Keep your elbows into the body as you press, making sure to maintain tension in the triceps and chest. Eb says: Your arms are executing a different motion than a standard bench press, but your lower body is not. Start by lying supine on a bench (face up) with a dumbbell tightly grasped in each hand. After that, we'll keep you updated on the most important muscle-building research, lifting methods, and workout routines. You might be able to use a resistance band setup at home, but it's definitely not ideal. This position is not only safer, but its also stronger and will allow you to lift more weight (2). Move your legs back and keep your knees extended. 4 Bench Press Variations That Target Your Triceps More 1. Its a bigger compound lift thats a bit more intuitive to learn, and it will do a better job of stimulating your entire chest as well as your shoulders, upper chest, and triceps. Coachs Tip: Using a diamond push-up setup works fine, but often times, this grip can be uncomfortable. The Close Grip Bench Press is my favourite bench press variant for the triceps. Close grip bench presses are a compound exercise, which means two or more joints are working together. It does feel different to regular bench presses, but different is good. Keep your elbows close to your sides. If you're new to working out, start with this narrower grip before moving on to a wider one. With the back and hips engaged, squeeze the dumbbell handle and pull the weights down to the sides of the chest, keeping the shoulders away from the ears and the elbows slightly tucked inwards towards the body. However, this effect is far less present at the top of the range of motion and lockout which causes the triceps to work harder due to the increased load compared to a normal bench press. Strong triceps play a key role in al overhead pressing and stability movements (overhead squats, Olympic lifts), as well as handstand walks, handstand push-ups, wall balls, and more. You can read our article, 10 Bench Press Accessories To Improve Strength And Technique for even more variations to help your bench press. 2022 Europa Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview, Best Pre-Workout Supplements For Muscle Gain, Weight Loss, And More, Best Home Gyms For the Money, Bodybuilding, and More, The Best Barbells For CrossFit, Weightlifting, Powerlifting, Deadlifts, and More, The Best Creatine Supplements for Bulking, Mixing, and More, Athletic Greens Review Price, Flavor and Nutrition Breakdown. This can also be done to attack specific ranges of motion in the bench press that may be deficient. How To Do The Close-Grip Bench Press (Image credit: unknown) Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor and grip the barbell with your hands around shoulder-width apart. The risk of injury outweighs any potential benefits. (It's also biasing your shoulders into external rotation, another plus!) Brett Williams, a fitness editor at Men's Health, is a NASM-CPT certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter who splits his workout time between strength and conditioning training, martial arts, and running. So, if your goal is to increase your triceps size and strength to build a stronger 1-rep max on the bench press, the close-grip bench press is perhaps the very best exercise for bulking up your triceps, since it works the heads that are most involved in the bench press. BarBend is an independent website. (Go lower and you risk straining your shoulder joints.) Like the bench press, military press, and push press, the close-grip bench press can be used to highlight pressing strength and performance of the chest and triceps. Pros: The ability to apply some serious weight to your triceps, the close-grip bench press is an excellent compound mass builder. A recentEMG studyfound that as we delve into lower rep ranges, our shoulders and triceps become more and more dominant in the bench press. Rather than setting up with your normal bench press grip, you should bring your grip in 3-5 inches. In addition, Patrick is a freelance writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos. What Does Bikini Olympia Champion Jennifer Dorie Eat During Her Contest Prep? In general, moderate to low repetitions, moderate training volumes, and heavier loads can elicit strength gains. If you want to lift as much weight as possible, you must position your hands so that these muscles can generate the most force. Check out my article on the 10 Best Lateral Head Tricep Exercises. Beginner lifters, those with a weak bench press lockout or lifters with physique goals should do more than the bench press for triceps. 1. That means that when doing a set of 10 repetitions, that bench press is often a chest-dominant lift, best for building bigger pecs. Your chest and shoulders will invariably assist in close-grip pressing, but you're doing this primarily for tris, so keep the focus on them. Make sure you get the most from this exercise by avoiding these common mistakes: Hands too close together: some old-school bodybuilders used to do this exercise with their hands so close together that their fingers touch. However, lifters with a weaker bench press lockout, physique goals, or are early in their training journey should include added exercises such as overhead extensions. Yes, close grip bench press is a fantastic tricep exercise. If you try to lower to your chest, you'll place unnecessary mechanical stress on your elbows and wrists. While these lifters may need more to drive hypertrophy at an advanced level, they may not need to focus on their triceps development and maintaining with the bench press will be sufficient. He has competed at a high level in numerous sports, including rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most recently, stand up paddleboarding. Close grip bench press shifts the focus from the chest to the triceps the closer you move your hands together. In general, the wider the hands are on the barbell, the less the triceps are involved in the press. Position the dumbbells so that the ends are touching. At BarBend, we are compiling a massive library of exercise and training guides to help you build strength, improve muscle hypertrophy, and maximize sports performance. Remember, its a lot easier, and takes far less work to maintain muscle hypertrophy (size increases) or strength than it does to build it initially. My knowledge of the Reverse Grip Press is that its not conclusively better for upper chest activation. No free benches at the gym? For strength: 3-5 reps using 85%+ of your one-repetition maximum (1RM). Start by positioning yourself on the floor underneath the barbell (eyes should be underneath). For building general pressing and triceps strength with the close-grip bench press, standard strength programming sets, reps, and intensities can be used. 1 Kneel down and place your hands flat on the floor. Repeat steps 1 to 3 twice. