Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press
Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press is a compound strength exercise using machine that trains the triceps.
StrengthMachineBeginnerCompoundPush
Primary muscles: Triceps
Secondary muscles: Chest, Shoulders
How to do it
- Place a flat bench underneath the smith machine. Place the barbell at a height that you can reach when lying down and your arms are almost fully extended. Once the weight you need is selected, lie down on the flat bench. Using a close and pronated grip (palms facing forward) that is around shoulder width, unlock the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest. Tip: Make sure that as opposed to a regular bench press, you keep the elbows close to the torso at all times in order to maximize triceps involvement.
- After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your triceps muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, lock the bar back in the rack.
Track it with MyoAmigo
MyoAmigo pre-fills every set of the Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press from last time, charts your estimated 1RM trend so you can see strength move without testing a true max, and flags a stall with a concrete fix. It also credits this work toward your weekly Triceps volume on the MyoMap heatmap. New to the movement? Start with picking a working weight and progressive overload.
