Answer (1 of 3): Very good question, while both do work the triceps it's predominantly worked as the secondary targeted muscle group, the first being your lower chest. This exercise can help you to build a wider back. Do close grip, then wide grip, then a comfortable shoulder width, each for about 4 to 6 wks, then do a routine where you do each set at a different width. Go as heavy as you. Repeat for the desired number of reps. While both exercises use lat pulldowns, the close grip focuses on targeting your lats and biceps, whilst the wide grip puts more emphasis on the trapezius and rhomboid. EVIDENCE This positioning helps give you a greater range of motion to allow you to more . You can do close grip and then hit some flyes to work the chest more. If you go too wide, you're again targeting the chest instead of the tri's. . Grab the bar with a narrow overhand grip, and then take a small step or two away from the machine. http://www.instructionalfitness.com Instructional Fitness Spokesman Joe Tong demonstrates close grip tricep pushdowns. Squeeze at the end of each contraction. Wide grip doesn't hit the lats harder than close grip. The Close Grip Bench Press is a bench press variation to build triceps strength that does offer some versatility that the triceps pushdown does not. In fact, you could include both grip widths in your workout. Fix the bar to a level that you can grab from a seated position. When you use the close-grip handles, the position your hands are stuck in forces you to cut off the final 2 to 3 inches of the range of motion. Regular grip dips are hard enough as it is on shoulder - there are guys who can't even do those safely due to the shoulder stress. Wide Grip Mechanics. Close grip vs wide grip skull crushers Close grip skull crushers, which is to say regular skull crushers where you grip the bar just inside shoulder-width, typically put less stress on the rotator cuffs than wide grip skull crushers. The more rigid your torso is and the more you create a straight line from shoulders through. Utilize both grip widths in your training to maximize upper body development and bench press strength! The name of the exercise is the "close-grip" bench press, not the "hands together" bench press. Take an underhand grip of that handle with either hand. You may also need to spread your fingers wider to accommodate for the extra distance in your hand position. Wide Grip vs. Close Grip Barbell Curls Which one is better? The straight 48" lat bar is thoughtfully designed with a wide, medium, and close grip; perfect for everything from wide-grip lat pulldowns, standing bicep curls, close-grip tricep pushdowns, to front cable raises. Close grip and wide grip pulldowns both work your lats. Whatever your training needs, we have the multi-grip lat bar to match. Utilize your body position to allow the eccentric movement to stretch your tricep. For this reason, it's prudent to cycle between them. Tricep Pushdown Close Grip/ Narrow Grip; In the same way that a wide grip implies that your hands are more comprehensive than your shoulders, a close grip triceps pushdown 1900 implies that your hands are narrower than your shoulders. As long as you feel like you are working your chest effectively, set up in whatever way gives you the best mechanical advantage. How to do a close grip tricep pushdown Connect a straight bar attachment to a high pulley. The straight bar makes the shoulder-width grip more effective (for the Medial Head). For example, a standard grip barbell bench press activates the pectorals as well as your shoulders and triceps, while a wide grip isolates the outer regions of the chest muscles, according. This version can be made easier by placing your knees on the floor and your hands on an elevated surface or around an elevated, horizontal bar, says ExRx.net. Try them all, and pick the one which works the best for you. 2.Exhale, controlled reduction! ucallthatbass July 8, 2009, 6:15pm #3. However, this mobility comes at a price-it has a large potential to be unstable. Using a handle attachment that positions the hands at about shoulder-width apart will allow for a greater range of motion and more bang for your buck. I use a shoulder-width grip and try to burn out my Medial Head with Skullcrushers. Closer grips emphasize the triceps, wider emphasizes the chest. It *may* hit the teres major harder though, which can contribute to width when looking from the back. An extended set that I'm loving lately includes single handle pushdowns going from a supinate to pronate grip. A wide grip will put more emphasis on your lats, while a narrow grip will put more emphasis on your . In the close-grip bench press, the same numbers are 63% vs. 37%. So instead of going over the basic movement again, . (2005). Straight bar cable pushdowns: palms down 3 x 8-12; A3. If you only want to do one exercise for your triceps , dips are a good choice. by Flex