How close together should my hands be?

For most people, a grip narrower than shoulder width with roughly a hand's width or a little more between the hands works well. Going narrower until the hands touch rarely helps and tends to strain the wrists, so widen slightly if your wrists or elbows feel uncomfortable.

Is the Smith machine version better than the barbell close-grip bench press?

Neither is better in every situation. The Smith machine fixes the bar path and lets you rack the bar at any point, which suits training alone or pushing sets close to failure, while the Barbell Bench Press (Close Grip) demands more stabilization and carries over more directly to free-weight pressing.

Where should the bar touch my chest?

The bar should touch your lower chest, around the bottom of the sternum. Since a Smith machine bar travels in a fixed vertical line, set the bench position before your first rep so that spot lines up under the bar.

Should I do this before or after my regular bench press?

Usually after, as a secondary press that follows your main chest work. On a day built around the arms, it can go first as the heaviest triceps movement of the session.

How many sets and reps should I do?

Three to four sets of 6 to 12 reps suits most strength and muscle-building goals. Pick a load that lets you finish every rep with your elbows tucked and the bar under control.

How much does the Smith machine bar weigh?

It depends on the machine. Many Smith machine bars are counterbalanced so the starting load is only a few kilograms, while others weigh closer to a standard barbell, and the figure is usually printed on the machine or listed by the manufacturer. Log your weight the same way every session and compare loads only on the same machine.

Smith Machine Bench Press (Close Grip)

What Is the Smith Machine Bench Press (Close Grip)?

Smith Machine Bench Press (Close Grip) is a compound exercise that primarily targets the triceps and also engages the chest and front shoulders. It is an intermediate-level movement that pairs a narrow overhand grip on a flat bench with the fixed vertical bar path of a Smith machine, so you can press a heavy load through the elbows without having to balance the bar.

The main purpose of this exercise is to build triceps strength and size with a load heavier than most isolation movements allow. The free-weight close-grip bench press is a long-standing accessory for lifters who want a stronger lockout on the bench press, and the Smith machine version offers a similar pressing pattern with less demand on stabilizing muscles. It usually sits after the main chest press in an upper-body or push session, or first in a session built around the arms, and it suits moderate rep ranges such as 6 to 12 reps.

Bringing the hands inside shoulder width and keeping the elbows tucked shifts more of the work onto the triceps, which have to straighten the elbows through a longer range, while the chest still does much of the pressing. In a free-weight bench press study of 20 physically active adults, a grip about half shoulder width produced more triceps activity than a grip one and a half times shoulder width, although the authors judged overall muscle activity similar across grips. Moving the hands back out to a standard grip, as in the Smith Machine Bench Press, puts the chest back in charge. The free-weight Barbell Bench Press (Close Grip) trains the same pattern but asks the shoulders and upper back to control the bar path. On the Smith machine that path is fixed, so where you place the bench decides where the bar meets your chest.

This variation works well for lifters who train without a spotter, since the bar can be hooked onto the rack at any point in the rep and safety stops catch it if a rep fails. If it is too demanding at first, build pressing strength with the Push-Up, and add direct elbow extension work such as the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope). Thinking about pushing the bar away by straightening your elbows, rather than squeezing your chest, helps keep the emphasis on the triceps.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): Primary
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): Primary
Pectoralis Major: High
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): High
Deltoid: Medium
Serratus Anterior: Low
Latissimus Dorsi: Minimal

Instructions

Place a flat bench lengthwise under the Smith machine so the bar lines up over your lower chest when you lie down.
Set the safety stops just below the height of your chest when you are lying on the bench.
Lie back with your head, upper back, and hips on the bench, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Grip the bar overhand with your hands narrower than shoulder width, roughly a hand's width or a little more apart, and wrap your thumbs around the bar.
Pull your shoulder blades together and down into the bench.
Press the bar up slightly and rotate it to release the hooks, then hold it with your arms straight above your chest.
Inhale and lower the bar under control to your lower chest, keeping your elbows tucked close to your sides.
Touch the bar lightly to your lower chest without bouncing.
Exhale and press the bar straight up by extending your elbows until your arms are straight.
Repeat for the desired reps, then rotate the bar to hook it back onto the rack.

Common Mistakes

Flaring the Elbows
Letting the elbows drift out to the sides shifts the work onto the chest and front shoulders and away from the triceps.
Placing the Bench in the Wrong Spot
Because the bar moves in a fixed line, a bench set too far forward or back makes the bar land near your neck or on your stomach instead of your lower chest.
Bending the Wrists Back
Letting the bar roll toward your fingers bends the wrists back and loads the joint instead of stacking the bar over your forearms.
Gripping Too Narrow
Squeezing the hands together until they touch strains the wrists and elbows without adding meaningful work for the triceps.
Bouncing the Bar off the Chest
Dropping the bar and bouncing it off your sternum removes tension from the triceps and can bruise or irritate the chest.
Not Locking Out Fully
Stopping the press before your elbows straighten cuts off the top of the lift, where the triceps finish extending the arms, so press until your arms are straight on every rep.

Injuries

Smith Machine Bench Press (Close Grip) is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The fixed bar path and safety stops lower the chance of losing control of the bar, but the narrow grip puts more stress on the wrists and elbows than a standard-grip press, and the shoulders still take load at the bottom of each rep.

The most common strain points are the wrists, which bend back if the bar rolls toward the fingers, the elbows, which can ache with heavy loads or high weekly volume, and the front of the shoulders if the elbows flare out or the bar touches too high on the chest. Warm up with a few lighter sets, keep the bar stacked over your forearms, and set the bench so the bar lands on your lower chest. If your wrists or elbows complain, widen your grip slightly rather than forcing the narrow position.

To regress, reduce the load or switch to movements that are easier on the joints, such as the Cable Triceps Pushdown (Rope) or the Dumbbell Press (Close Grip), which lets each wrist settle into a comfortable angle. Once you press the Smith machine version with steady control, the Barbell Bench Press (Close Grip) is a natural progression. Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the elbow, wrist, or front of the shoulder, or any numbness or tingling in the hands.

Overview

Primary Focus: Triceps
Equipment: Smith machine and bench
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How close together should my hands be?: For most people, a grip narrower than shoulder width with roughly a hand's width or a little more between the hands works well. Going narrower until the hands touch rarely helps and tends to strain the wrists, so widen slightly if your wrists or elbows feel uncomfortable.
Q: Is the Smith machine version better than the barbell close-grip bench press?: Neither is better in every situation. The Smith machine fixes the bar path and lets you rack the bar at any point, which suits training alone or pushing sets close to failure, while the Barbell Bench Press (Close Grip) demands more stabilization and carries over more directly to free-weight pressing.
Q: Where should the bar touch my chest?: The bar should touch your lower chest, around the bottom of the sternum. Since a Smith machine bar travels in a fixed vertical line, set the bench position before your first rep so that spot lines up under the bar.
Q: Should I do this before or after my regular bench press?: Usually after, as a secondary press that follows your main chest work. On a day built around the arms, it can go first as the heaviest triceps movement of the session.
Q: How many sets and reps should I do?: Three to four sets of 6 to 12 reps suits most strength and muscle-building goals. Pick a load that lets you finish every rep with your elbows tucked and the bar under control.
Q: How much does the Smith machine bar weigh?: It depends on the machine. Many Smith machine bars are counterbalanced so the starting load is only a few kilograms, while others weigh closer to a standard barbell, and the figure is usually printed on the machine or listed by the manufacturer. Log your weight the same way every session and compare loads only on the same machine.