Narrow grip push-ups: what is this exercise and who is it suitable for?

Benefits and disadvantages

This type of push-ups has no disadvantages, in addition to contraindications associated with the presence of diseases and injuries of the joints of the shoulder girdle.

Benefit:

• Close-grip push-ups quickly tone the body, which allows you to move to a new, higher level of training in the shortest possible time.
• The exercise is great for both women and men of any fitness level.
• You can use push-ups with a narrow hand position both in the gym, in training for various sports, and at home.
• Narrow hand push-ups are perfect for training athletes in many sports, especially martial arts athletes.

Technique and variations

So, next we’ll look at how to do narrow push-ups from the floor - the algorithm of actions depends on the type of exercise.

Close placement of hands is possible in the following subtypes of push-ups:

• Traditional from the floor;
• From a wall or bench;
• From a dumbbell;
• On fists or fingers;
• From the knee;
• Explosive (with clap, lifting palms off the floor, etc.);
• Diamond (thumb and index fingers form the outline of a diamond on the floor);

Close-grip push-ups: technique (study carefully)

1. Warm up the target muscles, ligaments and joints;
2. Take the starting position: in a lying position, the body is stretched out, forming a straight line from the top of the head to the heels, the gaze is looking forward, the legs are slightly apart, the stomach is tucked. Place your hands shoulder-width apart (this is a close grip), as close as you can.
3. As you inhale, gently lower yourself down, bend your elbows along your body;
4. As you exhale, using the strength of your triceps, rise up to the starting position;
5. Do the required number of sets and repetitions.

Close-grip push-up technique

1. The starting position for push-ups with a narrow arm position is a lying position.
2. Hands should be placed close to the body, elbows pressed to the torso.
3. The palms should be located under the shoulder joints.
4. Brushes should be positioned at right angles.
5. While performing the downward movement, the athlete inhales.
6. Stabilizing muscles should be tense at all times. The pelvis should be level with the torso, not sagging or rising.
7. As you exhale, push-ups are performed, and the elbows straighten at the top.

What muscles work when doing push-ups with a narrow hand position?

Many people have performed the push-up exercise with a narrow grip, but not everyone knows which muscles work during training. Push-ups with a narrow position of the hands, pumps such types of muscles as:

1. Thoracic, including internal.
2. Deltoid.
3. Triceps.
4. Core muscles, pumping which allows you to reduce your waist size.
5. Muscles that protect the rotor cuff.
6. Trapezius or triceps.
7. Develops shoulder muscles.

But mainly the chest muscles and the triceps brachii muscle work. In addition to the fact that this technique allows you to pump up many muscle groups, it also helps get rid of fat accumulation, normalizes testosterone production, strengthens hand joints and speeds up metabolism.

This type of exercise can be used both as a main and additional exercise. But during long-term training, it is recommended to change the set of exercises once every 3 months, since the body may get used to the load and it will not be enough, and these exercises may simply get boring.

So the bench press can be replaced with parallel bars exercises. Or you can leave the complex unchanged, and just slightly change the execution technique. So, when doing push-ups with a narrow hand position, you can:

1. Change the position of your hands, moving them a little lower, so the load will become a little greater and the technique will become more difficult. Since during normal execution, the hands should be under the chest, which is why the load on the body is weaker. If your hands are lower, the load will increase significantly.
2. If a person has worked out the execution technique perfectly and can perform up to 40 repetitions in several approaches, then the load needs to be increased. To do this, it is also enough to change the position of your hands, placing the palm of one hand on the palm of the other. This way the load will be greater, thanks to which other muscles will also work.
3. Also, those who have chosen this exercise as their main one are advised to complicate it by changing the position of their legs. To do this, it is enough to place them on a hill.

More about push-ups to train your chest muscles >>

This type of exercise can also be used as an additional exercise. More often it is used as an additional treatment for:

1. Warming up the muscles before training on the uneven bars.
2. As a final exercise after training.
3. As an auxiliary exercise for weighted push-ups or fist push-ups.

Depending on the degree of load, it is used as a basis or as an addition. It is ideal for warming up the muscles before training on the uneven bars, and for pumping them up, since many muscles are involved during the exercise.

Narrow push-ups with legs elevated

When performing push-ups at a height, the load on the triceps increases due to a shift in the center of gravity. To perform this exercise, it is enough to place your feet at such a height that your shoulders are located below your feet.

It is better to leave this version of push-ups for later, and for beginners it is best to stop at alternating traditional push-ups with narrow and wide hand placement.

