Incline Close Grip Push-Up
Incline Close Grip Push-Up Exercise Description
The incline close grip push-up is a bodyweight press performed with your hands on an elevated surface and set shoulder-width or slightly narrower. Elevating the hands reduces the percentage of body weight you press compared to floor push-ups, allowing tighter control of trunk alignment and shoulder mechanics. The narrow hand position increases emphasis on the triceps brachii while still engaging the pectoralis major and anterior deltoids; the core maintains a rigid plank to keep a neutral spine. Descend with controlled scapular retraction and depression, keep the elbows close to the torso (about 30–45 degrees), and maintain forearms vertical. Press back up by driving through the heels of the hands, extending the elbows, and finishing with a gentle reach through the shoulder blades (slight protraction) without shrugging. Adjusting the height of the support changes the challenge, but execution should always prioritize a stable torso, stacked wrists, and smooth, pain-free range of motion.
- Muscle Groups: Triceps
- Target Muscles: Triceps Brachii - Lateral Head
- Assisting Muscles: Deltoid - Anterior, Pectoralis Major - Sternal Head
- Stabilizing Muscles: Infraspinatus, Rectus Abdominis, Serratus Anterior, Transversus Abdominis, Trapezius - Lower Fibers
- Body Area: Upper Body
- Body Parts: Arms, Upper Arms
- Body Surface: Back
- Body Symmetry: Bilateral
- Equipment: Bodyweight
- Exercise Patterns: Push
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Elbow Extensors
- Joint Involvement: Multi-joint
- Muscle Location: Outer Tricep
- Movement Direction: Other
- Muscle Position: Posterior
- Gender: Male
How To Do The Incline Close Grip Push-Up Exercise
‘- Place hands on a stable bench/box; index fingers forward; hands shoulder-width to slightly narrower.
– Walk feet back to a straight plank: head, ribs, hips, and heels aligned; ribs down; slight posterior pelvic tilt.
– Grip the edge and “screw” hands into the surface to create external rotation; set shoulders down and back.
– Inhale; bend elbows to lower the chest toward the edge, elbows tracking 30–45° from the torso.
– Keep forearms vertical; wrists stacked under shoulders throughout.
– Stop just before the chest/ster num meets the edge, without letting shoulders roll forward.
– Press the surface away; extend elbows while maintaining a rigid body line; exhale near the top.
– Finish with a small shoulder-blade reach (slight protraction) without shrugging or rounding the low back.
– Keep neck neutral; gaze slightly ahead of the hands.
– Form checks: avoid flared elbows, sagging or piked hips, and collapsing through the shoulders.
Incline Close Grip Push-Up Tips
‘- Place your hands on a stable bench or box, index fingers pointing forward, shoulder-width or slightly narrower.
– Walk your feet back into a straight plank so head, ribs, hips, and heels align; keep ribs down with a slight posterior pelvic tilt.
– Grip the edge and “screw” your hands into the surface to create external rotation, setting your shoulders down and back.
– Inhale as you bend your elbows, lowering the chest toward the edge with elbows tracking about 30–45° from your torso.
– Keep your forearms vertical and your wrists stacked directly under your shoulders throughout the movement.
– Stop just before your chest/sternum meets the edge, making sure your shoulders do not roll forward.
– Press the surface away by driving through the heels of your hands, extending your elbows while keeping a rigid body line and exhaling near the top.
– Finish each rep with a small shoulder-blade reach (slight protraction) without shrugging or rounding your lower back.
– Keep your neck neutral and your gaze slightly ahead of your hands as you move.
– Avoid flared elbows, sagging or piked hips, and collapsing through the shoulders, and prioritize a stable torso, stacked wrists, and a smooth, pain-free range of motion.
Incline Close Grip Push-Up Beginner Introduction
The incline close grip push-up is a bodyweight pressing move done with the palms on a raised surface, set about at shoulder span or a bit inside. Because the upper body is elevated, less overall body mass is lifted than in a floor push-up, which often makes this variation feel more approachable while still challenging. The narrower hand placement highlights the triceps and also involves the chest, shoulders, and core, so the upper body and mid-section work together as one unit.
During the movement, the body typically forms a straight plank from head to heels while the chest moves toward the edge of the support and then away from it. The upper arms travel close to the torso, and the forearms stay roughly under the shoulders, encouraging solid joint stacking. The shoulder blades glide toward each other and slightly downward on the way down, then move gently apart again near the top without a big shrug. Raising or lowering the height of the support changes how demanding the press feels, while the overall theme centers on smooth control and a stable trunk.