10 Best Barbell Close-grip Bench Press Alternatives for Triceps Strength

The Barbell Close-grip Bench Press is done lying on your back with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Close-grip Ez-bar Press, the Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press and the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press. Two harder versions, the Jm Press and the Reverse Triceps Bench Press, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

Every straight bar in your gym might already be in someone's hands, or the only bar within reach is an EZ bar. The Barbell Close-grip Bench Press has you lie back, take a grip slightly narrower than shoulder width and lower the bar to your chest with your elbows tucked in, and the closest match is the Close-grip Ez-bar Press, which keeps that same grip and tuck on a cambered bar instead. With a straight barbell free instead, the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press repeats the same lift rep for rep.

Barbell Close-grip Bench PressWatch the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press

The steps for the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Triceps, with chest, shoulders · Barbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
  2. Grasp the barbell with a close grip, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  4. Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest.
  5. Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Barbell Close-grip Bench Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Close-grip Ez-bar Press

    1. Close-grip Ez-bar Press

    99% match

    Triceps · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have an EZ bar to work with, and it still works the triceps.

    • Ez-barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie on a flat bench with an EZ bar loaded to an appropriate weight.
    2. 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.
    3. Now lower the bar down to your lower chest as you breathe in. Keep the elbows in as you perform this movement.
    4. Using the triceps to push the bar back up, press it back to the starting position by extending the elbows as you exhale.
    5. Repeat.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
  3. Barbell Lying Close-grip PressPlay demonstration

    3. Barbell Lying Close-grip Press

    99% match

    Triceps · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the triceps.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
    2. Grasp the barbell with a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing towards your feet.
    3. Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
    4. Slowly lower the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
    5. Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest, then push it back up to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
  5. Jm Press

    Progression

    5. Jm Press

    98% match

    Triceps · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the triceps.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Start the exercise the same way you would a close grip bench press. You will lie on a flat bench while holding a barbell at arms length (fully extended) with the elbows in. However, instead of having the arms perpendicular to the torso, make sure the bar is set in a direct line above the upper chest. This will be your starting position.
    2. Now beginning from a fully extended position lower the bar down as if performing a lying triceps extension. Inhale as you perform this movement. When you reach the half way point, let the bar roll back about one inch by moving the upper arms towards your legs until they are perpendicular to the torso. Tip: Keep the bend at the elbows constant as you bring the upper arms forward.
    3. As you exhale, press the bar back up by using the triceps to perform a close grip bench press.
    4. Now go back to the starting position and start over.
    5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
  7. Barbell Reverse Close-grip Bench PressPlay demonstration

    7. Barbell Reverse Close-grip Bench Press

    96% match

    Triceps · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the triceps with more balance to manage.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
    2. Grasp the barbell with a reverse grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
    3. Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
    4. Slowly lower the barbell down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
    5. Pause for a moment when the barbell is just above your chest.
    6. Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press

Why You Might Need a Barbell Close-grip Bench Press Alternative

You reach for a substitute because the straight bars are all taken, because your gym stocks only an EZ bar today, or because you want the same tucked press with a different grip or a harder bar path. The Barbell Close-grip Bench Press has you lying on your back with a narrow grip and your elbows tucked close to your sides, and seven of the ten swaps keep that same press, on a straight bar or an EZ bar. The Close-grip Ez-bar Press and the Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press move the lift onto a cambered EZ bar, keeping the same grip and tuck. The Barbell Lying Extension, the Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension and the EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head drop the press and bend only at the elbow, guiding the bar toward your head instead.

How to Choose the Right Barbell Close-grip Bench Press Substitute

An EZ bar puts you on the Close-grip Ez-bar Press or the Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press, keeping the same grip and tuck on a cambered bar. A straight barbell gives you the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press, which repeats the same lift rep for rep. Once the basics feel easy, the Jm Press starts with the bar over your upper chest, lowers it like a lying extension, lets it roll back about an inch at the halfway point and then presses it out, which asks for more control than a straight bench path. The EZ Barbell JM Bench Press is a different thing: the same tucked press on an EZ bar, from an overhand grip set slightly wider than shoulder width. For triceps work alone, the Barbell Lying Extension and the Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension bend only at the elbow.

Barbell Close-grip Bench Press FAQ

Can I use an EZ bar instead of a straight barbell for the Barbell Close-grip Bench Press?

Yes. The Close-grip Ez-bar Press and the Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press both keep the narrow grip and the elbow tuck, so either one swaps in cleanly when a straight bar is not free. Treat either as a straight substitute for the original lift, on a cambered bar instead of a straight one.

Is there a way to train close-grip triceps work without any bar at all?

No. All ten swaps use a straight barbell or an EZ bar, whether you are pressing or extending against it, so the real choice is which bar your gym has free today, not whether you actually need one at all.

Which alternative works my triceps alone, without my chest and shoulders helping?

The Barbell Lying Extension and the Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension. Both drop the pressing part of the lift and leave you bending only at the elbow with your upper arms held still, so your chest drops out and your shoulders do nothing but hold position while your triceps move the bar.

Which straight-barbell swaps still bring my chest and shoulders into the lift?

The Barbell Lying Close-grip Press, the Jm Press and the Reverse Triceps Bench Press. All three stay on a straight bar and keep pressing through your chest and shoulders as well as your triceps, instead of isolating the triceps alone.

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