get more to do and your chest slightly less, but your chest still works hard. Your back, glutes and legs keep you stable on the bench. Because you can lift heavy, it is a common way to build triceps strength, and many people also use it to get stronger on the regular bench press.

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the bar off your chest. The bounce adds momentum and removes the work at the very bottom. Lower under control, let the bar touch your chest lightly and press up without a bounce.
  • Losing your shoulder blades mid-set. After a few reps your shoulders slide forward and the press becomes unstable. Keep your shoulder blades together and down for the whole set, and end the set if you lose the position.
  • Your hips lift off the bench. When it gets heavy, many people push their hips up for help. Drive through your feet, but keep your bum on the bench.

Variations and alternatives

  • The bench press with a wider grip puts more on your chest and is the usual main lift.
  • The skull crusher isolates your triceps, since only your elbows bend.
  • The floor press is done on the floor, where your upper arms touch the floor and the movement gets shorter. It is often used to train the top part of the press.
  • Diamond push-ups train the same muscles at home, with your hands close together.

Sets and reps

The close grip bench press handles heavy sets well. For strength, 3 to 6 reps over 3 to 5 sets with two to three minutes' rest works. To build muscle, 6 to 12 reps suits it, often as the second press after the bench press. Sets of 12 to 20 reps also work, with a weight that leaves a good margin. The guide to sets and reps explains how to choose.

Do heavy sets in a rack with the safety arms set just below the bar's lowest point, or with a spotter. Warm up with a few lighter sets, as in the guide to warming up. Then add weight in small steps, for example 2.5 kg in total, once every set is done with good form. That is progressive overload in practice.

Also called

  • close grip bench

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