grip bench press: how close is close?
Defense A close-grip bench press is any grip that is shoulder-width or closer. Most bodybuilders use a very-close grip (about six inches apart). The closer you go, the better you hit your triceps. Prosecution Going with a shoulder-width grip is as close as you need to go to blast the triceps with heavy weight and stimulate real growth. EVIDENCE * Research from the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine reported that subjects using a grip with their hands spaced about six inches apart utilized no more triceps muscle fibers than when they used a shoulder-width grip for close-grip bench presses.