Tips for increasing overhead press?

[PiscesNinja]

My press has been stuck on 50kg x 5 for the past month.

After watching some of Jason Blaha's videos I've been emphasising overhead pressing and weighted chin-ups to get that classic greek statue look. I'm still hitting up dips, rows and other exercises, as well as squatting 2-3x/wk and deadlifting 1.5x/wk. But the first exercises I do on my upper body days are presses and chins, done back to back with ~75 sec rest alternating back and forth. Usually for about 6 total sets of each.

My chins are slowly progressing. My press doesn't seem to move, however. I do them super strict, and every now and then I throw in 1 or 2 sets of push press at the end for extra overload. Also I believe push presses are the best exercise for tricep mass as they work the long head which is the biggest head of the triceps, and the push press allows for extra overload at the top and on the eccentric than a strict press. I think dips and close grip bench are also fantastic but they don't work the long head effectively because there's no stretch.

Looking for tips

[SuffolkPunch]

It's easy to get yourself into a situation where you attempt the same sets/reps over and over. With no change to the stimulus, there is no reason for your body to change anything.

It's better to back off the exertion used maybe periodically by reducing then ramping the weight back up, adding more volume, using different rep ranges etc.

If you want a complete progression model, I created one here:
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=174402191

Overhead shrugs is a good accessory IMO.

[Nelg1993]

What helped me increase strength on some lifts was, contrary to what I have been told, to do the lift less. I was bench pressing 3 days a week, couldn't increase weight, once I backed off to once a week my bench press shot up.

Varying my rep ranges aswel. If you've been training high reps, try lower reps and vice versa. With higher reps you build up your tolerance for fatigue, with low reps you prime your CNS.

Try a variation of the lift for a while instead of the OHP. Find out what area you're weak in (getting the bar of off your chest or locking it out, weak triceps, weak front delts, instability in your shoulder, weak mid section for balancing, ...) and work on it. Accessories and replacement exercises are your friend.

Try a landmine press for a while or incline bench press. Heavy face pulls (leaning back with your foot on the pulley rack to help stabilize) also helped my OHP due to weak rear delts/weak external rotators.

[Junsuiakai]

What helped me increase strength on some lifts was, contrary to what I have been told, to do the lift less. I was bench pressing 3 days a week, couldn't increase weight, once I backed off to once a week my bench press shot up.

Varying my rep ranges aswel. If you've been training high reps, try lower reps and vice versa. With higher reps you build up your tolerance for fatigue, with low reps you prime your CNS.

Try a variation of the lift for a while instead of the OHP. Find out what area you're weak in (getting the bar of off your chest or locking it out, weak triceps, weak front delts, instability in your shoulder, weak mid section for balancing, ...) and work on it. Accessories and replacement exercises are your friend.

Try a landmine press for a while or incline bench press. Heavy face pulls (leaning back with your foot on the pulley rack to help stabilize) also helped my OHP due to weak rear delts/weak external rotators.

Great post! To add, my ohp sky rocketed when I learned the proper Grip width and squeezing the bar, as it would slide in my hand in the past.

Watch rippletoe video on ohp Grip, it is amazing how much it helps. But also my grip is hand quite narrow.

So to add, practice with grips till you find something that just clicks.

[supramax]

PiscesNinja,

Just to add to the very good advice you've already gotten: Try slow negatives and concentric and eccentric pauses. I've posted this link many times:https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/be...tting-stronger

[zGwild]

My press has been stuck on 50kg x 5 for the past month.

After watching some of Jason Blaha's videos I've been emphasising overhead pressing and weighted chin-ups to get that classic greek statue look. I'm still hitting up dips, rows and other exercises, as well as squatting 2-3x/wk and deadlifting 1.5x/wk. But the first exercises I do on my upper body days are presses and chins, done back to back with ~75 sec rest alternating back and forth. Usually for about 6 total sets of each.

My chins are slowly progressing. My press doesn't seem to move, however. I do them super strict, and every now and then I throw in 1 or 2 sets of push press at the end for extra overload. Also I believe push presses are the best exercise for tricep mass as they work the long head which is the biggest head of the triceps, and the push press allows for extra overload at the top and on the eccentric than a strict press. I think dips and close grip bench are also fantastic but they don't work the long head effectively because there's no stretch.

Looking for tips

People will look to the pressing muscles when the press stalls but in a lot of cases it is due to a weak core. Hows your lower back and ab training?

[sooby]

are you bulking?

if so and it still doesn't go up I would try a different rep range.

If you do 3x5, deload the weight slightly and try progressing using 5x3's.

If you are looking for accessory movements Z-Presses and Pin-presses are also nice.

[cthunder0]

My press has been stuck on 50kg x 5 for the past month.

After watching some of Jason Blaha's videos I've been emphasising overhead pressing and weighted chin-ups to get that classic greek statue look. I'm still hitting up dips, rows and other exercises, as well as squatting 2-3x/wk and deadlifting 1.5x/wk. But the first exercises I do on my upper body days are presses and chins, done back to back with ~75 sec rest alternating back and forth. Usually for about 6 total sets of each.

My chins are slowly progressing. My press doesn't seem to move, however. I do them super strict, and every now and then I throw in 1 or 2 sets of push press at the end for extra overload. Also I believe push presses are the best exercise for tricep mass as they work the long head which is the biggest head of the triceps, and the push press allows for extra overload at the top and on the eccentric than a strict press. I think dips and close grip bench are also fantastic but they don't work the long head effectively because there's no stretch.

Looking for tips

tips from a guy who has a peter griffin physique on how to look like a greek god, Lol.

[SuffolkPunch]

tips from a guy who has a peter griffin physique on how to look like a greek god, Lol.

This is not the teen misc.

[Nelg1993]

Great post! To add, my ohp sky rocketed when I learned the proper Grip width and squeezing the bar, as it would slide in my hand in the past.

Watch rippletoe video on ohp Grip, it is amazing how much it helps. But also my grip is hand quite narrow.

So to add, practice with grips till you find something that just clicks.

Jup! Proper grip width, hand placing, wrist/elbow positioning... It's different for every individual 'tho. Just like weaknesses etc.

[Akos89]

I would advice to find an Oly or powerlifter coach and get a professionaly writen periodized workout program.

Most of the time we do to much volume on to high intensity.

I asked an olympic lifter coach and he gaved me a workout which feels soo much easier but I will progress in long term.

[k9pit]

Train explosively.

Optimize your grip width to allow you to get the most explosive power from your lats (yes, your lats) to start the lift from the bottom (bar resting on upper chest).

Make sure you're using your lower body most optimally (glutes and quads squeezed, locked out knees).

Use false/suicide grip ( *only* if you are fully comfortable and feel safe doing so ).

Don't always go heavy. Grinders will screw you up if you do them too much. If you are going hard and setting PRs in your other lifts, you may want to drop your OHP back every 2nd week and dial the form in rather than going for strength gain.


**On a related note. Jason Blaha's OHP grip is too narrow for his frame. His elbows flare as if he transformed his close grip bench press form over to OHP. Watching old Matt Ogus videos are way better for teaching you how to approach OHP....worked for me.