You can most effectively develop large, powerful triceps muscles with barbell close-grip bench presses. The compound free-weight movement places great stress on your triceps throughout the full exercise range of motion. This continuous force stimulates maximum muscle size and strength gains in your triceps muscles. Pressing with a barbell also helps you use heavy weights, increasing the workload on your muscles and further accelerating triceps development. Consult your physician before starting a resistance-training regimen.
Anatomy
The triceps brachii muscle consists of a long, medial and lateral head. The long and medial heads span the outside portion of your triceps, and the inner head runs along the inside region of the muscle. Barbell close-grip bench presses target each head of the triceps muscles, offering you a comprehensive, upper-arm muscle-building workout.
Exercise Form
The barbell close-grip bench press involves pressing a barbell away from the body from a supine position on a flat bench. Maintaining a shoulder-width grip places greater emphasis on your triceps instead of your chest muscles. Keep your feet flat on the floor and position your back against the bench during the full exercise range of motion to reduce the risk of back injury.
Repetitions
Using heavy weights for a minimal number of repetitions helps stimulate hypertrophy, or muscle growth. Gradually introducing more weight after each completed set helps you break through muscle-building plateaus by placing increasingly greater stress on the triceps. Do four sets of eight repetitions, adding 10 lbs. after each completed set. Rest 90 seconds between sets to allow for optimal recovery times between workouts.
Recommendations
Train with a spotter during close-grip barbell bench presses to reduce the risk of injury and maintain proper exercise form. If you are unable to press the standard Olympic barbell, use an EZ Curl bar, small barbell or dumbbells. Warm up with five minutes of brisk walking before workouts to bring blood into the triceps and improve lifting performance. Stretch for five minutes before and after your workouts to improve triceps flexibility.
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