finding difficult to Over head press

so i recently started doing stronglifts, thanks everyone for the suggestion. its helping me a lot.
i have some questions:

-when will i start seeing my biceps getting bigger?
-my sleep has drastically improved ever since i started this program, in fact too much to the point dont want to get up for work. is this a normal benefit?
-i am having difficulty doing OP. The basic premise for me to do this program was that I would gain strength and become stronger. I am noticing slight increases in strength with all other works that are part of this program such as squats, bench press etc. EXCEPT for over head press.
Last time I had to do 60 lbs of over head. I was able to do it but it took a lot from me. Took a lot of effort.
So to others who started this program, did you face this challenge and how did you overcome it?
«1345

Replies

  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    How tall are you and how much do you weigh, if you don’t mind me asking?
  • threewins
    threewins Posts: 1,455 Member
    I don't weight lift but I've read your posts over the last week or so. I'd really suggest that you get a copy of Microsoft Excel (which is a spreadsheet) and use it to predict the weights you can lift in the future. You use the trend line feature to predict way, way into the future.

    Any version of Excel is fine, it hasn't changed much in the last 15 years. You graph your lifting weight and then create an exponential tend line which has a form of A(1-e^(Bt)). You want Excel to predict A which is your lifetime maximum lifting weight. You can predict how much you will lift at date B.

    Learning Excel isn't particularly hard, but it's not super easy either. There are numerous YouTube videos on how to do things, plus websites and Reddit Excel, which is where I'd suggest you start.
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    threewins wrote: »
    You graph your lifting weight and then create an exponential tend line which has a form of A(1-e^(Bt)). You want Excel to predict A which is your lifetime maximum lifting weight.
    I think you mean a logarithmic trend line which approaches a limit as time approaches infinity, whereas an exponential trend line approaches infinity as time approaches a limit...

    https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2048:_Curve-Fitting

  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    edited September 2019
    Before my shoulder injury I was OHP about 115 (for reps) after 3 years of dedicated lifting and proper program @ about 170-180 pounds of body weight . OHP progress is very slow especially done with correct form. You may even need to log it to see the small gains in strength over a time. Adding a rep over a month sorta thing. 60 at the start is expected. Just follow progressive overload principles
  • fitpal02020
    fitpal02020 Posts: 193 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    How tall are you and how much do you weigh, if you don’t mind me asking?

    im 5'11 and i weigh close to 180 lbs
  • fitpal02020
    fitpal02020 Posts: 193 Member
    jdog022 wrote: »
    Before my shoulder injury I was OHP about 115 (for reps) after 3 years of dedicated lifting and proper program @ about 170-180 pounds of body weight . OHP progress is very slow especially done with correct form. You may even need to log it to see the small gains in strength over a time. Adding a rep over a month sorta thing. 60 at the start is expected. Just follow progressive overload principles

    thank u i'll keep going
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    jonmarrow wrote: »
    -when will i start seeing my biceps getting bigger?
    when your deadlift gets closer to 400#...

  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    jonmarrow wrote: »
    im 5'11 and i weigh close to 180 lbs
    Cool what does your recovery look like ie rest time between sets, amount of sleep, amount and quality of nutrition?
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    edited September 2019
    Also how big of jumps are you taking between workouts? ie press 55 then next time 60 then next time 65 for 5# jumps for example...
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    Not having much for your biceps is about the only complaint I've heard about Stronglifts. Most suggest adding a set of chin-ups, I can't remember if it was A or B workout. Chin-ups gave me fantastic biceps.

