Modifications to The Bridge 3.0 (most recent version)

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi everyone, I ran the bridge 1.0 for 4 weeks then caught the flu and found myself significantly weaker once I got back in the gym. I figured that was a great time to jump into the bridge 3.0 since I had my eye on it for a while and was very happy with my progress on 1.0. Currently on week 3 of the Bridge 3.0.

There’s a couple questions and concerns that have come up:

  1. My close grip bench is about 10% stronger than my touch and go bench. Prior to the bridge 1.0 this was reversed. What might this say about my benching and should I change my grip? My TnG grip is pinky just inside the rings. I’m 5’10 with maybe a 72” wingspan.

  2. My press dropped something like 14% after I had the flu. I lost only a couple of lbs during the illness. In recent training (last 9 months) I have always pressed 2x per week to see progress. I’ve noticed when pressing only once per week it’s pretty stagnant or goes down. A 4th press day isn’t a desirable option. I work in construction and I’m gone from my home (home gym) for 12 hrs a day sometimes longer if it’s a lengthier day on the job. I sleep 8 hours per night so that leaves me 4 hours to eat ~2500 calories, run any errands, meal prep, and train. That being said I would like to prioritize the bench press and don’t really care about my overhead press tbh. Would I be able to sub in a 3rd bench day and get rid of the press? If so, is there anything to consider when choosing a variation?

2

JP,

  1. I don’t think this tells me anything other than your close grip bench is either more trained at this point or takes place on days you’re carrying less fatigue.

  2. I think I would keep OHP 1x/wk your first time through the program, but could swap it for any bench variation you prefer the next time around. There are a lot of considerations on exercise selection and to summarize, I’d focus on an exercise that allows you to use a similar load to the regular bench press, through a similar ROM, a similar tempo, etc. and then base your decision on your preference.

-Jordan

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