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Barbell Bridge press vs. bench press ratio

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seward

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Has anyone who trains both compared their max bench press and bridge press weights?

I'm training the bridge press (no access to a bench press now) and wondering how those numbers match up to bench standards, in particular the SFL requirement of 1.25 bodyweight.
 
Has anyone who trains both compared their max bench press and bridge press weights?

I'm training the bridge press (no access to a bench press now) and wondering how those numbers match up to bench standards, in particular the SFL requirement of 1.25 bodyweight.
I’ve trained bridge press and it was much higher than my bench press, about 120 %.
 
Interesting! Wouldn't have guessed such a big difference. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.
 
It also depends on performance. If you use a torso thrust and hip drive to propel the bar, as I did, it’ll be higher. If you’re just posted up and still in a decline position, it won’t be such a big difference.
 
If I understood Fabio correctly, he sees benefits in developing leg drive & arch

Well, a lot of strength is skill and also positional.

I guess I'm not getting what this translates to in the real or sport world.

And you can use both leg drive and an arch on a decline bench, too.

But I don't want to thread hijack.
 
I don't understand the purpose, unless you're trying to do a decline press and just don't have a decline bench...
To be fair I've noticed far more carry over to benching with my a#@ shooting off the bench and overloading or "ego lifting" as opposed to a strict bench press.

In real sports ghe body moved together in various unconventional ways. As you can probably appreciate with weightlifting to an extent.

However imagine someone who wrestles or plays rugby. You can try to practice crisp technique as much as you want but a large part of the sport is reacting to odd angles of attack. Twisting, bending and contortions in various ways to avoid attack etc.

Being strong in a variety of unconventional positions (IMO/IME) makes for damn good GPP in the weight room.

If the competition bench press isn't something you are competing in then bastardising a lift for your purposes makes more sense then adopting some misplaced sense of loyalty to the original lift.

So learning to develop full body tension in a different position I see as a positive. Developing strength in a slightly different position to override the biological law of accommodation is another positive. The different positioning mitigates overuse injuries, yet another positive. Learning a new movement pattern enhances brain plasticity which in turn enhances everything else (to an extent). Another positive. This is just off the top of my head.
 
I don't understand the purpose, unless you're trying to do a decline press and just don't have a decline bench...
I’ve never done this movement, but I think it qualifies as specialized variety for the bench press. It’s similar enough to offer good carryover, I think.

-S-
 
Bridge press? Never heard of this variation.
From The Early Days of Lifting

It was one of the mains lift performed by those in the early days.

I’ve trained bridge press and it was much higher than my bench press, about 120 %.

The Bridge Press

It is essentially a Decline Press.

Lifters can Decline Press more than they can Flat Bench Press.

Muscle Involvement

As previously posted, when you change the angle of an exercise, modify the grip width or stance width in a movement, it essentially turn it into a different exercise. The muscles involved in the movement change.

Think of Incline, Flat and Decline Press as Ice Cream.

The Incline is Vanilla.

The Flat Bench Press is Chocolate

The Decline Bench Press is Strawberry.

They are all Ice Cream but different; it is the same with the various Presses.

Decline bench press better for pecs than incline bench press

According to a human study done a number of years ago by sports scientists at Wayne State College, the decline bench press is a better exercise for the chest muscles than the incline bench press.


Decline bench press better for pecs than incline bench press


Decline bench press better for pecs than incline bench press

The figure above shows the effect of both exercises on the lower part of the chest muscle. Here you can see that the decline bench press does have the effect that bodybuilders think it has.

The floor press with a "twist" The floor press with a "twist"

Great Memory

Information on the Floor Press was provide in this post last year. The very last post goes into more informaiton.

One of the items addressed is the...

The Belly Toss Bench Press

This is one of my favorite Auxiliary Bench Press Exercises.

The Belly Toss Bench Press is a Decline Bench Press perform by placing the feet on the bench, dropping the hips down, lowering the bar, then driving the bar up.

As the bar is driven up, thrust up with the hips. This allows you to drive more weight up.'

it is a form of Speed Training.

it is to the Bench Press what the Push Press is to the Overhead Press; it simulates a similar training effect.

I guess I'm not getting what this translates to in the real or sport world.

Judo and Wrestling

As a former Judoka, the Belly Toss Bench Press is one of the most effective Strength-Power Training Exercises in grappling; when you on your back and need to drive them up to create enough space to flip over on your stomach and get up.

"This was a favorite lift of Arthur Saxon and I’m sure it served him well in developing strength for his wrestling pursuits."
Source: Belly Toss Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

There are other training benefits that can be obtained with the Bridge Press and the Belly Toss Press.
 
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I think the bridge and belly toss presses actually seem more transferable to other performances. To me, it is basically the horizontal push press, as the hips and core are more active in contributing to the lift.

Of course, bench presses utilize leg drive, but the bridge press amplifies it. you also get a greater wedge effect with the bridge.
 
I think the bridge and belly toss presses actually seem more transferable to other performances. To me, it is basically the horizontal push press, as the hips and core are more active in contributing to the lift.

Of course, bench presses utilize leg drive, but the bridge press amplifies it. you also get a greater wedge effect with the bridge.
I agree. Use a close grip and suddenly you are simulating pushing an opponent off you from your back, in an overloaded fashion.
 
I do lots of barbell floor presses. One of my favorite excersises. I'll have to give this Bridge Press a try, never heard of it before.

Regards,

Eric
 
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