Exercise technique

The starting position for this exercise will be lying down.

1. Place your hands slightly narrower than your shoulders, point your fingers forward. The distance between the palms should not be less than 20 cm. Straighten your body, tighten your abdominal muscles, and bring your legs together. The back should be absolutely straight, do not allow the lower back to bend.
2. Slowly lower your body down by bending your arms at the elbow joints. During the movement, the elbows are directed back and pressed against the body. This position is also called the “grasshopper”. Lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor, but do not lie down on the floor.
3. With a vigorous effort, straighten your arms and lift your body to the starting position. At the top point, do not fully extend your arms. Without pausing, lower your body again and so on. The movement is almost continuous.

The position of the hands in this exercise plays a very important role. While the elbows are pulled back, the triceps take on the maximum load. As soon as you move them apart, the emphasis shifts to the pectoral muscles. After all, the function of the pectorals is to bring the arms to the midline of the body.

As for the position of the hands: if, after moving your elbows back, you place your hands close to each other, they will be in an unnatural position. Therefore, the distance between the palms should be slightly less than the width of the shoulders.

An important point is to maintain the straight position of the body without bending or sagging. It is indeed easier to do the exercise with a bent lower back, but then it loses its meaning. Your body should be stretched out and your core muscles should be tense.

If your arms are still weak and it is difficult to perform classic push-ups with a narrow position of your arms, place your knees on the floor or your hands on a raised platform. The load will shift to the legs and it will be easier for the hands.

For athletes with good physical fitness, it is recommended to use additional weights or place their feet on an elevated platform.

What is the difference between wide push-ups and narrow push-ups?

First of all, the exercise differs in the distribution of the load:

• with a narrow setting, the load is placed on the triceps and the middle part of the pectoral muscles;
• and with a wide one - the lateral parts of the pectoral muscles.

Also, this version of push-ups implies a vertical position of the arms, with the elbows pressed as close as possible to the torso, as opposed to a wide stance.

What to replace it with?

What other exercises allow you to load the triceps muscle of the shoulder, and how can you replace push-ups with a narrow grip?

1. Do push-ups on parallel bars or on a bench (wall bars);
2. Practice the traditional type of exercise, in which the elbows do not spread out to the sides;
3. Reverse push-ups;
4. Press from the horizontal bar;
5. Dumbbell overhead press;
6. Bent-over arm extensions with dumbbells;
7. French bench press with dumbbells.

Well, we hope we have answered the question of what push-ups are done with a narrow grip, and how to do them correctly. As you can see, the technique is not at all complicated. If at first you find it difficult to do full push-ups, try getting on your knees. As soon as the muscles get stronger, move on to standard leg positioning. Remember, in order to build beautiful muscle definition, you need to develop all muscles evenly, therefore, create a high-quality training program and follow it strictly.

Source

Recommendations for narrow push-ups

• This exercise can be performed either solo or in combination with other push-up variations. For example, you can perform push-ups with a narrow grip, combining them with push-ups on your fists with a wide grip. This complex is perfect for training striking techniques.
• Also, to develop strength and speed of impact, push-ups with a narrow grip should be performed with a jerk. Of course, you need to thoroughly warm up your muscles and ligaments with classic push-ups at a moderate pace.
• The range of repetitions is purely individual. Some people can do dozens of push-ups, and some can do it several times. The optimal number of repetitions would be between 10 and 25.
• If an athlete can perform push-ups more times, then in this case you need to resort to weighting. To do this, you can use a fitness band or place a load on your back, for example, wear a backpack with weights. Of course, an improvised load in the form of a backpack is not very convenient, but on the other hand, this can be a plus, because it’s hard in training, easy in battle!
• The number of approaches may vary, depending on the goal of the workout. The optimal number of approaches is from 3 to 5.
• If the exercise is difficult to perform, you can rest your knees on the floor, this will make it easier to do push-ups. Typically, women or beginners resort to this method.

Common mistakes

How to properly do push-ups from the floor with a narrow grip in order to avoid mistakes and achieve results faster?

• Control the position of your body, do not arch your back, do not stick out your buttocks;
• The elbows cannot be spread to the sides, because in this case the entire load goes to the back and pectoral muscles;
• At the top point, the arms are not fully straightened (to increase the load), and at the bottom they do not lie on the floor, supporting themselves by weight;
• Breathe correctly - lower as you inhale, rise as you exhale;
• Work smoothly - do not jerk or pause.

