Close-grip bench press

Name: Close-grip bench press exercise demonstration
Uploaded: 2026-09-13
Duration: PT6.54S
Description: A close-grip bench press is a flat barbell bench press performed with the hands around shoulder width instead of the wider spacing commonly used for a standard bench press. The closer hand position usually brings the elbows nearer the torso. It is commonly used as a triceps-focused press, while the pectoralis major and anterior deltoid still help move the bar.

Also called close grip bench press, narrow-grip bench press, close-grip barbell bench press.

What is a close-grip bench press?

A close-grip bench press is a flat barbell bench press performed with the hands around shoulder width instead of the wider spacing commonly used for a standard bench press. The closer hand position usually brings the elbows nearer the torso. It is commonly used as a triceps-focused press, while the pectoralis major and anterior deltoid still help move the bar.

Two anatomical illustrations of a man performing a close-grip barbell bench press on a flat bench against a white background. In the left frame, the loaded bar is lowered to the lower chest with the elbows bent close to the torso. In the right frame, the bar is held above the chest with the arms straight. The hands are set roughly around shoulder width, visibly closer than on a standard wide-grip bench press. Red shading is strongest over the triceps on the backs of the upper arms, with additional shading across the chest and front shoulders. A bench rack is visible behind the bar in both frames. The feet and legs are visible, but their placement is not clear enough to demonstrate a standard planted-foot setup.

How do you perform a close-grip bench press?

Set up

Set the rack so you can clear the hooks with nearly straight arms. Position safety arms just below your chest-level bar path, or ask for a spotter on hard sets.
Lie with your eyes under the bar, your feet planted and your glutes on the bench. Hold the bar around shoulder width with your thumbs wrapped and your wrists stacked over your forearms.
Draw your shoulder blades back and down, brace your torso, and lift the bar from the hooks to a steady position above your shoulders.

Execution

Lower the bar under control toward the lower edge of your chest. Let your elbows track nearer your sides than in a standard bench press without forcing them against your ribs.
Touch the chest lightly while keeping each wrist above its forearm; do not bounce or let the grip collapse inward.
Press the bar back to straight arms over your shoulders while your feet, glutes and upper back stay planted.
After the last rep, hold the bar steady at straight arms, guide it into both hooks and lower it onto the rack before releasing your grip.

Common mistakes

Putting the hands almost together
An extreme grip bends the wrists sideways and gives the bar a less stable base without turning the movement into a better triceps exercise. Start around shoulder width and adjust only enough to keep the wrists and elbows comfortably stacked.
Forcing the elbows against the ribs
A close grip naturally brings the elbows nearer the torso, but pinning them hard against it can pull the wrists away from the forearms and make the bar drift toward the stomach. Let the elbows follow the hands.
Bouncing the bar to escape the bottom
The closer grip usually means less weight than a regular bench press. Bouncing hides that difference and removes control at the point where you must reverse the bar.
Taking a hard set without safeties or a spotter
The bar finishes directly above the torso, and a failed rep has nowhere safe to go. Set the safety arms before loading the bar or use a spotter who understands when to help.

Where it fits in a session

Use it as the main press on a triceps-focused day or after a standard bench press as a more elbow-extension-heavy variation.

Expect to use less weight than with your usual bench grip. Keep the two lifts as separate log entries so a change in hand spacing does not look like lost or gained strength.

Muscles worked

Front

Back

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The standard movement references classify the triceps as the target and the chest and front shoulder as assisting muscles. All three remain involved in this compound press. That classification is not a measured percentage of their contribution, and a narrower grip does not consistently produce greater triceps activity than a medium grip. No individual triceps head is ranked here.

Scientific studies on the close-grip bench press

A closer grip changes the press, but “closer” does not automatically mean more triceps growth. Grip-width studies help explain changes in muscle activity and lifting performance.

Expect your close-grip working weight to differ from your usual bench press. Some studies find greater triceps activity than with a wide grip, but a narrow grip has not consistently outperformed a medium grip. These comparisons do not establish a best grip for long-term triceps growth.

Does a closer grip always work the triceps more?

In a study of 28 men, the combined analysis found higher triceps activity with narrow and medium grips than with a wide grip. Narrow and medium did not clearly differ. The result was less consistent when the trained and novice groups were analysed separately; the novices showed no clear triceps difference across widths. Chest muscle activity also did not clearly differ across the grips.

