10 Best Barbell Close-grip Bench Press Alternatives for Triceps
If you can’t perform the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press, use other triceps-dominant presses and extensions that reproduce elbow extension under load. Effective swaps include close-grip dumbbell presses, weighted dips, cable pushdowns, skull crushers and close-grip push-ups. Technique cue: keep elbows tucked ~45°, brace the scapula, and squeeze the triceps at lockout.
Original Exercise: Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
How to Perform Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with a close grip, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
- Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
- Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Barbell Close-grip Bench Press Alternatives
1. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press
99.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on a flat bench with an EZ bar loaded to an appropriate weight.
- Using a narrow grip lift the bar and hold it straight over your torso with your elbows in. The arms should be perpendicular to the floor. This will be your starting position.
- Now lower the bar down to your lower chest as you breathe in. Keep the elbows in as you perform this movement.
- Using the triceps to push the bar back up, press it back to the starting position by extending the elbows as you exhale.
- Repeat.
2. Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press
99.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the ez barbell with a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing forward.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
- Slowly lower the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
3. Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press
99.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie back on a flat bench. Using a close grip (around shoulder width), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest. Tip: Make sure that - as opposed to a regular bench press - you keep the elbows close to the torso at all times in order to maximize triceps involvement.
- After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your triceps muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.
4. Barbell Lying Close-grip Press
99.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing towards your feet.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
- Slowly lower the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest, then push it back up to the starting position.
5. Ez Barbell Jm Bench Press
98.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the ez barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
- Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Barbell Reverse Close-grip Bench Press
95.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with a reverse grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
- Slowly lower the barbell down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment when the barbell is just above your chest.
7. Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension
94.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your head at the end of the bench.
- Grasp the barbell with a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing up.
- Extend your arms fully, lifting the barbell above your chest.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the barbell towards your forehead by bending your elbows.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then extend your arms back to the starting position.
8. Ez Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head
94.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your head at the end of the bench.
- Hold the ez barbell with a close grip, palms facing up, and extend your arms straight up over your chest.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the barbell behind your head by bending your elbows.
- Pause for a moment, then extend your arms back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Barbell Lying Extension
94.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your head at the end of the bench.
- Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart, and extend your arms straight up over your chest.
- Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the barbell towards your forehead by bending your elbows.
- Pause for a moment, then extend your arms back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Barbell Pin Presses
91.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Set up a barbell on a power rack at chest height.
- Stand facing the barbell and position yourself underneath it, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grip the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest, with your arms fully extended.
- Lower the barbell down towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
Why You Might Need a Barbell Close-grip Bench Press Alternative
You may need alternatives due to shoulder or wrist pain, lack of a barbell, or to reduce elbow shear from a narrow bar path. Substitutes let you preserve the horizontal pressing pattern while shifting load distribution across triceps heads and pecs. For example, dumbbell close-grip presses increase forearm pronation and can reduce wrist strain; cable pushdowns allow constant tension and safer progressive loading. Technique cue: on dips, lean slightly forward, keep shoulders down, and drive through palms while fully extending elbows to maximize lateral and long-head triceps activation.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Choose a substitute by matching movement pattern, loading capability and joint tolerance. If you need similar horizontal pressing, pick close-grip dumbbell presses or machine close-grip presses. For pure elbow extension select skull crushers or cable pushdowns to isolate the triceps and control ROM. Favor unilateral options like single-arm cable pushdowns when correcting imbalances. Technique cue: prioritize scapular retraction and maintain a neutral wrist to shift stress from the shoulder to the triceps and optimize force transfer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Barbell Close-grip Bench Press work?
The close-grip bench press emphasizes the triceps brachii—particularly the lateral and medial heads—while also recruiting the sternal pecs and anterior deltoids. Biomechanically, the narrow grip reduces horizontal abduction and increases elbow extension torque, driving greater triceps activation.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell Close-grip Bench Press?
Close-grip (diamond) push-ups are the best bodyweight substitute because they preserve the narrow hand position and elbow tuck. Cue: place hands under the sternum, form a diamond with thumbs and index fingers, brace your core, and keep elbows close to the ribs to maximize triceps loading.
Can I build muscle without doing Barbell Close-grip Bench Press?
Yes. You can build triceps mass using weighted dips, skull crushers, cable pushdowns and close-grip dumbbell presses while varying load and volume. Focus on progressive overload, full elbow extension, and controlled eccentric tempo to drive hypertrophy.
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