In this article, we will head-to-head the most powerful triceps exercises: parallel bars push-ups and close-grip bench press. With which of them will you pump up your arms faster? Read and find out!
The choice of exercise for a particular target group is important to approach wisely. Maintaining the effectiveness and efficiency of training is a very difficult task with an endless number of possible solutions. Which solution is best suited to achieve your goals?

This question is more acute than ever when it comes to triceps. Having pumped powerful, voluminous and sculpted triceps, you will stretch the sleeves of any T-shirt, but for this you need the right exercises. You have probably already read that multi-joint movements are ideal for gaining maximum muscle mass in the shortest possible time. So when it comes to triceps, dips and close-grip bench presses are instantly in the spotlight, like the first guys in the triceps area.

But which exercise will see the checkered flag first? To answer this question, I propose to disassemble each into details and carefully analyze the pros and cons.

Push-ups on the uneven bars
Push-ups on parallel bars are used to pump up the triceps and pectoral muscles, but in this article I will only consider the option for working out the triceps muscles. The exercise is performed on parallel bars, with a grip slightly wider than the shoulders. As you lower down, keep your torso vertical and your elbows close to your body. When the angle in the elbow joints is 90° or less (the degree of comfort is individual), start moving up, keeping the torso vertical and contracting the triceps. Repeat as much as you can.
Pros: A great basic exercise, the parallel bar dip is an easy and affordable solution because you don’t need a bench, barbell or dumbbells. This exercise is an excellent indicator of arm and shoulder strength and demonstrates true weight control. In addition, push-ups are used in daily life and develop auxiliary strength that will help you with the bench press and increase the stability of movements in the joints. And by adding a weight belt or holding a dumbbell between your legs, you can easily increase the load.

Cons: pushups contraindicated if you have shoulder pain, muscle strain or pinching, and/or any elbow problems. Another common mistake is to put too much weight on the belt, which negatively affects the technical aspects, namely, it reduces the range of motion and reduces the results. Finally, since triceps push-ups require you to stay as vertical as possible, core strength becomes essential for control and stability. If you lack this important component, doing the exercise correctly will be quite difficult.

Close grip bench press
Close grip bench press является еще одним олд-скульным упражнением для трицепсов, которое используют не только бодибилдеры, но также представители других силовых и спортивных дисциплин. Used to build muscle and progress with other presses, the close grip bench press becomes a staple of any training program.

Lie down on a flat bench, grab the barbell with a grip less than shoulder width apart. Raise and lower the bar to your chest, keeping your elbows close to your torso. Having reached the bottom point, press the bar up at a slight inclination to the upper part of the chest. Hold for a second at the top of the movement and tighten the triceps as much as possible, while trying to avoid blocking the elbow joints.
Pros: The ability to load the triceps with really heavy working weight, and from this point of view, the close grip bench press is a great exercise for gaining mass. And since we have a multi-joint movement, the benefits are multiplied by two. Firstly, lying down reduces the risk of an elbow sprain, and secondly, the exercise allows you to lift more weight than you used in isolation exercises. And the higher the load, the more muscle mass.

Cons: If you go to the gym during rush hour, it will be difficult to find a free bench press, and when working with really big weights, it is recommended to use a spotter. In addition, it is important to correctly plan your training program, taking into account the possible overlaps of certain exercises. For example, ideally you shouldn’t be doing close grip bench presses the day after you’ve done bench presses and done a ton of work on chest muscles. Your strength potential will be reduced, and you will not be able to fully realize the benefits of the close grip press due to the involvement of the deltoids and chest muscles.

Verdict
So who wins the race? The answer is simple – the participants came to the finish line at the same time! Depending on your injury proneness, equipment availability, and training program, you can use both parallel bars push-ups and close-grip bench press. The variability of the load using the maximum working weights will be a real stress for the triceps and will leave any isolating movement far behind. Both exercises are large, multi-joint movements that have practical applications in everyday life and help you make progress in other exercises, such as bench press and shoulder press variations. In addition, they will add stability to the shoulder girdle when performing pull-ups and traction movements.

Try alternating these exercises in your triceps workouts, complementing them with an overhead press or a French bench press. Very soon you will be lifting more working weight, not to mention the fact that you will become the owner of more voluminous, powerful and sculpted triceps.