Close Grip Smith Machine Bench Press

How to Perform the Close Grip Smith Machine Bench Press

1. Position a flat bench in the center of a Smith machine so the bar path aligns with your mid-chest when lying down.
2. Lie on the bench with your eyes directly under the bar. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, hands approximately 10-14 inches apart (narrower than shoulder width).
3. Unrack the bar by rotating the hooks and press it to full arm extension. This is your starting position.
4. Slowly lower the bar to your lower chest or sternum area, keeping your elbows tucked at a 30-degree angle to your torso.
5. Touch the bar lightly to your chest, then press it back up by extending your elbows, focusing on squeezing the triceps.
6. Lock out your arms at the top, then repeat. Re-rack by rotating the bar back into the hooks at the end of your set.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Muscles Worked

Benefits

• ✓The Smith machine eliminates the need for stabilization, allowing you to focus on pressing heavier weight for tricep development.
• ✓The fixed bar path makes it safer to train to failure without a spotter.
• ✓Effective for building tricep strength that transfers to free weight bench press performance.

Pro Tips

• ●Position the bench so the bar travels in a straight line to your lower chest, not your upper chest or neck.
• ●Use the Smith machine's safety stops to set a safety catch just above chest level in case of failure.
• ●The fixed bar path allows you to focus purely on pressing force, making this ideal for heavy tricep overload.

Variations

Recommended Sets & Reps