Close Grip Bench Press
A bench press with your hands about shoulder width apart and your elbows tucked, lowering to your lower chest so your triceps share the work with your chest.
Equipment
- Primary muscles
- Upper chest, Middle chest, Lower chest, Triceps
- Secondary
- Front delts
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Upper chest, Middle chest, Lower chest, Triceps
- Secondary
- Front delts
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Upper chest, Middle chest, Lower chest, Triceps
- Secondary
- Front delts
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
Narrowing your grip turns the bench press into one of the heaviest triceps exercises you can do, while your chest still works hard. It suits you if you want bigger arms or a stronger lockout on your regular bench. The barbell is the standard version and loads heaviest. The dumbbell version, pressed with the weights touching, uses a neutral grip many people find easier on the wrists. The Smith machine fixes the bar path so you can focus on keeping your elbows tucked.
How to do it (Barbell)
Lie flat on the bench and grip the bar at about shoulder width or slightly narrower.
Unrack it and hold it over your chest with straight arms.
Lower the bar to your lower chest with your elbows tucked close to your sides, pointing toward your feet rather than out to the sides.
Press back up. Going much narrower than shoulder width mostly strains the wrists without adding triceps work.
Lie flat on a bench and hold the dumbbells over your chest with your palms facing each other and the weights touching.
Lower them to your chest with your elbows tucked close to your sides.
Press back up, keeping the dumbbells together the whole time.
The narrow position puts most of the load on your triceps, so expect to use less weight than on a normal bench press.
Lie on a flat bench under the Smith machine with the bar over your lower chest and grip it about shoulder-width apart.
Unhook the bar and lower it to your lower chest, keeping your elbows tucked close to your sides.
Press back up until your arms are straight, driving with the triceps.
Keep your wrists straight and the bar over your forearms. The narrow grip shifts the work from the chest to the triceps.
Common mistakes
Gripping too narrow
Hands touching in the middle of the bar bends your wrists without adding triceps work. About shoulder width, or a little inside it, is enough.
Flaring your elbows
Letting your elbows drift out turns it back into a regular bench press. Keep them close to your sides, pointing toward your feet.
Touching too high on your chest
With a narrow grip and tucked elbows, the bar should land on your lower chest. Bringing it to your mid or upper chest pushes your elbows out.
Dumbbells drifting apart
In the dumbbell version, letting the weights separate turns it into a normal press. Keep them touching from the bottom to the top.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