Staff OPENING ARGUMENT DEFENSE Close-grip barbell curls target the long (outer) head of the biceps, which makes up the biceps peak. How you grip the bar on Lat pulldowns will determine what areas of the back musculature are t. But this video demonstrates how the difference in arm position changes some of the supporting muscles. In order to maximize muscle growth, your focus should be on heavy compound movements like the close-grip bench press or dips, because these are the kinds of exercises that allow you to REALLY overload your triceps for future growth. Attach a lat pulldown bar with handles to a Lat pulldown machine. Most guys are disappointed when they don't see much muscle growth over time. Target Muscles. Wide grip - Place your hand on the outside hand bar and grip firmly. This enables greater latissimus dorsi activation so long as the exerciser manages to maintain a straight torso, avoiding any bend in their waist or upper chest. Source: Lehman, G. J. Conclusion. 2. German researchers conducted a study with 10 resistance-trained young men, measuring, via electromyography (EMG) monitors, the activation of their triceps heads during 11 exercises. Like I said, I rarely do narrow grip dips and am wondering if . Even though the grip might be similar to the V-bar lat pulldown, in this variation your arms start out to your sides at a wider angle. Exactly how wide varies from person to person, but in general, you want to place them between 3 and 6 inches wider on each side than you would in a regular push-up. With all that said close-grip bench press and tricep pushdowns are both a part of my tricep work. Close grip vs wide grip curls: The key differences Close grip curls emphasize the long (outer) head of the biceps, whereas wide grip curls prioritize the short (inner) head. A reverse grip, also called an underhand grip, has your palms facing the ceiling. Flex your triceps for a second and slowly allow the weight to go back down until you return to the starting position. You also got to keep in mind that although pushdowns are great for the side head of the tricep, they don't do much for the long head. Lower the bar down towards your chest while keeping your elbows tucked in close to your body. Therefore, you must train your shoulder to stabilize heavy loads through a full range of motion. Wide grip dips for Chest. My ass was on a dip station this morning. You'll still perform work on all of these essential muscles regardless of which grip you choose. Shop Fitness Equipement 3. Otherwise, stick with the overhand grip, as it will allow you to press more weight with greater . The function of the triceps is only to extend the arm. How about you get your ass to a dip station and try both outbadda bing, badda boom. Reason #2. In summary, the wide grip position will emphasise the chest and shoulder muscles whilst placing a significantly greater stress through the shoulder joint, whilst the narrow grip position will. Press the bar back up to the starting position. Close-Grip Bench Press The close grip bench press engages your triceps significantly more than the traditional bench press. Other potential choices: close-grip bench press, skullcrushers, triceps extensions, and maybe pushdowns or kickbacks. Similar to using a wide grasp, doing an activity with a close grip tricep pushdown 9900 stimulates different muscle . All you need to do for your grip width is grab the barbell just wide enough so that when you lower the barbell your forearms are as close as they can be to your torso. Some simple exercises like Tricep Pressdown, Close- grip bench press, Reverse grip tricep pressdown, Tricep pressdown with V-bar attachment or Tricep rope pressdown can make a real positive impact on your overall health. If you're up for it meaning strong and fit enough you can increase the difficulty by elevating your feet on a stair riser or bench. All versions of the chinup work the same muscles -- the latissimus dorsi, or lats, teres major, rhomboids, trapezius, pectorals, biceps brachii and brachialis. wide grip plus push downs. It's also possible that just mechanically you favor a closer grip. You might be able to use a resistance band setup at home, but it's definitely not ideal. Keep your hand placement just outside shoulder width. Everybody is wired a bit differently, and no doubt one grip will be the best for you, while another grip . The close grip pulldown could be either pronated, supinated (palms facing up or underhand), or neutral (palms facing each other) and could be performed using a straight bar or V-grip attachment. Because the wide grip limits the range of motion at the peak of each rep, wide grip dips aim at the lower and outer chest muscles more than routine width dips. I get good Medial Head detail (Horseshoe look) this way. Wide grip; The wide grip is the most effective grip for the chest. PROSECUTION Wide-grip barbell curls allow you to use more weight and stress the short (inner) head of the biceps more. Because the pectoral muscles are typically stronger than the triceps, wide-grip lifts tend to be more productive in generating gains on decline, incline and flat bench presses. The EZ-bar makes the Narrower grip more wrist-friendly (because of the angles of the bar). Place your thighs under the pads and ensure a snug, comfortable fit. This study confirmed the classic theory that a wide grip bench will activate the lower chest more while a close grip bench will hit the triceps harder. 