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Thread: Who can press more than body weight?

  1. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by kittenSmash View Post
    Gant makes a good point. I recall a quote from someone (maybe Gant?), "if you want to press more, press more."
    I've heard it from an old Starr article, and he might have been quoting someone else..

  2. #42
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    I'm positively giddy to report that I'm in the club of 200+ lb'ers who can press more than bodyweight. Matt's lifts take a massive shit on mine, but I know how hard I worked for them so I'm just all the more pleased that he's gotten where he has.

    I have never had great upper body musculature or strength but in the last few months when I was busting my ass to put on weight I decided I'd try to modify my programming if/when 3x5 started to fail me. For me the answer was intensity -- limit sets to 3 reps and see where that takes you. I did 3x3 on press and bench when linear progress failed and got linear progress on 3x3. When that became tough I would up the weight by a couple of lbs per session and finish 3x3, push-pressing the reps I couldn't press strictly.

    Now I can press 212 (once) and I weigh 203 (I just stepped on the scale after a healthy piss). It's not exactly worth a parade, but I am now pressing more than I thought I ever could so I'm happy. So if you take my experience as a lesson, then the answer is to 1) eat a fuck load of food, and 2) focus on increasing the weight on the bar even if it means decreasing volume.

  3. #43
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    Congrats Patrick! That's an excellent accomplishment.

  4. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gary Gibson View Post
    Excellent stuff, Matt. Some things I really liked a lot...

    1) No false modesty. You are strong as hell and realize your level of advancement.

    I appreciate that, but do want to make the point, that in my world, and even in my own gym there are so many guys strogner than me at the various lifts. We have guys who can legitimately full squat 800, raw bench 500+, and deadlift damn near 800. My training partner has also strict pressed 320, though that's at a bodyweight of about the same - but still - that's so damn strong.

    In the grand scheme of things, yes, I guess I'm fairly strong. But it's funny how when you train with other brutally strong guys (not to mention win your pro card in strongman and compete against even freakier guys) - that it just makes your lifts seems so-so.

    As for short term goals, I am a football coach and during the season i will be maintaining strength - building it is impossible while I'm coaching/teaching. From November-February, however, I'd like to deadlift 800, bench 450, and standing strict press 315+.

  5. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Reynolds View Post
    I appreciate that, but do want to make the point, that in my world, and even in my own gym there are so many guys strogner than me at the various lifts. We have guys who can legitimately full squat 800, raw bench 500+, and deadlift damn near 800. My training partner has also strict pressed 320, though that's at a bodyweight of about the same - but still - that's so damn strong.

    In the grand scheme of things, yes, I guess I'm fairly strong. But it's funny how when you train with other brutally strong guys (not to mention win your pro card in strongman and compete against even freakier guys) - that it just makes your lifts seems so-so.

    As for short term goals, I am a football coach and during the season i will be maintaining strength - building it is impossible while I'm coaching/teaching. From November-February, however, I'd like to deadlift 800, bench 450, and standing strict press 315+.
    I don't know what's more impressive, that he can press 320 or that it is how much he weights.

    One of the great things about being around people stronger than you is that it puts you in perspective. If I were to compare myself with the people from my gym, I would most definitely consider myself strong. Now, considering that I just squatted 260 pounds, that is not exactly true now, is it?

    But talking to people around here makes me go "Fuck, this dude ended his LP with a 300 something squat? I better go get my milk and push myself harder before I think I'm done with my LP and switch to TM".

  6. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Reynolds View Post
    From there I'd progress to a peaking phase (something like the peaking phase Glenn Pendlay and Rip advocated in the interview I did with them years ago, to Wendler's 5/3/1, etc.) - I still really like squatting at least twice per week during this phase, and one addition I'd make to Wendler's program is to add a lighter full squat or heavy front squat following deadlifts on that day.
    Matt, I've recently been thinking that I need to squat more than once per week on 5/3/1, and plan to do as per your suggestion. What percentages would you recommend? I was thinking 80ish for triples but I am really just guessing.

    Thanks
    Emil

  7. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by fanboi View Post
    Matt, I've recently been thinking that I need to squat more than once per week on 5/3/1, and plan to do as per your suggestion. What percentages would you recommend? I was thinking 80ish for triples but I am really just guessing.

    Thanks
    Emil
    I have no idea what level of lifter you are, your training background, etc - so it would be tough to recommend anything without more info.

    I will say, that I've never done a true "light squat day" in my own personal training. I'd rather change up the exercise to a front squat, or safety squat bar squat, or add chains or bands, etc. to mix thing up a little and still work up to a heavy 3-5 or so - maybe not a true 3-5RM but fairly close. OR I'll hit a tough higher rep full squat - something in the 10 rep range for additional hypertrophy - but again, I'm coming from a long background of lifting.

    And I'm not saying a lighter squat day in the 5 rep range with a lower RPE (in say, the 8 range) is bad - it's just not something that I've enjoyed and therefore haven't done a ton of it in my own training.

  8. #48
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    Hey Matt, anything we can do to convince you to keep a training log on here?

  9. #49
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    I can keep a training log here. I've kept one for a long time. Won't be any problem posting here as well.

  10. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Reynolds View Post
    I can keep a training log here. I've kept one for a long time. Won't be any problem posting here as well.
    Awesome, thanks. Your posts have all been great and seeing how you train I'm sure will be helpful for alot of us.

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