Arms · Barbell
Barbell Incline Close Grip Bench Press
How to do the barbell incline close grip bench press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on an incline bench and hold a barbell with hands closer than shoulder-width. Lower the bar to your upper chest, keeping your elbows tucked close to your body, then press it back up until your arms are straight.
- 1Feel your triceps take the bulk of the load while your upper chest
- 2assists
- 3Keep your elbows tucked close to your body as you press
- 4Squeeze your triceps at the top and keep your shoulders stable
Common mistakes
- Do not flare your elbows or let your wrists bend backward
- Avoid bouncing the bar off your chest or over-arching your back
- Do not let your shoulders roll forward during the press
Muscles worked
The barbell incline close grip bench press mainly works the triceps and upper chest, with the mid chest and front delts assisting.
- TricepsPrimary
- Upper ChestPrimary
- Mid ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell incline close grip bench press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More triceps exercises
- How to do the bent-over tricep extension
- How to do the crossbody tricep extension
- How to do the cable katana tricep extension
- How to do the cable single arm tricep extension
- How to do the kickback
- How to do the lying tricep extension
Last reviewed June 2026.