Arms · Triceps extension
Close-Grip Cable Bench Press
The Close-Grip Cable Bench Press mainly trains your triceps. Also working: chest and front delts.
Both cables
Flat bench
Stable
How to do it
- Lie flat on the bench, handles close beside your lower chest
- Let your elbows brush your ribs as you lower
- Press straight up, hands stay close together
- Extend fully at the top, lower slowly
Coach’s tip
The heaviest triceps exercise on the cable machine: you can load up heavy without irritating your elbows. The tighter your elbows stay to your body, the more of the work lands in the triceps instead of the chest.
Setup
Pulley
Both pulleys at the bottom
Grip
Single handles, palms facing each other
Load
Both cables
Needs two cable towers
You need
Flat bench
Stability
A bench, the floor or the frame takes the counterforce, or the cable pulls straight up or down. Good for heavy sets.
Alternatives
Other exercises for the same movement (triceps extension). In DCFT you can swap with one tap, and the app only offers what your equipment allows.
Questions about this exercise
What muscles does the Close-Grip Cable Bench Press work?
Mainly the triceps. The chest and front delts help.
How do I set up the cable machine for the Close-Grip Cable Bench Press?
Pulley: Both pulleys at the bottom. Grip: Single handles, palms facing each other. You also need: Flat bench.
Can I do the Close-Grip Cable Bench Press on a single cable tower?
Not like this. The Close-Grip Cable Bench Press needs both cables at once, so two towers. If you set up DCFT for one tower, the app leaves it out of your plan and uses exercises such as Rope Triceps Pushdown and Overhead Triceps Extension instead.
What can I do instead of the Close-Grip Cable Bench Press?
For the same movement: Rope Triceps Pushdown, Overhead Triceps Extension and Bar Triceps Pushdown. In DCFT you swap with one tap.
DCFT
The Close-Grip Cable Bench Press in DCFT
In the app this exercise comes with your weight: the plate to pin, what you lifted last time and a rest timer that starts by itself.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.