Incline Close Grip Bench Press Overview
The incline close grip bench press is a triceps move. Your triceps are the muscles on the back of your arms. Your chest and shoulders help too. You lie on an incline bench and press a barbell. Your hands are close together on the bar. The incline and close grip work your triceps and upper chest. You need a barbell and an incline bench. The incline close grip bench press builds strong arms and a strong lockout. The narrow grip puts more work on your triceps. The incline adds a new angle. It is a good move for lifters with some practice. Do it early in a push or arm workout. It fits well after your main press.
What Is The Point of the Incline Close Grip Bench Press?
The incline close grip bench press builds serious tricep strength while hitting your upper chest. It's perfect for adding size and power to your arms.
How To Do The Incline Close Grip Bench Press
- Set an adjustable bench to a 30 to 45 degree incline and lie back with your feet flat on the floor. The incline shifts some work onto the upper chest while the close grip keeps the triceps loaded.
- Set your shoulder blades down and back and press them into the bench. Grip the barbell with your hands about 6 to 8 inches apart, closer than a standard grip but not so narrow your wrists strain.
- Take a big breath into your belly and brace your core, keeping your feet driving into the floor. This full-body tension gives you a stable base to press from.
- Unrack the bar, ideally with a spotter, and bring it out until it sits directly over your upper chest with your arms straight. This is your starting position.
- Lower the bar slowly toward your upper chest, keeping your elbows tucked close to your body rather than flaring out. Aim for a two to three second descent.
- Touch the bar lightly to your upper chest without bouncing. Keep your wrists stacked over your elbows and your upper back tight.
- Press the bar up in a fairly straight line, focusing on driving through your triceps to lock out. Breathe out through the hardest part of the rep.
- Squeeze your triceps hard at the top, keeping your elbows in rather than letting them flare. Do not lock out with a loose, shaky joint.
- Keep your form tight throughout and control every rep. This move works well in the 6 to 12 rep range for 3 to 4 sets to build the triceps and upper chest.
Incline Close Grip Bench Press Form Tips
- Set the bench to a 30 to 45 degree incline. This adds the upper-chest angle.
- Grip the bar 6 to 8 inches apart. This is the close grip.
- Keep your elbows tucked close to your body. Do not let them flare wide.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Keep them tight.
- Lower the bar slow to your upper chest. Touch it lightly.
- Press up in a straight line. Push through your triceps.
- Keep your wrists straight over your elbows. Do not let them bend back.
- Plant your feet flat and stay steady.
- Breathe in as you lower. Breathe out as you press.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Incline Close Grip Bench Press
- Gripping the bar too narrow. A very close grip puts your wrists in a weak, painful spot without adding triceps work. Keep your hands about 6 to 8 inches apart so your wrists stay stacked and your triceps still take the load.
- Flaring your elbows out to the sides. Letting your elbows drift wide turns this into a regular incline press and stresses your shoulders. Keep your elbows tucked close to your body so the triceps stay in charge.
- Setting the incline too steep. Past about 45 degrees the movement becomes an overhead press and your front delts take over. Keep the incline in the 30 to 45 degree range to hit the upper chest and triceps.
- Losing your shoulder blade set. If your shoulders round forward as you press, you lose your stable base and expose the joint. Set your blades down and back before each rep and hold that tightness hard.
- Bouncing the bar off your chest. A bounce steals reps from your muscles and can bruise your chest. Touch lightly to your upper chest, pause if needed, and press with control.
- Going too heavy and grinding with bad form. Ego loading on a close grip wrecks your bar path and beats up your wrists and shoulders. Pick a weight you can control for all your reps and add small jumps over time.
- Bending your wrists back under the bar. A cocked-back wrist leaks power and strains the joint, which matters more on a close grip. Keep the bar low in your palm with your knuckles pointing up.
- Cutting the range of motion short. Stopping the bar a few inches above your chest only trains a slice of the movement. Touch your upper chest on every rep unless an injury tells you otherwise.
- Rushing the lowering phase. Dropping the bar fast wastes the eccentric, which builds real triceps and chest strength. Own a slow two to three second descent.
- Lifting your hips off the bench. Driving your hips up to force a rep is a cheat that risks your lower back. Keep your glutes down and press with control instead.
- Forgetting leg drive. Lazy legs leave power and stability on the table. Screw your feet into the floor and use that tension to stay tight and press harder.
Incline Close Grip Bench Press Workout Tips
- Warm up with lighter sets before your working weight. This grooves your bar path and wakes up your triceps, chest, and shoulders so your top sets feel smooth.
- Keep your elbows tucked close to your body. This tuck is the whole reason the close grip hammers the triceps, so protect it on every rep.
- Chase the mind-muscle connection with your triceps. Think about extending your elbows to drive the bar, since feeling the muscle work is one of the best ways to build it.
- Use a controlled two to three second eccentric. A slower lowering phase keeps tension on the triceps and upper chest and builds more muscle.
- The incline adds upper chest work to the close grip. Use this move when you want to train the triceps hard while hitting the upper chest too.
- Program it as a main pressing and triceps builder early on push day. It carries over to your bench lockout and builds the upper chest at the same time.
- For size, most lifters do best in the 6 to 12 rep range for 3 to 4 sets. For strength, drop the reps and add weight.
- Add weight slowly over time. Small, steady jumps you can control beat big ego leaps, and that patient progressive overload drives long-term gains.
- Use an EZ bar or a slightly wider close grip if your wrists hurt. Comfortable wrists let you push harder without the joint cutting your sets short.
- Squeeze the bar hard throughout. A tight grip stabilizes your wrists and shoulders and can instantly add pounds to your press.
- Try a one second pause on your chest for some sets. Pausing kills the bounce and forces your triceps to do all the work off the bottom.
- Film your sets from the side. Video shows elbow flare and bar path far better than how the lift feels in the moment.
- Do not train to failure on every set. Leaving a rep or two in the tank keeps your form clean and your joints healthy.
- Always use a spotter or safety pins for heavy work. Being brave without a plan is how lifters end up pinned under the bar.
- Pair it with an overhead extension for full triceps coverage. The incline press hits the triceps in the shortened range while the overhead move loads the stretch.
- Keep your upper back tight and chest up. A solid arch from your mid and upper back gives you a stable base to press from.
- Be patient and consistent. Bigger, stronger triceps and a fuller upper chest come from steady work over months, so keep adding small wins.
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