One Exercise for a Big Bench Press

As a muscle enthusiast and former competitive power lifter, I am frequently asked by exercise novices how to improve their bench press. I usually inquire about their current exercise program to rule out overtraining or totally worthless routines. 

Lately I have been surprised to learn that many people who want to increase their bench press completely neglect close grip bench presses.  My first, and usually only, recommendation is to immediately introduce close grip bench presses into the workout routine and assess progress in six weeks.    

The close grip bench press is performed in the same manner as a traditional bench press with one important exception.  Grip width on a close grip bench press is much closer than that of the standard grip.  Generally, the grip width of a close grip bench press is ten inches, but this varies depending upon personal preferences and the amount of triceps recruitment is desired. 

The muscles of the triceps play a vital role in the performance of the bench press.  In the case of a standard, flat bench press, the triceps act as the primary pushing mechanism to propel the bar away from the body.  While the muscles of the chest and shoulders contribute to the movement, strong, powerful triceps are critical in the achievement of a big bench press. 

When incorporating close grip benches into a workout routine, it is important to remember that injuries can occur as a result of overtraining and poor technique.  It is crucial to maintain a tight, “coiled spring” body position when performing every set of bench presses, close grip or otherwise. This will provide a solid base for performance of the movement and allow focus to be concentrated on the target muscles. 

When setting up on the bench to perform close grip bench presses, the feet should be flat on the floor, hips, shoulder blades and head should be in constant contact with bench and the back should be arched enough to provide stability and power. 

The bar path of the close grip bench press should be similar to that of the traditional bench press.  To provide the most amount of stress to the triceps, the elbows should be kept tucked into the sides and allowing the bar to drift back toward the bench uprights should be avoided.  If the bar has a tendency to drift toward the uprights, that is an indication of weak triceps as the muscles of the shoulder compensate for the lack of triceps strength. 

If the ultimate goal is to increase the weight used on the bench press, close grip bench presses should be treated as a primary exercise.  Performing close grip bench presses while the triceps are fresh will yield the best results, as executing them with low priority will not provide adequate stress to the pushing muscles, preventing them from adapting to the load. 

A general recommendation would be to perform a few light warm up sets followed by three to five sets of progressive resistance up to a three rep max.  Once the three rep max is established, efforts should be made to improve upon that measure.  That will include work to increase triceps speed and explosive power through practice and repetition and conditioning of the central nervous system through heavy double and single rep sets. 

Focusing  on diligent performance of close grip bench presses one time per seven day period can dramatically improve the amount of weight that can be used on the traditional bench press in as little as six weeks’ time.  While other exercises exist that can also enhance the bench press, few can match the direct carry over that the close grip bench press provides.    

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