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barbell lying close-grip press strength standards

What is a good barbell lying close-grip press?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate barbell lying close-grip press is about 166 lb (0.92x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 213 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 166 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 213 lb Advanced standard
Gym median Separate tab Self-reported, not blended
Check My Level Estimate Your 1RM Methodology
Evidence ledger No blended rankings
Primary source FitnessVolt standards model
Available views Standards
Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels

Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.

Quick Answer barbell lying close-grip press

A solid (Intermediate) barbell lying close-grip press for a 180 lb male is about 166 lb (0.92x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own barbell lying close-grip press into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 213 lb (1.18x bodyweight).

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

barbell lying close-grip press demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your barbell lying close-grip press? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles triceps
Equipment barbell
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound

Estimated Standards - The level table for this exercise is modeled from FitnessVolt strength ratios for a related base lift, not from direct measurements of this movement. Learn about our methodology

How Strong Is Your barbell lying close-grip press?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 166 lbs (0.92x bodyweight) on the barbell lying close-grip press ranks Intermediate on the FVCP competition scale, stronger than ~50% of verified competition lifters at this bodyweight. Enter your own numbers above to see where you stand.

That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.

Over 40? Our calculator also reports an age-adjusted percentile and an age-30 equivalent using the McCulloch age factor, so masters lifters are compared to lifters their own age. See the age-adjusted (Masters 40+) standards below for the full breakdown.

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
Your FVCP:
Age-adjusted percentile
lb Age-30 equivalent 1RM

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
th percentile

Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your lift falls, not a measured frequency count.

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to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

We do not have enough reader-submitted barbell lying close-grip press entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

166 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.92x x Bodyweight

Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.

Enter your numbers above first. We publish reader benchmarks only after a sample threshold is met.

How Much Should You barbell lying close-grip press?

Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

BW (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 40 63 94 130 170
120 47 73 105 143 185
130 55 82 116 156 200
140 62 91 127 168 214
150 70 100 137 180 227
160 77 108 147 191 239
170 84 116 157 203 252
180 91 125 166 213 264
190 98 133 176 224 275
200 104 140 185 234 287
210 111 148 193 244 298
220 117 155 202 254 308
230 124 163 210 263 319
240 130 170 218 272 329
250 136 177 226 281 338
260 143 184 234 290 348
270 148 191 242 298 357
280 154 197 249 306 366
290 160 204 256 314 375
300 165 210 263 322 383
310 171 217 270 329 392

Is Your barbell lying close-grip press Good?

A quick read on what counts as a good barbell lying close-grip press at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) barbell lying close-grip press is about 166 lb (0.92x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 213 lb (1.18x), and Elite is 264 lb (1.47x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) barbell lying close-grip press is about 81 lb (0.58x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 117 lb (0.84x), and Elite is 157 lb (1.12x).

How Much Should You Be Able to barbell lying close-grip press?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 166 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 91 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 81 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 30 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 137 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 202 lb at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.

By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male lifts about 163 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 145 lb. See the By Age tab for every age band.

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

How Does Age Affect barbell lying close-grip press Strength?

How barbell lying close-grip press standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

Age Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
15 66 98 139 186 238
20 76 113 158 213 272
25 77 116 163 218 279
30 77 116 163 218 279
35 77 116 163 218 279
40 77 116 163 218 279
45 74 110 155 207 265
50 69 103 145 194 248
55 64 95 134 180 230
60 59 86 122 164 210
65 53 78 110 149 190
70 47 71 99 133 170
75 42 63 89 119 152
80 38 56 80 107 136
85 34 50 71 95 122
90 31 45 64 86 110

What Do barbell lying close-grip press Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the bar path and loading on the barbell lying close-grip press, building the shoulder stability and pressing coordination needed to handle heavier loads safely.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can press with a consistent path and controlled tempo on the barbell lying close-grip press. You are progressing linearly and building the chest, shoulder, and tricep base needed for intermediate strength.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your barbell lying close-grip press technique is efficient under heavy loads. You use programmed variations, understand how to manage pressing fatigue, and can grind through the mid-range sticking point.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have optimized your barbell lying close-grip press setup for maximal force production - arch, leg drive, and grip width are dialed in. You train with periodized intensity blocks and accessory work targeting weak points.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your barbell lying close-grip press is at a competitive standard. You have refined every aspect of the lift through years of structured peaking and can produce maximal force with technical precision.

How to Progress Your barbell lying close-grip press

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your barbell lying close-grip press to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the barbell lying close-grip press 2-3x per week to build pressing strength and shoulder stability.
  • Use linear progression: add 2.5-5 lbs per session.
  • Practice controlled eccentrics (3-second lowering) to build tendon strength.
  • Keep working sets at RPE 6-7 to accumulate quality volume.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Add a pressing variation (close-grip, incline, or paused) for weak-point development.
  • Increase frequency to 2-3 sessions per week with varied rep ranges.
  • Program most sets at RPE 7-8 with one heavy session including RPE 9 work.
  • Build tricep and shoulder accessory volume to support the barbell lying close-grip press.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Periodized Training Blocks
  • Run 4-6 week blocks with planned volume and intensity progression.
  • Use RPE 8-9 for competition-style sets, RPE 7 for volume backoffs.
  • Target your sticking point with specific accessory work (board press, pin press, bands).
  • Manage total weekly pressing volume (12-20 sets) across all push movements.
Program your backoff sets →
Advanced → Elite Competition-Level Peaking
  • Peak with structured 8-12 week cycles targeting a competition or max attempt.
  • Refine your setup: arch, leg drive, grip width, and bar path for maximal efficiency.
  • Use the RPE chart for precise percentage work during peaking phases.
  • Test your barbell lying close-grip press under competition-style commands and judging.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform barbell lying close-grip press

["Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.","Grasp the barbell with a close grip, hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing towards your feet.","Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.","Slowly lower the barbell towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.","Pause for a moment when the barbell touches your chest, then push it back up to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete barbell lying close-grip press guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These barbell lying close-grip press Standards Come From?

FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.

Standards data last refreshed: March 29, 2026

Is Your barbell lying close-grip press Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your barbell lying close-grip press against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:

  1. Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
  2. Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
  3. Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
  4. Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.

If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can barbell lying close-grip press 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.

The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

A "good" barbell lying close-grip press depends on your bodyweight, sex, and training background. The Intermediate tier is a useful first serious target, while Advanced and Elite represent much harder standards. Use the table above for the number closest to your bodyweight.
Many lifters can reach the Intermediate tier on the barbell lying close-grip press after steady training, but the timeline depends on starting point, technique, programming, recovery, and bodyweight changes. Treat the tier as a benchmark, not a deadline.
Yes. Competition views use verified meet-result data where available, gym percentile views use self-reported gym cohorts, and reader-submitted benchmarks are shown only after enough entries are logged. The populations are labeled separately.
For weighted lifts, enter a clean raw 1RM or an estimated 1RM from a recent hard set. For rep-based movements, enter controlled full-range reps. Avoid equipped lifts, partial reps, or bounced reps unless you are comparing against the same style every time.

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One Rep Max Calculator Estimate your one-rep max from any rep set Benchmarks Compare against competition data RPE Chart Training load percentages by RPE
Written by Tom Miller, CSCS · Reviewed by Editorial Team
Tom Miller, CSCS, is a Sr. Editor & Content Strategist with 10 years of experience in Powerlifting and Personal Training. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, he is dedicated to delivering informative, engaging, and reliable health and fitness content. His work has been featured on websites including the-sun.com, Well+Good, Bleacher Report, Muscle and Fitness, UpJourney, Business Insider, NewsBreak and more.