Chest · EZ Bar
Prayer Chest Squeeze
How to do the prayer chest squeeze, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- EZ Bar
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hold an EZ bar with a narrow grip and press your hands together against the bar at chest height, palms driving inward. Maintain the inward squeeze as you press the bar out and back, keeping constant tension across the chest.
- 1Feel the inner chest squeeze as your hands press together
- 2Keep constant inward pressure through every rep
- 3Press the bar out without losing the squeeze
Common mistakes
- Don't let the hands relax their inward press
- Avoid shrugging the shoulders up toward your ears
- Don't let your elbows flare and dump the tension
Muscles worked
The prayer chest squeeze mainly works the mid chest, with the forearms, upper chest, front delts, and internal rotators assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Internal RotatorsSupport
- BicepsMinor
- TricepsMinor
- Lower ChestMinor
Kovo programs the prayer chest squeeze 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 chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.