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Close-Grip Push Ups
Exercise Form and Techniques,
Pictures and Video

(Top)	(Bottom)

Primary Movers Triceps

Secondary Movers Delts (F) Pectorals Other Muscles Involved Biceps

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Exercise Type: Compound Exercise

Instruction: Fingers going forward with palms on the floor, slightly narrower than shoulder width and directly underneath the shoulders, toes on floor and with your body balanced in this way, lower your body until the chest nearly touches the floor (or your hands) and then push yourself back up again until arms are nearly locked.

Tips and Techniques: The body moves as one unit, a straight line from the shoulders to the heels. The head can be in line (looking down) or you can look a little forward (at about a 45 degree angle at most).

Your arms are tucked in close to the body to keep the triceps doing most of the work (keeping the arms tucked is a key to taking the pectorals out of position to do substantial work and keeping the exercise's focus on the triceps). This is a great exercise for increasing the size of the triceps especially if you can add resistance (with the help of a partner or a backpack appartus).

Recommended Reps for Muscle Building: 10-12 the majority of the time, adding resistance and/or slowing the tempo to increase difficulty.

Common Variations:

• Standard Push Ups
• Incline Close-Grip Push Up - Done with the legs inclined (on a chair, swiss ball or other object). This changes the secondary muscles hit from the lower to the upper pectorals as well changing the stress placed on the triceps.
• Triangle Push Ups - This is done by touching your thumbs and forefingers together on the ground (forming a triangle). The narrower hand placement can increase difficulty but can also cause wrist pain for some.

Substitutions: The best substitute would be your Close-Grip Bench Press, which is the close-grip push up turned over.

Bodybuilding Equipment: Push up handles (optional)

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Close-Grip Push Up
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