Close-Grip EZ-Bar Press
The close-grip EZ-bar press is a bench press done with your hands on the inner, narrow section of an EZ curl bar. The angled grips let your wrists sit naturally while the close hand position shifts extra work onto the triceps, with the chest and shoulders assisting. It's a beginner-friendly way to build pressing strength for anyone whose wrists complain during a straight-bar close-grip bench press.
Why it works
Bringing your hands in narrower than a standard bench grip keeps your elbows tucked closer to your ribs through the whole rep, and a tucked elbow hands more of the lockout work to the triceps than a flared one does. The EZ bar's zigzag shape lets your wrists angle slightly instead of staying perfectly straight, which is easier on the joint than gripping a straight bar at the same narrow width. The chest and front shoulders still drive the bar off your chest at the bottom, but the closer you get to lockout, the more the triceps take over. That combination, a familiar bench setup with a joint-friendly bar, is why lifters who can't tolerate a straight-bar close grip often keep training triceps this way instead of dropping the movement altogether.
Set up
- Get on a flat bench so your eyes sit roughly under the bar, feet flat on the floor.
- Grip the EZ bar on the inner angled section, hands closer than shoulder width.
- Pull your shoulder blades down and together against the bench before unracking.
- Unrack with straight arms and hold the bar over your collarbone before the first rep.
How to do it
- Brace your core and take a breath before the bar starts moving.
- Lower the bar under control, keeping your elbows tracking close to your ribs.
- Touch the bar lightly to your lower chest.
- Press the bar straight back up, driving through your palms.
- Lock your elbows out fully at the top without losing your shoulder blade position.
- Reset your brace between reps.
Form cues
- Elbows stay close to your ribs the whole rep.
- Bar travels a straight vertical line.
- Shoulder blades stay pinned to the bench.
- Wrists stay in line with your forearms, not bent back.
Breathing: Inhale and brace before you unrack, hold through the lowering phase, then exhale as you press to lockout.
Common mistakes
Gripping the flat center of the bar instead of the angled sections, which loses the wrist-friendly benefit.
Fix: Find the angled grips on the EZ bar and keep your hands there for the whole set.
Letting the elbows flare wide as the set gets harder.
Fix: Cue your elbows toward your ribs on every rep; a flared elbow shifts the work back toward the chest and off the triceps.
Bouncing the bar off the chest to generate momentum.
Fix: Pause briefly at the chest and press with muscle, not a bounce; the pause is where the triceps do their real work.
How to program it
- This is a loaded compound press, so once a week as your main triceps-focused pressing movement gives your elbows and shoulders enough recovery.
- Sets of 8 to 10 reps build both strength and size without needing near-max loads.
- Place it after your primary chest press in the session, using it to finish off the triceps.
- Keep loads moderate at first; the angled grip changes the bar path slightly compared to a straight bar, and technique needs to catch up before the weight does.
Safety notes
- Use a spotter or safety pins for any load heavier than you can comfortably re-rack alone.
- Stop if you feel pinching at the front of the shoulder instead of muscle fatigue in the triceps.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Push
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How many sets and reps for close-grip EZ-bar press?
Three to four sets of 8 to 10 reps once a week works well as a finishing triceps movement after your main chest press.
Why use an EZ bar instead of a straight bar for close-grip pressing?
The angled grips let your wrists sit at a more natural angle when your hands are close together, which is easier on the wrist joint than a straight bar at the same narrow width.
Close-grip EZ-bar press versus close-grip barbell bench press: which should I choose?
Both train the triceps the same way. Choose the EZ bar if a straight-bar close grip bothers your wrists, and the straight barbell once you want to load it heavier.
What if I don't have an EZ bar for this press?
A pair of dumbbells pressed together works as a close substitute; it trains the same tucked-elbow, triceps-focused pressing pattern without needing the angled bar.