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets. Close Grip Dumbbell Press Variations and Alternatives 1. The wider your normal grip, the more you'll need to adjust. Decline close grip dumbbell press 3. The movement will also indirectly target the muscles of the chest and shoulders. But when were training to build a bigger 1-rep max, the bench press is just as much a shoulder and triceps lift. Start with 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps and over the following weeks look to progress the load while reducing the repetitions down to 8-10 reps per set. Below are three of these benefits. Similar to the close-grip bench press, the push press is highly dependent on triceps lockout strength. The close grip bench press is a variation of the standard flat bench: focus is shifted from the chest and shoulders and on to triceps instead. 1 Sit on the end of an exercise bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Lowering it toward your upper chest could lead to elbow and wrists pain. Thanx. If your triceps are your weak point, then you want to be addressing them with further direct work. The closer you go, the better you hit your triceps. Fonseca, Rodrigo M.; Roschel, Hamilton; Tricoli, Valmor; de Souza, Eduardo O.; Wilson, Jacob M.; Laurentino, Gilberto C.; Aihara, Andr Y.; de Souza Leo, Alberto R.; Ugrinowitsch, Carlos (2014-11). There are a few lifts that work the shoulders and triceps, ranging from push-ups to the overhead press, and those can certainly help, but when our goal is to improve our strength on a specific lift, the most efficient way to do that is often to choose a fairly similarly variation. Pull your shoulders down and back, arch your lower back, and plant your feet firmly on the floor. The Close Grip Bench Press is a bench press variation to build triceps strength that does offer some versatility that the triceps pushdown does not. Email us: info[at]barbend.com, Close-Grip Bench Press Form and Technique, Muscles Worked by the Close-Grip Bench Press, Close-Grip Bench Press Sets, Reps, and Programming Recommendations, Close-Grip Bench Press Variations and Alternatives, How to Increase Your Bench Press WITHOUT Benching, Rapper Method Man Deadlifts 500 Pounds at 51 Years Old, Train Shoulders Like Four-Time Mens Physique Olympia Champion Jeremy Buendia, Martins Licis Recaps His Performance at the 2022 Rogue Strongman Invitational. Some lifers may find that bench pressing with a wider grip aggravates the shoulder. He is involved in powerlifting across the board, from athlete to meet director. Id still bet on the close-grip bench press, but Im not sure. Triceps Activation of the Close Grip Bench Press. Dip down to where your upper arms are nearly parallel with the floor and rise back up. As long as you do regular bench presses too I don't see why your chest strength should be negatively affected. Whether you want bigger, stronger triceps, or just want a break from regular bench presses, the close grip bench press is a worthy addition to your workouts. But if youre trying to build bigger triceps, use skull crushers insteadit also works the long heads of the triceps, which are not only quite a bit bigger, but also the area of your triceps thats mostly likely to be lagging behind. Stabilize the weight: Close grip bench press requires a lot of control, especially if you're using a barbell. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Training at home and garage gym setups are increasingly popular options for many. Your hands should be slightly less then shoulder width apart - spread to the width of your clavicles. Additionally, this exercise can be done to overload the triceps to reinforce elbow extension and lockout performance. This makes the close-grip bench press one of the very best lifts for building bigger shoulders. Simply changing the position of your hands turns it into an excellent triceps builder (1). The range of motion of a floor press is reduced as your upper arm will reach the floor before the barbell reaches your chest. Since it is a multi-joint move the benefits are two-fold. His specialty is helping people build muscle to improve their strength and general health, with clients including college, professional, and Olympic athletes. As a beginner lifter your goals should be around developing overall size and strength. Those with longer training histories, a stronger bench press and a more developed physique. Floor Press Guide By combining the floor press with the. This is good though! Their pecs are strong enough to get the bar moving up and off their chests, but, as they approach the end of the rep, their triceps cant lock out the bar. This means that the barbell tends to come down lower on our torso, changing the dynamics of the lift and causing different muscles to be emphasized. If you liked this article, I think youd love our full programs. 4. They can be. No bouncing! Coachs Tip: Think about pressing yourself deeper into the bench as you press the weight upwards. Exercise Instructions: Position yourself on a regular free weight flat bench press. Have a spotter check this for you. Thats where the close-grip bench press comes in. Lie flat on your back and grab the barbell above you with a very narrow grip. This move is more commonly done with a straight bar and is often only performed with an EZ-bar as part of a complex of movements such as pull-overs or skullcrushers. The bench press is great for upper body hypertrophy. PMID 24832974.