10 Best Close Grip Bench Press Alternatives for Triceps

Close Grip Bench Press is an extremely effective compound exercise for building upper body strength, specifically for the chest and triceps.

However, sometimes you may find yourself needing an alternative for Close Grip Bench Press.

Maybe you don’t have a bench (or barbell) or maybe you’re just looking to add some variety to your workouts.

Whatever the reason, if you’re looking for an exercise to substitute for Close Grip Bench then you’re in the right place.

I’ve been a strength coach for two decades and in this article, I will share with you 10 of my favorite Close Grip Bench alternatives including different variations and lifts using different equipment.

Alternatives to Close Grip Bench Press

The first few alternatives I have listed are compound movements that emphasize the chest and triceps very similarly to Close Grip Bench. These exercises would all make almost perfect swaps if you needed to replace Close Grip Bench in your workout plan.

The last few alternatives are some of my favorite triceps isolation exercises. They don’t necessarily mimic the same movement pattern, but they’re all great exercises if you’re looking to add some variety to your arm routine at the end of your workout.

Floor Press

If you don’t have a bench, Floor Press is the best Close Grip Bench Press alternative available to you. It’s essentially Close Grip Bench Press done on the floor. The limited range of motion also puts even more focus on the triceps.

I went about a year before I finally got a flat bench for my garage gym. Did a lot of Floor Pressing (and close grip floor press) and got stronger even without a bench.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Set your barbell up in the rack at the proper height to be able to rack and unrack the bar safely.
• Lay on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
• Engage your lats and set yourself up basically the same as you would for Bench Press.
• Grab the bar using a close grip*, hands right about on the edge of the knurling.
• Unrack the bar, lower it down until the triceps lightly tap the floor and then press it back to extension.

Coaching Points

*Floor Press is generally done using a close grip (about shoulder-width) to emphasize the demand on the triceps. However, you can go with a wider grip if you choose to.

Dips

Dips are my all-time favorite exercise for developing upper body strength and growing the chest and triceps. This is why (spoiler alert) you’re going to see three different Dip variations as alternatives for Close Grip Bench.

The movement patterns and muscle groups worked between the two exercises are extremely close. Whether it’s as a Close Grip Bench Press alternative or not, you should be doing some form of Dips on a weekly basis in my opinion if you’re serious about your upper body training.

Step By Step Instructions

• Position yourself on dip bars, gripping them firmly with your hands.
• Start with your arms fully extended and your body held straight, ensuring your shoulders aren’t shrugged.
• Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides. Descend until your upper arms are about parallel with the ground or as far as your mobility allows.
• Once you’ve reached the bottom of the movement, press back up by extending your arms and returning to the starting position.
• Throughout the movement, maintain a slight forward lean to better engage the chest muscles.

Coaching Points

The biggest mistake I see with dips is poor range of motion. If someone is struggling to be able to do reps, the easiest solution is to simply not lower yourself into a full rep, but this is incorrect. If a lifter cannot perform a full rep they should switch to an easier modification.

The other issue I see athletes run into is unwanted swinging front to back while doing reps. Stay under control, keep a consistent rep path, bend the knees and cross the feet.

Board Bench Press

If you have a partner and access to Bench Boards then Board Bench Press is an incredible Close Grip Bench alternative.

Similar to Floor Press, a board will limit the range of motion to the top half of the rep where the triceps are challenged the most.

This can also be a great option for anyone looking to reduce the stress on the shoulders – whether for regular Bench Press or Close Grip Bench Press. We always used Board Bench Press with our football players during the season for just this purpose.

Coaching Points

Board Bench Press requires lifting partners, plural. You need a spotter and someone to hold the board. Trying to cut corners here can lead to someone getting hurt.

Ring Dips

The second Dip variation that makes an excellent Close Grip Bench Press alternative is Ring Dips.

Ring Dips are a slightly more advanced version of Dips. Incorporating rings adds a ton of stabilization to the movement which can help athletes with keeping their shoulders healthy. If you’re working out at home, Rings can be much more cost-effective than a dip attachment.

