T Nation

Pressing Strength Sucks

Beginners
#1

my current routine i have two pressing days in a week
pressing day 1:
bench press- ramps up to a 3 rep max,
seated DB shoulder press- 4 sets of 5-8 reps
tricep focused dips- 3 sets of 5-8 reps
HS shrugs- 3sets of 5-8 reps
sidelaterals- 3 sets of 10-15 reps
pressing day 2:
BB seated shoulder press- ramps up to a 3 rep max
incline DB press- 4 sets of 5-8 reps
pin press- 3 sets of 5-8 reps
super set a. skull crushers- 3 sets of 8-10 reps
b.HS Shrugs- same
cable laterals- same

my pulling and leg work are all going up easily, but on pressing with the exception of my tricep work its coming at a snails pace or stagnanting. So i dont thinks its diet
any ideas or suggestions to help progress?

i was thinking of putting maybe a HS incline press on press day one since its a chest focused kinda and adding BTN smith shoulder press on press day two since its kinda shoulder focused

and has anyone have success with the HS shoulder press? ive read some people sometimes use it as there main shoulder execise.

#2

Couple of things:

  • What do you mean when you say your pressing strength "sucks?

  • What is a “snails pace” ?

When trying to get advice, you have to give people information they can work with. We don’t know how long you have been training, how long you have been been experiencing growth stagnation or ANYTHING at all with the information you have given us other than that you press 2 times a week.

-Other Information like training age, the program you are on, where you are now compared to where you started - This is kind of information we need to make intelligent observations of your training.

  • Also, consider the size of the shoulders - Pretty small, right? - Now look at the size of your back and your legs. Even if you gain strength at an equal rate in all 3 of these areas, lets say 10% in a month for the sake of argument, the PERCEIVED increase is lower because it will look like this:

Shoulder press went from 100 pounds to 110 pounds

Deadlift went from 300 pounds to 330 pounds

What we have here is the same percentage increase, but the load is heavier on the back exercise (i know the DL is not strictly a back exercise, stick with me here) so it looks like more progress is actually being made.

#3

im sorry
im 16 been traing for 7 months 195 lbs
my bench took a month and a half to go from 155 to 165
bb shoulder press went from 110 to 115 in about the same time
(5 rep maxes)
im just confuesed considering my back and legs have gotten much stronger then my chest or shoulder portionally
some numbers: squat is closing in on a 315 max
dead lift now thta my form has gotten better is at 315 max
im dumbell rowing 95s for 10

#4

The problem is you are 16 years old and have been training for 6 weeks. If you manage to add 5 pounds to your lifts over and over again for weeks and weeks you will eventually be very strong, but this takes YEARS.

Come back after a DECADE of training when you have tripled or quadrupled your numbers on everything, and then you can complain that your lifts are not going up.

Just focus on adding quality weight to the bar, and adding quality weight to your body. Do this for the next 10 years and you will be very happy with your efforts in the gym.

Great physiques are NOT made in a matter of week, or “a month and a half” - They are made through a lifetime commitment to excellence in the gym and in the kitchen.

Oh - And those squats BETTER BE TO ASS TO GRASS. Trust me when I say you do NOT want to be “that guy” who is doing quarter squats who thinks he is the baddest man in the gym because he has 3 plates on the bar. Video tape yourself if you must, but just make sure you are doing a SQUAT, and not a half squat.

#5

maybe you mis read or im not understanding you but i did say ive been training for 7 months(obviously not anywere near the years uve spent in the gym) and that the month and a half period was the time it took to add the 10lbs on bench adn 5 on shoulder press.

im obviouslly worrying about nothing apprently. I was just curious as why the numbers on my squat and deadlift are almost double that of my bench and if maybe i wasnt doing something correct

I do reach depth on the squats, i video tape them upon the advice from H4M to try and get better technique wise.

i apolgise if i came off as ignorant

#6

Did you read today’s article?

I’m not saying follow his program (though you could and would probably see results), but there’s alot of valuable information in there about bench technique.

How many sets are you typically doing before you reach your 3rm when you ramp? And what are your increments?

#7

[quote]texas man wrote:
maybe you mis read or im not understanding you but i did say ive been training for 7 months(obviously not anywere near the years uve spent in the gym) and that the month and a half period was the time it took to add the 10lbs on bench adn 5 on shoulder press.

im obviouslly worrying about nothing apprently. I was just curious as why the numbers on my squat and deadlift are almost double that of my bench and if maybe i wasnt doing something correct

I do reach depth on the squats, i video tape them upon the advice from H4M to try and get better technique wise.

i apolgise if i came off as ignorant[/quote]

You didn’t come off as ignorant. I was just trying to write in a way that made you realize how YOUNG you are, and how LONG it takes to become a great lifter. I misinterpreted your lifting age, but understand that 7 months is still new in the big picture. The fact that you are video taping and taking advice from great lifters like H4M shows you are determined… That alone lets me know you will be successful if you stick with this.

If you stick with it until you are 20, and I hope that you do, you would have been training for 5 years… At that point you will have built a very nice foundation if you are lifting intelligently. But even still you will be a young buck with your whole life ahead of you.

Just keep on keepin’ on man, the gains will come with time. Its perfectly normal for you Squat and Deadlift to be HUNDREDS of pounds heavier than your bench, and certainly your shoulder press. They will all go up at their own pace, dont get too caught up on how fast they are going up, just make sure they are going up over the long run.

#8

How tall are you? I wouldn’t be shocked if your squat is going up because you are using a slightly smaller ROM each time. Can happen to beginners.

More important: is your weight going up, and how much protein are you eating? Those two things will tell us if you’re eating enough to progress.

10lbs in a month and a half (bench progress) aint bad though. That’s 80lbs/year pace. Don’t sweat too much over a 6-week progress report, if you are eating enough and lifting heavy the gains will come and they won’t necessarily be linear.

#9

^
in those 7 months i have gone from about 165 to 195 (some of it is fat, atleast it seems to me) and im 6 ft as of this morning
i get around 250 grams of protein a day

Lonnie thanks for the advice

jsk ill look at that

#10

Texas method