10 Best Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press Alternatives for Gym & Home
If you can’t use the Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press, choose movements that preserve narrow-grip mechanics and elbow-extension loading. Top replacements include close-grip barbell press, weighted dips, close-grip dumbbell press, cable pressdowns, and diamond push-ups. Cue: keep elbows tucked and drive the hands back to emphasize triceps contraction.
Original Exercise: Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press
How to Perform Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press
- Place a flat bench underneath the smith machine. Place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the flat bench. Using a close and pronated grip (palms facing forward) that is around shoulder width, unlock 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, lock the bar back in the rack.
Pro Tips
- Category: Strength
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press Alternatives
1. Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press
83.9% 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.
2. Barbell Close-grip Bench Press
83.9% 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.
3. Ez-bar Close-grip Bench Press
83.9% 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.
4. Dumbbell Close-grip Press
83.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, resting on your thighs.
- Using your thighs to help raise the dumbbells, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them in front of you at shoulder width.
- Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
- As you breathe in, slowly lower the dumbbells to your side until they are about level with your chest.
- As you exhale, use your triceps to lift the dumbbells back to the starting position.
5. Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench Press
83.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and your arms extended straight up over your chest.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push the dumbbells back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Barbell Lying Close-grip Press
83.1% 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.
7. Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press
83.1% 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.
8. Barbell Jm Bench Press
82.6% 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 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.
9. Ez Barbell Jm Bench Press
82.6% 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.
10. Dumbbell Twisting Bench Press
82.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing away from you.
- Extend your arms straight up over your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
- Lower the dumbbells down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- As you lower the dumbbells, twist your wrists so that your palms face towards you at the bottom of the movement.
Why You Might Need a Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press Alternative
You may swap the Smith close-grip for several reasons: shoulder pain from the fixed bar path, lack of Smith equipment, unwanted movement patterning, or a desire for different loading and stability demands. For example, weighted dips shift torque by lowering shoulder abduction and place greater load on the long head of the triceps; cable pressdowns provide constant tension and reduce shoulder shear. If a fixed bar aggravates your cuff, choose free-weight close-grip presses with scapular retraction and a 10–20° elbow tuck to maintain triceps emphasis while lowering shoulder stress. Use a substitute that preserves elbow extension torque and allows progressive overload.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute based on joint tolerance, available equipment, and training goal. Prioritize exercises that let you keep elbows close to the torso to maximize triceps activation (cue: elbows no more than 15° from your ribs). If you need stability, use the Smith or a close-grip dumbbell press; if you want continuous tension, pick cable pressdowns and set a controlled 2-second eccentric. For hypertrophy, choose options that let you load progressively (weighted dips or barbell variations) and control range of motion to overload the triceps without compensatory shoulder extension.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press work?
The Smith machine close-grip bench press primarily targets the triceps brachii (long, lateral, and medial heads) through elbow extension. It also recruits the sternal pecs and anterior deltoid as stabilizers; keep scapula retracted and elbows tucked to bias the triceps.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press?
Diamond push-ups are the best bodyweight substitute because they replicate a narrow hand position and force strong elbow extension. Cue: place hands under the sternum in a diamond, keep hips level and elbows close to the ribcage to maximize triceps activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Smith Machine Close-grip Bench Press?
Yes — you can build triceps mass using weighted dips, close-grip barbell or dumbbell presses, and heavy cable pressdowns with progressive overload. Track load and reps (6–12 for hypertrophy) and use controlled tempo (2–3 second eccentrics) to increase time under tension and stimulate growth.
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