Mastering Leg Drive in the Bench Press: The Bridged Bench Press Exercise

Oct 14

When most people think about getting stronger on the bench press, they focus almost exclusively on the upper body…the chest, shoulders, and triceps. They analyze their grip width, bar path, and elbow angle. But what often gets ignored is one of the most powerful and misunderstood elements of the lift: leg drive.

If you’ve ever watched a powerlifter bench and wondered why their entire body looks like a coiled spring — tight, stable, and explosive — the answer lies in how they connect their lower body to the bench. Leg drive isn’t just a fancy cue. It’s the foundation that holds the whole movement together.

In this article, we’ll break down what leg drive actually is, why most people get it wrong, and how a simple drill, the glute bridge bench press, can completely transform your setup, stability, and power output under the bar.

What Most Lifters Get Wrong About Leg Drive

Let’s start with the biggest misconception:
Most lifters think leg drive means pushing explosively into the floor the moment they press the bar off their chest. They envision it as a sudden jolt of energy that launches the bar upward.

But that’s not how it works.

Leg drive is not about kicking off the ground…it’s about creating tension before the bar even moves. It’s the invisible force that locks your body in place and turns you into a stable pressing machine.

Imagine this: you’re lying on the bench, the bar is heavy, and you’re trying to press it up. If your legs are loose or your feet are wandering, your entire body shifts. Your hips lift, your shoulders move, and all that energy leaks away. You lose control and efficiency.

Leg drive fixes this by anchoring your entire body. It lets your lower body push back into the bench while your upper body presses the bar away — two opposing forces working together for maximum power and stability.

And this brings us straight into a little bit of physics.

The Physics Behind Leg Drive: Newton’s Law in Action

You might not think of physics when you’re under the bar, but it’s the perfect way to understand why leg drive matters.

Newton’s Third Law tells us that for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

That means when you press the bar upward, there’s a downward and backward force that travels through your body. If your lower body isn’t applying an equal counterforce into the ground, that energy has nowhere to go — and your body will shift, tilt, or slide instead of staying tight and stable.

In other words, your feet aren’t just resting on the floor, they’re actively pushing into it. That opposing pressure grounds your body and gives your press a solid foundation. Without it, your lift becomes unstable, inefficient, and weak.

So, the goal isn’t to violently thrust your legs during the press.
The goal is to maintain constant pressure through your legs and feet from the moment you unrack the bar to the moment it’s racked again.

That’s the essence of leg drive. And one of the best ways to learn this sensation is through a simple but highly effective movement: the glute bridge bench press.

The Glute Bridge Bench Press: The Ultimate Leg Drive Drill

Let’s talk about how to actually build this skill.

The glute bridge bench press, sometimes called the “bridged bench press” or “hip bridge press”, is a drill that helps you feel what proper leg engagement should be like in your bench setup.

Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

Set up like a normal bench press.
Lie back on the bench with your shoulder blades retracted and your feet planted firmly on the floor.
Raise your hips into a glute bridge position.
Lift your hips off the bench until your glutes and hamstrings are fully engaged. Your shoulders should still be anchored on the bench, but your body should form a straight line from shoulders to knees.
Press from this position.
Now, perform your bench press while maintaining that hip bridge. You’ll instantly notice that your legs and glutes are carrying a lot of the load — not just your upper body.
Feel the pressure.
As you press, pay attention to how much tension runs through your feet, legs, and hips. This is what proper leg drive feels like when you bench. You’re using your lower body to stabilize and support the press, not just your arms and chest.
Transition back to your normal setup.
Once you’ve felt that connection, lower your hips back down to the bench — but don’t lose that tension. Let your hips touch the bench, not rest on it. You should still feel your feet digging into the floor and your legs pushing slightly forward, as if you’re trying to drive yourself up the bench.

That’s the secret most lifters miss. When your hips come down, you’re not relaxing…you’re maintaining that full-body pressure. The bench simply becomes the surface you’re pressing from, not the thing holding you up.

Why the Glute Bridge Bench Press Works So Well

The beauty of this drill is that it forces you to understand leg drive intuitively. You can’t fake tension in a glute bridge; if you relax your legs or lose foot pressure, your hips drop immediately. The exercise itself teaches you how to stay tight.

