Created by Jordan Feigenbaum and Austin Baraki at Barbell Medicine, the Bridge is a strength program designed for athletes that are finishing a novice program like Starting Strength or Strong Lifts 5×5 and are ready for a “bridge” to intermediate level programming.
The Bridge Program Overview
- 3x weekly training
- Program length of 8 weeks (one mesocycle)
- Competition lifts are trained (squat, bench press, deadlift)
- Near variations of the big three are also trained
- Pause squat, rack pulls, deficit deadlifts, close grip bench, etc.
- Sessions typically last 70-90 minutes
- Program is based RPE, not percentage of 1RM (explained in PDF)
- The program also calls for 1 General Physical Preparedness (GPP), which is explained in the PDF linked below
Credit for the spreadsheet goes to /u/pflueder from Reddit’s Starting Strength community.
If preparing for a meet, check out the Barbell Medicine Peaking Template.
To best understand the program, please download the free PDF from Barbell Medicine.
The Bridge Program Spreadsheets
Here is another spreadsheet via The Barbell Medicine Forums.
This is the somewhat older spreadsheet. Note: ignore “kg” or “lb” – the program works fine with either. Just put the weight in, regardless of measurement unit.
The Bridge Program Reviews
Conclusion from Izzy (PowerliftingToWin.com):
“Man, this is really hard for me to say because Jordan is one of my favorite guys in the strength and conditioning world, and I’ve never seen him be anything but super nice to everyone; however, I really don’t like The Bridge as a “bridge” between SSLP and more complex intermediate training. However, I do LOVE The Bridge as a “bridge” for early intermediate trainees to transition into more complex intermediate programming. The problem with The Bridge is that it is attached to the SSLP. Now that Dr. Feigenbaum and Dr. Baraki have split from Starting Strength and are no longer affiliated with the brand, I suspect we might see a Barbell Medicine novice program some day.”
