Close Grip Bench

Following my posts on the Bench Press, I decided to follow up with my favorite tricep exercise (and a variation of the bench press) - the Close Grip Bench Press.

The muscles it works: If done correctly, you can almost exclusively target your triceps. This will also mildly work your pecs and shoulders.

How to Perform: Begin by lying on the bench as if you were about to perform a regular bench press, but instead of gripping the bar wider slightly wider than your shoulders, position your hands a little less than 12 inches apart (but still even on each side from the center of the bar). Keep your feet flat on the floor and your butt and shoulders against the bench (and this time, with as little arch in your back as possible). Then proceed to perform a bench (as copied below from my previous post on the bench press).

Now, to begin the bench press, lift the bar off of the bench by pushing up on the bar while pressing your shoulders against the bench. Move the bar so it is directly above your chest. Carefully lower the bar so that it touches your chest, and then lift it back up (once again, by pushing up on the bar while driving your shoulder blades into the bench). Repeat for your preferred amount of reps and then place the bar back on the rack.

Tips:
1. Use slow and deliberate reps to build up tricep mass (and impressive arms)
2. Perform your triceps workout on the same day as your chest workout because your triceps are also worked while performing a regular bench press

Conclusion: This is a great exercise to perform for building massive arms. Some beginning lifters tend to ignore their triceps and only train the biceps, but this will only lead to an unbalanced arm look. Make sure you include your triceps in your workout routine, and you will probably want to perform this exercise in conjunction with another triceps exercise to maximize your gains (this would actually be a great muscle to superset on)