Who can press more than body weight?

[Heraclitus]

One of my goals is to press my body weight - for those of you out there that can do this, how did you get there and how long did it take you?

I'm currently 91 KGs / 200 lbs (at 6') and can press around 80 KGs / 176 lbs for 1 rep, so I'm hoping to get to body weight before the end of the year.

[willhu12]

Tim Sheiff, the world freerunning champion does human flag pushups. I would assume you;d need to be able to press well over your bodyweight just to hold a flag.

[tertius]

Tim Sheiff, the world freerunning champion does human flag pushups. I would assume you;d need to be able to press well over your bodyweight just to hold a flag.

I wouldn't.

[Campbell]

Matt Reynolds can

http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=18274

but like you, i can only do 80kg and i weight 108kg.

[willhu12]

I wouldn't.

Put it this way - he can just about do a one-handed, handstand pushup. If pressing your whole bodyweight up, maintaining stability and doing it all one one arm doesnt equal at least once your bodyweight on a press - I don't know what does.

I would kill to have Tim "Livewire" Sheiff's physique.

[George Noble]

I am probably pretty close on a 12" log. I did 86 kg for 2 singles but I don't know how much I weigh. Probably about 87. I don't know.

[tertius]

Put it this way - he can just about do a one-handed, handstand pushup. If pressing your whole bodyweight up, maintaining stability and doing it all one one arm doesnt equal at least once your bodyweight on a press - I don't know what does.

I would kill to have Tim "Livewire" Sheiff's physique.

That's a different kettle of fish than holding a flag position. However, by the same token, you'd think that anyone capable of a doing a handstand push-up should be capable of a bodyweight press, but I'd warrant that's probably not true.

[DanO_123]

It seems to me a handstand pushup would be like starting with a bar at the top of your forehead and pressing it to lockout.


Stability would be another issue. I remember as a kid I could walk on my hands around the room but I know I couldn't press my bodyweight overhead.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Here I am doing 4 presses and 1 push press with 210 at a bodyweight of 205.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoUwDSwNQis

This next one is me doing 205x5 at a bodyweight of 205

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=penkWYCPS5c&NR=1

I never did anything more than 5x5 on the press. Never did any assistance work really. I suppose continuous progress on the bench press helps to drive up pressing strength though

[Gary Gibson]

Here I am doing 4 presses and 1 push press with 210 at a bodyweight of 205.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoUwDSwNQis

This next one is me doing 205x5 at a bodyweight of 205

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=penkWYCPS5c&NR=1

I never did anything more than 5x5 on the press. Never did any assistance work really. I suppose continuous progress on the bench press helps to drive up pressing strength though

Looking strong and incredibly lean, Andy. (Aren't you in the 198's now, too??)

Yes, people seem to forget that the bench press evolved out of the floor press, which itself came about as an assistance movement to the overhead press which was a contested Olympic lift at the time. Pressers figured out a long time ago that supine pressing with the body supported was a great way to develop pure upper body pressing power that was then integrated into the more whole-body standing press.

But you have to practice the movement. I know a handful of 400+ raw benchers at my gym who can't do an honest standing press with half their best bench. When they press overhead they tend to use a truncated range of motion that keeps the dumbbells or the bars higher than forehead level and they tend to do it sitting. The full range standing press is another beast entirely. That bottom range has to be trained and transferring power through the legs and the midsection has to be trained.