If you still don’t fully understand how to learn to do push-ups with a narrow grip, watch the video that we have attached for you. This way you will clearly see the correct technique and clarify unclear points.

Description

1. Stand on the floor in a push-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart. Provided there is no discomfort in the wrists, you can place your hands with a narrow grip.

2. Lower your body slowly, reducing the distance from your chest to the floor, lift yourself up, including your triceps as much as possible.

This is a multi-joint exercise for the triceps , shoulders and chest. Unilateral push-ups are possible, but only for very light or super strong people.

Helpful hints. What rocks when doing push-ups?

To better engage the outer triceps, rotate your hands slightly toward each other. Another way to adjust the load is to change the angle between the torso and arms. Choose the position in which you feel the triceps most: your hands should be on the floor, at a level somewhere between the shoulder girdle and the pectoral muscles.

The note

The narrower your hand placement, the more you feel the triceps. However, if you engage your pectoral muscles while doing the exercise, it will be much harder to do push-ups using a narrow grip.

Muscles at work

We evaluate the load using a ten-point system. We sum up the total load.

Execution options

Add extra resistance by wrapping a resistance band around your back and holding it with both hands.

1. Wrap the resistance band around your back once before starting the exercise.
2. If you're strong enough, you can do a double twist.

Important!

Not everyone's wrists can accommodate close-grip push-ups. To avoid injury, you can use dumbbells by placing them on the floor, which will make the load lighter. You can also purchase equipment in sports stores - a special bar for push-ups. It increases the range of motion during the exercise, preventing too much unnatural tension in the wrists.

ADVANTAGES

Easy to adjust load and resistance. If your body is too heavy, start doing close-grip push-ups from your knees rather than from your feet, so you can adjust the load and gain more strength.

In another case, at the end of the set, when you do push-ups while standing on your feet, if you do not have enough strength to complete the planned number of repetitions, kneel down and do more. Push-ups are the only triceps exercise that takes advantage of regulating the load on the long head of the triceps.

FLAWS

It's not easy to focus your work on the triceps . In addition, push-ups do not always work well due to individual anatomy.

If you have long arms, push-ups with a narrow grip will be difficult and will not be effective in training.

The benefits of close-grip push-ups from the floor

Often, due to various circumstances, it is necessary to interrupt the usual training schedule in the gym with iron. Forced travel is the most common reason for this. I missed the training. True iron fans who have spent more than one year in the gym may have the feeling that the muscles are slowly beginning to evaporate without receiving the load they need. To keep muscles in high tone and prevent them from decreasing during a forced break in training, you can use a load of a different nature. For the upper body, close-grip push-ups .

After all, they perfectly pump up the triceps, the front part of the deltoids, the chest and even partially the back muscles. Of course, it will not be able to compare in effectiveness with a barbell or dumbbell bench press, but still, if sports equipment is temporarily not available, you have some time and free space on a clean floor, then you should pay attention to push-ups with a narrow grip on the floor.

Close-grip push-ups actively work many muscles in the torso and arms (as shown in the picture), but the emphasis is on the triceps.

Close-grip push-ups are performed following the technique below:

1. We take an emphasis position lying on the floor, with our feet placed close to one another. If necessary, increase the load, you can place them on an elevated platform.
2. The placement of the palms should be close to each other so that the index fingers and thumbs form something similar to a heart shape. The remaining fingers are placed at a distance necessary to maintain balance during the exercise.
3. Slowly lower yourself to bend your arms (for about 3 seconds) until your chest lightly touches your arms.
4. After touching, we begin lifting with the strength of the triceps and torso muscles (for approximately 1 second) until the arms are fully straightened at the elbows.
5. With outstretched arms, we do not rest at the top point of the amplitude, but immediately repeat the movement.

The considered positioning of the arms assumes the greatest emphasis on the triceps. Expanding the position of the arms reduces the load on them and activates more and more the pectoral muscles. And this load increases with increasing width of the arms.

If there is an untreated injury to the hands, then close-grip push-ups are not recommended until complete recovery.

In general, it is worth adopting this exercise in case of unforeseen situations that lead to interruptions in training. As has already been said, of course you can’t build huge muscles comparable to Mr. Olympia-level pros with push-ups. But they give an amazing pump, which will be useful for maintaining muscles in working condition, and will not hurt before entering the competitive stage or the beach.

This might also be interesting:

The most effective exercises for the abs.
A belly in cubes is real. Deadlift on straight legs

What are the types of exercises in bodybuilding?