Bridge question press volume

[Lane Foulks]

First I want to say, I love the content you guys put out! Particularly your presence in social media reaching out and trying to educate the public. I know it is a lot of work, and I appreciate the effort it takes.

I was considering starting the Bridge. I currently have been struggling doing the Texas Method for the last few months as an early intermediate (Male, 37, 6'2, 240 lb). I rotate press and BP week to week on the program. Looking at the Bridge it only presses once a week. I'm not sure if I want my press to be de-emphasized versus the BP yet, because I feel that I have poverty upper body lifts ( BP 230lb 2RM, press 155 2RM, Squat 345 1RM, Deadlift 475 1RM).

1) Is this a valid concern moving to this program.
2) Should I add more pressing into the program? If so, where?
3) Should I rotate between press and BP from week to week? What would be a good assistance exercise for press that could replace cg/3cp BP?

Thanks for your time!

[Austin Baraki]

After the novice phase, we tend to see whether people have a preference in terms of which upper body lift they would like to emphasize a bit more. Given the amount of training volume (and therefore frequency) these lifts need to make long-term progress, it gets progressively more difficult to train them "equally" at any given time.

You could either
1) "Flip" the emphasis towards the press, using movements like pin presses, paused presses, and high incline bench presses instead of the bench variants, or
2) You could add one of these supplemental movements into the GPP day(s), versus another brief "exposure" to a pressing movement at the end of one of the regular training days (for example, a 7 min AMRAP Press, or take 8 minutes to work up to a set of 3 @ 9).

[Lane Foulks]

I do think both lifts are lagging because the back and forth nature of my programming. Over the last few weeks I have gotten my BP moving again by adding in slingshot BP in as extra volume. I think I may give the Bridge a go starting next week using your 2nd suggestion, and see how that goes.

Thanks!

[teddyd]

Ooh, I like this question and this answer.

I am literally at the end of my SSLP (after my training session with Carl Raghavan SSC this Sunday).

My press (53 kgs = 117 lbs) and bench press (81 kgs = 178 lbs) are at poverty levels compared to my squat (130 kgs = 286 lbs) and deadlift (160 kgs = 352 lbs). I will begin The Bridge next week, but I want to up my pressing volume and strength. I was thinking about how to add pressing volume to The Bridge this morning. The idea of adding presses at the end of Friday workouts or GPP days is one that appeals to me. Plus, I wanna get as big as a brick shithouse (as we Aussies say) and my upper body greatly lacks the arse and tree trunk legs I have.

[mo.xiaoming]

2) You could add one of these supplemental movements into the GPP day(s), versus another brief "exposure" to a pressing movement at the end of one of the regular training days (for example, a 7 min AMRAP Press, or take 8 minutes to work up to a set of 3 @ 9).

If I choose to do AMRAP press, what weight range should I use?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

If I choose to do AMRAP press, what weight range should I use?

8-10RM and do sets of 4-5 reps.

[mo.xiaoming]

Thanks Doc.