Close Grip Push Ups Strength Standards Calculator

Understanding Your Close Grip Push Ups Strength Score

Your Close Grip Push Ups score is the number of strict close-grip reps you can complete in one continuous set. The hands stay in the approved position, the body line stays braced, and every counted rep uses the same bottom range and top lockout.

This is not a general push-up score. The close-grip setup changes the pressing demand, so more reps only mean a stronger result when each rep matches the same standard. If the hands drift, the knees touch, or the reps become shallow, the standards score ends at the last clean rep.

The calculator is useful because a strict 20-rep score tells you more than a larger loose score. It shows what you can repeat under the same same floor surface, hand width, bottom range, and lockout rule on a future retest.

Close Grip Push Ups Strength Standards

The public standards tables below use age and sex as the visible reference. Use your age row first, then compare your strict close-grip reps with the level columns.

For example, a man age 20-29 reaches Intermediate at 20 reps, Advanced at 40, and Elite at 65. A woman age 40-49 reaches Intermediate at 12 reps, Advanced at 24, and Elite at 40. Beginner means the result is below the Novice line for that age group.

Men – Close Grip Push Ups Standards Reference

Women – Close Grip Push Ups Standards Reference

The calculator is better than table lookup when you want the exact result for the set you just tested. It returns the level, result range, and next rep target without making you scan rows and calculate the next boundary yourself.

What Is a Good Close Grip Push Up Score?

A good Close Grip Push Up score usually starts at Intermediate when the narrow hand position stays the same from the first rep to the last. In the public tables, Intermediate starts at 20 reps for men age 20-29, 16 for men age 40-49, 15 for women age 20-29, and 12 for women age 40-49.

Good does not mean the set was easy to count generously. It means the reps stayed valid: range stayed consistent, elbows reached lockout, and the body did not sag or fold as fatigue built.

If you are near a boundary, one rep matters. A 20-29 man moves from Novice to Intermediate at 20 reps, so 19 and 20 reps are different standards results. Film a serious test from the side so range and lockout are easy to check.

Test Your Close Grip Push Up Strength

Test Close Grip Push Ups with one continuous set after a normal warm-up. Set both hands on the floor narrower than shoulder width, brace into a straight body line, and start from locked elbows. This section matters because the calculator can only score the reps you enter; if the test changes into another push-up style, assisted reps, or partial reps, the result no longer answers the close grip push ups standards question.

• Start each rep from locked elbows and a braced body line.
• Count only reps that keep the narrow hand position, lower under control, and return to full lockout without the knees touching or the hands drifting wider.
• Finish each rep at full elbow lockout before the next descent.
• Stop counting when range, lockout, body line, or hand position changes.
• Enter only the reps from one continuous set.

Do not change the setup as fatigue builds. If the hands move, the knees touch, or the set becomes shallow, stop the score before that change. Resting at the top long enough to turn the test into repeated singles also breaks the continuous-set standard. When you enter the score, use the last rep that still matched the same setup, range, and lockout.

What Counts and What Does Not Count

Count only strict narrow-hand floor push-ups from the approved setup. A valid rep uses hands narrower than shoulder width, elbows tracking close, the chest reaching the same bottom range, and full elbow lockout at the top.

When a rep is borderline, leave it out. A set of 20 strict reps gives clearer information than a higher number where the final reps used a different setup.

How the Close Grip Push Ups Calculator Works

The calculator starts with the strict rep count you enter, then compares that number with the standards for the form fields you selected. More strict reps means a stronger result, as long as those reps came from the same close-grip push-up test with the same range and lockout rule.

For this exercise, the useful number is the completed strict-rep total. The calculator is more useful than a static table because it turns that rep count into a direct level, range, and next target. A man age 20-29 who enters 20 reps lands at Intermediate; instead of scanning rows and doing boundary math, the result can show that Advanced starts at 40 reps, so the next clear target is 20 more strict reps.

The calculator does not judge the set for you. It trusts that the reps you enter used the same setup, bottom range, and lockout rule. If the setup changed before the set ended, enter the last rep before the change.

How to Read Your Close Grip Push Ups Results

After you enter your reps, the result screen shows the standards level for your selected sex and age range. The main label is the level, such as Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, or Elite. The supporting line repeats the exercise and rep count, so check that it says Close Grip Push Ups and not another push-up variation.

The result also tells you where the score sits inside that level. For example, 20 reps for a man age 20-29 is Intermediate, and Advanced starts at 40. That next target is useful only if the extra reps still use the same strict form.

