Muscles worked
What the close-grip bench press trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Set the rack. Put the J-hooks where you can unrack with your arms almost straight, and set the safeties just below chest height.
- 02
Eyes under the bar. Lie down so the bar is straight above your eyes. Too far down the bench and you clip the hooks on every rep.
- 03
Grip about shoulder width. Place your hands about shoulder width apart, or just inside it, which is narrower than your normal bench grip. Check that your forearms are close to vertical, with wrists over elbows, when the bar is on your chest. Wrap your thumbs around the bar.
- 04
Stack your wrists. Let the bar sit low in your palm, over your forearm bones, so your wrists stay straight rather than bent back.
- 05
Shoulder blades back. Pull your shoulder blades together and down, like putting them in your back pockets. Keep them there for the whole set.
- 06
Feet down. Plant your feet flat, a bit behind your knees. Your glutes stay on the bench; a small natural arch in your back is fine.
Step by step
How to do the close-grip bench press
- 01
Unrack. Take a breath, lift the bar off the hooks and bring it out until it sits over your shoulders with your arms straight.
- 02
Lower. Bring the bar down under control with your elbows tucked closer to your body than the roughly 45 degrees of a regular bench, so they point back toward your hips. Keep them close to your sides, not jammed into them.
- 03
Touch the lower chest. Touch lightly at your lower chest, around the bottom of your breastbone. This is a little lower than a regular bench because your elbows are tucked. Do not bounce.
- 04
Press. Drive your feet into the floor and press the bar up and slightly back, so it finishes over your shoulders. Keep your elbows tucked until your arms are straight.
- 05
Rack. After the last rep, lock your arms out and move the bar back into the uprights before you bend your elbows.
Cues to say in your head
- Eyes under the bar
- Wrists over elbows
- Tuck elbows toward hips
- Touch low, then drive
- Push the floor away
- Lock it out
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Hands too close together
Widen to about shoulder width. A grip with your hands almost touching bends your wrists and strains your elbows without adding much triceps work.
Elbows flaring out on the way up
Keep your elbows tucked toward your hips for the whole rep. If they flare out as you press, more of the load goes back to your chest and shoulders, so lower the weight.
Bar touching too high on the chest
Aim for your lower chest. With tucked elbows, touching at mid or upper chest pulls your forearms out of vertical and stresses the shoulders.
Bent-back wrists
Set the bar low in your palm, over your forearm bones. If your wrists still bend, your grip is probably too narrow.
Bouncing the bar off your chest
Lower with control and touch. A bounce hides a weak bottom position and can bruise your sternum.
Hips lifting off the bench
Drive your feet down and back, not up. If your glutes rise, the weight is too heavy or your feet are too far forward.
Stay safe
Press in a rack with safeties set just below your chest, or with a spotter standing behind your head, any time a set is close to failure. If you miss a rep, lower the bar under control onto the safeties, or have your spotter help you lift it back to the hooks. Do not use a thumbless grip; it is how bars roll out of hands. If you are training alone without safeties, leave the collars off so you can tip the plates off one side if you get stuck. Stop and get your elbows or wrists checked if you feel sharp pain there rather than muscle fatigue; a grip that is too narrow is a common cause.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3 to 5 | 3 to 6 | 80–90% 1RM | 2 to 4 min |
| Muscle | 3 to 4 | 6 to 12 | 67–80% 1RM | 1.5 to 3 min |
| Technique | 3 to 4 | 8 to 12 | 50–65% 1RM | 1 to 2 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Muscle sets
145–175lb
3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps, 1.5 to 3 min rest. The usual range when you use it as a triceps builder after your main press. Take sets close to failure with clean elbow tuck.
Warm up to 160 lb
Tap a set to see its plates.
45 + 10 + 2.5
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Close-Grip Bench Press questions
What muscles does the close-grip bench press work?
It works the triceps, chest and front shoulders, with the triceps doing more than in a regular bench. Your lats and upper back hold the bar steady, and your legs keep you tight on the bench.
Is the close-grip bench good for triceps?
Yes. It is one of the few triceps exercises you can load heavily, so it builds both size and lockout strength. Many programs use it as the main triceps lift and add pushdowns or skull crushers after it.
How wide should my grip be on a close-grip bench?
About shoulder width, or just inside it, so your forearms are close to vertical with the bar on your chest. Going much narrower mostly bends your wrists and strains your elbows.
Where should the bar touch on a close-grip bench press?
On your lower chest, around the bottom of your breastbone. Tucked elbows bring the bar down a little lower than a regular bench.
Is close-grip bench press harder than regular bench?
Usually, yes: most people handle a little less weight with a close grip, since the bar travels a bit farther and the triceps do more of the work. Pick your load from your own close-grip sets rather than your regular bench numbers.
Should I do close-grip bench before or after regular bench?
Usually after, as a second press on the same day, or as the main press on a lighter bench day. Doing it first tires your triceps before your heaviest bench sets.
Train in Protocol
Log your close-grip bench press by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.