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Close-Grip Push-Up

If you want to beef up those biceps without injury, the triceps need attention, too. The triceps are located on the back of the upper arm. They play a vital role in bending and straightening the elbow.

Strong triceps may also improve posture since they help balance the upper body. The close-grip push-up is a great way to target this muscle. Below, we explore this exercise in more detail, including how to do it and the muscles targeted.

How To Do

Begin in a plank position with your hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart and your arms straight.
Inhale as you bend your elbows, keeping them close to the body. Lower your chest to the ground.
Pause, then exhale as you push back up to a full plank position.
Repeat for your desired repetitions and sets.

Tips From Expert

Ensure your shoulders are directly over your arms. Your hands should be about hip-width apart to keep the focus on the target muscles.
Form a straight line from your head to your toes. This is to keep a stable body position and ensure balance throughout the movement.
Inhale and engage your core before lowering down. Exhale as you come back to the starting position.
Keep your chest out with your head in a neutral position looking ahead of you. This limits joint stress and reduces injury risk.
Lower your body down in a controlled manner. Avoid using rapid movements to keep the correct range of motion.

Optimal Sets and Reps

To achieve your goals, how many close-grip push-ups should you perform? How many push-ups are too many? Below, we outline how many sets and reps you should aim for based on your desired result.

Training Type	Sets	Reps
Strength Training	4–6	1–6
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–12
Endurance Training	2–3	12–15+
Power Training	3–5	1–5 (Explosive)

Optimal Sets & Reps of Close-Grip Push-Up

How to Put in Your Workout Split

Close-grip push-ups effectively target the triceps and upper chest. Adding them to your regular training program can improve upper body strength and balance. They can also help improve your performance in other exercises.

Here are some options for incorporating the close-grip push-up into your training program:

Upper Body Days — Incorporate this movement alongside bicep, shoulder, and chest exercises for a well-rounded upper body routine.
Push Days — If you perform push/pull splits, the close-grip push-up fits seamlessly into your push day. This will help improve strength in your press-style movements.
Full-Body Days — This can also be a great addition to full-body days, especially as an exercise that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulder.

Ultimately, you’ll want to consider your goals when adding this exercise to your program. Focus on high sets and low reps for strength or power training. For hypertrophy and endurance, lower sets and high reps may be more suitable.

If the exercise is too difficult on your toes, start from your knees. Once you gain initial strength, you can transition to your toes. If the full push-up is easy, add a weight plate to your back.

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Secondary Muscle Groups

Clavicular Head of Pectoralis Major

Muscles located at the top of your chest, running from your armpit to collar bone. Smaller portion of your chest muscle.

Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major

Large muscles located underneath your clavicle head. Makes up most of your chest area

Abdominal Head of Pectoralis Major

Muscles located at the bottom of your pectoral region, just above your abdominal muscles.

Clavicular Head Of Pectoralis Major

Compared to six other push-up variations, a close-grip push-up has been shown to activate the pectoralis major more effectively. This is the largest chest muscle. The clavicular head is located closest to the collarbone.

The clavicular head of the pectoralis major flexes (raises) the shoulder. This means it’s activated at the top of the movement of the close-grip push-up.

Sternal Head Of Pectoralis Major

The sternal head of the pectoralis major is located just below the clavicular head. It brings the shoulder down from a flexed (raised) position. It also helps to adduct the arm, bringing it closer to the midline of the body. From this, it can be inferred that this portion of the muscle is most activated during the concentric (lifting) portion of this exercise.

Abdominal Head Of Pectoralis Major

The abdominal head of the pectoralis major emerges from the oblique muscles, hence its name. Due to its location, this muscle likely stabilizes during the close-grip push-up.

Unfortunately, few to no studies indicate its activation for this exercise. Most studies focus on the more active sternal and clavicular heads.

Anterior Deltoid

The anterior deltoid covers the front portion of the shoulder joint.

Along with the pectoralis major, this muscle helps flex and stabilize the shoulder. It’s also slightly activated during the concentric portion of this movement.

Studies show, however, that this muscle is more active during wide-grip and neutral-grip push-ups. In contrast, it’s less activated in a close-grip push-up.

Upper Rectus Abdominis

By now, you may wonder, do push-ups work abs? The answer is yes. Close-grip push-ups engage the upper rectus and lower rectus abdominis.

The rectus abdominis forms the well-known six-pack. It connects the ribs to the pelvis and plays a key role in bending the trunk forward. It also helps create abdominal compression, ensuring the contents of the abdominals stay in place.

The upper portion of this muscle stabilizes the body and torso during the close-grip push-up. This ensures proper alignment and form throughout the movement.

Lower Rectus Abdominis

Similar to the upper rectus abdominis, the lower portion also helps maintain form. However, this portion plays a more pivotal role in protecting the lower spine. It helps eliminate sagging of the lower back, protecting it from injury.

Erector Spinae

The erector spinae also ensures the spine maintains a neutral alignment throughout the movement. This muscle group spans the entire back, from the top of the spine to the bottom. It’s key for maintaining proper posture throughout everyday life.

