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Thread: oh press questions

  1. #1
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    Default oh press questions

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    Ok so this is probably a silly question but why does it seem like I can press more weight on a shoulder press machine than I can with a barbell? Currently I'm not pressing alot of weight only 100lbs as of my last pressing day last week but on the machine I'm able to press about 50lbs more last time I did it. Is it a technique thing or am I comparing apples to oranges?

  2. #2
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    I have a silly question, is it a standing shoulder press or seated?

  3. #3
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    No I guess I should have clarified that, a standing overhead barbell press, and it was a seated shoulder press machine, like I said I don't know if I'm comparing apples to oranges here or not still pretty new to all of this

  4. #4
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    Yes, you are comparing apples to oranges. It’s not just the seated aspect, however.

  5. #5
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    I think you really compare apples to oranges as you said. there is several reason:
    1. Most machines use a different amount of leverage. So the cable set up, or the plate stack makes the biomechanics different overall.
    2. Machines stabilize the weight for you allowing the prime movers to do all the work and none of the smaller global and local shoulder stabilizers have to do much of anything.

  6. #6
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    Greetings:

    I would say two reasons: One - You are standing in the barbell press and seated in the machine press. This means you do not need to expend any energy to stand and remain balanced on the machine. Two - The machine follows a fixed path. This means you do not have to balance the load nor do you have to actively move it through the correct path. All you do is push against it with all your might and the machine takes care of the rest.

  7. #7
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by mzanassi85 View Post
    Ok so this is probably a silly question but why does it seem like I can press more weight on a shoulder press machine than I can with a barbell? Currently I'm not pressing alot of weight only 100lbs as of my last pressing day last week but on the machine I'm able to press about 50lbs more last time I did it. Is it a technique thing or am I comparing apples to oranges?
    I recently had the opposite experience. I used a seated "shoulder press" machine at a hotel gym while on vacation. I found that weights that I had recently pressed for reps were pretty hard to lock out. I concluded that a) the numbers on the plates may be a bit arbitrary and don't correlate tightly to actual pounds on a barbell (because of the pulley system), and b) that these are two different movements and there may not be complete carryover, due to different angles and leverages.

    Basically, I accepted that I was not continuing my training with these machines, and instead was just dicking around with them for a couple weeks while on vacation. I used a bunch of the machines, trying to get some hard work done, in hopes that I wouldn't detrain too much while on vacation.

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