10 Best Jm Press Alternatives for Triceps Strength

The Jm Press is done lying on your back with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the EZ Barbell JM Bench Press, the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press and the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press. A harder version, the Reverse Triceps Bench Press, is listed below as a progression rather than a swap.

The Jm Press lowers a barbell held above your upper chest into a partial triceps extension, then rolls the bar back an inch and drives it out like a close-grip bench press. The EZ Barbell JM Bench Press is the closest match: it swaps in an EZ bar on an overhand grip and lowers straight to your chest before pressing back out, with no mid-rep roll. If you want a straight bar instead, the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press presses the same way from a close grip on a flat bar.

Jm Press

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

How to Do the Jm Press

The steps for the Jm Press itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

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

  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.

The 10 Best Jm Press Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Jm 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. EZ Barbell JM Bench PressPlay demonstration

    1. 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 Jm Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Jm Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Jm Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Jm Press
  2. Barbell Lying Close-grip PressPlay demonstration

    2. 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 Jm Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Jm Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Jm Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Jm Press
  7. Reverse Triceps Bench Press

    Progression

    7. Reverse Triceps Bench Press

    97% match

    Triceps · Advanced · Compound

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

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Lie back on a flat bench. Using a close, supinated grip (around shoulder width), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked extended in front of you and perpendicular to the floor. 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.

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

    Why this matches
    • Movement: flat horizontal press, the same as the Jm Press
    • Primary muscle: triceps, the same as the Jm Press
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Jm Press
    • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Jm Press

Why You Might Need a Jm Press Alternative

You might look for a Jm Press alternative because you would rather skip the mid-rep roll, because the half-extension, half-press bar path is awkward to groove, or because you want a plain bench-press path you already know. Every swap uses a barbell or an EZ bar, so equipment access barely narrows the choice: what changes is bar shape, grip and how far the bar travels. The EZ Barbell JM Bench Press swaps in an EZ bar and an overhand grip, lowering straight to your chest without the roll. Others press straight up from a close grip on a flat bar, and a few isolate the triceps at the elbow through a longer range, so the pick depends on grip comfort and whether you want the roll at all.

How to Choose the Right Jm Press Substitute

The EZ Barbell JM Bench Press swaps in an overhand grip and lowers straight to your chest, replacing the Jm Press without the mid-rep roll if you have an EZ bar. With only a straight barbell, the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press gives the same close-grip bench with no roll in the middle, a simpler bar path to groove. If you want a different feel on the same lying press, the Reverse Triceps Bench Press flips to a close supinated grip, pauses the bar on your chest and has you lower for at least twice as long as you press. For finishing work, the Barbell Lying Extension and the Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension both drop the press: your upper arms stay still and only the elbows bend as you lower the bar to your forehead and extend back up.

Jm Press FAQ

What if I only have a straight barbell instead of an EZ bar?

Use the Barbell Lying Close-grip Press. It holds the same close grip and the same lying position as the Jm Press, but presses straight up without the mid-rep roll, so it is a simpler bar path to learn on a plain barbell. The Close-grip Barbell Bench Press is the same lift with a stricter tempo: the steps have you take at least twice as long to lower the bar as to press it and hold the lockout for a second.

How do I make the swap harder once my sets feel easy?

Use the tempo the Close-grip Barbell Bench Press and Reverse Triceps Bench Press steps prescribe: take at least twice as long to lower the bar as to press it, pause for a second on your chest, and hold the lockout for a second before the next rep. The Reverse Triceps Bench Press adds a close supinated grip to that same press if you want a change of grip as well.

Which swaps drop the press and just isolate the triceps?

The Barbell Lying Extension, the Barbell Lying Close-grip Triceps Extension and the EZ Bar Lying Close Grip Triceps Extension Behind Head all skip the press and work the elbow alone through a longer range. Use one after your pressing work to finish the triceps rather than in place of it.

Does the grip on the bar change which muscles do the work?

Not much. Every swap has you keep your elbows tucked close to your body and push with the triceps, which is the cue that makes the Jm Press a triceps lift rather than a chest press. What changes between them is bar shape, grip angle and whether you press the bar or only bend the elbows, not which muscle is doing the work.

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