Heavy bench day for OHP specialization

[Jason Donaldson]

So a lifter who start a Press specialization after novice progression, pressing 4 days a week, still have to bench just to maintein a relative bench strength and/or continue add some muscle mass?

Pretty much. There's enough difference between the bench press and the press that they're both in the novice program, and so it's necessary to have them both in some form even once you specialize.

A bench specialist benefits from some pressing to keep the shoulders healthy, and the bench in turn can provide some help to the press specialist by being a sort of overload exercise over a modified range of motion.

You could kind of compare it to how the squat and the deadlift are complementary exercises - similar, but still different enough that they work together. Also potentially competing in terms of stress, if they're not carefully managed in light of each other...

I would far rather press without benching than bench without pressing, though. In fact, I have done so, while figuring out a shoulder issue, and still made steady progress on my press. I'm back to benching now, in preparation for a meet, but I'm still keeping the press in every week, despite prioritizing the bench. (I really prefer the press, though, personally...)

Keep in mind, though - when you're past the NLP, and you decide to specialize in the press, you will EVENTUALLY have to press four times a week. Not immediately. The additional days and complexity come in as needed, not as ends in themselves. If pressing once a week drives up the weight, don't mess with it. If a volume day and an intensity day get it moving again, then just do that. Don't be in a hurry to jump to four days a week, if simpler is working. Enjoy simple for as long as simple puts more pounds on the bar.

[Jovan Dragisic]

I understand, thats a pity.

So a lifter who start a Press specialization after novice progression, pressing 4 days a week, still have to bench just to maintein a relative bench strength and/or continue add some muscle mass?

The thing is, you are not done with your novice progression. You will be when you can close grip 124 kg for a set of five, at least.

[SouthernLifter]

The thing is, you are not done with your novice progression. You will be when you can close grip 124 kg for a set of five, at least.

Come on...

[8odin8]

The horrible truth is that you cannot specialize in both types of pressing. After the novice progression, a big bench does not contribute to a big press, and vice versa.

I'm benching Mondays and Fridays. Pressing on Wednesdays. I was under the impression that doing heavy presses will have some positive carry over to the bench. Is it possible that the heavy presses are hindering my progress on the bench press? Should I go lighter on the presses to not hinder my bench progress?

Currently pressing 95kg for sets of 5.
Benching 150kg for 5 reps.

[Maybach]

Come on...

Old boy weighs 124 kg. It's not even remotely difficult to achieve.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I'm benching Mondays and Fridays. Pressing on Wednesdays. I was under the impression that doing heavy presses will have some positive carry over to the bench. Is it possible that the heavy presses are hindering my progress on the bench press? Should I go lighter on the presses to not hinder my bench progress?

Currently pressing 95kg for sets of 5.
Benching 150kg for 5 reps.

95 is not going to interfere with anything.

[SouthernLifter]

Old boy weighs 124 kg. It's not even remotely difficult to achieve.

We don´t know anything about the quality of that mass. And then, he is not a boy on an hormone boom.

Who knows, maybe he will achieve that and much more in his NPL. But I thought maybe it wouldn't be good to raise false expectations.

[Jason Donaldson]

We don´t know anything about the quality of that mass. And then, he is not a boy on an hormone boom.

Who knows, maybe he will achieve that and much more in his NPL. But I thought maybe it wouldn't be good to raise false expectations.

The "sticker number" for bench is a 300 lb single. If that's reasonable for a man who's done the program, then Jovan's minimum 275 x 5 prior to specialization sounds just fine. Even if Adriano's a sloppy 275 BW as a 31 year old at 6'0", this is quite reasonable, especially once he cleans up his programming. And pressing 200 and almost 270 for singles volume, I'm guessing he may have fluff, but he's not completely sloppy.

This is assuming he's squatting and deadlifting, too, which is a detail I'm not seeing. You are squatting and deadlifting, too, aren't you, Adriano?

[Maybach]

We don´t know anything about the quality of that mass. And then, he is not a boy on an hormone boom.

Who knows, maybe he will achieve that and much more in his NPL. But I thought maybe it wouldn't be good to raise false expectations.

If the quality of that mass isn't high, then he has a lot more linear progression left on the table. And the "quality" of that mass matters far less than you would think.

Any normal man who ends their NLP unable to bench their bodyweight for reps has badly fucked up their NLP.

[Adriano Alves]

The "sticker number" for bench is a 300 lb single. If that's reasonable for a man who's done the program, then Jovan's minimum 275 x 5 prior to specialization sounds just fine. Even if Adriano's a sloppy 275 BW as a 31 year old at 6'0", this is quite reasonable, especially once he cleans up his programming. And pressing 200 and almost 270 for singles volume, I'm guessing he may have fluff, but he's not completely sloppy.

This is assuming he's squatting and deadlifting, too, which is a detail I'm not seeing. You are squatting and deadlifting, too, aren't you, Adriano?

Yes! Sadly i spend 2 years with the same weight on the bar, because in the time i didnt have money for buying more weight, a decent power hack and a secure and decent flat bench.
My numbers at time was:

BW: 100kg
Squat: 5x5 - 140kg
Bench: 5x5 - 90kg
Press: 5x5 - 70kg
Deadlift: 5x5 - 140kg

But 6 monts ago i buy a olimpic bar, a strong power hack and a better flat bench. My numbers of squat and deadlift recently are:

Squat: (Set/Reps) 1x5 - 162kg
Deadlift: 1x5 - 160kg

But today i decide begin all the NLP again, this time following all detais prescribes in the blue book and gray book. I have a lot of muscle mass, but i have a fluffy belly too, but its a personal choose, i like being that way
I read all the the tips of you guys posted and realize that i being stupid and dumb in not following the program corretly.

All i have to say is thank you for all the tips guys and when a finish all the novice phase, i will come back and tell my progress again!!