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Close-Grip Bench Press

Close-Grip Bench Press trains 3 of the 18 muscle groups Full Coverage tracks: Triceps 90%, Chest 45%, Front delts 20%.

Accessory Level: Intermediate BarbellBench Push Easy on the lower backEasy on the kneesNo load on the spineEasy on the shoulders

Close-Grip Bench Press - Start position
Start position
Close-Grip Bench Press - Finish position
Finish position

How to do it

  1. Lie on a flat bench and grip the bar about shoulder-width, no narrower.
  2. Unrack and hold it over your chest, shoulder blades pulled together.
  3. Lower to your lower chest with your elbows tucked close to your ribs.
  4. Press back up, driving through your triceps.
  5. A grip narrower than shoulder-width strains the wrists without adding triceps work.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

Light Main

How it compares

Compared with the Skullcrusher, it loads Chest 45 points higher, Front delts 20 points higher, Forearms 15 points lower. Compared with the Bench Dips, it loads Chest 25 points higher, Front delts 5 points higher, Triceps 5 points higher. It needs Barbell + Bench where the other uses Bodyweight + Bench.

Other ways to train this

Other exercises for the Triceps

Related guides

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.

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