Together with the rectus abdominis, these muscles work to ensure the back doesn’t round or arch.

Obliques

The obliques are the abdominal muscles on either side of the lower torso. Similar to the above muscles, they offer stabilization during the close-grip push-up. Primarily, they prevent rotation of the torso, maintaining proper alignment throughout the movement.

Quadriceps

This one might come as a surprise. The quadriceps make up the front portion of the thighs. However, they also work to stabilize the lower body during the close-grip push-up.

These muscles help maintain the straight alignment of the legs and ensure the hips don’t sag. Again, this contributes to good form as you perform the push-up movement.

Wrist Flexors

The wrist flexors curl the wrist and fingers. With the hands on the ground, these muscles act as stabilizers in the close-grip push-up. They keep the hands in the same position, ensuring you don’t collapse into the ground.

In fact, some may find it beneficial to strengthen both the wrist flexors and extensors with isolation-type exercises. This is especially true if you find your wrists are sore after performing push-ups.

Wrist Extensors

The wrist extensors, similar to the wrist flexors, also help stabilize the wrists during this movement. Located on the back of the forearm, these muscles help bend the wrist backward. However, they also help prevent any hyperextension during the close-grip push-up.

Equipment

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Who Should Do?

Individuals Wanting To Increase Upper Body Strength

If you want to improve strength in the chest, triceps, or shoulders, the close-grip push-up is a great exercise. Almost anyone, from beginners to advanced exercisers, can benefit from this bodyweight movement. It is also very accessible, with little or no equipment required, meaning it can be performed at home.

Another reason to perform push-ups? Research shows that individuals who can perform 40 push-ups or more have a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease.

Individuals Seeking To Improve Tricep Strength

Particularly for tricep strength, the close-grip push-up has many advantages. First off, it’s the push-up variation that is most likely to activate your triceps. In turn, this can improve arm aesthetics and strength, as well as balance out the biceps.

Stronger triceps can benefit functional fitness enthusiasts and regular gym-goers for many reasons. Stronger triceps play a key role in pushing movements, like pushing a grocery cart or opening a door. They can also improve performance and stability with other compound exercises, like the bench press.

Who Should Not Do?

Individuals With Wrist Or Shoulder Injuries

Any style of push-up can put increased strain on the wrist and shoulders. Thus, if you’re currently battling a wrist or shoulder injury, this probably isn’t the best exercise.

The best thing you can do is talk to your healthcare provider. They can help guide your recovery and give you a green light regarding any push-ups.

Individuals With Poor Core Strength

Poor core strength often puts the back in jeopardy. In other words, performing push-ups with low core strength could lead to a back injury. This means that you’ll want to focus on increasing core strength first.

In turn, this could mean focusing on exercises that target the abs. Depending on your health status, consulting with a healthcare provider may help guide you on the best path forward.

Benefits Of The Close-Grip Push-Up

Builds Strength

There are many benefits of push-ups. When it comes to the close-grip push-up, the most prominent benefit is increased strength in the chest, triceps, and shoulder.

This strength can further spill over into your daily activities. For instance, it can make pushing open doors easier. It can help lift objects overhead and support you through your daily chores, like gardening or cleaning.

Over time, these push-ups may become easier, demonstrating the strength you’ve gained.

Increases Muscle Mass

Along with increased strength, you may gain muscle mass in the triceps, chest, and shoulders. This is especially true when it comes to the triceps, which are the main muscles used in this movement.

This can mean greater ease in carrying heavy loads. It may also contribute to better posture and more efficient movements. All in all, this is a wonderful exercise for anyone looking to increase tricep strength and muscle mass.

Improves Mobility And Stability

This push-up variation further contributes to improved mobility and stability. With a long list of accessory muscles, the whole body is engaged during this movement. Many muscles are activated and work to stabilize the body and maintain form.

In other words, this type of push-up can enhance core strength and stability of muscles throughout the body. It can also help improve daily mobility by working the arms and shoulders through a functional range of motion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do close-grip push-ups work?

Close-grip push-ups primarily work the triceps, chest, and shoulders.

Why are close-grip push-ups harder?

Close-grip push-ups are often harder than other push-ups since the force is largely placed on the tricep muscles. This muscle group is smaller compared to the chest and shoulders, so this means the triceps have to work a little harder.

Is close grip push-up better than wide grip push-up?

This depends on the muscles you wish to target. For targeting the chest, a wide grip may be best. For tricep activation, a close grip is best.

Which type of push-up is more effective?

This depends on your goals. If you wish to build your chest muscles, wide-grip push-ups may be more effective. If you wish to build your triceps, close-grip push-ups are better.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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About the Author

Krista Bugden, BHK Kinesiologist

Krista Bugden is a professional writer with an Honours Bachelor's Degree in Human Kinetics from the University of Ottawa. Previously, she worked as a kinesiologist at a physiotherapy clinic in Ottawa, Canada. When not spending her time writing, Krista enjoys hiking, camping, weightlifting, and planning her next travel adventure... See more

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