starting strength gym
Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Close grip bench press weight

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    718

    Default Close grip bench press weight

    • starting strength seminar december 2024
    • starting strength seminar february 2025
    • starting strength seminar april 2025
    Hey guys.
    I have benched with a regular grip (pinky on rings) 80KG.
    I want to switch to close grip bench press (index finger on smooth part of the bar) and i have my reasons. What weight would correlate best with 80KG ? How much should I go for?although there are factors that make it impossible to establish a precise ratio.
    PS : I dont think my triceps are a weak link because i ve never been stuck at lockout on regular bench.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    6,018

    Default

    Somewhere between 30kg and 160kg. You'll have to try it to narrow it down further.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    445

    Default

    There is no set ratio. Just try it and see.

  4. #4

    Default

    What I want to know is, how did people figure out what weight to lift before the advent of Internet message boards? I mean, sure, they could have asked other people, but what about the FIRST person who tried a lift? How the fuck did THAT guy decide how much to lift? If this isn't the new chicken and egg problem, I don't know what is.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    595

    Default

    My best regular bench (ring fingers on rings) is 385. I have hit 305x10 on close grip (index finger about 1/2" outside smooth).

    I probably don't concentrate on my bench enough- but my CG is right there with my bench.

    Just start benching CG with linear progression and see where it takes you.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    898

    Default

    I now bench all close-grip at all times, as in pinky fingers 1"+ inside the rings. I do it because of my shoulder injury that worker's comp refused to repair. I can go slightly wider without discomfort now, but I couldn't when I got back into lifting. I started using this grip and stuck with it. And now I don't want to mess with what works so I don't even do heavy singles or anything with a wider grip.

    I don't know how much more/less weight I could do with narrow versus wider because I never tried a narrow grip for strength before I got hurt. But before I got hurt I would do narrow grip bench after my regular bench and I was only 10-15lbs behind my normal workout. If I did 200-5x3, I could do 185-190 for 5x3 close grip.

    Just try it and see. I'd say try -10% and if that works for a rep or two, add a little and keep going up. You may find that you're not very far behind at all.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    718

    Default

    Ok guys thanks for your advice.
    As to CGBP technique , i'd like to know where the bar does land on my body , how many inches below my nipples ?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Somewhere on a Quest
    Posts
    8,502

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by mkamaryn View Post
    I probably don't concentrate on my bench enough- but my CG is right there with my bench.
    Mine is almost exactly the same. 405x1 bench and a 410x1 and 330x10 CG.

    Quote Originally Posted by KAG View Post
    I now bench all close-grip at all times, as in pinky fingers 1"+ inside the rings. I do it because of my shoulder injury that worker's comp refused to repair. I can go slightly wider without discomfort now, but I couldn't when I got back into lifting. I started using this grip and stuck with it. And now I don't want to mess with what works so I don't even do heavy singles or anything with a wider grip.
    Heh. You must be a lot wider across the shoulders than me. My CG is 16" between my thumbs and can't go much wider or my shoulders rebel badly. My wide grip, that I can't do anymore, is about where your CG is, pinky inside the power ring.
    Last edited by Oldster; 07-04-2012 at 03:47 PM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •