Thread: close grip bench press

I started doing them 3 days ago in my new routine. My triceps are still soar, so i guess they do pack on good mass

Originally Posted by primus_122

I started doing them 3 days ago in my new routine. My trices are still soar, so i guess they do pack on good mass

LOL, that was cute. I havent laughed out loud on here in a while! Let me get this straight: You did a new excercise 3 days ago and your still sore so that OBVIOUSLY means it must pack on good mass? LOL, I love it.

All chuckling aside I feel like they DO pack on good mass and they are very effective. Alot of people forget about this excercise for the tri's.

I love close grips, just make sure not to go too close or you place strain on the wrists.

Jay Cutler's close grip is pinky on the ring grip, this is a little wider than I used to go but now I use that method and virtually dont do any regular benching anymore unless I'm wearing a shirt.

thanks biggernstronger

I like'em. Right now I'm doing Tri's after Chest though and I can't handle that LOL.

I like to super-set the Close-Hand Bench press with Skull Crushers. Sure kills the Tri's.

Originally Posted by BiggerNstronger

LOL, that was cute. I havent laughed out loud on here in a while! Let me get this straight: You did a new excercise 3 days ago and your still sore so that OBVIOUSLY means it must pack on good mass? LOL, I love it.

All chuckling aside I feel like they DO pack on good mass and they are very effective. Alot of people forget about this excercise for the tri's.

Now I am chuckling. How could you forget about close grip bench? What do you replace them with, kickbacks? Cute?

Originally Posted by WilliamB

Now I am chuckling. How could you forget about close grip bench? What do you replace them with, kickbacks? Cute?

Actually a lot of people don't forget them, some people think this is solely a chest exercise.

i do close grips on a smith machine at a very slight incline....dont go too close with your hand width and keep your elbows tucked....this exercise has has given me some nice mass

I rotate the following for tri's using 3 diifferent exercises.

Week 1..........Close grip Bench / Cable pushdowns
Week 2..........Weighted Bar Dips / Cable pushdowns
Week 3.......... Reverse grip Bench / Cable pushdowns
Note: No Skulls for this old man. learned my lesson last year with a double torn tendon on left elbow from skulls.

Originally Posted by Mudge

I love close grips, just make sure not to go too close or you place strain on the wrists.

I made that mistake and regret it, the pain is tough.

But do your CG's, theyre worth it.

Originally Posted by kraziplaya

i do close grips on a <a style='text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 3px double;' href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=24&k=smith%20machine" onmouseover="window.status='smith machine'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">smith machine</a> with the bench at the lowest incline....make sure you keep your elbows close in to ur side and dont come down too far...use ur mind/muscle connection...it is a GREAT mass builder

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Never you mind. Hes a Krazy Playa, dog.

Originally Posted by WilliamB

Now I am chuckling. How could you forget about close grip bench? What do you replace them with, kickbacks? Cute?

Who are you talking too? Did you even read my post? You quoted ME so I m guessing you were chuckling to hard to read the whole post where I mentioned that I DO THEM and SOME people forget about them.

Perhaps he was speculating on how others could forget...

Originally Posted by WilliamB

Now I am chuckling. How could you forget about close grip bench? What do you replace them with, kickbacks? Cute?

lol

Originally Posted by rock4832

I like'em. Right now I'm doing Tri's after Chest though and I can't handle that LOL.

I had the same problem this week. I guess I am going to have to go back to chest/bis and tris/back but I hate that because I hit my triceps secondarily on monday, wednesday, and then primarily on thursday.

Fuck, I need to figure this out.

i just work one muscle group a day high volume ... allows u to work to ur potential i figure.. since ... anyways yah i do CG's and they are amazing.. i keep my hands shoulder width apart and dont go down all the way because then ur working ur chest mostly... stay about 6" above ur chest so u never give ur triceps a break

I love close grip bench. It hits my triceps just the way that I like it. I either use a straight bar with my pinkies on the ring, or I can even use the EZ curl bar and my grip fits perfectly. After using the close grip bench for my triceps I will never go back to any type of extention or "kickback" again. Close grip bench is the only way to gain strength if you ask me.

I didnt really know too much about CG presses so i was doing overhead extensions, cable pushdowns, dips... and other compound exercises that hit the tri's. Thanks for the respect

I do them two out of every three tricep workouts. Those and skull crushers are a must in my opinion for gaining mass in the tris. Personally, I think too many rely on cables and sissy exercises instead of basic compound moves such as these.

Originally Posted by primus_122

I didnt really know too much about CG presses so i was doing overhead extensions, cable pushdowns, dips... and other compound exercises that hit the tri's. Thanks for the respect

Don't let that stuff bother you, I guess some guys were experts from day 1. Read the stickys, learn from the pro's here like Mudge, Lam etc, and ask smarts questions and you will be OK.

Arent all excersizes really "good"? Just because you try them out for the first time and get sore doesnt mean its any better than another excersize right? Am I right?

Almost anytime you do a new movement for the first time, if you do more than 3 sets or so, you are probably going to end up sore somewhere if you trained hard.

Vince Gironda used to advocate training a new movement with a high number of sets, to find where you were the most sore, hoping to shift emphasis to say a different delt or tricep head, part of the back, etc.

It isn't uncommon to find people who dont get sore very often, or for very many days after a routine. It certainly doesn't mean benches, curls and squats are no good.

This is what i do my by trainer its real good

Exercise 1: Bench Press
Starting position: 1. Lay on the bench with your feet up on the bench (like in the picture) to stabilize your back. You don't know how many times I see people with their feet on the floor and arching their back to move the weight. If that's the way you're doing it you're just asking to get injured. 2. Grip the bar at a width that causes your forearms to be perpendicular with the floor during the movement. The reason for this is that you want to always be working against the force of resistance. When you perform any free weight exercise you are working against gravity, which is straight up and down.

i find im more balanced and in control with my feet on the floor.... arching your back is a no no though

Actually arching your back is not cheating, in the powerlifting world. As long as your ASS STAYS ON THE BENCH. Your feet should NOT be on the bench because this arches your spine in the WRONG DIRECTION.

You will find in fact, to assist in maintaining the arch AND the pushoff with the feet (yes this is completely legal), the feet will often be pulled far underneath the lifter. The shorter guys typically are really good at maximizing the arch, you will not find many who lie completely flat on the bench but there are a few. Doing so places a bit more strain on the shoulders, and lengthens the distance traveled to some degree. I can't get a great deal of arch, but I still utilize some in my training.

And I agree with Brolly that the feet on the floor helps stability, especially if you are sweaty at all. If you dont fall off a bench, you may very well cause a strain that could even end up being a permanent injury that you feel tingle every now and then for the rest of your life.

2. Grip the bar at a width that causes your forearms to be perpendicular with the floor during the movement.

Actually this is not very helpful. Your forearms can be perp to the floor at all grip widths depending on where you bring the bar down to.