In bodybuilding, the close-grip bench press is one of the basic and most popular movements for pumping up the triceps. The narrow press provides a powerful workout and is ideal for increasing size and strength of the triceps brachii muscle.
Pros and cons of the exercise
The close-grip press has an impressive number of advantages and a few disadvantages that are worth considering. This will help you get the most out of the exercise and make the triceps bench press truly effective.
Main advantages:
The close-grip barbell press is considered the most effective and basic basic movement for working the triceps. Despite the enormous benefits The exercise also has a number of disadvantages:
- When performing bench triceps barbell presses, any limiting muscle area (such as weak hands) will reduce the weight used and the load on the target area.
- A number of studies show that it is practically not included in the work when performing a barbell press with a narrow grip in a conventional technique.
This does not allow us to perceive the close-grip triceps press as an exercise for developing all the bundles. Therefore, it must be supplemented with other movements in which the main load is on the long head (for example,).
What muscles work
With a narrow grip, the following are involved:
- Triceps.
- (middle part).
Auxiliary zones:
- (mostly static).
- and (responsible for stabilizing the body and arms).
A huge contribution to the study of the effectiveness of the close-grip triceps bench press was made by the research of Professor Kawakami, one of the leading researchers in the world. A three-month experiment showed which muscles work in a close-grip barbell press. It turned out that the long head (the most massive and determines the volume of the muscle) practically does not work in this movement. This also affects her hypertrophy, which in the close-grip triceps barbell press was practically zero, against the backdrop of the progression of other beams.
Close-grip barbell press technique
Despite the fact that the technique of performing a triceps press with a narrow grip is quite simple, its perfect mastery is mandatory. This is where athletes of any level should start before progressing and increasing the weight of the weight.
Classic close grip bench press technique:
- Lie down on a bench, pressing your pelvis, shoulder blades and back of your head tightly against it. Take the bar so that there is a distance of 26-30 cm between your hands (22-25 for women).
- Remove the bar from the supports and hold it above your chest. Begin to lower the barbell slowly and under control to your lower chest.
- Without pausing, push the weight upward with a more powerful movement.
The position of your elbows partially influences which muscles are worked.
- Partial elbow extension can slightly increase the load on the long head, but this technique is considered too traumatic and therefore is not used in sports.
- Your forearms should “go” down perpendicular to the floor.
- Also, at the top point, it is forbidden to fully extend the elbows; to avoid stress on the joint, it is necessary to maintain minimal bending in the joint.
Smith machine close grip press
Performing the Smith close-grip press can be a good alternative not only for beginners, but also for advanced athletes. This option is well suited for overcoming stagnation. Also, the exercise allows you to reduce the load on some muscles, thereby increasing the quality of triceps work.
Technically, this version is no different from working with a free barbell, but the following should be taken into account: peculiarities:
- It is important to lie down correctly on the bench and position the bench so that the secured bar falls to the lower part of the chest. To do this, it is always recommended to perform the first test set without additional weight.
- In this option, the maximum possible weight of the projectile will be higher than when working with a free barbell (this is facilitated by a fixed bar). This should be taken into account for the correct load of the target zone.
How to replace the exercise
Theoretically, the close-grip flat bench press can be replaced with any other basic movement:
- Press a dumbbell or kettlebell using a similar technique (replacing the apparatus).
- (hands are placed closer to each other).
However, such a “replacement” should be considered in the context of introducing variety into training and working the muscle from different angles. In terms of effectiveness for the shoulder girdle and triceps, the exercise is still one of the leaders, so its exclusion from the program is not recommended. The only actual cause may be injuries (for example, in the hand area), which do not allow technically correct execution of all elements of the movement.
This is a basic exercise that initially involves the use of heavy weights, since the load falls on a large number of muscles at the same time. It is impossible to target the triceps in this movement. For this, isolation exercises, such as others, are used.
Given the use of large weights and the effectiveness of working with weights in the range of 55-80% of 1RM, the number of repetitions per set should not be large.
- To develop strength, it is recommended to perform 4-6 repetitions.
- For the purpose of maximum hypertrophy - from 7 to 10.
Excellent results are demonstrated (a partner is needed to throw the pancakes), forced repetitions and failure approaches. These techniques help create maximum stress and the subsequent anabolic response.
An important aspect is to draw up a program in such a way that the day of the arms does not overlap with the day of working on the chest. An excess of the same type of movements can negatively affect the growth of muscle mass throughout the shoulder girdle.
Close-grip bench press technique in video format
- The benefits of performing this exercise;
- How to properly do a bench press with a narrow grip;
- Typical beginner mistakes;
- Recommendations for girls.
