Close-Grip Dumbbell Press
The close-grip dumbbell press is a horizontal press on a flat bench with the dumbbells touching and the elbows tucked to the torso, loading the triceps and inner chest through a longer range than the barbell.
TRICEPS · PUSH
How it is executed
- Lie on a flat bench holding two dumbbells directly above your chest, palms facing each other and the heads of the dumbbells touching.
- Keep your elbows tucked close to your ribs.
- Lower the dumbbells together in a straight line toward the lower-middle chest until your upper arms are just below parallel to the floor.
- Pause briefly, then press the weights back up by extending your elbows and squeezing your triceps and chest.
- Maintain a neutral wrist, tight core, and steady tempo throughout the set.
Common mistakes
- Flaring the elbows on the way down. The close grip exists precisely to keep the elbows near the torso and load the triceps; let them flare and you are back to a chest press.
- Squeezing the dumbbells into each other instead of pressing them up. The force should go upward, not sideways. Keep them in light contact and focus on extending the elbows.
- Only lowering a few inches. Without bringing the dumbbells to the chest the triceps works in the shortest part of the range. Lighten it until you can complete the range with the elbows tucked.
Frequently asked questions
- Which muscles does the close-grip dumbbell press work?
- The triceps is the primary muscle: with the elbows tucked to the torso, elbow extension does most of the pressing. The sternal part of the pectoral, the inner chest, works as the dumbbells press against each other, and the front deltoid helps at the start. It is the pressing movement that involves the triceps most while still being a press.
- What is the difference between the close-grip dumbbell press and the regular dumbbell bench press?
- In the bench press the dumbbells travel apart with the elbows at about 45 degrees, and the chest works through more range. In the close-grip press the dumbbells stay together and the elbows stay against the ribs, so the load shifts to the triceps. Less weight moves than in the bench press, which is why it is programmed as a triceps accessory rather than the main press.
- Close-grip dumbbell press or skull crushers: which is better for triceps?
- Skull crushers isolate the triceps because only the elbow moves, so they take less load and suit volume work with strict form. The close-grip press allows more weight because the chest and shoulder assist, and it is easier on the elbow in heavy sets. Many coaches combine both: the close-grip press first, heavier, and skull crushers after it.
- What can I use instead of the close-grip dumbbell press without a bench?
- Diamond push-ups, with the hands together under the chest and the elbows tucked, reproduce the same pattern with no equipment, and raising the feet adds load. On the floor, the close-grip dumbbell floor press works with a shorter range because the upper arms touch the ground. With a barbell, the close-grip bench press is the most direct substitute.
Variations and substitutions
Glossary and calculators
Compound exerciseA compound exercise moves more than one joint and loads several muscles at once — the squat, the deadlift, the bench press, the row.Range of motionRange of motion is the joint travel an exercise covers, from the muscle's most lengthened position to its most contracted.VO2 max calculator (Cooper test)What your VO2 max is