Here’s what this drill improves:

Body Awareness:
You learn how to feel tension from your feet to your shoulders — something many lifters never fully grasp.
Hip Stability:
Your glutes and hamstrings get activated, teaching you to control your hips and prevent them from lifting off the bench.
Foot Pressure and Positioning:
You’ll discover where your feet feel most powerful — whether that’s tucked back under your knees or slightly forward.
Upper Body Stability:
Because your legs are generating force, your shoulders and torso stay locked in place, giving you a rock-solid platform to press from.
Bar Path Consistency:
A stable lower body means the bar travels in a more predictable path, which makes it easier to maintain form and build strength safely.

Once you go back to your regular bench press after practicing this drill, you’ll feel instantly more connected to the floor. You’ll notice your body doesn’t wiggle or shift as much, and your bar speed off the chest improves because your foundation is solid.

How to Incorporate This Drill Into Your Training

Like any technique, mastering leg drive takes consistent practice. Here’s how to incorporate the glute bridge bench press into your training program:

As a Warm-Up Drill
Before your main bench session, perform 2–3 sets of 8–10 reps using light weight (even just the barbell). Focus on maintaining tension through your feet and legs.
As a Teaching Tool on Deload Weeks
During lighter training weeks, substitute one of your main bench variations with the glute bridge version. This gives you a chance to reinforce technique without heavy stress.
As a Supplemental Movement
If you’re struggling to stay tight under heavy loads, sprinkle this drill into your accessory work. Over time, it’ll carry over to your competition bench.
As a Mindset Reset
If you’ve been benching for years but still feel disconnected from your lower body, this movement acts as a reset button. It reminds you how to generate full-body tension — the foundation of elite-level pressing.

Common Mistakes When Practicing Leg Drive

When learning leg drive, there are a few pitfalls to avoid:

Mistake #1: Lifting the Hips Too Much
In a competition bench, your glutes must stay in contact with the bench. During the glute bridge drill, the purpose is to feel tension — not to mimic the exact position. When you return to your normal setup, your hips should only touch the bench lightly, not float or rest completely.
Mistake #2: Pressing the Bar With Your Legs
Your legs support the movement — they don’t move the bar. If you try to drive too hard mid-press, your hips will shoot up and ruin your positioning.
Mistake #3: Inconsistent Foot Position
Experiment with where your feet feel strongest, but once you find your sweet spot, stick to it. Consistency is key for stability and force transfer.
Mistake #4: Losing Tension Between Reps
A lot of lifters get tight for one rep and relax before the next. Instead, stay locked in for the entire set. Every repetition should start from a fully braced, fully connected position.

Feeling the Difference: From Loose to Locked-In

The first time you truly feel what leg drive is supposed to be like, it’ll change how you bench forever.

When you get it right:

Your body feels like a single, unified piece — not separate limbs doing their own thing.
The bar moves more smoothly and evenly.
You don’t waste energy re-adjusting after each rep.
Your pressing feels effortless — not because it’s lighter, but because you’re no longer fighting against instability.

In short, leg drive gives you control, and control equals strength.

Leg Drive Beyond Powerlifting

Even if you’re not a competitive powerlifter, mastering leg drive can still elevate your bench press performance.

For general strength athletes, CrossFitters, and even bodybuilders, better leg drive means:

More stability in every press.
Safer shoulder mechanics.
A stronger foundation for overload and hypertrophy.

It doesn’t just make you stronger, it makes your lifts feel smoother and more repeatable. And that consistency translates directly to long-term progress.

Bringing It All Together

Let’s recap what we’ve covered:

Leg drive isn’t a jolt — it’s pressure.
It’s about creating force into the floor and holding it throughout the lift, not just during the press.
Stability equals strength.
The tighter and more connected your body is, the more force you can produce and control.
The glute bridge bench press teaches true engagement.
By lifting your hips and pressing from that position, you learn to activate your legs, glutes, and core together.
Maintain pressure when you return to the bench.
Your hips touch the bench, but your tension never leaves.

If you can master this concept, your bench press will feel stronger, safer, and more powerful than ever.

Final Thoughts: The Missing Link to a Stronger Bench

Leg drive isn’t glamorous. You won’t see it flexing in the mirror, and it won’t make your pecs sore the next day. But it’s one of the most critical tools in your arsenal for long-term bench press success.

When you set up on the bench next time, don’t just think about your hands or your chest. Think about your entire body, your feet gripping the floor, your glutes tight, your legs pressing downward and forward, your shoulders pinned in place.

That full-body tension is what separates an average bench from a great one.

So next time you hit the gym, give the glute bridge bench press a try. Feel that leg drive. Learn it. Then carry it back into your main lift.

Because once you do, you’ll understand what every elite bencher already knows:

Power doesn’t start in your chest, it starts in your legs.

Joseph Lucero