Heavy Push Press?

Hi CT, just finished my 8th week of complete power look. Yesterday I found myself having trouble on the first rep of my push press sets. On two sets I missed rep one, rested the bar for a moment and completed the sets. This took it’s toll as I could only manage one rep my next 2 attempts at a double.

Do you have any cues/tips for the push press when the weight gets close to your max? I feel like I have the strength, but just couldn’t put it all together. Or maybe it is a tricep/shoulder strength issue?

Worth mentioning that the weight I was using for 2 reps was equal to my previous all-time heaviest single. Can’t wait to see the end results.

[quote]OUBobcatLifter wrote:
Hi CT, just finished my 8th week of complete power look. Yesterday I found myself having trouble on the first rep of my push press sets. On two sets I missed rep one, rested the bar for a moment and completed the sets. This took it’s toll as I could only manage one rep my next 2 attempts at a double.

Do you have any cues/tips for the push press when the weight gets close to your max? I feel like I have the strength, but just couldn’t put it all together. Or maybe it is a tricep/shoulder strength issue?

Worth mentioning that the weight I was using for 2 reps was equal to my previous all-time heaviest single. Can’t wait to see the end results. [/quote]

I follow variations of CT’s layer system and still making gains. When I stalled on the push press, a few things that helped me:

  1. Added some direct tricep work as a finisher on PP and bench days. 4-5 sets of light weight / hi rep cable push downs. Dips are great too but bother my shoulders after a while.
  2. Form with heavy PP - I noticed that as the weight got close to my max I was leaning forward during the push, opposed to keeping rigid and vertical. Keeping the cue of pushing up and behind the head, and keeping the push quick and explosive helps me.
  3. Do a couple of weeks of triples as opposed to singles and doubles. I find a little more volume at a lighter weight for a few sessions gets me primed to keep setting PRs.

Just my $.02 Good luck

[quote]Grove wrote:

[quote]OUBobcatLifter wrote:
Hi CT, just finished my 8th week of complete power look. Yesterday I found myself having trouble on the first rep of my push press sets. On two sets I missed rep one, rested the bar for a moment and completed the sets. This took it’s toll as I could only manage one rep my next 2 attempts at a double.

Do you have any cues/tips for the push press when the weight gets close to your max? I feel like I have the strength, but just couldn’t put it all together. Or maybe it is a tricep/shoulder strength issue?

Worth mentioning that the weight I was using for 2 reps was equal to my previous all-time heaviest single. Can’t wait to see the end results. [/quote]

I follow variations of CT’s layer system and still making gains. When I stalled on the push press, a few things that helped me:

  1. Added some direct tricep work as a finisher on PP and bench days. 4-5 sets of light weight / hi rep cable push downs. Dips are great too but bother my shoulders after a while.
  2. Form with heavy PP - I noticed that as the weight got close to my max I was leaning forward during the push, opposed to keeping rigid and vertical. Keeping the cue of pushing up and behind the head, and keeping the push quick and explosive helps me.
  3. Do a couple of weeks of triples as opposed to singles and doubles. I find a little more volume at a lighter weight for a few sessions gets me primed to keep setting PRs.

Just my $.02 Good luck[/quote]

Thanks for the tips. Today is my push press workout so I’ll give those cues a try and see what happens. Definitely gonna try to emphasize speed and explosion even more so this time around and maybe throw in some jumps/med ball throws prior too to fire up the CNS, something I haven’t done much if since beginning this program.

I think I may have psyched myself up too much mentally last workout as well, couldn’t wait to train which sometimes works against me. Also tweaked my low back a bit during the warmup which didn’t help. The back thing has lingered, but seems some of my best workouts have come while dealing with aches and pains.

Hit my reps tonight with 210lbs, up 5 from last week. Pretty happy with the effort given my low back/hip issues and travel this week. Gonna nail my nutrition down and get 3x3 with 210 next week.

Focusing on speed helped. Do think its a tricep strength issue so I’m getting to work on that. Stalled out at about 3/4 of the way up and had to muscle the reps up. Can probably get a bit more leg drive in as well.

Final week of complete power look starts Saturday.

Nervous about taking a week off after completing the program. I know CT has recommended it. Bad timing, with a beach trip planned at the end of the month and for some reason I seem to come back from a week off weaker. Hoping to get stronger with the rest for a change, I know others are hitting new maxes after taking a week to recover.

One of the drills that I used with two of my Crossfit athletes who had lockout issues in the push press and jerk is the push press and strict press with bands. We used the same set-up for the strict/military and push press

This does two things:

  1. It increases resistance near the lockout, which will help you strengthen that region

  2. It teaches you to produce more acceleration to “beat the bands” which will make you more explosive

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
One of the drills that I used with two of my Crossfit athletes who had lockout issues in the push press and jerk is the push press and strict press with bands. We used the same set-up for the strict/military and push press

This does two things:

  1. It increases resistance near the lockout, which will help you strengthen that region

  2. It teaches you to produce more acceleration to “beat the bands” which will make you more explosive[/quote]

Actually gave these a try a while back when you first posted video of them to your YouTube page. I used the thinnest bands I could find which look about the same as the ones in your video. Would there be any benefit to using a slightly heavier band?

Really liked the exercise and will cycle them into my workouts in the future. Any rep recommendations for them? And should one cycle off them after 3-4 weeks like we do with most band work?