Close Grip Push Up

How to Perform the Close Grip Push Up

1. Get into a standard push-up position but place your hands close together directly under your chest, approximately 6-8 inches apart or with thumbs and index fingers forming a diamond shape.
2. Extend your body into a straight line from head to heels. Engage your core and glutes to maintain a rigid plank position.
3. Keeping your elbows tucked close to your sides, slowly lower your chest toward your hands by bending your elbows.
4. Lower until your chest lightly touches or nearly touches your hands, keeping your body in a straight line throughout.
5. Push yourself back up explosively by extending your elbows, squeezing your triceps at the top of the movement.
6. Maintain the tucked elbow position throughout. Your elbows should track backward along your body, not flare out to the sides.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Muscles Worked

Benefits

• ✓One of the best bodyweight exercises for building tricep strength and mass without any equipment.
• ✓Increases tricep activation by up to 30% compared to standard-width push-ups according to EMG studies.
• ✓Builds functional pushing strength that transfers to bench press and overhead press performance.

Pro Tips

• ●If the diamond position is too difficult, start with hands slightly wider (about 6 inches apart) and gradually narrow your grip.
• ●Elevate your hands on a bench or step to make the exercise easier while you build strength.
• ●To increase difficulty, elevate your feet on a bench or add a weighted vest.

Variations

Recommended Sets & Reps