Benefits of exercise
The benefits of the exercise are obvious - the bench press with a narrow grip perfectly loads the medial head of the triceps, making it stronger and larger, due to which the visual volume of the arm is created, and the triceps create about 60% of its total volume. In addition, in this exercise, part of the load falls on the front deltoids and the inner part of the pectoral muscles, while the static load is carried by the abdominal muscles and upper back.
By working with decent weights in this exercise, we also strengthen the ligaments of the elbow joints, which increases our record performance in the classic bench press. Having strong ligaments and tendons, it is easier for the athlete to control the apparatus throughout the entire approach, since he does not waste strength on stabilizing the bar and keeping it in balance. In addition, strong triceps allow you to cover the last precious 20-30 cm of amplitude in the wide grip bench press, which, as practice shows, usually causes the greatest difficulty. Therefore, all athletes interested in powerlifting and bench press will benefit from paying special attention to this exercise.
Correct technique for performing the exercise
Your entire result depends on how unquestioningly you follow the technique of performing a bench press with a narrow grip and “catch” the contraction of the necessary muscle groups, whether it is aimed at developing strength indicators or gaining muscle mass.
Let's look at the most common option in gyms for correctly performing this exercise on a horizontal bench.
Initial position
Lie down on a bench so that the bar of the barbell is approximately at eye level. We try to bring the shoulder blades together, the back of the head and pelvis are pressed tightly to the bench, for greater control over the position of the body on the bench, statically tighten the buttocks. We press our feet firmly into the floor, it is advisable to do this with the whole foot, focusing on the heels - this way your position will be more stable, but this moment depends on the flexibility of your ankle joints. Wrap your hands tightly around the bar, using a closed grip. The grip width is slightly narrower than shoulder width. Your elbows should be slightly bent.
Straighten your elbows and lift the barbell off the rack using the force of your triceps. This moment is the most traumatic for our wrists.
When working with serious weights in the bench press with a narrow grip, I recommend using special wrist supports made of hard but stretchy material.
Now place the barbell above your lower chest, just short of your solar plexus.
Begin to smoothly lower the barbell down until the bar touches your chest, taking a deep breath. The elbows should move as close to the body as possible, while placing them to the sides or trying to bring them inward can result in injury.
Barbell bench press
When you touch the bar to your chest, begin to press the barbell up, exhaling powerfully; pausing on the chest in the bench press with a close grip is not necessary, since here we are pursuing slightly different goals than developing the explosive strength of the pectoral muscles and shoulder girdle. At this point, you will feel a contraction of the inner chest and medial triceps. Perform one repetition, fully straightening your elbows and pausing for a second at the top point, then lower the bar to your chest again, trying to work in the same trajectory.
The technique of performing a barbell press with a narrow grip is shown in this video:
If you want to increase the intensity of this exercise, try doing the bench press with a close grip, not fully straightening your elbows at the top and working without stopping in any position.
There is another variation of performing a barbell press with a narrow grip - lying on an inclined bench, however, this exercise has not gained mass popularity among gym goers due to its technical complexity. Indeed, it is quite difficult to “catch” the contraction of the muscle groups we need; with the correct technique, the load is accentuated in the middle of the upper chest, the so-called “collar”.
The main technical difference here is that you should try to place the barbell not on the lower part of the chest, but almost on the collarbone. In this case, it is not necessary to do the exercise in full amplitude (until the bar touches the chest), it is necessary to catch the point at which the section of the pectoral muscles that interests us will be stretched as much as possible, and try to stay in this position for a second or two - this way the contraction of the “collar” will be most noticeable . If you get a good feel for the biomechanics of the close grip incline press, your upper pecs will look really powerful and massive.
Typical beginner mistakes
We have figured out the correct technique for performing a bench press with a narrow grip, but some athletes manage to make technical mistakes completely out of nowhere. Let's look at the most popular ones together.
Incorrect elbow position
In inexperienced athletes, the elbows tend to “spread” to the sides when lowering the barbell, which can lead to serious injuries to the elbow joints. To avoid this, try to mentally concentrate on the position of your hands, as if trying to press them to your ribs.
Open grip
Many athletes perform bench press exercises with a barbell with an open grip, citing the fact that this way they can better feel the contraction of the pectoral muscles. The statement is very controversial, I think, if there is a difference, it is mainly at the level of self-hypnosis. Be that as it may, when working with an open grip, even an experienced athlete risks dropping the barbell on his chest at any moment, and the outcome can be disastrous.