If the result looks wrong, check the inputs before judging the standard. A different push-up style, a wrong age range, or a rep count that included partials can move the result more than your strength actually changed.

Elite Close Grip Push Ups Strength Levels

Elite Close Grip Push Ups scores are high-rep sets that stay valid after the chest, shoulders, triceps, and trunk start to fatigue. In the public tables, Elite begins at 65 reps for men age 20-29, 52 for men age 40-49, 50 for women age 20-29, and 40 for women age 40-49.

The last reps decide whether the score really belongs there. Elite means strict triceps-heavy floor reps with no hand-width drift, not a set that changes rules to keep the rep count moving.

Related Tools

Bodyweight Push-Ups Strength Standards

Bodyweight Push-Ups are the closest general floor test when your close-grip score needs context. They are related because both count strict bodyweight pressing reps from the floor, but standard push-ups allow a normal hand width instead of the narrow triceps-focused position. Use this next if you want to see whether 20 close-grip reps also translate to a broader push-up standard.

Close Grip Bench Press Strength Standards

Close Grip Bench Press gives a barbell view of the same triceps and lockout demand that often limits close-grip push-ups. The difference is that the bench press removes the plank position and scores external bar weight rather than bodyweight reps. Check it next when your push-up set stalls near 20 or 40 reps and you want to know whether pressing strength, not only endurance, is the limiter.

Weighted Push Ups Strength Standards

Weighted Push Ups are useful after close-grip reps are strong enough that more bodyweight reps no longer answer the strength question clearly. The exercise is related through the push-up pattern, while the scoring differs because added resistance replaces a pure strict-rep total. Choose it next when a 40-plus rep close-grip set feels more like endurance practice than a strength test.

Bench Press Strength Standards

Bench Press standards help separate push-up skill and body control from traditional horizontal pressing strength. Both standards involve the chest, shoulders, and triceps, but bench press uses a barbell on a bench and does not require the narrow-hand floor position. Use it next if your calculator result is high yet you still want a familiar gym benchmark beside your close-grip push-up score.

Bodyweight Dips Strength Standards

Bodyweight Dips are a strong follow-up when close-grip push-ups point toward triceps-dominant bodyweight pressing. Dips are related because they also count strict bodyweight reps, but the support path is vertical and the shoulder position is different from a floor push-up. Try this next when you want a harder upper-body bodyweight test after a clean 20- to 40-rep close-grip set.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I enter total reps or reps per set?

Enter the total number of strict reps from one continuous set, not reps per set across a workout. For example, if you complete 20 valid close-grip reps before rep 21 misses lockout, enter 20; if you do 10 reps, rest, and then do 10 more, that is still two separate sets and should not be entered as 20.

What counts as a valid Close Grip Push Up rep?

A valid rep starts with the hands narrower than shoulder width, lowers under control to the same bottom range, and finishes with both elbows locked. Use a side video if you are unsure, because a set of 19 clean reps plus 3 shallow reps should be entered as 19, not 22.

Do nearby push-up variations count?

No. Standard push-ups, diamond push-ups, wide-grip push-ups, incline reps, decline reps, and knee-assisted reps are different tests even when they train similar muscles. If your first 12 reps are close-grip and reps 13-18 drift to a normal hand width, enter 12 and retest with the hand position fixed.

Do weighted or assisted reps count?

No. Added resistance, bands, knee support, partner help, or any setup change makes the score invalid for this calculator. For example, if reps 1-18 are strict and reps 19-23 use knee help, stop the standards score at 18 because the later reps no longer measure the same bodyweight test.

Why use the calculator instead of only reading the table?

The table gives reference lines, but the calculator gives a direct answer for the exact inputs you enter. If a man age 20-29 enters 20 reps, the result can show Intermediate, place the score inside that range, and point to 40 reps as the next clear target without making you do boundary math from the table.

What if my result looks different than expected?

Check the input fields first: exercise, age range, sex, bodyweight unit, and strict rep total can all change the result. If the result looks different after entering 40 reps, review whether all 40 were close-grip reps; a video may show that only 34 were valid before the hands moved wider.

Should I use the same setup every time?

Yes. Use the same floor surface, hand width, bottom range, and lockout rule when you want scores to compare across retests. A score of 20 reps with hands 10 inches apart and 20 reps with hands almost shoulder-width are not the same test, so treat any setup change as a new baseline.