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Movements like jerks, bench pressing, gymnastics, and overhead movements all require stronger triceps and elbow stability. If you find yourself struggling to lock out your elbows during regular bench presses, the close grip bench press can help. Bring your elbows past your sides . Too much or too little elbow tuck: Using a narrow grip means youll need to keep your elbows close to your sides. Lie face-up on a bench, lifting the weight directly over your head with your arms fully extended. Some lifters may find that switching to a narrower grip takes stress off the shoulder joint, allowing for pain-free pressing. Grab the dumbbells with a tight grip. 1 Set the hooks on a squat rack to about mid-thigh height. That means heels flat on the floor, glutes and abs squeezed, and elbows driving into the bench and never bounce the weight off your torso. This severely limits the amount of weight you can lift, and therefore may restrict how much strength and muscle size you can build. Close grip is a more generic strength/hypertrophy exercise for triceps and easier to setup. Your shoulders should be away from your face. A grip just outside of shoulder width apart works best for most. I would guess that it is, since the supinated grip would force your range of motion to emphasize shoulder flexion, but the only study I know that showed an increase in activation kept loads equal between exercise comparisons. The close-grip bench press isnt exactly an advanced version of the barbell bench press, but its certainly a more specialized variation. The wider the grip, the more emphasis on your pecs. The increased range of motion and extended demands of the triceps at lockout compared to a normal bench press make this great for training your triceps, but also developing your strength at lockout. He's personally gained 65 pounds at 11% body fat and has ten years of experience helping over 10,000 skinny people bulk up. That is the easiest way to damage your wrists and get very little in return. Wed call that something else. The pin press is a bench press variation that can be done to isolate weaknesses in lockout strength and triceps performance. Benefits of Close-Grip Bench Press. Perhaps most of all, its one of the very best assistance lifts for powerlifters who are trying to increase their bench press 1-rep max. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This can also allow lifters some customization of wrist, elbow, shoulder joint angles in the event the predetermined barbell positioning is found to be uncomfortable or straining to the joints. Dana Linn Bailey Smokes Brutal 140 Reps In Smith Machine Bench Press Workout With C.T. 2. Close grip bench press vs wide grip: Muscle growth A wide grip bench press leads to more chest activation, whereas a close grip bench press results in more triceps development. Push the bar back up and repeat. Learn how to do close grip bench presses properly, what mistakes you should avoid, the benefits, and a few variations to use that will liven up your triceps workouts. Then, lower the bar to your chest. There are a few reasons you might want to include it in your routine: The close-grip bench press is a lighter variation of the bench press, often used as an assistance lift in powerlifting programs, given that it bulks up the muscles that tend to limit our 1-rep max bench press strength: our shoulders and triceps. 2 - Reach up and grab the bar with your usual close grip bench press hand position. Think about lowering the weight so your arms form an "L" at the bottom. Going that narrow limits how much your back muscles can help you create a proper platform for your torso, and it also forces your shoulders into a level of internal rotation. Ive tried to explain my logic, cite research when possible, and keep my claims fairly modest. Is there something you feel is contentious that youd like further evidence of? Changes in exercises are more effective than in loading schemes to improve muscle strength. The close-grip bench press is mainly used for gaining strength, but it can also be quite good for building muscle mass. For muscular endurance: 13-20+ reps using less than 67% of your 1RM. If youve mastered the close grip bench press, or simply want to add some diversity to your triceps workouts, here are three variations and alternatives to try. The EZ-bar French press hammers the long head, but it's also one of the most commonly botched exercises in the gym. The close grip bench press targets the chest muscles more than other muscle groups in this exercise. This exercise offers a great way to train the chest, especially for those who . If their triceps are not a weakness in the bench press, or physique, then they can invest this training into addressing other areas. The close-grip bench press is an awesome bench press variation for isolating and training to improve tricep strength, size, and pressing power. Individual differences may be seen using a wide variety of grip placements, and therefore coaches and athletes should determine which width maximizes triceps engagement and minimizes stress on the wrist and shoulder joints. The reverse-grip bench is good for the upper chest for sure, and muscle growth in general. However, they should consider manipulating grip width and rep range across their sessions and look to include variations that target the triceps more at the top of the range of motion. Hi Shane, can we conclude that we can replace inclined benching with close grip flat benching if goal is to focus on upper chest and front delts? Diamond push-ups 7. A good rule of thumb is to go shoulder width or narrower and base hand placement on whats most comfortable. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting. The triceps have three distinct heads, the lateral, medial and long heads, and all three are called upon for maximal recruitment during the close-grip version of the bench; few moves will overload this trio of muscles better. Hypertrophy Training Volume: How Many Sets to Build Muscle? 