Overhead press thread

[Bazza20]

Basically just a thread to spread the love for overhead pressing.

I find a big strict press much more impressive and a better judge of upper body strength than a big bench. Plus it gives you big wide shoulders.

What numbers are people putting up? Anyone hit over BW strict press?

What have you found works best to move your strict press up?

 

[Brick]

I like to press after every session. No secret its my favourite lift. Fucking love it. Have hit 82.5 @ 83kg bw.

100kg strict press is a huge goal of mine and looking at my press to bench ratio I think if I could strict press 100 then a 140kg bench would be in sight.

When I get back into the gym I'm going to start hitting alternating mil press and btn see if the btn works atbringing the press up. Around bw has been a real sticking point for the last 9 or so months.

Programming the lift I have had good success with smolov jr & PPP compressed with twice weekly sessions. I think anything would work if your getting alot of frequency and volume.

Good thread Baz.

 

[DREADLIFT]

I keep it simple, 5 heavy sets of five in replace of benching on my other upper body day.

How strict does anybody consider strict. I use zero knee drive but i utilise the stretch reflex on the bottom of each rep when going for reps, pausing at lockout.

 

[Bazza20]

I keep it simple, 5 heavy sets of five in replace of benching on my other upper body day.

How strict does anybody consider strict. I use zero knee drive but i utilise the stretch reflex on the bottom of each rep when going for reps, pausing at lockout.

I consider strict absolutely zero leg drive, slight lean back to get the bar past the face ok. No need to pause at bottom on reps.

 

[nazzysmith]

I like using full extension at lock out with a slight pause...

Like the excercise but my shoulders don't seem to agree with it sometimes....

 

[Brick]

I like using full extension at lock out with a slight pause...

Like the excercise but my shoulders don't seem to agree with it sometimes....

Naz as you pass your forehead are you pushing up and pulling back toward the back of your head trying to pinch you shoulder blades together.

If done as a tricep to upperback exercise it is alot kinder to the shoulder alot of people just try to press straight up all arms and shoulders.

 

[jj80]

Military press is an interesting one that I'm currently thinking about. I have to use a very close grip or my shoulders get pretty bad pain. My best is 85kg overhead. I do it as a bit of an afterthought to bench, I have only had slow progress on it but I think high reps and volume work somewhat well..

I went to the physio recently and he advised me to do push presses at my age (32), cause at the bottom of the press position too much stress gets placed on shoulder (I think he mentioned tendons). He's a weight lifter who had a 500lb squat at a light body weight so I give his suggestions some consideration.

Inzane showed me recently that press variations are mainly a front delt exercise. This is not to argue against them, just to say you should balance them out with some laterals. Darkoz had a good suggestion for lateral raise form.
T NATION | Inside the Muscles: Best Shoulders and Trap Exercises

I tried push pressing 100kg recently and failed miserably . Bazza you are one strong #@$ if you can strict press that. ww.youtube.com/watch?v=zEI6CUXpxjs for a laugh.

 

[nazzysmith]

With lighter weights the bar tends to stay a little bit forward for me... With heavier weights as soon as the bar passes my head I aim to get under the bar which basically achieves what your suggesting...

 

[Brick]

Military press is an interesting one that I'm currently thinking about. I have to use a very close grip or my shoulders get pretty bad pain. My best is 85kg overhead. I do it as a bit of an afterthought to bench, I have only had slow progress on it but I think high reps and volume work somewhat well..

I went to the physio recently and he advised me to do push presses at my age (32), cause at the bottom of the press position too much stress gets placed on shoulder (I think he mentioned tendons). He's a weight lifter who had a 500lb squat at a light body weight so I give his suggestions some consideration.

Inzane showed me recently that press variations are mainly a front delt exercise. This is not to argue against them, just to say you should balance them out with some laterals. Darkoz had a good suggestion for lateral raise form.
T NATION | Inside the Muscles: Best Shoulders and Trap Exercises

I tried push pressing 100kg recently and failed miserably. Bazza you are one strong #@$ if you can strict press that.

I think its more a tricep and then in the top half upperback exercise. Much less front delt involvement then benching. I dunno about everyone else but I always fail at my triceps, if I can get it past my forehead and let the upperbavk takeober I've got it.

