Close-grip Pushups

In everyday life, strong triceps at the back of our upper arms help us pull open heavy doors. To develop the muscles, close-grip push-up is one of the most effective exercises. And so if you want to tone and strengthen your triceps, making close-grip push-ups as part of your strength-training routine.

 

Exercise Instructions

1.         Warm up to get your blood flowing and to prepare your body for the work to come. Set up by placing your palms on the floor in a triangle position with your thumbs touching on another. Position your hands directly under your shoulders or slightly narrower. The closer your hands are together the harder the exercise and the greater the emphasis will be on your triceps.

 

2.         Tighten your abdominals to support your back and then extend your legs out behind you and prop up on the balls of your feet. Don't sag your torso to the floor or push your hips up. Contract your glutes and quadriceps to help keep your body straight as a plank.

 

3.         Bend your elbows, keeping them firmly at the sides of your torso, and lower your chest toward the floor. Stop lowering when your chest is about two inches above the floor and your upper arms are nearly parallel to the floor.

 

4.         Extend your elbows and push yourself up to the starting position in about half the time it took you to lower yourself. Make sure to contract your abdomen and gluteals. Immediately go into the next repetition 12 to 15 times.

 

Exercise Tips:

• Inhale as you bend your elbows on the way down, and exhale as you straighten your elbows on the way up.
• Make close-grip push-ups easier by doing them on your knees, against a wall or with your hands on an elevated surface.
• On the other hand, for a greater challenge, perform close-grip push-ups with your feet raised on a bench or on a stability ball.
• Keep your elbows tucked in at your side while you do it.  It is tempting to lock them out, but doing so takes some of the strain off your arms, making the exercise less effective.

The American Council on Exercise ranks this move as the "gold standard" for triceps exercises, reporting the greatest muscle activity among all triceps exercises.