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

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

The Close-grip Barbell Bench Press has you lower a bar to the middle of your chest with your elbows tucked, then press it back to lockout with your triceps. The Barbell Lying Close-grip Press uses the same bar, the same tucked elbows and the same lockout, so it is the first one to try: nothing about your setup has to change. If you want the lockout without the press, the Barbell Lying Extension trains it alone.

Close-grip Barbell Bench Press

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

How to Do the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press

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

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
  5. When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

The 10 Best Close-grip Barbell Bench Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Close-grip Barbell 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. Barbell Lying Close-grip PressPlay demonstration

    1. Barbell Lying Close-grip Press

    99% match

    Triceps · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want an easier version that 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 Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
  2. EZ Barbell JM Bench PressPlay demonstration

    2. EZ Barbell JM Bench Press

    99% match

    Triceps · Advanced · 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 flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
    2. Grasp the ez barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    3. Lower the barbell to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body.
    4. Push the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
    5. Repeat for the desired number 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 Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
  5. Jm Press

    Progression

    5. Jm Press

    99% 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 Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press

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

The Close-grip Barbell Bench Press only works if a straight barbell and a rack are free, and the tucked elbow path is what a plain bench press or a wide grip press cannot copy. Each swap keeps a barbell or an EZ bar in your hands and keeps the work on your triceps, so the choice comes down to which bar you have and how much load you want on the lockout. The EZ Barbell JM Bench Press, the Close-grip Ez-bar Press and the Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press swap in an EZ bar for a straight one. The Barbell Lying Extension and the Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension drop the press and load the lockout on its own, since your upper arms stay still and the bar comes down to your forehead by bending only the elbows.

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

Take the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press first: same bar, same grip, same elbow path. The Reverse Triceps Bench Press keeps that same setup but turns your grip over to supinated, and the Jm Press starts with the bar over your upper chest and lowers it like a lying triceps extension before you press it back up as a close-grip press, so the bottom of each rep looks like an extension rather than a press. If a straight bar is taken, the EZ Barbell JM Bench Press, the Close-grip Ez-bar Press and the Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press keep your elbows tucked on a bent bar. To work the lockout without pressing, pick the Barbell Lying Extension or the Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension, where your arms stay put and your elbows bend to bring the bar to your forehead.

Close-grip Barbell Bench Press FAQ

What should I do if the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press feels too heavy?

Take the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press. Same barbell, same close grip, same tucked path to your chest, so your setup barely changes: drop the weight and work the same groove until the lockout feels solid, then build back up to your regular bar weight when you are ready.

How do I make the lift harder once it feels easy?

The Reverse Triceps Bench Press keeps the same straight barbell and elbow path but turns your grip over to supinated, and the Jm Press starts with the bar over your upper chest, lowers it like a lying triceps extension, then presses it back up as a close-grip bench press, so the bottom of each rep is an extension rather than a press. Add either one once your current working weight stops challenging you.

What if I only have an EZ bar?

The EZ Barbell JM Bench Press, the Close-grip Ez-bar Press and the Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press all put a bent bar in your hands instead of a straight one, and each one is still a press to the chest with your elbows tucked, so your triceps do the same job they do on the straight bar. Pick whichever grip width on the bend feels most comfortable in your wrists.

How do I train the same triceps lockout without pressing?

The Barbell Lying Extension and the Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension both keep your upper arms still and lower a barbell to your forehead by bending only the elbows, so your triceps do the work without the chest pressing a bench press adds. The EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head does the same job with a bent bar, lowered behind your head instead of to your forehead.

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