PL Peaking — Bench Strength + Close-Grip
Bench strength + close-grip session. Bench 4-6×3-5 at 80-90% TM, close-grip bench for triceps strength, overhead triceps, lat work. Second-heaviest bench session of the week. ~70 min.
Estimated session
- Movements 4
- Loads Coach-filled
- Progresses Every session
Every movement, in order
Each lift with its working sets and target, in the order you run them. The coach sets the loads from your training and moves them up as the work gets easier.
| Order | Exercise | Sets | Target | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip Comp-style. 4-5 × 3-5 reps at 80-90% TM. Final set RPE 9. 3 warm-up sets first 3 × 3 · rest 3 min | 3 | 3 | 3 min |
| 02 | Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press Hands ~shoulder-width or slightly inside. Drives triceps lockout strength. 4-5 × 5-8 reps RPE 8-9. 4 × 6 · rest 2:30 | 4 | 6 | 2:30 |
| 03 | Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension Long-head triceps stretch — additional lockout volume. 3 × 12 · rest 1 min | 3 | 12 | 1 min |
| 04 | Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown Lat volume — supports bench arch + shoulder stability. 3 × 10 · rest 1:15 | 3 | 10 | 1:15 |
The coach sets the loads and moves them up — these are the schemes
When to reach for this template
Compute bench loads off the training max, not e1RM; prescribe comp-spec execution (paused, competition grip and arch). Close-grip is lockout work — hold hands at shoulder-width or inside, do not let load drift it wider. Bench/close-grip are autoregulated: if the top set exceeds RPE 9, drop the next set 2.5–5%; never grind. Accessories (overhead extension, pulldown) are unperiodized — chase RPE 9–9.5 to the prescribed reps, add load when reps come at <RPE 8. Subs: close-grip → floor press; pulldown → chest-supported row, same rep/RPE targets. Equipment swaps. No cable stack: Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension -> an overhead dumbbell extension or a band overhead extension; Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown -> a band lat pulldown anchored overhead, or chin-ups if you have a bar. In every case match the prescribed effort, not the implement: choose a load, band tension, tempo or pace that puts each set on the target RPE or duration.
Every workout
The coach reads your log, tunes the loads and volume to where you are today, and tells you when to add weight.
Programs that use this template
This session is scheduled across a week and progressed over the mesocycle in the programs below.
Common questions
The facts most people check before they drop this session into a week.
01When should I use the PL Peaking — Bench Strength + Close-Grip template?
Compute bench loads off the training max, not e1RM; prescribe comp-spec execution (paused, competition grip and arch). Add it to your week in Squatly and the coach schedules it, sets the loads from your training, and tells you when to move up.
02How many working sets is PL Peaking — Bench Strength + Close-Grip, and how long does it take?
PL Peaking — Bench Strength + Close-Grip runs 4 movements and about 13 working sets, roughly 58 minutes once warm-ups are in. The full per-exercise scheme — sets, reps or RPE, and rest — is in the session table above.
Built on the Squatly method
Every set count, rep target, and rest period here comes from how the coach weighs volume, intensity, and fatigue. See where the numbers come from.
Read the methodVolume, intensity, and fatigue — read per lift, every session.
Last updated: June 2026
Keep moving forward.
Add this template to your week. The coach reads your training, sets the loads, and tells you when to push.
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Aleks · Coach
Proposal — add weight