I use a close grip. Gonna start using a 50 mm fat bar see if its kinder on the elbows which do cop a hammering when I do alot of volume.

I love this thread its giving me a horn.

 

[Goosey]

In my top four exercises.
70kg but for 5x5, I prefer to do my pressing before squatting when my back is fresh.

No assistance from hips, starting with upper arms by my side as opposed to the upper arms horizontal, push up tilting head slightly back, once pass the head, poke it through the hole, bar ends up directly overhead.

For me, over the years I found going full ROM placed not good stress on the shoulder, I now use single arm DB presses, which I find are actually tougher than a barbell being kinder to my shoulder.
I can go full range with no niggles.

 

[nazzysmith]

I really like the way btn press activates the tricep... Right up the top where it inserts near the shoulder...

 

[jj80]

if I can get it past my forehead and let the upperbavk takeober I've got it.

I find this too. Especially on the last reps of a set, if I don't 'give it my all' at the start of the movement to throw it up past forehead height I've lost it. Going fast is the difference between getting another rep or two or failing early. Tough to do when I'm so out of breath.

 

[DREADLIFT]

I use a close grip. Gonna start using a 50 mm fat bar see if its kinder on the elbows which do cop a hammering when I do alot of volume.

I use fat grips for my back off sets 10-20-50-100 reps for hypertrophy and injury prevention. Cant say much about elbow strain but it deffinately takes all the pressure of the shoulder joint and drills it directly into the muscles like nothing else.

 

[Brick]

I use fat grips for my back off sets 10-20-50-100 reps for hypertrophy and injury prevention. Cant say much about elbow strain but it deffinately takes all the pressure of the shoulder joint and drills it directly into the muscles like nothing else.

Good to hear. I had a play with the fatbar for btns too and I can't put my finger on what it was but it just felt better.

Had a look at the fatgrips when I went to gym n fitness the other day, whats the durability like? Looked like they were about 60-66mm dia.

 

[jj80]

Does anyone find Push Press has good carry over to bench? What's the difference in the muscles you work, what are you missing out on doing Push Press only?

My physio says do PP (OHP bad for shoulders), Wendler says PP is ok to sub for OHP, Dan Green reckons don't do PP, doesnt have the same bench carry over.... Magnus Samuelsson likes the push press, but he's a strongman. Hmm.

 

[DREADLIFT]

PP takes out the work in the start of the press for the shoulders etc. So it probably wont carry over to strength out of the bottom in the BP.

Maybe do more paused bench press or floor presses/presses from the bottom position to counter it.

 

[The Hamburgler]

My shoulders have never taken kindly to overhead work with a straight bar (even before I fucked it at footy)

Much prefer steep incline (so basically seated with a small lean back) DB/KB work

I've tried Klokov's pressing and sometimes it feels awesome on my shoulders, other times as though its ripping my shoulders apart rep by rep

That said everyone I've trained has been able to ohp fine so maybe it's just me lol

 

[Jungnaut]

I would love to get my MP up, at the moment I have just got past my previous sticking point of 50kg. I aim to be up to 60kg within the next 2 months, with my BW being 80.
Getting past the forehead is crucial, it almost seems like the bar suddenly comes to a dead stop at that position.
I'm using seated DB presses as a way to get my MP up, I like to think its working. Not sure what else I can do to get the press up.. apart from more volume and frequency. I have started using microplates too, thats been a great help.

 

[DREADLIFT]

Dont overlook abdominal strength.

And the glutes.

Dat ass.

 

[0ni]

I hate strict press because it's the only overhead exercise that I'm no good at.
I got my push press up from 50-75kg and my strict press DID NOT MOVE
To be good at an exercise do it. Is the push press a good shoulder/tricep builder? Yes. Will it improve other upper body exercises like the strict press? Yes. Is it a good substitute for the strict press? Yes. Will it get you good at strict pressing? Nope

2 plates on the strict press is a goal for me as well Brick. It's going to take a while though, whenever I start making progress on it meet prep begins lol. I might take a break from competing for a while to get it up.