close grip bench press percentage of bench press
The ratios presented here were adapted from Poliquin's Structural Balance material and Russian Olympic weightlifting literature, as well as analysis of the powerlifting raw world records. Additionally, adding pauses at different points in the lift can also add an extra challenge and exploit any weaknesses off the chest or at the sticking point of the lift. They are, however, a very accurate measuring stick to give you an objective idea of what you should focus on.
I'll target a problem and throw the kitchen sink at it to cure it! The best way to find out what your weaknesses are is to compare ideal strength levels or ratios between lifts. 
Its unique shape allows you to position your grip more ergonomically. I wrote an entire article on how to bench press with long arms, including some specific tips that you can start to implement right away.
The lockout portion of the bench press is heavily reliant on elbow extension which is controlled by the triceps. One of the best-built posters on our forums opens up about training, nutrition, and steroids in this honest, wide-ranging interview. Although the triceps are the primary movers, you are still using the chest and shoulders to some degree. So this athlete should focus on bringing his front squats closer to the 85% ideal. Lifting hips off the bench during a press may be an indicator the weight is too heavy. Im just curious because Ive set my RM to roughly the same on both but it feels like Im going kinda light on my CG on the other hand I dont rly think I could lift more than my RM is set on CG Sorry for poor English haha Have a nice day fellow lifters!
Performing a close grip press is a great way to add variety to upper body and pushing muscle workouts. If it's the latter, he'll not only have to focus on building up the front squat itself, but also on improving the key positions in the front squat, which means doing mobility work as well as paused front squats with an upright torso in the bottom position.
Thats how you get more triceps activation, which is the primary reason for CG bench. For example, if a lifter's power clean and power snatches have a very high ratio (are above 85% and 67.5%) versus the clean and snatch, it tells me that the individual is either super powerful or has technical or mobility issues in getting under the bar into a full squat to receive the barbell. If youre new to weight lifting and this exercise, using a spotter or smith machine is recommended for safety.
Once you are comfortable with the exercise and a spotter is unavailable, remain conservative with the weight loads continuing to work on good form and technique. Also Known As: Triceps bench press (variation of the traditional bench press).
An example of this would be basketball players who pass the ball off the chest to other players, but also includes netball, boxing, rugby and American football athletes.
Id say my close grip bench is about 5-10kg above my regular bench. A lot of lifters ask whether they can just train the bench press for their triceps. These types of sport athletes would benefit because they require strength and power from a position where the elbows are kept close to the body or they need strong elbow extension. In this case, your palms will be facing each other as you hold the weights.
Still, ratios remain a very solid measuring stick to identify weaknesses. Obviously, that type of person will not be able to clean (full squat reception) more weight until he gets his leg strength up. Please keep in mind that a spotter or smith machine is always recommended for safety with this exercise. 
This is additionally beneficial for anyone training in a home gym where space or budget may not allow for multiple pieces of equipment. If your goal with the close grip bench press is to build a bigger bench press and youre concerned with building strength in the triceps I would recommend making it a primary or secondary lift on at least one of your training days.
You really ought to be stronger with a wide grip.
Maintain your elbows close to the body during the movement for proper form and technique.
The powerlifting deadlift uses a slightly higher hip position from the floor and uses more lower back/hip hinge to lift the barbell.
This exercise is a great addition to your program even if you are only focused on tricep size since loads for the close grip bench press will be significantly heavier than any dumbbell or cable accessory movement for the triceps. With that in mind, including close grip work and increasing the range of motion of the lift is a way to exploit your weaknesses if you have longer limbs and make your wider grip bench press feel stronger. PowerliftingTechnique.com also participates in affiliate programs with Clickbank, CJ, ShareASale, and other sites.
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You will notice a tendency to allow a little more protraction with the close grip bench press than with a wide grip because of reduced lat engagement; however, you still want to ensure your upper body stays on the bench as firmly as possible and you should resist the urge to let your shoulders go loose.
The same.
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The following tips will help you perform the close grip bench press safely and effectively: Incorporate this move and similar ones into one of these popular workouts: Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun.
al in 1995. * Note: I calculated the deadlift/squat ratio of the raw powerlifting record at around 115%.
Maintain proper body position on the bench for safe and effective execution of the movement.
