What you'll gain

• Builds triceps mass with the safety of a guided bar path.

• Allows lifters to push to failure without a spotter present.

• Reinforces a strong elbows-tucked pressing pattern that transfers to free-weight benching.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Set the bench on the Smith machine so the bar lines up directly over your lower chest when you lie down.

2. 2

   Lie on the bench, plant your feet flat on the floor, and grip the bar with hands shoulder-width apart.

3. 3

   Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench to create a stable pressing platform.

4. 4

   Unrack the bar by rotating the wrists, then lower it slowly to your lower chest with elbows tucked close.

5. 5

   Pause briefly at the bottom with the bar touching the chest and the elbows still tight to the sides.

6. 6

   Press the bar back up to full lockout by driving through the triceps and chest in one smooth motion.

Common Mistakes

• Setting the grip too narrow so the wrists collapse inward under load, which strains the joint.

• Letting the elbows flare wide, which removes the triceps bias and stresses the front shoulders.

• Bouncing the bar off the chest to use momentum instead of a controlled touch and press.

• Forgetting to rotate the wrists to rack the bar at the end of the set, dropping it onto the safeties.

About This Exercise

The Smith machine close-grip bench press takes one of the best triceps mass-builders and locks it onto a guided bar path. The narrower grip biases the triceps over the chest, while the Smith bar path removes balance demand and lets the lifter chase failure safely without a spotter. For app and content use, this clip is a strong accessory for push-day programming, arm-day content, and strength tracks aimed at lifters training alone. It pairs naturally with regular bench press and skullcrusher content as part of a complete triceps inventory in any strength training app.

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