Warm-up
The exercise should begin with warm-up approaches. No matter how strong you are, any pressing exercise should begin with warm-up sets with minimal weights, for example, with an empty bar. This way, you will not only warm up all your joints and ligaments well before performing working approaches, but you will also mentally concentrate better on hard work, which will make the workout even more productive.
Grip width
Many short-sighted athletes take the phrase “close-grip bench press” too literally and place their hands almost close to each other. This should not be done; with such a narrow positioning of your hands, you will not be able to hold your elbows and torsos. The optimal width is slightly narrower than shoulder level, usually at approximately the level of the inner edge of the notches on the fingerboard.
Pelvic avulsion
The buttocks should be pressed firmly against the bench throughout the entire approach. By tearing them off, you create unwanted compression on the intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine and lose concentration on movement. The situation is similar with the back of the head - it also should not be torn away from the bench.
Proper distribution of load during training
Remember that heavy compound exercises, such as the close-grip bench press, require enormous energy expenditure and enormous recovery resources. Therefore, if your workout already contains, for example, a heavy classic bench press, you should not go out of your way to show maximum results in the close-grip bench press, this idea will not turn out to be anything good in the end. Practice this exercise with lighter weights and more repetitions for optimal results.
Forced reps
Don't get carried away with forced repetitions. Working in the negative phase with the help of a partner is an excellent aid for the bench press, but we would not recommend doing the same in the bench press with a close grip - it puts too much stress on the elbow joints.
Weak triceps are the problem of many girls who lead a sedentary lifestyle. If the muscles are not in good shape, and the girl is also overweight, the skin in these places becomes flabby, and her hands look ugly and not well-groomed. To visually minimize this effect, I advise girls to include the close-grip bench press in their training program. Work with light weights in a high rep range (12 and above), gradually increasing the load. Don't worry: this won't give you huge muscles, but your arms will quickly get in shape.
Even more effective for acquiring good muscle tone in the arms is to do a close-grip press in conjunction with another isolated triceps exercise, for example, a French press with a dumbbell or push-ups with a back support. This way you will work all three bundles of the triceps brachii muscle and give it good stress.
Video: Close-grip bench press
Close grip bench press
The close-grip barbell press is one of the basic exercises in bodybuilding. It is used by athletes with extensive experience; it is better to include the bench press in the program through training. For a high-quality effect, you need to perform 4 approaches, 10-12 repetitions in one approach.
The close-grip barbell press is performed by both women and men. This type of bench press differs from the classic exercise; a much larger number of muscles are involved here.
When performed correctly, it works the triceps of the arm and shoulder, pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, elbow muscles, subscapularis and latissimus dorsi.
The exercise can be called universal, since basically any press affects the chest and some parts of the arms. Of course, the back muscles are also involved, but the effect that a narrow grip gives is very difficult to achieve with other equipment. With a narrow grip, the abdominal muscles and trapezius are also included in the work. Thus, by doing chest exercises, the athlete will be able to strengthen other parts of his body.
Since a special type of grip is used for the exercise, it is necessary to control the position of the hands. Many people believe that a narrow grip means that the hands are as close as possible, almost overlapping each other. But this opinion is wrong, and if you perform the exercise this way, you can easily and quickly get injured. Therefore, all exercises with barbells must be done in the presence of a trainer.
A narrow grip is the placement of the hands at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from each other on the bar. It is important to grasp firmly, but not to wring your hands and, feeling discomfort, grab the bar. If you don’t do this, you can damage your wrist joints and prevent yourself from working in the gym for a long time.
Since a large load falls on the hands, sports gloves or bandages should be used. Even if you don't feel pain, this will help avoid discomfort and calluses in the future.
Technique
- The exercise is done lying down, so the bench is an important element. It must be installed in a position convenient for the athlete.
- It is necessary to press your back, buttocks and shoulder blades against the bench, you cannot tear yourself away from it when doing the press, or arch your body. All these are safety rules, if not followed, you can cause serious injury to your back.
- The legs should rest firmly on the floor, and they should also be spread as wide as possible.
- As you exhale, the barbell is lifted down; after passing the most difficult part of the lift, you can inhale. At the top, you should hold your hands for at least three seconds, while additionally straining all the large and small muscles of the chest.
After exhaling, you should lower the bar to your chest and press it up again in the same mode.
Sport causes changes in human systems: the body gets used to muscle activity. But changes in functional systems are different. The triceps is the skeletal triceps brachii muscle located on the back of the humerus. The muscle consists of three heads - long, medial, lateral.
The muscle performs the function of flexion and extension of the elbow. By mass, the triceps occupies two-thirds of the mass of the shoulder muscles. The close-grip bench press is one of the most effective basic exercises for developing triceps and gaining muscle mass in the arms.