If you're that I would consider moving your grip in on your normal bench press. Even if he were to practice the full clean to death, his numbers would not go up simply because he doesn't have the leg strength to stand up with the barbell. The reference lift for CrossFit competitors, Olympic lifters, and football players is a 2RM in the clean and jerk. Some people are stronger with a more narrow grip than a wider grip. Once again, I prefer to use a 3 or 5RM to establish these ratios. Use proper hand placement (about shoulder width) on the bar to reduce risk of injury and effectively activate the triceps muscles. General gym go-ers who are just concerned with overall fitness are welcome to choose between wide or close grip bench press depending on their goals.
Read the program outline, read the r/fitness wiki, and choose whichever accessories that YOU want to go with it. Elena Popadic has worked within the fitness industry for over 6 years, is co-host of theSquats and Thoughtspodcast and trains and competes as a powerlifter. I got that percentage from my own brand of f***ed up math! Verywell Fit's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Lie flat on the bench and grip the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart. Elbow flaring throughout the bench press occurs because your triceps are not being actively engaged and you have started to rely on your shoulders and pecs to lower and press the weight off of your chest. Lifting too heavy increases your risk of injury and doesnt allow you to complete the movement in good form.
I bench with a close grip normally, so "close grip bench" for me is more or less JM pressing.
Christian Thibaudeau specializes in building bodies that perform as well as they look. I just progress as I normally would and don't have a problem but I know I wouldn't actually be able to lift the supposed 1rm. Note: The narrower you grip the barbell, the more angled your bar path is going to be, which means your touchpoint is going to be lower on the chest. Crank the incline and get ready to torch some fat.
With this in mind, close grip should not be the grip of choice for any competitive powerlifters and additionally should probably not be trained with the goal of maximum strength. Let's say an athlete has the following lifts: This tells me that the quads are likely the issue and front squats present the biggest problem here. Powerlifters looking to improve lockout and build tricep strength should look to include close grip benching into their programming. Ensure you have all points of contact on the bench including: your glutes, your upper back, shoulders and your head. The fact that the powerlifting deadlift is high tells me that this lifter is likely strong in the hips/lower back compared to the quads. You do not need to make a post asking for permission on rest periods, accessories, deloading, etc.
Likewise, having more experience with one movement might make it artificially elevated. The general recommendation is to have your hands exactly shoulder width, or slightly inside of shoulder width, apart. 2012.
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The close grip bench press is a great movement to include in your push or upper body workouts for added muscle size and strength. For these lifts I prefer to test with a technically solid 2RM, as testing with 5 reps is a bit high for the Olympic lift variations. Lift the bar with assistance from the rack, arms locked, and hold the bar straight over you.
In particular, the close grip bench press is a particularly important lift for anyone with shoulder concerns or athletes looking for more sport specific skill transfers and overall should not be ignored by those looking to improve their performance in the gym. How much weight are you lifting?
2018, Olav Gomo & Roland Van Den Tillaar. A close grip bench press is often referred to as any bench press where the hands are placed closer together than what you would typically use to bench press.
Increase the weight resistance as you gain in strength and ready for an additional challenge. Check out my complete guide on where you should touch the barbell on your chest. The close grip bench press is a common variation of the bench press used by regular gym-goers, strength and general sport athletes. This increases the risk of injury to the sternum and decreases the effectiveness of the exercise.
Interesting my wide grip is quite a bit stronger than my close grip. Different body types might have leverages that are advantageous for some lifts and disadvantageous to other lifts.
Sports (Basel). Take a look at my article on Is The Close Grip Bench Press Harder? Performing anyresistance exerciseimproperly can increase your risk of injury. Combined with your body position on the bench, the movement can be done safely with progressively heavier resistance. Lighter weight classes are closer to 116-117% and heavier ones are in the 103-108% range. Connect with her onInstagramorLinkedIn. Thanks for catching that. There are no rules in training.
2 months on my CG is 25KG ahead of wider grip. Increased muscle size is a common goal among athletes, bodybuilders, and weight lifters. When there's a weakness, I want to solve it as soon as possible and move on. The Slingshot for Bench Press (Complete Guide & Review), Cambered Bar Bench Press: Benefits, How-To, Technique. Much less common is someone who power cleans more than he can front squat, but I've seen it among CrossFit athletes who are much stronger pullers than squatters.
Especially for powerlifters, Instead of adding an additional day of bench pressing you can just swap out one day where you do your competition bench press, with the close grip variation instead.
Don't use 1RM values because 1RM strength fluctuates a lot from day to day.
