Close-grip bench.... can't get the form right!!

[DanielBishop]

I posted about this a few weeks ago, and you guys offered some helpful advice....


.... so I started my bulking phase last night and tried doing close-grip bench press. But it just didn't work. I only felt it in my front delts.

I used a grip about 12-15 inches apart, and tried to keep my upper arms and elbows as close to my body as possible. I experimented with bringing the bar closer to my chin, or further down my chest. Either way, I felt a burn in my front delts and not much triceps at all (if any).

So I asked a guy in the gym who is a decent size and seems to know what he's talking about.... and while he doesn't really do close-grip bench very often, he said he always did it with his elbows out wide. Like, at the bottom of the movement, his arms were running in a line with the bar.

I tried that (with very light weight) and it seemed to hit the triceps a bit better.... but still not great. And besides, you all told me that the arms and elbows should be tucked in close.

So now I'm confused. If you don't mind, please explain the technique again? And if there's any tips to stop it working the front delts as much, I'd like to know...

Thanks

 

[gymtime]

Just because you felt it more in your front delts, doesn't mean you were doing them wrong. It sounds like you were doing them correctly. And I don't care how big that guy's arms are, do NOT flare your elbows out on a close grip.

Try this: do them like you've been doing, but remember to squeeze your tris at the top of the movement. This will mean you'll be locking out your arms, which is not a good idea on a regular bench press. But for this, try it. Just make sure you're not lifting more than you can control.

It's ok to feel it in your delts, that's not a bad thing. They will adapt. Try this and see how it goes.

 

[Lord_Suston]

they use to work my front delts as well. All that means is you need to keep your shoulders down and work on them to have them catch up in growth. Keep you elbows in and touch the bottom of your sternum and slowly push straight up. The thing is to go slow and build momentum in each one of your workouts.

 

[DanielBishop]

Just feels weird. Didn't feel it in my triceps at all.

Where should the bar come down to? To me, it feels that if I bring it closer to my nipple-region, it works the front delts more since it's almost like a barbell front-raise (except I'm laying on a bench, obviously)....

.... so perhaps if I bring the bar higher towards my clavicles, it... won't.... do that.... like.... it'll be different. If you know what I mean.

Anyway, I'll try a few different things. And I don't think I should trust that guy's word.... since he admitted that he rarely does close-grip bench at all. Besides, when I tried it.... felt VERY uneasy on my elbows.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[Citruscide]

I keep my elbows in and press from my sternum... basically BELOW my "nipple region".

The very first time I tried alot of exercises... many of my joints didn't feel to well with it. With close-grip, my wrists and elbows were little achey going into it, but as you keep doing the exercise, those things go away, pretty rapidly.

C-ditty

 

[beastboy]

And I don't care how big that guy's arms are, do NOT flare your elbows out on a close grip.

This is so important......if you do let your elbows flare out you are opening yourself up to some major injuries. I know!

 

[jerkbox]

when i do these, i press keep the elbows in, and press it to just below my chest....also (and i might get flamed for this) i do not use my thumbs to grip the bar....and I think this may play into which muscles are recruited to perform the movement.

(btw, i much prefer dips to this movement anyway)

 

[2Shy]

I did these for the first time last week (actually, I was trying to do JMs, but that's another story). I never felt them in my tris as I was doing them. I kept my elbows in since every other tri exercise I know about has you tuck your elbows.

Anyway, two days later my tris informed me that they had been rode hard and put away wet. See what you have to look forward to?

 

[DanielBishop]

I do dips as well, by the way.... dips come first in my triceps workout, and close-grip bench comes second.

I'll keep trying and see how it feels.

By the way, my triceps feel pretty sore.... but that might've been from the two other exercises I did that day. Dips and skullcrushers.... I noticed that the skullcrushers were working really well at the time, so it was probably mainly due to those.

 

[Jxaxsxe530]

flaring ur elbows out just puts more unnecessary pressure on ur joints. yes it will hit ur triceps too that way, but you will not lift as much weight with it compared to using elbows in. keep ur elbows in all da time. lift the bar to below ur chest, not ur chin. if ur goal is to target the tris, then lower the weight and go a couple sets with that to get the form right, then slowly add weight to it until ur form goes bad. stop adding weight right there. maybe u were lifting too much weight