10 Best Barbell JM Bench Press Alternatives for Home or Gym
If you can't do the Barbell JM Bench Press, choose movements that preserve elbow-extension mechanics and triceps overload. Effective substitutes include close-grip bench, skull crushers, weighted dips, cable pressdowns, and JM press variants. Cue: keep elbows tucked, drive through the elbow joint, and control the eccentric to emphasize triceps long- and lateral-head activation.
Original Exercise: Barbell JM Bench Press
How to Perform Barbell JM 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 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.
Best Barbell JM Bench Press Alternatives
1. Board Press
95.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Begin by lying on the bench, getting your head beyond the bar if possible. One to five boards, made out of 2x6's, can be screwed together and held in place by a training partner, bands, or just tucked under your shirt.
- Tuck your feet underneath you and arch your back. Using the bar to help support your weight, lift your shoulder off the bench and retract them, squeezing the shoulder blades together. Use your feet to drive your traps into the bench. Maintain this tight body position throughout the movement.
- You can take a standard bench grip, or shoulder width to focus on the triceps. Pull the bar out of the rack without protracting your shoulders. The bar, wrist, and elbow should stay in line at all times. Focus on squeezing the bar and trying to pull it apart.
- Lower the bar to the boards, and then drive the bar up with as much force as possible. The elbows should be tucked in until lockout.
2. Barbell Pin Presses
95.2% 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.
3. Ez Barbell Jm Bench Press
92% 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.
4. Barbell Lying Close-grip Press
91.4% 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. Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press
91.4% 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.
6. Barbell Reverse Close-grip Bench Press
91.2% 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 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 Close-grip Bench Press
90.7% 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 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.
8. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press
90.7% 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.
9. Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press
90.7% 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 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.
10. Ez Bar French Press On Exercise Ball
88.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on an exercise ball and hold an EZ barbell with an overhand grip.
- Extend your arms straight up, keeping your elbows close to your head.
- 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.
Why You Might Need a Barbell JM Bench Press Alternative
You might substitute the JM press for joint pain, missing equipment, or programming needs. The JM press stresses both elbow extension and a short-range horizontal press, which can aggravate wrists, elbows, or pec insertion points in some lifters. Alternatives let you shift load distribution—use dips or close-grip bench to increase shoulder involvement, or skull crushers and cable pressdowns to isolate the triceps. When modifying, maintain the key biomechanical principle: controlled elbow extension under load. Technique cue: reduce wrist extension and keep the forearm aligned with the elbow to lower compressive stress while preserving triceps activation.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute based on equipment, pain patterns, and the triceps head you want to emphasize. If you lack a barbell, choose weighted dips or cable pressdowns; if elbow irritation occurs, favor cable or machine variations that allow neutral wrist alignment. Consider movement pattern: choose close-grip bench for combined chest/triceps overload, skull crushers for distal triceps isolation, and JM press variants to mimic the original arc. Technique cue: test each option with lighter loads and a 2-0-2 tempo, focusing on full, controlled elbow extension to verify triceps activation and joint comfort before progressing load.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Barbell JM Bench Press work?
The Barbell JM Bench Press primarily targets the triceps (long, lateral, and medial heads) while recruiting the pecs and anterior deltoids as secondary movers. Biomechanically it blends a bench press path with a skull-crusher arc, loading elbow extensors through a shortened range near lockout.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Barbell JM Bench Press?
A weighted or feet-elevated close-grip push-up best replicates the JM press's elbow-extension emphasis when you have no barbell. Cue: place hands under the sternum, keep elbows tucked, and lower with a controlled eccentric to maximize triceps tension.
Can I build muscle without doing Barbell JM Bench Press?
Yes. You can stimulate the triceps effectively with weighted dips, skull crushers, close-grip bench presses, and cable pressdowns using progressive overload. Prioritize controlled full elbow extension, appropriate volume (6–12 reps for hypertrophy), and incremental load increases to drive muscle growth.
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