    OHP is just difficult. I think it is supposed to "take a lot from" you. That is how it works.
  • threewins
    threewins Posts: 1,455 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    threewins wrote: »
    You graph your lifting weight and then create an exponential tend line which has a form of A(1-e^(Bt)). You want Excel to predict A which is your lifetime maximum lifting weight.
    I think you mean a logarithmic trend line which approaches a limit as time approaches infinity, whereas an exponential trend line approaches infinity as time approaches a limit...

    https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2048:_Curve-Fitting

    I forgot to add the negative before B, but the logarithmic of infinity is infinity, whereas e^(-Bt) is zero. Logarithmic will never reach a constant.
  • fitpal02020
    fitpal02020 Posts: 193 Member
    edited September 2019
    wiigelec wrote: »
    jonmarrow wrote: »
    im 5'11 and i weigh close to 180 lbs
    Cool what does your recovery look like ie rest time between sets, amount of sleep, amount and quality of nutrition?

    amazing, i am getting the best sleep of my life and i eat good healthy nutritious food
  • fitpal02020
    fitpal02020 Posts: 193 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    Also how big of jumps are you taking between workouts? ie press 55 then next time 60 then next time 65 for 5# jumps for example...

    i am increasing weights by 5 lbs.
  • Plus I was resting 4 mins between sets . Make sure you rest.
  • denjan333
    denjan333 Posts: 158 Member
    When I did this program the OHP was my lowest weight lift as well and took the longest to see progress. I think that’s normal because the muscles in your neck and shoulders are considerably smaller than your legs and back.

    Building muscle takes time, and eating at a surplus (unless you’re really new to lifting). My oldest son is 28, tall and thin, and he has to pretty much eat everything in sight and work really hard to put on muscle.
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    jonmarrow wrote: »
    amazing, i am getting the best sleep of my life and i eat good healthy nutritious food
    it would be more helpful if you could be a little more specific: number of hours sleep per night average, daily calories and macro breakdown and examples of some foods you eat each day.

    Also what would be very helpful is a video of your press session to help identify any form issues. It could also be that what you think is hard is indeed not and you just need to learn how to move heavier weights, which is also easy to identify in a video via bar speed...

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    threewins wrote: »
    wiigelec wrote: »
    threewins wrote: »
    You graph your lifting weight and then create an exponential tend line which has a form of A(1-e^(Bt)). You want Excel to predict A which is your lifetime maximum lifting weight.
    I think you mean a logarithmic trend line which approaches a limit as time approaches infinity, whereas an exponential trend line approaches infinity as time approaches a limit...

    https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2048:_Curve-Fitting

    I forgot to add the negative before B, but the logarithmic of infinity is infinity, whereas e^(-Bt) is zero. Logarithmic will never reach a constant.

    Why is there a flag on this?

    Either way, I'm not all this math (which is great BTW) is beneficial for what our OP wants. What the OP needs is patience.

    When I see posts that IMO use the flags incorrectly, I Flag > Report > Other and add a note such as "Misflagged for Abuse" so the mods can take a look and judge for themselves.
  • oedipuss
    oedipuss Posts: 51 Member
    OP, if you want biceps, I would recommend the following:

    1. Continue on strong lifts
    2. Have patience
    3. Continue on strong lifts
    4. Have patience
    5. After a time longer than you think, when your dead lift approaches 300+ for reps (you are about the same size as me, but I'm 25 years older and 20 pounds heavier), so I know over time it will get there, add chin-ups to your routine. If you can't do them, start with either lat pull downs or a chin up "machine" that has an assistance component and work your assistance weight down. You'll get all the benefits of a curl, but you'll augment strength in your core, your back, and your shoulders.
    6. Have patience.

    If you want your overhead press to improve, see above.

    I think most folks who do programs like this - or similar will agree that the OHP is the slowest mover of the lifts. For me, it was always the one that stalled first and most often, that I would need to take a step back every once in a while and go ahead. It is a movement whose form is very important. Most people trip up when they do not engage their entire kinetic chain in the movement. You have to tighten everything for this lift to give the most benefit - and for your growth in it to be the most steady.

    To give you an idea, my reps went up pretty steadily until I reached about 105 pounds. I failed the reps on that for 3 straight sessions. Then went back to 85 and worked back up. Passed 105 and stalled again at 120. Backed off to 100 or so, and worked back up. Lather, rinse, repeat. Now, about 1.5 years later, was repping close to 160 for 5 (before a recent car accident - which has sent back down to about 125). It is a process.

