Bent Over Row is not the equal/opposite of the Bench Press. Look at the mechanics, if you can bench lets say 405, i doubt youd be able to bend over to near horizontal and row 405 to your chest. With the bench press, you have a backer to “push off” of. And even though your positioning is technically vertical its still horizontal.
Example-if you had a sliding wall that weighed 405 (excluding friction) and without driving it with your legs (walking it) could you push it forward? Remember, theres nothing on your back…
Id hate to say it but I think the most obvious/simpliest way to test this is cables.
Horizontal Push to Pull Ratio = 1 to 1
Vertical is easier, Weighted Pull-up versus Shoulder Press
I wouldnt worry too much about a specific ratio, id worry more about volume. Using reps under 5 on rowing movements is problematic because its almost impossible to maintain reasonable form and to get any scapula retraction. Hence I tend to do 5 x 5-15 when I row.
Thus if im benching and rowing in the same session (as I pretty much always do) I ll perform a lot more rows than I will presses.
If you really want to work out a ratio for some reason Id try and do it with a single arm press on a slight incline and a single arm row.
I would have to agree about numbers. Really, its not a science lab experiment. You can feel disproportion and see it. In general, people need to do a lot more pulling. But find your own balance.
[quote]Achilles909 wrote:
Bent Over Row is not the equal/opposite of the Bench Press. Look at the mechanics, if you can bench lets say 405, i doubt youd be able to bend over to near horizontal and row 405 to your chest. With the bench press, you have a backer to “push off” of.[/quote]
What about chest supported row?
Taking the problem of lower back fatigue etc out of the equation, do people think that the ratio of Bench Press to Chest Supported Row should be similar??
My row is higher than my bench. 1RM for row is a little over 1.5xBW, where my bench is 1.25-1.3xBW.
Generally I’m a lot better in pulling than pushing. More common is the other way around, which is understandable, because bench press is one of the big three. It’s a matter of time, dedicated to the movement and if we are talking about < 400 lbs or 2xBW, one-to-one ratio is a good guideline, IMHO.
Taking the problem of lower back fatigue etc out of the equation, do people think that the ratio of Bench Press to Chest Supported Row should be similar??[/quote]
I chest-supported row more than I bench. That could have something to do with my levers and some unhealthy muscle imbalances though.