11-03-2009, 08:45 AM #6. gun-G. The close-grip bench press, on the other hand, typically refers to any grip that's narrower than shoulder width, which greatly increases the emphasis on the triceps. The long head, as we established earlier, is by far the biggest head of the triceps, so any exercise that trains it well has excellent size-building potential. So it's a great addition to your back workout. IMO periodically switching grip width will be the best way to add width to your lats. You can do both the same day, the same week, or in the same cycle. The value of close-grip lifts is the development they can bring to the secondary muscle group in decline, incline and bench presses: your triceps. Brace your core, and then bring the bar down so that it's at chest height. I've found dips to be better for my triceps however as you can feel them working more and harder than in the close grip bench, I . Hinge at your hips while keeping your back straight. wide grip dips are a great way to wreck your shoulders. Explanation of Several Tricep Pushdown Grips. BEST TRICEPS EXERCISE STUDIES. Pros: The ability to apply some serious weight to your triceps, the close-grip bench press is an excellent compound mass builder. Step 1: Prepare the Lat Pull Down Machine. To what extent the muscles are worked can be altered by your grip. Reverse Grip Single Cable Kickback - Stand in front of a cable station with a low pulley that has a single hand attachment to it. Unlike in the close grip lat pulldown, the wide grip variation of the exercise allows the exerciser to pull the handle entirely vertically. I have noticed that a wider grip on rows hits the inner back more, and a closer grip hits the lats more, and this is due to different grips altering the position of the elbows. If you are really having trouble "feeling" your triceps work during the movement, then yea, go for it. For overall triceps mass, skull crushers are likely better than the close grip bench press because they put the long head of the triceps under a greater stretch. Whereas a wide grip places more focus on the lats and triceps, the close grip calls in the mid upper back more so. In a wide-grip bench press, your chest and shoulders contribute 78% of the force necessary to lift the bar, while your triceps contribute 22%. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. Alternatively, you could use an underhand grip on this bar and turn the press-down into a pull-down but this is not recommended in most cases. Wide-grip push-ups, as you might expect, use a wider hand placement. A close grip bench favors the triceps over the pec so if you have good tricep development and weakish pecs that could account for it. Wide Grip vs Close Grip Pulldown quick tips for better results. One, less elbow strain like that felt in a lying extension and two, it allows you to use more weight than if you were using an isolation exercise. But to get to the heart of the differences, we need to define wide in the context of skull crushers. Doing so solves one of the common mistakes of the triceps pushdown which is hyper-extension of the wrist. That means the close grip hits your traps, rhomboids, and biceps even harder. Reason #1. A great giant set example is: tricep pushdowns; followed by dips between benches; followed by close-grip push-ups. Whether you stand up straight or hunch forward, your chest muscles will be put to the most use. forlife July 8, 2009, 6:23pm #4. Bend your knees at a 90 angle. Repeat! The accessory exercises found here will address all of these areas. The wide grip lat pulldown will typically only use a standard straight bar with a pronated (overhand or with your palms facing down) grip. The kneeling neutral grip lat pulldown is an awesome exercise to get a full stretch in the lats. A: The traditional bench press usually refers to a flat-bench press performed with a grip that's shoulder-width or wider. Most guys walk into a gym and start their workout with some form of cable pulldowns. The close-grip push-up is all about the triceps. Overhead Triceps Extension Assume a standing position with your feet roughly shoulder width apart. Even though a wide grip gets a little more lat activation, the close grip lat pulldown puts your arms in a stronger position, and you can generally pull more weight. You can typically lift a bit more weight on wide curls.