Overhead Press Thread

[DCR]

My main pursuit is the thing that pushes me over the edge to hit that lifetime PR way past my "Prime"

…

I have been doing a very old school basic linear progression with incline like I did with flat bench and OH back when I started. My OH feels better than it has ever felt, and I suspect that I am on the verge of a 315 strict press which would quickly become 330 or so. With shoulder a left shoulder full of bone spurs and arthritis all around, and an almost daily routine of flexibility work to be able to do things like wipe my own backside when I use the toilet.

… sounds like you found it.

My recent experience has been similar. My numbers are embarrassing compared to yours, but my lifetime 1RM on press is 180. On any occasion on which I’ve stopped pressing frequently, my strength has gone in the toilet. I put the movement aside a year or so ago, maybe more, because my hands were killing me as I’ve mentioned. As usual, I lost all of my strength; when I pulled the movement out now and then over the past year, I couldn’t handle shit. Then, maybe three months ago, I began regularly incline benching. (By “regularly,” I mean every eight days.) Three or so weeks ago, I began pressing. Today I hit three singles at 157.5 and probably had another 5 lbs, so within less than 20 lbs of my lifetime 1RM. Again, after not doing this for a year or more. I am fully sold on inclines.

[Hardartery]

My main pursuit is the thing that pushes me over the edge to hit that lifetime PR way past my "Prime"

…

I have been doing a very old school basic linear progression with incline like I did with flat bench and OH back when I started. My OH feels better than it has ever felt, and I suspect that I am on the verge of a 315 strict press which would quickly become 330 or so. With shoulder a left shoulder full of bone spurs and arthritis all around, and an almost daily routine of flexibility work to be able to do things like wipe my own backside when I use the toilet.

… sounds like you found it.

My recent experience has been similar. My numbers are embarrassing compared to yours, but my lifetime 1RM on press is 180. On any occasion on which I’ve stopped pressing frequently, my strength has gone in the toilet. I put the movement aside a year or so ago, maybe more, because my hands were killing me as I’ve mentioned. As usual, I lost all of my strength; when I pulled the movement out now and then over the past year, I couldn’t handle shit. Then, maybe three months ago, I began regularly incline benching. (By “regularly,” I mean every eight days.) Three or so weeks ago, I began pressing. Today I hit three singles at 157.5 and probably had another 5 lbs, so within less than 20 lbs of my lifetime 1RM. Again, after not doing this for a year or more. I am fully sold on inclines.

Let's keep in mind that I was 280 lbs when I hit the 305, so not much over a bodyweight press. If I can break that at my current lighter bodyweight (Still too fat, but close to 270 and trying to get down under 265). Nobody's numbers are embarrassing, seriously. My numbers were embarrassing relative to my competition, it's tough to know going in that I was dropping a bucket of points on the overhead event going into every competition. I usually did drop a bunch of points and was left with a hole to dig my way out of. My idea is that if I can limit the damage on the log at Static Monsters, maybe - pie in the sky hope here - maybe I can be in the game for overall total with a good pull. It's an unlikely win, but it gives me something to shoot for before I die.

[dlocas7]

If you have a condition that limits your shoulders flexibility, and you still can do a straight 5 x 5 of strict presses using 185 lbs, you could be a lot worse. This is very solid pressing for any drug-free lifter. It's just that our perceptions are skewed due to today's competitive landscape and a huge pool of talent, plus the game-changing use of PED's.

Of course, you're going to feel your press sucks when you compare yourself to the best pressers on the planet in today's world. If you wind the clock back several decades, you'll see a gold-medalist in the 1952 Olympic Games training the press by performing triples in the mid-200's at a bodyweight of around 200. http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2012/09/no ... urray.html. Doug Hepburn and Paul Anderson were outliers; most heavyweights were lucky if they could get to 300 in the Press (very strictly judged back then). When PED's became prevalent in the early 1960's, 300-lb pressers became common, with a big help from a quick loosening of the judging, which ended up killing this beautiful lift.

I take the time to write the above mostly for the sake of any novice lifter who might come across this thread. With all these monster shows of pressing floating around on YouTube, the drug-free lifter who finally manages to strict press 205 or 225 may feel quite discouraged, and not realize that this is a huge milestone for the vast majority of lifters out there. Most healthy men have what it takes to get to that level and more, but it usually takes a lot of work. Any sort of pressing for reps above 200 lbs is nothing to be ashamed of. Like you said yourself, numbers are irrelevent here.

Shoulder mobility is an issue I am totally unfamiliar with. My elbows and wrists tend to take a beating from volume accumulation, but my shoulders were never a problem. Yours weren't either until you developed that medical condition. I'm getting at an age where I start to value each year I go without any medical issue; health has become my #1 priority in the gym.

