10 Best Ez-bar Lying Cg Triceps Ext Behind-head Alternatives for Travel

If you can’t perform the EZ-bar lying close-grip triceps extension behind the head, use exercises that preserve long-head tension and elbow extension mechanics. Try dumbbell overhead extensions, cable overhead extensions, lying dumbbell skull crushers, close-grip bench press, or decline skull crushers. Cue: keep elbows fixed and hinge only at the elbow to isolate the triceps.

Original Exercise: EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head

EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head
Primary Muscle
Triceps
Equipment
Ez-barbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Shoulders
How to Perform EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head
  1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your head at the end of the bench.
  2. Hold the ez barbell with a close grip, palms facing up, and extend your arms straight up over your chest.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the barbell behind your head by bending your elbows.
  4. Pause for a moment, then extend your arms back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Best EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head Alternatives

Best Match
Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension

1. Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension

99.9% Match
Triceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your head at the end of the bench.
  2. Grasp the barbell with a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing up.
  3. Extend your arms fully, lifting the barbell above your chest.
  4. Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the barbell towards your forehead by bending your elbows.
  5. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then extend your arms back to the starting position.
Barbell Lying Extension

2. Barbell Lying Extension

99.9% Match
Triceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your head at the end of the bench.
  2. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart, and extend your arms straight up over your chest.
  3. Keeping your upper arms stationary, slowly lower the barbell towards your forehead by bending your elbows.
  4. Pause for a moment, then extend your arms back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press

3. Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press

95% Match
Triceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Barbell Lying Close-grip Press

4. Barbell Lying Close-grip Press

95% Match
Triceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Ez Barbell Jm Bench Press

5. Ez Barbell Jm Bench Press

94.4% Match
Triceps Ez-barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Exercise Ball Supine Triceps Extension

6. Exercise Ball Supine Triceps Extension

94.4% Match
Triceps Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on an exercise ball with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
  2. Hold a dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms straight up towards the ceiling.
  3. Slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head, keeping your elbows close to your ears.
  4. Pause for a moment, then raise the dumbbell back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Close-grip Bench Press

7. Barbell Close-grip Bench Press

94.2% Match
Triceps Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press

8. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press

94.2% Match
Triceps Ez-barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press

9. Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press

94.2% Match
Triceps Ez-barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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 a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing forward.
  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.
Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension

10. Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension

93.9% Match
Triceps Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
  2. Extend your arms straight up over your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  3. Lower the dumbbells down towards your forehead, bending your elbows.
  4. Pause for a moment, then extend your arms back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head Alternative

People swap this exercise for several reasons: limited equipment, wrist or elbow pain from the EZ-bar angle, poor shoulder mobility that limits safe range behind the head, or a desire for easier load progression. Alternatives let you maintain long-head emphasis by keeping the arm overhead or behind the head while reducing shear at the elbow. For example, a seated dumbbell overhead extension keeps the shoulder in a safer plane; cue: keep your upper arms vertical and avoid shoulder drive to target the triceps long head.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on equipment, joint comfort, and muscle emphasis. If you lack an EZ-bar, use dumbbells or a cable with an overhead attachment to preserve the behind-head stretch. If elbows hurt, choose cable overhead extensions to maintain constant tension while easing peak load; cue: control the eccentric for 2–3 seconds. For strength focus, choose close-grip presses to handle heavier loads while accepting more chest/shoulder involvement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head work?

It primarily targets the triceps—especially the long head due to the arm position behind the head—while the lateral and medial heads assist. Maintain stationary upper arms and hinge at the elbow so the triceps, not the shoulders, produce extension.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head?

Diamond push-ups are the top bodyweight substitute because they demand strong elbow extension and emphasize the triceps. Cue: keep your hands close under the sternum, a straight plank line, and tuck elbows toward the ribs to maximize triceps activation.

Can I build muscle without doing EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head?

Yes—progressive overload applied through other triceps movements builds size. Use overhead dumbbell or cable extensions, controlled eccentrics, and progressively increase load or volume; cue: fully extend the elbow and pause briefly at lockout to increase time under tension.

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