The JM press is a powerlifting staple that most gym-goers have never tried — a hybrid between a close-grip bench press and a skull crusher that loads the triceps heavier than any isolation exercise while being kinder on the elbows than it looks. Here's the honest guide. The JM press combines a close-grip bench press and a skull crusher into one movement, letting you train the triceps with compound-level weight — but it's a technical lift that requires learning light before loading heavy. Here's how it works.
What the JM press trains (the honest mechanics)
The JM press (named after powerlifter JM Blakley) is a triceps-dominant press performed lying on a bench. It's best understood as a hybrid: you lower the bar toward your upper chest and neck area like a skull crusher, but with your elbows tracking forward and the bar path closer to your body, then press back up like a close-grip bench. This trains the triceps — all three heads, with strong involvement of the long head — with meaningful chest and shoulder assistance. Its key advantage is that being a compound-style movement, it lets you use far more weight than skull crushers or pushdowns, making it a serious triceps mass and lockout-strength builder.
Proper form (the movement)
Lie on a flat bench holding a barbell (an EZ-bar is often more comfortable) with a close-ish grip, roughly shoulder-width. Start with the bar over your upper chest, arms extended. Then: lower the bar toward your upper chest and chin area by bending your elbows and letting them travel slightly forward, keeping the bar close to your body — the forearms come down toward the biceps rather than out wide. Lower until your forearms approach your biceps. Press back up by extending your triceps.
The cues: close grip, elbows forward and tucked, bar path close to your body, lower toward the upper chest/chin, press with your triceps. It should feel like a skull crusher and a close-grip press at once.
Why it beats isolation for triceps mass (the honest case)
Here's the argument for learning it: your triceps are a large muscle group that responds to heavy loading, and isolation exercises limit how much you can give them. On pushdowns, your triceps are limited by the awkward isolated position; on skull crushers, elbow comfort caps the weight. The JM press's hybrid mechanics let the chest and shoulders assist just enough that you can move substantially more weight while keeping the triceps as the primary driver.
It's also popular among powerlifters specifically for building bench press lockout strength — the top portion of the press where triceps dominate. For arm size, heavy triceps work matters more than most people realize, since the triceps make up roughly two-thirds of your upper arm.
The learn-it-light sin (this is technical)
The honest warning: the JM press is a technically awkward lift, and going heavy before you understand the groove is how people irritate their elbows or shoulders. The bar path is unusual — somewhere between two familiar movements — and it takes a few sessions to find where it feels right for your body.
The fix: start with an empty bar or very light weight and spend several sessions grooving the movement, then add load gradually. Keep your elbows tucked forward rather than flaring, control the descent, and use safety bars or a spotter since the bar travels near your chest and chin. If you feel sharp elbow pain, adjust your grip width and elbow path or switch to a friendlier triceps exercise — don't grind through it.
Where it fits (pair accordingly)
Use the JM press as a primary triceps exercise on a push, arm, or bench-focused day — it's heavy enough to lead your triceps work. Pair it with pushdowns for lighter isolation volume and pressing like the close-grip bench press for overlapping strength. Balance arm training with bicep work and keep pressing balanced against pulling like chin-ups. It fits naturally into push/pull/legs or upper/lower. Progress with progressive overload once your technique is solid. It builds the muscle; a calorie deficit reveals it.
Quick answers
What is a JM press?
A hybrid between a close-grip bench press and a skull crusher, lowering the bar toward the upper chest with elbows tracking forward.
What does the JM press work?
The triceps primarily — all three heads — with chest and shoulder assistance.
Why do the JM press instead of skull crushers?
Its compound mechanics let you load the triceps much heavier than isolation exercises allow.
Is the JM press hard on your elbows?
It can be if you go heavy before learning the groove — start light, keep elbows tucked forward, and stop at sharp pain.
Where do I lower the bar?
Toward your upper chest and chin, keeping the bar close to your body with forearms coming toward your biceps.
Barbell or EZ-bar?
Either — many find an EZ-bar more comfortable on the wrists and elbows.
Will it help my bench press?
Yes — it's popular for building triceps-driven bench lockout strength.
The JM press is a skull crusher and a close-grip bench having an argument. Learn the groove light, and you get to train your triceps with weight isolation exercises can't touch.
The JM press is one of the most effective triceps mass builders available, letting you load the muscle far heavier than pushdowns or skull crushers allow. But it's technical — spend a few sessions learning the bar path with light weight, keep your elbows tucked forward, and use safeties. Get the groove right and it'll build triceps size and bench lockout strength that isolation work never will.