Im Avi Silverberg and this is the place where my friends and I nerd out about powerlifting technique.
In bodybuilding it's somewhat easy since you can see which muscles are underdeveloped. Repeat the exercise for the recommended number of repetitions.
The set up for a close grip bench press is very similar to that of a regular bench press with slight adjustments to the placement of your hands. Technique is important, but you should always focus on what's holding you back. If you are going to use a narrow grip, your bench press wrist position is going to be different than normal. He is one of the most sought-after coaches by the world's top athletes and bodybuilders. So I dont think its because of bad form and not being able to stay tight. Bouncing the bar off the chest is an attempt to push very heavy weight up with momentum. Strongman competitors also do a lot of pressing movements that require strong arms and chest strength which can be built through the close grip bench.
(And, How To Avoid It), 16 Best Tricep Exercises To Increase Bench Press Strength, 17 Exercises That Will Improve Your Bench Press Strength, 6 Decline Bench Press Benefits (Plus, 1 Drawback), Reverse Grip Bench Press: How-To, Benefits, Muscles Worked, 3-Board Bench Press: Technique, Benefits, How To Program. If the triceps or upper chest are an area of interest, or if they are struggling with locking out wider grip bench presses, a close grip will be a good option. Negative Bench Press: What Is It, How-To, Benefits, Mistakes, Cant Balance Doing Pistol Squats?
With a single bench press you can kill two birds with one stone by working on different grip styles and training both your strength and build your arms. I wrote a similar article discussing the benefits of the decline bench press, which you should read after this to understand how different bench press variations can help you. The narrow grip places most of the workload on the triceps for maximum muscle development. Also keep your elbows tucked close to your body and do not allow any flaring. Use a similar rhythm for all your lifts and always start the deadlift from a dead start (no bouncing). Inhale and slowly bring the bar down toward your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body for the entire exercise. Bringing up the front squat will likely bring the clean deadlift back to proper balance.
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For hypertrophy and building overall volume stick to 3-5 sets of about anywhere from 6-20 reps at about 55-70% of your 1 rep max. A narrower grip reduces the chance of injury.
Significantly stronger (on close grip ) for whatever reason, like 2 or even 3 extra reps (despite having a relatively big chest and very lagging tris), its exactly shoulder with apart btw . 2022 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Don't tell me about spending months to solve an issue. Avoid bouncing bar off the chest to reduce risk of injury. A lot of 600lb+ benchers have a relatively narrow grip.
Increasing his deadlift would likely not affect his other lifts, but bringing the front squat up to the ideal 85% ratio will certainly raise the other lifts, even without too much direct focus. These are the big lifts that are the main lifts in most "basic strength" training programs like 5/3/1, Starting Strength, and my own programs - lifts that everybody should do and focus on.
CG has always been my main lift. Use a flat bench station or flat bench/power rack combination. This is especially true for anyone in the general population with a history of shoulder injuries, surgery or anyone experiencing discomfort or pain with a wider bench press grip. Try this workout made popular by an NFL Combine prep coach.
There is an increased risk of dropping the bar and injury using a false grip (fingers and thumb on the same side of the bar). The study looked at various types of press movements and found a significant increase in activation at the clavicular head of the pectoralis major which is the part of your pecs closest to your collarbone and shoulder. 5 Tips To Feel Your Triceps In The Close Grip Bench Press, Can You Train Triceps 2 Days In A Row? J Hum Kinet. Discontinue the exercise if you experience wrist or shoulder discomfort that doesnt feel right. You do this by comparing ideal strength levels or ratios between lifts, which is something popularized by Charles Poliquin. Breathing properly is an important part of effective weight lifting. How low should it be?
The reference lifts for most "basic strength" programs are a 3 or 5RM in the bench press, powerlifting deadlift, and the military press. Check out our other training guides for training arms: If you struggle with locking out your elbows at the end of the bench press, you may benefit from adding close grip bench press into your program.
Index just outside of the rings on regular bench, pinky just inside of the rings on close grip. Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level. Int J Environ Res Public Health. Because I already do regular chest at about just below the pecs.
Using a narrow grip is shown to be a great alternative method to increase upper body pushing strength. Beyond just sets, reps and loads, there are some additional considerations you may want to think about when programming based on your goals. Thats just about what I do. Regular grip is about 17% more than close grip. Adding the close grip bench press to your program is a great way to build strength and is easily modified to every fitness level. I don't use 1RM values because 1RM strength fluctuates a lot from day to day.