A separate study of 12 competitive bench pressers found no clear grip-width difference in triceps activity. These findings support a possible change in emphasis, not a rule that every step inward increases triceps involvement. Neither study measured muscle growth.

What did “narrow” mean?

The 2021 study used each participant’s armpit width for the narrow grip, an 81 cm wide grip, and a medium grip halfway between them. The competitive-athlete study used shoulder width for its narrow condition. Both tested loads participants could lift for six repetitions. These were not hands-together presses. The 2021 triceps measurement was from the long head only, so it cannot establish which of all three heads the exercise favours.

Why might I lift less with a close grip?

Both six-repetition studies found lower loads with the narrow grip. A further study of 27 trained adults compared a grip just inside shoulder width with each person’s preferred bench grip. Their average one-repetition maximum was about 83 kg with the close grip and 87 kg with the preferred grip.

Bar travel is part of the picture, but the results were not uniform: the competitive-athlete study found longer travel with a narrow than wide grip, while the 27-person study did not find a clear travel difference at its chosen statistical threshold. A lower close-grip load therefore should not be treated as a simple measure of weak triceps. Keep the grip and technique consistent and compare progress within that version of the lift.

What the strength comparison cannot tell us

These were tests of performance with different grips, not training programs comparing later strength gains. In the 27-person study, close grip was set at 95% of shoulder breadth; preferred grips averaged 175%. Its statistical threshold was p < 0.01, which matters when reading the small bar-travel difference in the table. None of these results provides a universal percentage to subtract from your normal bench weight.

Variations

Close-grip floor press — The floor stops the upper arms at the bottom, shortening the range and removing the bench setup.
Smith machine close-grip bench press — Uses a fixed bar path and hooks that can be turned into place without moving the bar toward a rack.
Paused close-grip bench press — Holds the bar motionless on the chest before the press, making the bottom position more deliberate.
Close-grip incline bench press — Uses an inclined bench, changing the pressing angle while keeping the hands close.

Related tools

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the close-grip bench press work?

It works the triceps brachii as the main target, with the pectoralis major and anterior deltoid helping to press the bar. A closer grip changes how the press is shared, but it does not turn it into a single-joint triceps exercise.

What is the difference between a close-grip and standard bench press?

Hand spacing. The close-grip version places the hands around shoulder width and usually brings the elbows nearer the torso. A standard bench press typically uses a wider grip, a shorter bar travel and more load. Both still train the chest, front shoulders and triceps.

How close should my grip be?

Start around shoulder width. At the chest, your wrists should sit above your forearms rather than folding inward or outward. Move the hands a little if needed for a comfortable wrist and shoulder position; close grip does not mean that the hands have to touch.

Does the close-grip bench press work all three triceps heads?

It trains the triceps brachii, whose three heads join into one tendon at the elbow and contribute to elbow extension. That does not prove one head is emphasized more than another, so the guide does not rank them.

Should the bar touch my chest?

Yes, for the standard version. Lower it under control to a light touch near the lower edge of the chest, then press to straight arms. If you cannot reach the chest without wrist or shoulder discomfort, widen the grip slightly or use a floor-press variation instead of forcing the range.

Can close-grip bench press replace regular bench press?

It can be your main barbell press if the closer grip is comfortable and matches your goal. It is not an identical substitute: studies generally find a lower maximum load with a close grip, while changes in bar travel and muscle activity vary. Log it separately so progress in one grip is not mistaken for progress in the other.

Sources

Saeterbakken AH, et al. The Effect of Grip Width on Muscle Strength and Electromyographic Activity in Bench Press among Novice- and Resistance-Trained Men. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8296276/
Tiwana MS, Sinkler MA, Bordoni B. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Triceps Muscle. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536996/
Solari F, Burns B. Anatomy, Thorax, Pectoralis Major Major. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525991/
Elzanie A, Varacallo MA. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Deltoid Muscle. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537056/
Saeterbakken AH, Mo DA, Scott S, Andersen V. The Effects of Bench Press Variations in Competitive Athletes on Muscle Activity and Performance. 2017. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5504579/
Lockie RG, Callaghan SJ, Moreno MR, Risso FG, Liu TM, Stage AA, Birmingham-Babauta SA, Stokes JJ, Giuliano DV, Lazar A, Davis DL, Orjalo AJ. An Investigation of the Mechanics and Sticking Region of a One-Repetition Maximum Close-Grip Bench Press versus the Traditional Bench Press. 2017. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5968970/