Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press
Trains the Triceps.
- Equipment
- An EZ bar, a rack and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Lie on a flat bench holding an EZ bar on the inner angled sections with an overhand grip.
- Set the safety pins just below chest height.
- Unrack the bar and hold it over your lower chest with straight arms.
- Lower to the lower chest, keeping the elbows tucked close to your sides.
- Press back up without letting the elbows flare out.
- Stop just short of locking the elbows hard.
Common mistakes
- Gripping narrower than the bar's angle allows. The EZ bar's bends set where the hands sit comfortably; forcing them closer puts a twist into the wrist for every repetition.
- Flaring the elbows as it gets hard. Elbows in is what aims the movement at the triceps, and it is the first thing to go on the last repetitions.
- Lowering to the neck. A close grip finishes over the lower chest; travelling toward the head puts the shoulder in front of the load.
- Choosing the EZ bar for the grip alone. It suits wrists that dislike a straight close grip, and it changes nothing else about the movement.