Close-Grip Bench Press
Trains the Triceps.
- Equipment
- A barbell, a rack and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set the safety pins to just below your chest height, or use a spotter — this is a barbell bench press variation and it fails the same way.
- Lie on a flat bench with your eyes under the bar and your feet flat on the floor.
- Take an overhand grip roughly shoulder-width apart. Narrower than that is a common misunderstanding and it puts the wrists in an awkward position without adding triceps work.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades down into the bench and unrack the bar to above your shoulders.
- Lower the bar to your lower chest while keeping your elbows tucked close to your sides — the tucked elbow is what makes this a triceps movement.
- Touch lightly, then press the bar back up until your arms are straight.
Common mistakes
- Gripping too narrow. Hands touching does not increase triceps involvement meaningfully and it makes the wrist and elbow position much worse. Shoulder-width is close enough.
- Letting the elbows flare. Once the elbows travel out, the chest takes over and it becomes an ordinary bench press with a bad grip.
- Treating it as a chest exercise. It trains the chest as well, but the reason to choose it over a normal bench press is the triceps — specifically the lateral and medial heads, which respond to heavy loading.
- Expecting it to cover the long head. With the upper arms at the sides, the long head of the triceps is shortened at the shoulder and contributes little. Overhead extensions cover what pressing structurally cannot.