Press and Bench Press Goals?

[B-MoreBeast]

Not really sure what I should be going for which vastly differs from my squats and deadlifts. What do any of you think would be productive numbers after 2 months of LP and then 4 months LP? 16yr 5'11 180 Bench max is something like 135 for 2 and press is 100 for 1 maybe. Unfortunately I've neglected my Upper Body compared to my squats and deadlifts. Thanks for the help.

[DannyP]

When I first learned the "proper" way to press 2.0 (I don't bench), after a few months of LP, I was doing work sets of 5 at 65 lbs. That was the best I could do with anything close to proper form. It's about eight months later and I'm no longer doing LP. My best press is 4 @ 125 and 5 @ 115 or 120 (can't remember which is my 5rm). However my press has stalled several times along the way. One thing that helped in that department was starting to do incline presses. If you're still making gains with LP then I wouldn't even worry about it until that stalls.

[Kyle Schuant]

It's reasonable for an intermediate lifter, the press is half the squat, and the bench is in between. That said, the pressing movements take some time to mature. When people start off, the squat and deadlift soar ahead and then plateau... the press and bench keep plodding along, slow right from the start.

[hbriem]

I see absolutely no reason to set "goals", aka "limitations" of any kind.

You are young and will progress. Take the press and bench as far as you can. In a year or two (or three) you will laugh at these numbers you are aiming for.

Why set 2 or 4 month goals? That's like ... an instant.

[B-MoreBeast]

Thanks guys. Guess it's time to get some micro loading plates and then just keep adding weight to the barbell every workout until I can't do it anymore. Is Dan Miller the micro plates guy still around on here?

[Adam Skillin]

PM him and find out. I do believe so, but he's not like one of those Halloween ghosts that shows up when you say his name 3 times

[B-MoreBeast]

I found the new thread of his. Ready to send him an order. I actually used the "search function".

[DannyP]

It's reasonable for an intermediate lifter, the press is half the squat, and the bench is in between. That said, the pressing movements take some time to mature. When people start off, the squat and deadlift soar ahead and then plateau... the press and bench keep plodding along, slow right from the start.

That's certainly what I found, to a degree. I had some "mini plateaus" with my press, though. I started progressing again when Andy recommended a H/L/M split including incline press. Plateaued again and began making more progress when I started doing back-off sets on heavy day.

One thing that's worked for me on the press, with the caveat that it's not really what the program calls for, is this: I take the first set on "heavy" day to failure (usually 3 or 4 reps), and continue doing the first set at that same weight every "heavy" day until I can hit a set of five. Then I up the weight. Sets two and three are done with a lighter weight that I can pretty much always hit five on.

[Adam Skillin]

Where the fuck are you guys getting the press = half of the squat? That's bullshit.

You think it should be more or less? Mine's less.

[SpinyNorman]

You think it should be more or less? Mine's less.

Mine is much less.

Shoot, my press isn't much more than half my bench.