Remember that before strength exercises you need to do a warm-up. Warm-up includes performing general strengthening exercises (the same for everyone: running, jumping, stretching, etc.) and special exercises (related to a specific sport). The optimal duration of warm-up and the size of the interval between its end and the beginning of work depends on the nature of the work ahead, the person’s fitness level, his gender, age, and external factors (weather). The duration of muscle warming is different for everyone.
Close-grip press technique
It is a mistaken belief that only men build muscles. Bench press with a narrow grip is performed by both young girls and adult women. Almost all triceps exercises work all three heads of muscles. You should start pumping up muscles in the gym with basic exercises, and the close-grip bench press is ideal for both beginners in the world of bodybuilding and professionals, both men and women. Also, a close-grip bench press is performed so that later in a regular bench press you can handle a larger weight.
Externally, a narrow bench press is similar to a regular bench press, the only difference being the width of the grip and the path of the barbell. The bench press with a narrow grip is performed in a Smith machine or a power rack; which exercise machines to choose is a matter of taste and habit. For beginners, the Smith machine is more suitable, because in it the bar moves strictly along a certain trajectory. But bench press with a regular barbell is more convenient, as it is familiar to the triceps.
So, the technique for performing a bench press with a narrow grip will be as follows:
- Starting position - lying on a bench face up, feet firmly on the floor, barbell above your head, straight grip.
- Smoothly lower the barbell to the bottom of your chest, straightening the elbow joint (not the shoulder joint), touch your chest and immediately raise the barbell as high as possible, fully extending your elbows. At the top point, hold for 5 seconds, then lift the barbell again a little more slowly. You can vary the grip width and elbow angle. You should not stop at the bottom point, since this involves not the triceps, but the pectoral muscles. It is important to stop breathing while releasing the projectile.
- Do 6 approaches of 15 times for men; for women, 3 approaches of 10 times are enough (focus on your well-being and experience).
It is better to first try the technique with an empty bar. Do not take the weight of the projectile too heavy for yourself.
The narrower your grip, the more active your triceps will be. It is correct when the elbows form a very small angle with the body. It is wrong to grab with a grip that is too narrow, because there is a risk of injuring your elbows and wrists or losing the center of gravity of the projectile. If you feel pain in your wrists, make your grip a little wider or don't lower the bar too low.
The grip width is individual for each person, most often it is equal to or slightly narrower than shoulder width. Do not use an open grip (with your thumb not resting on the other four fingers), otherwise you risk dropping the barbell.
A short bar is preferable to a long one, because the length of the bar is directly proportional to the width of the grip. At the end point, stop for 3-5 seconds. While doing this, do not bend your lower back and do not lift your head, legs, back, or hips from the surface.
This exercise works the triceps, as well as the upper chest and anterior deltoid muscles. To ensure that most of the load goes directly to the triceps, follow the correct technique and focus on the triceps, otherwise the load will be equally distributed between the above muscles.
For some, a month is enough to move from “beginners” to the “pro” category, while for others even six months is not enough, it all depends on the level of body fat (the lower it is, the sooner things will go well) and the individual characteristics of the body. To achieve beautiful triceps you need to train for about three months.
Warning for girls: you should do the barbell press with a narrow grip, but you shouldn’t get carried away with it, because such exercises reduce the size of your breasts.
Among the many exercises that are specifically designed to work the triceps, the classic close-grip bench press is especially effective. Without this exercise, it is almost impossible to achieve ideal muscle hypertrophy and build truly powerful, massive triceps. However, the barbell press is effective only when performed correctly. Let's figure out how to do the exercise so that the training is as productive as possible.
What muscles work
The close-grip bench press is an excellent load option that allows you to increase the volume and bulk of your triceps. With the correct method of execution, most of the load is distributed on the triceps, or rather, on its longest beam, which is least amenable to strength training.
More than half of the movement of the barbell occurs precisely thanks to the work of the triceps, which makes it possible to make it stronger and larger. The lateral and medial bundles also take on a significant load, resulting in a colossal leap in the development of the arm muscle group. 
In “collaboration” with the triceps, the large muscles of the thoracic region additionally function. However, you need to remember that with a wider grip and moving your elbows to the sides, they take the main load on themselves. The bench press also works the deltoids and forearm muscles. During the exercise, the core muscles, which are responsible for stabilizing the human body, receive a small static load during the exercise.
Did you know? Today, the bench press exercise is a separate discipline within the traditional bench press, where one competes to lift the maximum amount of weight.
