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Thread: Presses seem so weak

  1. #1
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    Default Presses seem so weak

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    Hi guys my first post. I’ve currently restartedNLP after 6 months injured and I’m 7 weeks in and as last time my press and bench seem so weak compared to deadlift and squat.. Currently 110kg, 6ft 2”, last workout was
    Deadlift 195kg 1x5 easy
    Squat 160kg 3x5 last rep on third set just made
    Overhead press 67kg struggled on last rep on all sets after 8mins rest between
    Bench 96kg same as press with struggles.
    Bit of history I used to box in amateurs and had to stop due to both shoulders having slap tears and two operations fixed them but they’re not the same as before and the weakness of cartilage not the muscles I think is what’s causing me to struggle on presses. I’ve been adding 2.5kg and I’m about to start using 1kg increases from tomorrow. Am I best using even lighter increases? Resetting 5-10% or am I being a pussy and just power through as much as I can? I don’t have a spotter as where I’m from there’s not many people who train let alone help with spotting! If be wasting any decent forum state apologies in advance

  2. #2
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    Hi Kmax,

    So 2.5 kilos - that's about 5.5 lbs. That's a significant jump for a press, especially if you have a history of shoulder issues and are finding these lifts to generally lag. Assuming that your form is good, I'd do a tiny reset to a weight you can do with your best form for 3 sets that are challenging, but does not create form breakdown. Thereafter, start the smaller jumps. You may find that your upper body lifts need to move to intermediate programming before your squat and deadlift, but I don't think you're there just quite yet. Start microloading and be honest with yourself when you're plain old stuck.

    Be safe on your bench press - remember how to set the spotter arms and don't collar the bar for the bench. If you're struggling on these, you need to know what to do in the event you get pinned.

    Best,

  3. #3
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    If you draw graphs of potential vs starting weight over time, the presses get close to that potential pretty rapidly, whilst the DL, Squat are still giving relatively large jumps for a far longer period of time. That's why micro-loading @ 0.25Kg is pretty much a necessity. Also. Increase the rest period - I rest between 12-14 minutes between sets, but if you need more than that, then you need more-experiment and check the results.

  4. #4
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    Aug 2013
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kmax1985 View Post
    Hi guys my first post. I’ve currently restartedNLP after 6 months injured and I’m 7 weeks in and as last time my press and bench seem so weak compared to deadlift and squat.. Currently 110kg, 6ft 2”, last workout was
    Deadlift 195kg 1x5 easy
    Squat 160kg 3x5 last rep on third set just made
    Overhead press 67kg struggled on last rep on all sets after 8mins rest between
    Bench 96kg same as press with struggles.
    Bit of history I used to box in amateurs and had to stop due to both shoulders having slap tears and two operations fixed them but they’re not the same as before and the weakness of cartilage not the muscles I think is what’s causing me to struggle on presses. I’ve been adding 2.5kg and I’m about to start using 1kg increases from tomorrow. Am I best using even lighter increases? Resetting 5-10% or am I being a pussy and just power through as much as I can? I don’t have a spotter as where I’m from there’s not many people who train let alone help with spotting! If be wasting any decent forum state apologies in advance
    The First Three Questions

    Seriously though, 1 kg on the bench press and 0.5-0.75 kg increments on the press are standard on the LP and this is the case the vast majority of lifters. Think about it, why would a bench press, or a press, progress at the same rate as a squat when there is less muscle mass involved in the movement?

  5. #5
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    Looks like good lifts to me! Better than mine at the moment, anyway. Press is just gonna be the weakest lift you've got in the SS program. It's how it is. I am currently going up 2.5 pounds on both types of presses, and might be cutting that to straight up 2 pound jumps or even smaller on overhead work soon.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by CommanderFun View Post
    Looks like good lifts to me! Better than mine at the moment, anyway. Press is just gonna be the weakest lift you've got in the SS program. It's how it is. I am currently going up 2.5 pounds on both types of presses, and might be cutting that to straight up 2 pound jumps or even smaller on overhead work soon.
    1-1.5 lb is a pretty standard jump on the press.

  7. #7
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    Yeah, I know, I'm just saying, relative to me, OP is ahead of the curve. He's doing just fine.

  8. #8
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    Imagine if he slowed down his jumps.

  9. #9
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    starting strength coach development program
    The title of this thread seems to be a universal complaint. Presses increase slowly, especially if you have had prior shoulder issues and it pisses people off.

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