Overhead Press

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zamphir66
zamphir66 Posts: 582 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, apparently this is the most challenging compound exercise for a lot of people. It certainly is for me. By challenging, I mean difficult to progress.

Why is that?

And what can I do about it?

I thought about doing MORE strength exercises to target the shoulders, but might that be counterproductive? I'm stuck on session #3 weights on SL 5x5 whereas all the other exercises I've moved ahead each week easily.

Replies

  • never2bstopped
    never2bstopped Posts: 438 Member
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    Try to up the reps by 1 each set till you can get 5x7. Once you get there you can try to up the weight and drop to 5x4 and work reps back up. This should help you ratchet the weight up slowly.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,324 Member
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    i dont have any data to support this, but i found that implementing push-presses helped me. it allowed me to push heavier weight while giving my tris a break and giving it all to the shoulders.

    i was stuck at 125 for awhile, but was able to push-press 155. now i'm able to do my working sets at 135 with no 'push'. the last push-press set i did was at 175.

    like i said, i didn't track anything so it could all be coincidental.

    perhaps another thing you can do is strengthen your triceps even more. i think they come into play quite heavily getting the weight going from the bottom, unless i'm mistaken.
  • zamphir66
    zamphir66 Posts: 582 Member
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    What is this "push press"?

    The rep manipulating is a good idea. My mind is hardwired to 5x5. Nothing else occurred to me.
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
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    It's tough because you are working a very small subset of a very small muscle group (the delts).

    Once you hit a max, training at or near max to failure every time isn't going to yield much in the way of results. Change to something like a wendler 5/3/1 progression, or go to 4x4 or 3x3 or 3x5 or 3x10 with a variety of different weights.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I hit the wall long ago on OH press and had to move to a program that incorporated more assistance work. I made huge strides once I started incorporating push presses rather than doing strict OHP all of the time.
  • upgradeddiddy
    upgradeddiddy Posts: 281 Member
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    OHP requires a lot of core stability and strength along with shoulders which is why it's tough. Without a good lower back and abdominal foundation (things I need to build up because of my prior back surgery and issues) it's a tough move.
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
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    I added in front felt raises, lateral felt side raises and face pulls. Once I did that consistently my OHP numbers went up.
    Doesn't take a lot of sets after OHP since your delta are already worked.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
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    OHP/Push press/Push jerks are fun, but mostly for me just an accessory for bench. One admittedly I ask for in my programming, but one where the numbers are slow to rise since #1 - the muscles involved are small, and #2 - I'm typically doing them after benching, so the muscles are already tired
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
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    Check this thread out, @zamphir66 you might find some good ideas:
    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10127500/assistance-exercises-for-ohp#latest
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    As you get well into your program 5-6 months it might be time to add a couple accessories to help you with your lifts. You would do these after the main one. For OHP I do Inc DB press & every now and again I use some volume work with the bench press. Both have help significantly as I'm nearing two plates on the OHP after being stuck at 185ish for a while.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
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    The ohp is the hardest lift to progress for 2 reasons.

    1) The distance between the finishing position of the bar and the base against which it is pressed (the floor) is further than any lift which creates a great deal of instability.

    2) The primary movers in the lift (delts, shoulder girdle musculature and triceps) are smaller than that of any other compound movement.

    For me, frequency, volume, intensity and consistency were key to increases in ohp strength. I work up to a very heavy top set of 2-5 reps (I cycle weeks of 5, 3 and 2 reps) and then do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps with a lighter weight for some volume. On my bench day, 3 days later, I will do 5x10 ohp's as an accessory lift after benching.

    Technique is also key. Don't treat it like a standing bench press. Get your grip more narrow than a bench (i.e. I bench with fore fingers on the rings and ohp with pinkies about 1/2 an inch inside the rings), keep your elbows tucked, flare your chest, lock your scapula in and down, flex your buttcheeks and your abs and press the bar up off your chest. When the bar gets slightly over your head, move your body under the bar and continue to lockout, bringing your shoulders into a shrug at the top.
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
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    So won't repeat what others have said, but I will mention that you might have started off too heavy with OHP. From your profile, I cannot tell if you are male or female; but if you're female, starting off with the 45lbs bar might have been too much to begin with. No disrespect either if you are a male, as the OHP can be difficult for some.
  • zamphir66
    zamphir66 Posts: 582 Member
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    cajuntank wrote: »
    So won't repeat what others have said, but I will mention that you might have started off too heavy with OHP. From your profile, I cannot tell if you are male or female; but if you're female, starting off with the 45lbs bar might have been too much to begin with. No disrespect either if you are a male, as the OHP can be difficult for some.

    I started with the bar. That was no problem, nor was 50. 55 was dramatically more difficult but I got my reps, but 60 feels like a huge leap and I've failed 3 sessions running.

  • IvanOcampo
    IvanOcampo Posts: 226 Member
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    Agreed with the comment above.
    i'd discourage you from doing a push-press. Just make sure you're starting with the right weight.
    If 5x5, start with about 65/70% of your 1 rep max, and make sure you work on FORM.
    Technique will always trump weight. Leave your ego behind, and progress at your own rate. When doing 5x5, you don't want to grind any reps, so increase weight when you're ready.
    Just do 5x5 (don't increase reps). when you can do 5x5 at your weight, increase it.
    If you fail, just do what you can (complete all your sets), and repeat the same weight until you can get 5x5, and move on.
    Make sure your knees are locked, and that you're pushing up, and back over your head....
    Work on technique and the weight will come.
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Then starting with the bar was actually too much to begin with. The program is designed so that you should not fail for many weeks on in. This time is used to practice, practice, practice form with weight that is "too easy", because as the weight gets heavier, the harder it gets, so form breaks down. If you don't have several weeks of successful repetitions under your belt, then you probably need to start lighter and work your way back up. Failing this early in the game is just setting yourself up for injury later because you have not got your form dialed in yet. So in your case, maybe start off with lighter dumbbels and go up from there. Also invest (if your gym goes not have them) in fractional plates which will allow smaller jumps once you do make it back to the 45lbs bar. So instead of jumping 5lbs a workout for OHP, maybe do 2.5lbs jumps or less if you need to.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
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    Sorry, OP, not a lot to add.

    I can say that I've recently learned that you shouldn't do OHPs in the squat rack. Or rather, that it is perfectly fine to do them in the squat rack. Or possibly that the squat rack is really just a rack and not limited to squatting. And something about hair clippers or some such. There's another thread around here with lots of good info on all this. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
  • KBjimAZ
    KBjimAZ Posts: 369 Member
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    I know he's "The Glute Guy", but there's a lot of good info in this article.

    http://bretcontreras.com/how-to-military-press/

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