HOW TO DO CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS
- Grip just inside shoulder width. Thumbs still around the bar. A diamond grip is usually too narrow.
- Set the same upper-back shelf as a normal bench. Unrack and start above the lower chest.
- Keep the elbows closer to the torso on the way down. Touch lower on the chest than a wide-grip bench.
- Press to a full lockout. That last third is the triceps work you came for.
COMMON MISTAKES
- Hands touching. That is a wrist injury waiting. Shoulder-width minus a hand is plenty close.
- Logging close-grip as regular bench. The loads are different. Keep this slug so triceps volume is visible.
- Flaring at the bottom anyway. If the elbows look like a wide bench, the grip change did nothing.
VARIATIONS
- Barbell bench press — Wider grip, more pec.
- Barbell skullcrusher — Isolation if the press is not the limiter.
- Parallel bar triceps dip — Bodyweight close-grip pattern.
PROGRESSIONS
- Close-grip push-ups.
- Light close-grip bench with a pause.
- Build toward the same working-rep ranges you use on regular bench, at a lower load.
PROGRAMMING NOTES
Run this as the main press on a triceps-priority day or as the second lift after regular bench. 3–5 sets of 5–8. Rest the same way you would for bench — LIFTAG’s timer exists so you do not rush lockouts.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Open Close-Grip Bench Press in LIFTAG, or tap the NFC tag / scan the QR code on the machine at a partner gym. Log each working set as weight × reps. The rest timer starts after you save the set, and PRs plus estimated 1RM update automatically.
