Close grip bench percentage
What narrowing your grip costs, and why it is mostly a triceps question.
A range, not a number — because the same variation costs one lifter 4% and another 14%. The app turns it into a single weight and remembers your coefficient.
Want the exact number?Set the pause and the eccentric, pick reps and RPE, get one weight — and the app learns your own coefficient.
Get the free appWhat percentage of your bench is a close grip bench?
A close grip bench press is typically 87–95% of your competition bench, with most lifters around 92%. Narrowing the grip lengthens the range of motion and shifts work to the triceps, so where you land depends mainly on how strong your triceps are relative to your chest and shoulders.
Grip width and typical load
| Variation | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Competition grip | 100% | The reference |
| Close grip (index on smooth) | 90–96% | Small change, small cost |
| Close grip (shoulder width) | 87–95% | The usual prescription |
| Very close (hands touching rings) | 80–90% | Wrist and elbow comfort decides |
| Close grip with a 2s pause | 83–92% | Both effects multiply |
Why the close grip costs less than people expect
A narrower grip makes the bar travel further and takes some of the chest and front delt contribution out of the press. But it does not change the fundamental leverage the way a front squat does, and the triceps take over a large share of the work. For a lifter with strong triceps the drop can be as little as 5%.
It also works the other way. If your bench is built on a big arch and a wide grip, closing it up removes most of what makes your bench strong, and 85% may be all you have. That is useful information, not a problem: it tells you where to train.
Grip width itself is a spectrum, not a switch. "Close grip" for one lifter is index fingers on the smooth ring; for another it is hands almost touching. State the width you use, then keep it constant, or your numbers will drift week to week for no reason.
What moves your number
- Triceps strength relative to chest and shoulders — the single biggest factor.
- How wide your competition grip is: the wider it is, the bigger the drop.
- Arch and leg drive: they help less on a close grip.
- Wrist and elbow comfort, which often caps the weight before the muscles do.
How to find your own number
Three sessions and a bit of honesty are enough to replace the range with your own coefficient.
- Work up to a set of 3 on the close grip bench and stop at RPE 8 — two reps left in the tank, honestly judged.
- Divide the weight you used by the weight you would have used for 3 reps @ RPE 8 on your competition bench. That ratio is your coefficient.
- Repeat it once or twice over a training block. If the number holds within a couple of percent, that is your number — use it instead of the range.
PRO What the app does with it
- Applies the pause and the eccentric on top of the variation, second by second — the first second costs the most, the following ones progressively less.
- Crosses it with the RPE chart, so you get the weight for 3 reps @ RPE 8 on that variation, not just a max.
- Learns your personal coefficient from a set you actually did, then remembers it for every future session.
- Works offline, in the gym, with the plates already worked out.
Stop guessing on your variation days
RPE Calculator for Android is free. The variation calculator — pause, tempo, deficit, boards — comes with the one-time Pro unlock. No subscription.
Get the free app Launching on Google Play — final testingFree download · Pro is a single one-time unlock · No subscription
Frequently asked questions
How much less should I close grip bench?
Usually 5–13% less than your competition bench, so 87–95% of it. Lifters with strong triceps sit near the top, wide-grip benchers near the bottom.
Where should my hands be for a close grip bench?
Roughly shoulder width, or index fingers on the smooth part of the bar. What matters most is picking one width and keeping it, so the numbers stay comparable across sessions.
Does the close grip bench carry over to a competition bench?
Yes — it is one of the most reliable ways to build lockout strength, and it is easier on the shoulders than heavy competition-grip volume.