BW OHP Goal Thread

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1


hi guys and gals,
after having recently broken through an ohp plateu, i have decided to start this thread for those wishing to press their BW.
Here we will share our targets, tips and experiences. forum members who have already achieved this feat are welcome to post any useful pointers.
post current: 1rm(lbs or kg)
BW
target date for achivement

(Strict OHP)
me: 140lbs
195/200lbs
begining of july (2plates either side)

i have 4-5 warmup sets, adding 5lbs each time, then 3x3 of working weight. i clean the weight for each set (not rep). i also push press heavier weights to get used to the feel of heavier weights(like doing squat walkouts), along with lots of bbrows, kroc rows, cable rows and chinups as usual. for core work specific to the ohp, i do front squat and ohp holds at lockout and bent presses, along with the anti-rotational core work from the ‘stuff you should be oing article’ . i have recently started to add the delt triad at the end, for fun.

notes:

2

I can’t really can’t give too much advice in terms of a strict ohp, but last year, I had the goal of power clean/push press body weight.

At 180 I power clean/push pressed 185.

I was doing something like this

Mon: front squat + upper

Wed: clean/press (2 sets of 5, then 3 sets of 3 trying to add 5lbs each set) so it would look like
135x5, 140x5, 145x3, 150x3, 155x3

followed by sumo deadlift high pulls, weighted chins, and incline db bench

Fri: deadlift + upper

good luck.

3

I hit the push press a while back but my strict press is around yours OP weighing at 180-185.

I’m going to be pursuing it as a 5/3/1 lift this wave.

4

Looks like you have what you need in there.

To be honest it’s probably time, food, and patience that you’ll need.

It’s my observation that most people that get strong in any type of upper body pressing exercise use heavy sets of 3-8 reps, swapping reps up every once in a while, taking long but reasonable rest periods between sets, and only massively swapping things up when progress stalls for more than a couple sessions.

I’m using 3’s, 5’s, occasionally a high rep all-out set when I’m not feeling the heavy weight, and lots of eggs, milk, and the rest of the good stuff.

I should add that I’m right around your strength in overhead pressing. Push pressed 185 two weeks ago when I tested it.

5

I can’t do shit for my bench, but the same set/rep scheme I use for my bench have worked for my military press pretty good.

I use what Flow says - 3x5 sets and 3x3 sets with the occasional 4x8 and PR testing.

Now my best is 150 lbs at 155 lbs BW. My shoulder is inflamed pretty bad right now, but I can’t wait for my first BW OHP :slight_smile:

I think I’ll resume training in 2 weeks.

6

cool
weird, i can ohp 140 max, but 160 push press only, maybe form. do you guys use more of the jerk when doing it?

7

[quote]caveman101 wrote:
hi guys and gals,
after having recently broken through an ohp plateu, i have decided to start this thread for those wishing to press their BW.
Here we will share our targets, tips and experiences. forum members who have already achieved this feat are welcome to post any useful pointers.
post current: 1rm(lbs or kg)
BW
target date for achivement

(Strict OHP)
me: 140lbs
195/200lbs
begining of july (2plates either side)

i have 4-5 warmup sets, adding 5lbs each time, then 3x3 of working weight. i clean the weight for each set (not rep).

i also push press heavier weights to get used to the feel of heavier weights(like doing squat walkouts), along with lots of bbrows, kroc rows, cable rows and chinups as usual.

for core work specific to the ohp, i do front squat and ohp holds at lockout and bent presses, along with the anti-rotational core work from the ‘stuff you should be oing article’ . i have recently started to add the delt triad at the end, for fun.

notes:[/quote]

How often are you benching?

8

I rack jerked my bodyweight back when I weighed about 250. My strict press is “somewhat” less…

9

once or twice a week at the mo, focusing more on ohp and dips(which i suck at)

10

[quote]caveman101 wrote:
once or twice a week at the mo, focusing more on ohp and dips(which i suck at)[/quote]

Don’t rule out heavy benches (flat to steep inclines). You can keep the vol. low, but push the weight.

11

Pressing about 170 at a bodyweight of 180, hoping to get there before too long. Just doing Wendlers 5/3/1, so one session a week. Assistance is merely 3 sets of 10-15 and some lateral raises. Doing tricep work that day as well as I think they are holding me back.

I know I lean back a little, nothing excessive. However, I do seem to get a pinch sensation in my mid back the day or so after. Usually goes within a day or two. Might be forced to stop a rep or two earlier on my AMRAP set as I think this is where the problem is.

Bodyweight military press will be my first decent strength achievement, so I’m looking forward to it.

12

iv just read wendlers 5/3/1, and now i understand the hype. i will now be useing this as i stalled last night and iv used the 3x3 for 5 weeks now

13

did 180x6 strict military couple weeks ago at 205lbs. deload this week. at the end of my next 5/3/1 i aim to hit 185 more than 6 times…

short term goal is 225lb strict press, dont think im too far off that now. long term, 315lb.

14

[quote]Iain wrote:
Pressing about 170 at a bodyweight of 180, hoping to get there before too long. Just doing Wendlers 5/3/1, so one session a week. Assistance is merely 3 sets of 10-15 and some lateral raises. Doing tricep work that day as well as I think they are holding me back.

I know I lean back a little, nothing excessive. However, I do seem to get a pinch sensation in my mid back the day or so after. Usually goes within a day or two. Might be forced to stop a rep or two earlier on my AMRAP set as I think this is where the problem is.

Bodyweight military press will be my first decent strength achievement, so I’m looking forward to it.[/quote]

get a good power belt, helps with the lean back. i got the “retro” one at elitefts.com, 50 bucks + shipping (which i think is free right now, maybe?). definitely some of the best 50 bucks i have spent on myself in a while. also, if you order that belt, id suggest ordering a size up from where your waist size is according to their chart. Medium was 33"-36", so i ordered that, in reality i couldve gotten the large to allow me to get a little fatter if i so wish…

15

In August my 1RM was 140lbs @ bodyweight of 185. As of today my 1RM is 200lbs @ bodyweight of 175. Pavel Tsatsouline’s book Power To The People and the strength program outlined within that book has worked well for me.

16

[quote]lucio wrote:
In August my 1RM was 140lbs @ bodyweight of 185. As of today my 1RM is 200lbs @ bodyweight of 175. Pavel Tsatsouline’s book Power To The People and the strength program outlined within that book has worked well for me. [/quote]

Roger that.

17

Forget to add that handstand pushups might help anyone break plateaus with the OHP… so if you arnt doing them and your stuck at a weight below bodyweight for the OHP, play with them for a few weeks and see what happens.