If you can bench your bodyweight, how strong are you really?

BOXROX recently looked at the relationship between benching your bodyweight and how strong you really are. The piece argues that bench press numbers say little about performance in bodyweight movements and daily tasks. It highlights the idea that strong relative to your bodyweight comes from training for endurance, control and full range of motion, not just raw load on a bar.

Why it matters for push-ups

Push ups demand more than pressing power. They require a stable shoulder girdle, a tight core and the ability to maintain a straight line from head to heels while moving through the full range. A high bench press can help, but it does not guarantee you can perform many push ups with good form. Training that emphasizes relative strength to bodyweight and practice with push ups at different angles tend to transfer better to the actual movement. In practice that means combining sets of floor push ups with progression and checking your form, tempo and range of motion. It also means recognizing that improvements in bodyweight control, scapular stability and core endurance tend to lift push up performance more than just adding kilograms on a bar.

PUSHapp take

For PUSHapp users the practical takeaway is to measure progress in a way that reflects bodyweight strength in the context of push ups. Track your bodyweight alongside your push-up performance and aim for steady improvements in both. Use training that builds control and relative strength, not just maximum load. Mix a mix of stable and progressive push up variations, and adjust volume and tempo to match your current level.

Try this

• test your max push ups with strict form once a week and log the result in PUSHapp
• perform tempo push ups with a slow descent to improve control
• add progression from incline push ups to standard floor push ups as you get stronger
• if you have no equipment available, stick with bodyweight progressions and focus on form before adding volume

Source: BOXROX

1 min read.

Source: BOXROX. PUSHapp commentary is original and based on the public RSS summary.