9. The movement will also indirectly target the muscles of the chest and shoulders. The wider your normal grip, the more youll need to adjust. The close-grip bench press works the fronts of our shoulders (anterior deltoids), our upper chests (the clavicular fibres), and the shorter heads of our triceps, like so: Its often said that the close-grip bench press is a lift designed to bulk up your triceps, and thats true, but theres quite a bit more to it than that. The triceps' primary function is to lock out your arm, and the close grip bench press is the master at building your lockout for your bench press. The legs, glutes, and back muscles should be contracted as they provide a stable base for you to press from. You can also perform this exercise using a neutral or palms facing inward grip. Grip can be slightly narrower than shoulder width but not too close. On this blog we share all the things we wish we knew when getting started. You're also staying in a position that forces your triceps to drive the motion. So, when and why should you do the close-grip bench press? The chest and shoulders are also involved in this motion. Bench press can be enough for triceps for more advanced lifters. Eb says: Conventional bench presses have you lowering the bar to your lower chest, and you may be tempted to try to do that with the close-grip press. 1- Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. For Better Triceps Development: The Close-Grip Board Press Functionally similar to the pin press, the board press places a flat implement on the exerciser's chest as a method of reducing the total range of motion and thereby altering what particular muscles are worked by the exercise. Im Avi Silverberg and this is the place where my friends and I nerd out about powerlifting technique. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000539. Still not sold on the close grip bench press? All Rights Reserved. That means that if we want to increase our maximal bench press strength, it can really help to use assistance lifts that target the front delts and shorter heads of the triceps. Strength, power, and fitness athletes can integrate this exercise within strength and hypertrophy programs to boost performance in lifts like the bench press, snatch, jerk, log press, handstand push-ups, and more. As a result, the close-grip bench press is typically used as a lighter assistance lift that helps us gain size in our front delts, upper chest, and shorter heads of our triceps. That, in the picture there, is not a close grip bench press. Without resting, move back to: Lying EZ-Bar Triceps Extensions to Forehead 4-6 RM. Be sure to pull the barbell to the base of the chest (just above the sternum) so that the elbows are roughly 45 degrees from the torso. The close grip bench press is a variation of the bench press and an exercise used to build muscle and strength in the triceps. But before deciding on just using the bench press to train triceps, here are the pros and cons: Check out my article on the 16 Best Tricep Exercises To Increase Bench Press. The primary difference is that your hands should now be at least one fist-width (four to six inches) closer than the chest-focused exercise. Muscles. Saving time can be crucial for individuals, and in these cases the bench press is good enough for triceps. Then, grab the bench with your buttocks and upper back. the close-grip press is a great option when the desire is to emphasize the triceps and anterior deltoids slightly more than a basic bench press in a similar way to a parallel bar dip: when the arms stay closer to the body, the pec major's role is de-emphasized because of the reduced range of motion in the shoulder; concurrently, the elbow flexion 7. In these scenarios, dropping the 2-3 other exercises you may usually do for triceps may be optimal. Your email address will not be published. Eventually, it'll limit your ability to really add weight to the move. Maybe a triceps press or a JM press. Too close of grip can decrease range of motion, may tend to hyper-adduct wrist joint, and unnecessarily decrease stability of bar. By using dumbbells, you can address any asymmetries and muscular imbalances that may go unnoticed with barbells. Remember to push through the press with both hands equally until your arms are extended (but not locked). 3 - Unrack the bar, bend your arms and lower the weight down until your triceps lightly touch the floor. By performing a close-grip bench press to a board (placed on the chest), the range of motion is decreased the thickness of the board. Your eyes should be directly under the bar. Pull your shoulders down and back, arch your lower back, and plant your feet firmly on the floor. The narrow grip will place more emphasis on the triceps and shoulder muscles while de-emphasizing the chest muscles. The back should be flexed with the chest up due to thoracic extension. Is the bench press good enough for triceps? It Is A Safe Way To Focus On Your Triceps. Close Grip Bench Press The Close Grip Bench Press is my favourite bench press variant for the triceps. For overall triceps mass, skull crushers are likely better than the close grip bench press because they put the long head of the triceps under a greater stretch. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Also see Bench Press Analysis. This will minimize the stress on your wrists and elbows. If you really want to maximize growth, try adding accommodating resistance (chains or bands) to overload the top half of the movement which is the phase that emphasizes the triceps. Begin with 4-5 heavy sets of your favorite tricep-dominant press: close-grip bench press, decline bench, dips, reverse-grip bench, or close-grip floor press. When not lecturing, training, researching, or writing, Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate of Cyprus, where he has lived for the last 20-years.
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