Dead Bench Press: How To, Benefits, Muscles Worked.
Maintain your hips on the bench during the exercise. 2016, Tillaar et al. The reason none of the recommendations mention doing heavy sets of 1-5 reps is because with the close grip bench press the shoulder retraction isnt as strong and the lift itself can be hard on the elbows so moving challenging weights may not be ideal. I had my hands basically together in the center of the bar!
Lockie et al. The Sticking Region in Three Chest-Press Exercises with Increasing Degrees of Freedom. made recommendations for close grip bench press to be utilized by athletes who require explosive upper body force while keeping the elbows close to the body.
This is also an important consideration for other sport athletes where shoulder health and recovery is important and who dont wish to add any challenging horizontal pressing work for the shoulders. Lifters with proportionally longer arms have a longer path to lockout and therefore, would benefit from doing the close grip bench press in order to strengthen their triceps and improve their lockout strength. A narrow grip is shown to reduce shoulder strain and help lifters to successfully bench a heavier load.
I just went back and figured what my approximate 1RM would be for CGBP versus my 1RM for bench and came up with bench being 7% higher. While powerlifters may be drawn to specificity and want to train only the competition bench press, it would be advisable to switch it up with close grip just to give your shoulder joint a break. Many people hold their breath during the hardest part of the movement causing internal body pressure. Clean deadlifts use more quads, especially from the floor to the knees. A lesser known benefit of the close grip bench press is a greater activation of the upper chest region, as determined by Barnett et.
Therefore, beyond powerlifting, many sport athletes include bench press for the purposes of upper body development.
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In this case you can opt for even higher rep and set schemes of 4-5 sets of 6-20 reps with lighter loads of about 55%-70% of your 1 rep max.
Sports (Basel). Additionally, weightlifters and crossfitters rely on the health of their shoulders to compete well, so the added benefit of the close grip bench press is the reduced stress on the shoulders. The close grip bench press can be used as an accessory that will better transfer to a jerk when compared to a wide grip bench press because of its focus on elbow extension and tricep strength. The effects of grip width on sticking region in bench press. If you notice your elbows flaring during the bench press you may benefit from adding close grip bench press into your weekly training in order to emphasize your triceps more and de-emphasize your shoulders.
Sports (Basel). Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. The clean deadlift is a bit low, but we can conclude that it's simply due to the weaker quads, which make the start of the movement harder. This is shown to improve muscle function and symmetry, another common goal for lifters. In addition, third parties, including Facebook, may use cookies, web beacons, and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from PowerliftingTechnique.com and elsewhere on the Internet and use that information to provide measurement services and target ads.
Increasing the challenge to the close grip bench press can be achieved by making a few changes including: Advanced variations of this exercise include the barbell bench press, bodyweight dip, and general pushup.
I'm not patient. While all bench press variations do engage the triceps, the close grip variation elicits a more significant activation according to Kippers et. This is something you often see in CrossFit athletes - they practice the power snatch and power clean too much and never develop the timing to get under the bar. Because the chest and shoulders assist the movement, the close grip press has the potential for heavier lift loads and maximum strength gains. Athletes who train in sports like basketball, boxing or football where passing, throwing, defending or punching is a key component to the sport should also consider adding in close grip bench press to their training.
Perform the exercise using appropriate weight resistance for your fitness level. To start, lay down on the bench and plant your feet firmly on the ground. This ensures proper form and activation of the triceps muscles.
Changes the movement enough to activate more tricep, and doesn't hurt my elbow.
Therefore, focusing on tricep strength would improve this portion of the lift which is particularly of interest to powerlifting athletes.
The close grip bench press, although limited in its ability to build maximal strength, can be used as both a main lift as well as an accessory lift depending on your goals. Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.
It is used for building strength and muscle in the upper body and is most commonly known to target the triceps; however, there are more reasons to try a close grip bench press.
An investigation of the mechanics and sticking region of a one-repetition maximum close-grip bench press versus the traditional bench press.
Of course, he will need to address the cause of the imbalance.
Those looking to build their triceps and upper chest should approach adding close grip bench press to their program differently than a powerlifter looking to add more bench volume to a week of competition bench pressing.
