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How to do it
- Lie on the bench with eyes under the bar and feet planted flat on the floor for a stable base.
- Grip the bar with hands about shoulder-width apart, slightly inside your normal bench grip.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and down, then unrack the bar to full arm extension over the chest.
- Lower the bar slowly to the lower chest with elbows tucked close to your sides at around 30 to 45 degrees.
- Pause briefly at the chest, keeping the wrists stacked over the elbows and full-body tension intact.
- Press the bar back up by driving through the triceps until the arms are fully locked out.
Common mistakes
- Gripping the bar too narrow, which strains the wrists without adding any extra triceps work.
- Letting the elbows flare out wide, turning the lift back into a regular bench and reducing triceps load.
- Bouncing the bar off the chest to use momentum instead of a controlled pause and press.
- Allowing the wrists to bend back under the bar, which leaks force and stresses the joints.
Muscles worked
Same movement, other equipment
Plans that include the Barbell Close Grip Bench Press
Similar exercises
Good to know
- What muscles does the Barbell Close Grip Bench Press work?
- Mainly the triceps. It also works the chest.
- What equipment do you need for the Barbell Close Grip Bench Press?
- It uses a barbell. Without it, the Close-Grip Push-Up off a Dumbbell and the Bench Dips train the same muscles the same way.
- Is the Barbell Close Grip Bench Press good for beginners?
- GymVim rates it intermediate. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Bench Dips.