SS success, except with shoulder press

[TomF]

I'm primarily a CrossFitter, but am doing an SS cycle to bump up my CFT. At the end of January, my CFT was 730 (270 squat, 120 press, 340 DL), and my goal's been to increase it about #100 from early Feb-late March. I'm drinking 1/2 gallon per day of milk, and following the lifting regime from SS 1st edition, with no assistance exercises. I'm 45, 5'9", and 180 - at about 15-18% bodyfat. My goal's not so much to be bigger, but stronger at this weight ... to assist my WOD performances. I actually plan to move to a zone diet after this SS cycle, and drop bodyfat to improve performance in things like chins and HSPU.

I've had great success with squat and DL improvements in the last 6 weeks - squatted 3X5 @ 280 last night, and my most recent DL set was 1X5 @ 355. I'm confident (and grateful) that I'll meet my CFT goals for this cycle, but am ticked that it will pretty much only be on the basis of improvements in those two lifts.

Though my local CF affiliate says my shoulder press form's fine, it remains very weak. Though I'd been doing 3X5 SP @ 105 before starting the SS cycle, I backed off to 95 for the initial work sets, to give a bit of a run up in the progression. I promptly stalled it by adding too much weight/session (#5), and then stalled it again after a re-set while adding only #2.5/session. Maddeningly, after last night's squats, I couldn't manage full shoulder press sets @ 115. FWIW, my bench is also piddly; 3X5 working weights are 177.5, after one stall/reset - also increasing these now only by #2.5/workout.

Bottom line - suggestions on anything I can do to ramp up, or even maintain, progress in my pushing? Another re-set and smaller jumps? I've wondered if the heavy squats are tiring my core enough that my SP is affected ... maybe re-arrange the order of the exercises, to do the pressing while fresher? Or just drink the other damned half gallon of milk/day?

More to the point, I'll be returning to WODs in about 2 weeks, but will want to continue some focus on improving pressing. What's the most effective way you've seen your trainees do that? Add a 3X5 of a single lift on one day of the WOD cycle (my CF affiliate coach Anthony Bainbridge does this)? Trade out one day of the 3 day WOD cycle for a squat/SP/bench day? Something else?

Thanks.

t

[Mark Rippetoe]

The good news is that presses of all types are hard for everybody to improve because the muscle groups are smaller, so you're not unusual. The other half gallon of milk would help, because presses are sensitive to bodyweight, i.e. you lose weight, they go down, and vice versa. If I were going to suggest a crash program for press improvement, I'd suggest this: first, make damn sure recovery is not the problem (eat, sleep, no endurance work). Second, post a video here so I can make sure there are no occult form problems that Anthony may have missed. Then reset your presses to a manageable weight for 3x5 reps, and add one set of push presses after the presses, as much weight as you can do for a set of 5. ONE SET. Keep your bench work the same.

Anthony's suggestion about the one day per WOD cycle pressing added-to is good, but again, you have to make sure you get recovered. The second suggestion would work too, depending on how close you want to be to straight WOD CrossFit. Or try them both so that learning can occur.

[TomF]

Thanks Rip.

Tomorrow night I'll be where someone can video my SP form; I'll post it soon after. In the meantime, I'll drink some more damned milk.

t.