Shoulders · EZ Bar
EZ Bar Seated Close Grip Shoulder Press
How to do the ez bar seated close grip shoulder press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- EZ Bar
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- VerticalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Sit tall on a bench and hold an EZ bar at shoulder height with a close grip on the inner angled sections, palms facing forward. Press the bar overhead until your arms are nearly straight, then lower it back to the front of your shoulders under control.
- 1Front delts driving the press with the triceps finishing the lockout
- 2Wrists comfortable in the angled grip and stacked over the elbows
- 3A braced trunk with the bar tracking straight up over the head
Common mistakes
- Arching the low back to push the bar up
- Letting the bar drift forward away from the face
- Pressing only to a half lockout and cutting the range short
Muscles worked
The ez bar seated close grip shoulder press mainly works the front delts and triceps, with the side delts, upper chest, upper traps, and upper abs assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Side DeltsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the ez bar seated close grip shoulder 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 shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.