You said the log press is the least problematic lift for you. Getting access to a log would be a great addition to your training since this will be the most specific lift for Static Monsters anyway. (I didn't see any mention of a log press in your training log; sorry if I missed it.) Strict-pressing or push-pressing a log is certainly going to help with abs/core stability as well, especially if you hold your last set overhead for 10-30 sec.

Getting comfortable in the front rack position comes with practice. If you want to feel at home with a log in front of you, it is best to regularly practice with one. Some stretching may help if you feel stiff, but again, no one knows you better than yourself.

[Hardartery]

If you have a condition that limits your shoulders flexibility, and you still can do a straight 5 x 5 of strict presses using 185 lbs, you could be a lot worse. This is very solid pressing for any drug-free lifter. It's just that our perceptions are skewed due to today's competitive landscape and a huge pool of talent, plus the game-changing use of PED's.

Of course, you're going to feel your press sucks when you compare yourself to the best pressers on the planet in today's world. If you wind the clock back several decades, you'll see a gold-medalist in the 1952 Olympic Games training the press by performing triples in the mid-200's at a bodyweight of around 200. http://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2012/09/no ... urray.html. Doug Hepburn and Paul Anderson were outliers; most heavyweights were lucky if they could get to 300 in the Press (very strictly judged back then). When PED's became prevalent in the early 1960's, 300-lb pressers became common, with a big help from a quick loosening of the judging, which ended up killing this beautiful lift.

I take the time to write the above mostly for the sake of any novice lifter who might come across this thread. With all these monster shows of pressing floating around on YouTube, the drug-free lifter who finally manages to strict press 205 or 225 may feel quite discouraged, and not realize that this is a huge milestone for the vast majority of lifters out there. Most healthy men have what it takes to get to that level and more, but it usually takes a lot of work. Any sort of pressing for reps above 200 lbs is nothing to be ashamed of. Like you said yourself, numbers are irrelevent here.

Shoulder mobility is an issue I am totally unfamiliar with. My elbows and wrists tend to take a beating from volume accumulation, but my shoulders were never a problem. Yours weren't either until you developed that medical condition. I'm getting at an age where I start to value each year I go without any medical issue; health has become my #1 priority in the gym.

You said the log press is the least problematic lift for you. Getting access to a log would be a great addition to your training since this will be the most specific lift for Static Monsters anyway. (I didn't see any mention of a log press in your training log; sorry if I missed it.) Strict-pressing or push-pressing a log is certainly going to help with abs/core stability as well, especially if you hold your last set overhead for 10-30 sec.

Getting comfortable in the front rack position comes with practice. If you want to feel at home with a log in front of you, it is best to regularly practice with one. Some stretching may help if you feel stiff, but again, no one knows you better than yourself.

So, just to explain a few things about me that you would not know as a newer poster. I typically am in Central America, in a country I don't ever directly reference (There are complicated reasons for this, mostly political/dictatorship stuff) doing volunteer work. I am essentially retired from actually working anywhere for a paycheck. Thus, what I have and don't have access too is not straightforward. I have some equipment at the place where I live and also go to a local hole in the wall gym, I own the equipment because the pandemic necessitated me buying it to continue working out for that time period. I would have to make a drawing and explain carefully to someone what I want and then pay for the materials and then pay for someone to fabricate it for me and hope at the end of all of that that it is useable. This represents a major investment of time and money to have something I don't really have space for, so I simply train OHP without one, focusing on things that should at least theoretically carry over for me.

The condition was Parathyroid Hyperplasia, which causes hypercalcemia and all of it's ill-effects. Calcification of soft tissues and organs being a major ill-effect. It usually goes undiagnosed until you are on the list for a kidney transplant. Or maybe you just drop dead from a heart attack and maybe then they find it but probably not. So, after visiting a PT and trying their stretches, I devised my own that work better. You are unlikely to ever be in contact with another person that has this condition, it is that rare and considered congenital.

I historically had a 5 rep OHP strict of 275 lbs at peak. At roughly that bodyweight. I am currently around that bodyweight, but carrying more muscle mass than when I was younger and I am a better presser in some ways, but so far have not pushed a real weight over head to rival my historical PR's. Abs/core are not an issue for my, no where near a weak point. My experience was as an Amateur Strongman competitively, and that experience matters when training for events. My best Log and my best Axle Press are both 305 lbs. Not a competitive number and a principal reason I never advanced. I have beaten Pro Strongmen that you have heard of at events and considered myself competitive as a natural competitor in a field of no natural competitors but not good enough to win. The goal is the elevate the OHP to the point of not being embarrassing relative to that field of competitors, which should be possible for me.