Instead of trying to get stronger, he should invest more time in practicing the Olympic lifts themselves. It does however come with an important limitation that may be more significant to some lifters and not as important for others. Although weightlifters and crossfitters do not bench press competitively, elbow extension is an important strength they need to stay strong when doing the clean and jerk. We must understand that at that level, grip strength can become the limiting factor. Skull crushers are another exercise that can increase tricep strength, however the close grip bench press might be the better alternative if you have elbow issues.
It's better to spend 3-6 weeks on training blocks where you address weaknesses than it is to spend the whole year doing general all-round training. How can we identify what weakness to focus on? On this blog we share all the things we wish we knew when getting started.
Using a spotter or smith machine is recommended during this exercise.
How to Close Grip Bench Press: Proper Form, Variations, and Common Mistakes. Check out 13 differences between the powerlifting vs bodybuilding bench press.
Tara Laferrara is a certified NASM personal trainer, yoga teacher, and fitness coach. Lockie RG, Callaghan SJ, Moreno MR, et al. Here are several ratio scales that will tell you what you need to be working on.
If the time you spend in the gym is a concern, adding sets of close grip bench instead of other dumbbell accessories for the triceps and pecs can be more convenient and ultimately save you some time in the gym. Position the barbell at the correct reach level on the rack (you should be able to grip/lift the bar off the rack with assistance). With arms straight above you, grab the barbell about 5 finger widths inside of your standard bench press grip. Wide grip is probably around 225. Despite the notion of needing to be shoulder width apart or closer, I've had great success by just changing my distance in by 2-3 fingers.
Exhale and push the bar up using the triceps and locking arms at the top of the movement.
One benefit to adding close grip bench work, particularly for powerlifters, is that you can easily transition from regular to close grip bench press without any extra set up or equipment. Here the ratios can tell us if the athlete lacks strength, power, or technique. Learn more about the 6 Different Types Of Bench Press Grips. When you pull, you strive to maintain the same torso angle until the bar passes the knees. If you only do standing shrugs, you're missing a big part of your traps. The close grip bench press is most prominently known for its focus on the triceps and rightly so. Is it a lack of quad strength or a mobility issue? It is a compound lift that can be included as a primary movement especially for those concerned with aesthetics over maximal strength, to be followed by additional tricep and chest isolation work.
And when you bring it to your chest, it should be a little lower than where your normal bench would be. However, if you are not competing as a powerlifter you may actually benefit from closer grip bench press work instead of the more widely accepted wide grip.
I can bench 265 clean, close grip 225 clean but Ive never really tried a 1rm for close grip. Its also a good variation to add in if you are pressing high volumes or with high frequency throughout the week in order to preserve your long term shoulder health in these two sports. The close grip bench press was included in my article on the Best Bench Press Variations. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Check it out for more exercises to include in your bench press programming. Just try to use some common sense, but more importantly, its your training, do what YOU want.
If you're new to strengthening this muscle group, you might want to use dumbbells instead of a barbell to start. Read our, Other Variations of Close Grip Bench Press, Try These Exercises to Workout Your Triceps, 7 Strength-Building Workouts to Do at the Gym, The Best Weight Training Machines at the Gym and How to Use Them, The 8 Most Effective Exercises for Your Triceps, How to Do a Decline Chest Press: Techniques, Benefits, Variations, Vary Your Routine With Different Types of Squats, How to Do a Reverse Bicep Curl: Techniques, Benefits, Variations, How to Bench Press: Techniques, Benefits, Variations, Try This Upper Body Strength and Endurance Superset Challenge, The Advanced, At-Home Workout Perfect for Those Looking to Take It Up a Notch, 10 Great Leg Exercises for More Strength and Power, How to Use a Chest Fly Machine: Techniques, Benefits, Variations, New Study Sheds Light on Mental Health of Elite Athletes, Advanced Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps Workout, Fast Upper Body Compound Exercise Workout. Isometric Bench Press: How-To, Benefits, & Should You Do It.
Return the bar to the rack upon exercise completion. This position places emphasis on building strength and size in the triceps muscles, as well as the chest. Most lifters will find their close grip bench to be generally weaker than their competition grip or wide grip bench press.
Weight training requires attention to body position, form, and function. The injury potential outweighs the benefits, plus there's a much better exercise for abs. Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. We answer that question in our article Is Bench Press Good Enough For Triceps?
My CG was a struggle, My close grip is like 40 pounds less. In this article I will go through what a close grip bench press is and how to set it up, each of its benefits and its major drawback, who should be doing the close grip bench press and how to implement it into your programming based on your specific goals.
