Exercise description of the close grip barbell bench press.  Learn about the close grip barbell bench press with video and pictures.  Also learn how the close grip barbell bench press can increase your sports performance.

Primary muscles worked:  Triceps, Pecs

Synergist Muscles:  Deltoids

Mechanics:  Compound

Equipment:  Barbell and Bench

How to perform the exercise:  To perform the close grip barbell bench press, the athlete should lay with their back flat on a standard bench with their feet flat on the floor. The athlete will then grip the barbell with a "close grip" which is shoulder width or just inside shoulder width with hand spacing. The athlete should also assume an overhand grip with the lift. Now, the athlete will lower the barbell towards the middle of the chest by bending at the elbows. For this lift, the arms should stay tight to the body so that the elbows actually brush against the chest during the lift. Once the bar had contacted the chest, the athlete may begin to press the weight back up in to starting position. Once the arms are fully extended, the athlete may begin another repetition.

Spotting the exercise:  To spot the close grip barbell bench press, the spotter should stand at the athlete's head. If the athlete begins to struggle with the weight, the spotter should utilize a mixed grip (overhand with one hand and underhand with one hand) on the barbell, and apply even upward force to assist the athlete through the lift.

Sport specific application:  The close grip barbell bench press can be in any sport that requires forceful explosion from the arms and hands in tight to the body to full extension of the arms in line with the shoulders. This can be seen in sports such as pass protection in football, jamming in football, and punching in boxing just to name a few specific examples. The close grip barbell bench press is an excellent exercise for developing tricep strength in conjunction with pectoral strength support. Since most arm positions are not finite in sports, training with various grips is important for overall strength success.