    Remember that failing reps is a normal part of your progression at times. Follow what the program says about this.

    This is going to take time. It takes consistent, regular work.

    Have patience.

    This is a really good post.

    When you stall the saying "take two steps back to make one step forward". .....is the truth! :)
  • fitpal02020
    fitpal02020 Posts: 193 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    jonmarrow wrote: »
    amazing, i am getting the best sleep of my life and i eat good healthy nutritious food
    it would be more helpful if you could be a little more specific: number of hours sleep per night average, daily calories and macro breakdown and examples of some foods you eat each day.

    Also what would be very helpful is a video of your press session to help identify any form issues. It could also be that what you think is hard is indeed not and you just need to learn how to move heavier weights, which is also easy to identify in a video via bar speed...

    i already have a bad rep on this forum, cant share any videos publicly unless you are some well know instagram trainer who i could trust to give me good advice then sure i could DM you
  • fitpal02020
    fitpal02020 Posts: 193 Member
    denjan333 wrote: »
    When I did this program the OHP was my lowest weight lift as well and took the longest to see progress. I think that’s normal because the muscles in your neck and shoulders are considerably smaller than your legs and back.

    Building muscle takes time, and eating at a surplus (unless you’re really new to lifting). My oldest son is 28, tall and thin, and he has to pretty much eat everything in sight and work really hard to put on muscle.
    thanks. but im trying to loose weight so dunno if thats whats causing me difficulty with OHP
  • fitpal02020
    fitpal02020 Posts: 193 Member
    OP, if you want biceps, I would recommend the following:

    1. Continue on strong lifts
    2. Have patience
    3. Continue on strong lifts
    4. Have patience
    5. After a time longer than you think, when your dead lift approaches 300+ for reps (you are about the same size as me, but I'm 25 years older and 20 pounds heavier), so I know over time it will get there, add chin-ups to your routine. If you can't do them, start with either lat pull downs or a chin up "machine" that has an assistance component and work your assistance weight down. You'll get all the benefits of a curl, but you'll augment strength in your core, your back, and your shoulders.
    6. Have patience.

    If you want your overhead press to improve, see above.

    I think most folks who do programs like this - or similar will agree that the OHP is the slowest mover of the lifts. For me, it was always the one that stalled first and most often, that I would need to take a step back every once in a while and go ahead. It is a movement whose form is very important. Most people trip up when they do not engage their entire kinetic chain in the movement. You have to tighten everything for this lift to give the most benefit - and for your growth in it to be the most steady.

    To give you an idea, my reps went up pretty steadily until I reached about 105 pounds. I failed the reps on that for 3 straight sessions. Then went back to 85 and worked back up. Passed 105 and stalled again at 120. Backed off to 100 or so, and worked back up. Lather, rinse, repeat. Now, about 1.5 years later, was repping close to 160 for 5 (before a recent car accident - which has sent back down to about 125). It is a process.

    Remember that failing reps is a normal part of your progression at times. Follow what the program says about this.

    This is going to take time. It takes consistent, regular work.

    Have patience.

    I cant have patience when i look at people like this guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ0n3N59VnM
    who have a solid physique by doing more or less the same exercises I was doing in my original routine but now I only have to stick to 3 exercises for god knows how long and no guarantee when i will see big forearms and big biceps but other people can hit the gym do all sorts of exercises and get a fit physique!

    Why do I have to stick to such a boring routine? life is not fair.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    Having done strong lifts I think it’s a great program. Depending on the version it will graph your progress for you. You can also adjust how many reps per set you are doing in the app. When I started OHP I was using just the bar - and that was heavy for my at 45lb. I actually did the bar for everything all 3 workouts of week one as a baseline. After a year my max was at 75lb, and 65lb was what I could do 5x5 of with good form. It progressed much slower than the other lifts for me as well.

    I’m not lifting now and have had to take nearly a year off but it is the program I’ll use when I start again. It’s a good program. Just follow it and trust the process.

    The app will even tell you that failure is part of the process and it will not increase weight until you can complete the 5x5 at the given weight.
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