Variations
There are various variations of the close-grip bench press, so when pumping up the triceps, you can not limit yourself to the classic version, but use other types of exercises:
How to do it right
It should be noted that more than half of those people who come to the gym have a rather poor understanding of how to properly perform a bench press using a narrow grip. And it’s completely in vain, because in this case you should pay attention to absolutely all aspects and the smallest details, from the location of the elbows to the position of the feet.
The grip in such an exercise, although not the most important aspect, is still responsible for the muscle group that will be worked. If the grip is too wide, it will be quite difficult to engage the triceps, since in this position the main load falls on the muscles of the pectoral area.
To maximally load the triceps, you should take the bar slightly narrower than shoulder width, while lowering the bar, there should be no discomfort, let alone painful sensations in the area of the elbow joints and hands. 
At the same time, a grip that is too narrow puts a high load on the elbows and hands and does not allow them to be held at the required level. Such an arrangement of the hands can lead to damage and injury to the joints, as well as the formation of a disease such as hygroma.
Important! When training in the bench press with heavy weights, it is recommended to use wrist supports made of a hard but elastic material to avoid injuries and sprains.
Execution technique
The barbell press is a rather traumatic exercise, so it should be performed with great care, adhering to all technical instructions. The correct technology for performing a bench press with a barbell with a narrow grip consists of the following steps:
- Prepare a barbell, load it with the required number of “pancakes”, depending on the person’s physical fitness.
- Take a starting position on the sports bench: lie horizontally on the bench, point your face up, firmly fix your legs on the floor covering. The bar should be placed at the level of the bridge of the nose.
- Place your hands on the barbell with a narrow grip, slightly wider than your shoulders, remove the apparatus from the support racks, and hold it above your chest with outstretched arms.
- As you exhale, slowly lower the barbell so that it touches your lower chest area. In this case, you need to keep your elbows as close to the body as possible and make sure that they do not move apart.
- Without pauses, while inhaling, sharply, with a powerful push, squeeze the projectile using the triceps force to the starting position. At the same time, at the highest point, fully straighten your arms at the elbows in order to stretch the triceps as fully as possible.
- Do the exercise the required number of times.
Video: Technique for performing bench press with a narrow grip
Number of approaches and repetitions
The number of approaches and repetitions will directly depend on the goals of the training. If the goal is:
- weight loss, drying hands, then you need to do 2-4 sets of 15-25 times, with a rest break of up to 2 minutes;
- weight gain, volume gain, then it is recommended to perform 3-6 approaches of 6-12 times, with a rest interval of 1-4 minutes;
- development of strength and endurance, then in such cases you need to do 2-6 approaches of 1-5 times, with a pause between sets of 3-7 minutes.
Did you know? The world record in the equipment bench press belongs to Ryan Kennelly, an American athlete who was able to bench press 486 kg. American Brian Siders achieved world record results in the bare bench press. His weight was 352.5 kg.
It is often difficult for beginners to do a bench press with a narrow grip correctly the first time, so when performing it they should pay attention to the technical nuances and study the most common mistakes that occur when working with the apparatus. 
Common mistakes made by newbies
Any exercise has only one variant of correct execution and dozens of incorrect ones. Many athletes, when performing such a press, make a number of technical mistakes that can be easily avoided:
Important! When lifting the barbell, exhale through the mouth, and when lowering, inhale through the nose. Not the other way around!
Nuances and tricks for implementation
Professional athletes advise that when performing a bench press with a barbell, you should adhere to some recommendations that allow you to make your training as effective and productive as possible:
- You should not lower the projectile to the middle of the pectoral muscles: such a position, from the point of view of triceps anatomy, is disadvantageous for the muscle, as it significantly limits its strength. To load the triceps as much as possible, the bar must be lowered to the very bottom of the chest.
- It is impossible for the elbows to move in different directions: they should work up/down exclusively along the body.
- During the bench press, you should not lift your pelvis off the bench, as this can lead to spinal injury.
- If you feel discomfort in your wrists during training, then it is recommended: firstly, check the width of your grip, and secondly, replace the straight bar with a curved one.
- Before performing, be sure to do a light warm-up to warm up your muscles.
What can be replaced
Professionals say that no other triceps exercise can compete with the close-grip bench press in terms of effectiveness and effect. But for novice athletes, such an exercise can be quite difficult technically. In such cases, you can solve the problem by replacing the bench press with other variations:
Such exercises can not only become an alternative to the bench press, but can also be a wonderful addition to an effective workout.
The close-grip bench press is a classic exercise for working the triceps for good reason. It allows you to pump up this muscle group efficiently, as well as quickly increase muscle mass and volume. However, in order to properly engage the triceps, you should carefully study the technology of performing the press and focus on the smallest details, such as grip width, elbow position, and correct breathing.