Step By Step Instructions

• Set your rings up on your rack. This process will vary based on your rings. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions closely.
• Set your rings just above waist height. This will allow enough room for your feet not to hit the ground while doing reps, but not so high you feel you have to jump up into your first rep.
• Starting position is hands on rings, arms extended, knees slightly bent and feet crossed (crossing feet is optional but does help with unwanted swinging in my experience).
• Descend down by bending the elbows and slightly leaning forward.
• Lower yourself under control until the triceps become parallel with the ground and then drive yourself back up to the starting position.

Coaching Points

*Need some creative options for hanging your gym rings? Here are 5 ways to hang gym rings at home.

Like regular dips, the biggest mistake I see with ring dips is poor range of motion. If someone is struggling to be able to do reps, the easiest solution is to simply not lower yourself into a full rep, but this is incorrect.

If a lifter cannot perform a full rep they should switch to an easier variation.

Weighted Dips

Once you’ve become efficient at regular Dips and sets of 15 to 20 are no longer challenging, it’s time to add some weight to your dips. There are multiple ways to add resistance for Weighted Dips and I’ve given a few examples below under Coaching Points.

Out of all the alternative exercises on this list, if you want to increase your Bench Press performance, this is the exercise that I would recommend the highest.

Step By Step Instructions

• Secure a weight belt around your waist and attach the desired weight.
• Position yourself on dip bars, gripping them firmly with your hands.
• Start with your arms fully extended and your body held straight, ensuring your shoulders aren’t shrugged.
• Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides. Descend until your upper arms are about parallel with the ground or as far as your mobility allows.
• Once you’ve reached the bottom of the movement, press back up by extending your arms and returning to the starting position.
• Throughout the movement, maintain a slight forward lean to better engage the chest muscles.

Coaching Points

*There are multiple ways to add weight to Dips. A couple of the most popular ways are:

• Wear a weighted vest.
• Wrap a lifting chain (used for bench and/or squat) over the shoulders.
• Hold a dumbbell with the feet.
• Using a dip belt with a chain designed to hang weight plates (pictured above).

Bench Press

I’m guessing this one has already crossed your mind, but I’m going to go ahead and mention it anyway – Bench Press. If you’re trying to build your chest and triceps, you should be Bench Pressing at least once, but probably twice, a week.

If you’re already benching once a week, vary up your Bench Press on the second day. Change up the intensities (percentages used), volume and/or tempo. These Bench Press variations are all ways you can add variety with an extra day of Bench Press.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Set the barbell on a bench press rack and load it with the desired weight.
• Lie on the bench with your eyes directly under the bar. Plant your feet flat on the floor.
• Grasp the bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, palms facing away from you.
• Lift the bar off the rack and position it above your chest with arms fully extended.
• Lower the bar to your mid-chest, keeping your elbows at a 75-90 degree angle.
• Push the bar back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.

Coaching Points

Safety Tip: Make sure to always use a spotter when bench pressing with a barbell regardless of the weight being used.

Med Ball Pushups

Medicine Ball Pushups are another great chest and triceps-focused alternative to Close Grip Bench Press. They’re essentially the exact same movement, just one is a bodyweight exercise and the other uses a barbell for resistance.

They’re also uniquely versatile because all the equipment that is needed is a medicine ball.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Grab a medicine ball and find an open spot on the ground.
• Start on your knees and secure your hand placement on the ball first.
• Use a neutral grip hand position with palms facing one another on each outer edge of the ball.
• Now, lift the knees off the ground and raise up into a push up position.
• Lower yourself down, keeping the elbows tight to the body as you descend.
• Lower down until the top of your abdomen (just below the sternum) touches the ball.
• Drive back up to the starting position.

Coaching Points

Perhaps the most important part of the entire lift is getting the proper hand placement on the ball. Don’t be afraid to experiment slightly with what hand position feels best as it may change slightly depending on the type and size of the medicine ball you are using.

Keeping the elbows tight to the body is key here to make sure that the focus stays on the triceps.

Bonus Exercise: Close Grip Pushups (aka Diamond Push-ups) are very similar to Med Ball Pushups and don’t require any equipment at all. You’ll lose some of the stabilization benefits of Med Ball Pushups, but if you’re restricted on access to equipment they can be an extremely effective alternative.

Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench Press

If you don’t have a barbell, but you do have dumbbells, you may want to give Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench Press a shot.

For Neutral Grip DB Bench (also referred to as Close Grip Dumbbell Press), keep the palms facing in toward each other and the elbows close to the body. This angle will put a heavy emphasis on the triceps, very similar to how Close Grip Bench does with the bar.

Step-by-Step Instruction

• Choose appropriate dumbbells and lie back on a flat bench, holding them above your chest.
• Hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip, palms facing toward each other.
• Begin with the dumbbells at chest height, elbows bent at about 90 degrees.
• Press the dumbbells upward, extending your arms fully above your chest.
• Hold for a brief moment at the top, dumbbells almost touching each other.
• Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, controlling the movement.

Coaching Points

This is a very shoulder-friendly pressing movement. Because the implement is a dumbbell, the range of motion is increased, the shear force on the shoulder is decreased, and the shoulder stabilizing muscles are engaged.

Triceps Pushdowns

Triceps Pushdowns is the first of three of my favorite triceps isolation exercises. You’re not going to get the same chest and shoulder involvement as with Close Grip Bench Press, but if you’re looking for alternative triceps movements, Triceps Pushdowns are a tried and true hall-of-fame exercise.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Step up a cable machine by sliding the pin all the way to the top of the beam.
• Attach the rack attachment of your choice.
• Grab the attachment and pull the attachment down until your elbows are next to your sides (arms should still be bent).
• Now, extend the arms down by flexing the triceps and driving the attachment toward the floor.
• Squeeze the triceps at full extension for one second and then slowly allow the attachment to raise back to the starting position.
• Keep elbows tucked into the sides throughout the movement.

Coaching Points

Do not swing and use momentum at the top of the movement in an attempt to use more weight. Stay in control of the weight at all times and use proper form.

If using a heavy weight, you can lean slightly forward at the waist to give yourself more stability and to help keep yourself anchored to the floor.

Band Triceps Pushdowns

If you’re working out in your garage like me, chances are you don’t have a thousand-plus dollar cable machine. However, a resistance band is something that most of us do have and if you do, Band Triceps Pushdowns are an excellent option for working your triceps.

Again, not quite all the benefits as Close Grip Bench Press, but as a triceps finisher at the end of a workout, they can be a great alternative.

Step-by-Step Instructions

First, loop a band around the top of a rack or any other piece of equipment that can solidly hold the band.

• Stand tall, head up.
• Hold the band with hands eight inches apart, palms down.
• Bring upper arms to the sides and keep them there.
• Start with forearms and biceps touching.
• Press the band down to arm’s length.
• Return slowly and under control to starting position.

Coaching Points

To make the exercise more challenging, either use a thicker band or choke up on the band.

If you’re unable to get full range of motion, lower your hands on the band, use a thinner band or stand on something to make the movement easier.

Barbell Skull Crushers

My final alternative for Close Grip Bench is Barbell Skull Crushers. They are yet another great movement for building triceps strength and size.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Grab a bar with an overhand grip, lie flat on a bench with head down, chin up. If you don’t have a bench, you can simply lay on the floor.
• Press the bar to arm’s length above the shoulder.
• Lower the bar until it almost touches the top of the forehead, bending arms at the elbows, keeping upper arm vertical and elbows in.
• Drive the bar back up to the starting position and repeat.

Coaching Points

Keep the elbows high throughout. When Skull Crushers start to become difficult, the natural tendency of the lifter is to drop the elbows. Keep the elbows high and tight (try not to let them flare out to the side either).

*You can use a straight barbell or an EZ Curl Bar although most lifters prefer a Curl Bar because of the angle it allows the wrist to turn.

Final Thoughts

Close Grip Bench Press is an excellent exercise for developing a strong chest, shoulders and triceps, but sometimes Close Grip Bench just isn’t an option. You may not have the proper equipment available to you or at other times you might just be looking to add some variety to your training program.

In these situations, you’ll need a Close Grip Bench alternative and I hope that at least one of the alternative exercises I’ve listed here fits what you were looking for.

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